Page 71 of Dark Bonds

Behind me, I overhear a conversation between two students I vaguely recognize but can’t name.

“Ready for another riveting lecture on the joys of shadow history?” one of them says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. They must be those in the know.

His friend chuckles. “I wish we had some coffee to share. That’d make these lectures a lot more bearable.”

Are they talking about me and my coffee?

“I don’t know,” the first one replies, his tone becoming more serious. “I have a feeling today’s lecture will be… illuminating.”

I resist the urge to turn around and join their conversation. Instead, I focus on getting my notebook out, trying to ignore the way the shadows seem to lean in, as if eager to eavesdrop.

An undercurrent of tension thrums through the room. It’s in the way some students eye each other warily, like they are sizing up potential competition. Great, another thing to add to my ever-growing list of worries. As if I didn’t have enough to dealwith, now I have to worry about my classmates possibly trying to murder me for power.

Blackwood walks in, and everyone shuts up. He looks us over like he’s sizing up prey. “Today,” he announces, his voice slicing through my exhausted haze, “we delve into the darkest corners of shadow shifter lore. Pay attention, for this knowledge may very well save your lives.”

I straighten up in my seat, suddenly more alert. This is the kind of stuff I’ve been waiting for, the real meat of why we’re all here—not just learning to control our abilities, but understanding where they comefromand what theymean.

Blackwood’s eyes sweep the room, landing on each of us in turn. When his gaze meets mine, I feel a chill run down my spine. It’s like he can see right through me. For a moment, I wonder if he knows about the shield incident, but that’s impossible, right?

“Shadow shifters,” he begins, his voice low and intense, “are not just manipulators of darkness. They are conduits for ancient, primordial forces that predate human understanding.”

I wonder if he is talking about Nyx. The name seems to whisper through the shadows around us, a half heard susurration that makes me shiver.

The shadows in the room seem to deepen, coalescing around Blackwood as he speaks. I blink, unsure if it’s just my imagination or if he’s actually manipulating them. They writhe and twist, forming shapes that are almost recognizable before dissolving back into darkness.

With another blink, they disappear. Yeah, so it’s just me. Great, now I’m hallucinating shadow puppets.Just what I need.

“Throughout history,” Blackwood says, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper, “shadow shifters have been feared, revered, and hunted in equal measure amongst those who learn of ourexistence. Some cultures believed we were messengers of the gods, while others saw us as harbingers of doom.”

I can’t help but think about all the shadow shifters before me. Did they feel this lost? This messed up? Did they ever look in the mirror and wonder if they were turning into monsters?

“Shadow shifters,” he presses on, his intensity palpable, “are among the most enigmatic and feared beings in our world. Our ability to manipulate darkness itself makes us formidable opponents… and dangerous allies.”

I feel a flutter of pride at his words, quickly followed by a wave of shame. I shouldn’t be proud of being feared, should I? There’s a part of me, though, a dark, hidden part that relishes the power. It’s the same part that sometimes whispers that maybe Valerie wasn’t entirely wrong about everything.

“But with great power comes great vulnerability,” Blackwood continues. “A shadow shifter’s strength is also their weakness. Light can be both a weapon and a shield against them.”

My hand hovers over my notebook as I listen. My heart races, and I can feel the shadows around me pulse in response.

“Light shifters have all but died out.” He pauses with a twitch to his lips, his eyes falling on me. “They were reported to be the only ones who could kill a shadow, and we were the only ones who could kill the light.”

I feel as though there is so much more to his words than he is saying. A chill runs down my spine, and I resist the urge to look around at my classmates.

“Light shifters have disappeared,” he says cryptically. “I blame that on why our kind has become so lax.” There are murmurs as he says this.

I shift uncomfortably in my seat, feeling the weight of Blackwood’s gaze as it zeros in on me.

“However,” Blackwood continues, his eyes finally moving away from me, “the absence of light shifters doesn’t mean we’reinvulnerable. Far from it. Our greatest threats now come from within our own ranks.”

The room falls silent, tension thick in the air. I can feel the shadows around me pulsing, reacting to the collective unease of the class. It’s like being in a room full of living darkness, all of it hungry and restless.

“Power struggles within shadow shifter communities can be… catastrophic,” Blackwood says. “When shadow turns against shadow, the results are often fatal—not just for the individuals involved, but for entire bloodlines.”

I think of Valerie and the iron grip she held over her girls. I always thought Valerie was human, and it’s something I didn’t even think to ask. They all knew about her, but who is Valerie really?

I never looked back, not once since I escaped.

Now I can’t help but wonder.

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