Page 20 of Secrets and Shadows

“It wouldn’t be the first time.” I nudge him in a weak attempt to lighten the mood. It doesn’t work though.

“May the Balance guide you,” Headmistress Bennett’s voice overpowers ours, and her disapproving tone makes it clear she heard our exchange. Shit. We’re off to a good start. “The two of you may go first.” Double shit.

Tony’s face goes pale, his eyes wide with panic. I can’t blame him—going first is probably the scariest. But someone has to take the plunge, and waiting for someone else to do it is pointless since no one really knows what to expect. The experience is different for everyone.

Since the beginning of time, the rules of the Shadowing have been clear: you must find your own way to tap into the darkness and draw the light out.

I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

“Come on,” I murmur, wrapping my hand around Tony’s.

It’s ironic, really. This moment is the most important of our lives—one that could lead to us being kicked out of the academy, or worse, something fatal—and yet it feels like the Headmistress and her entourage are sending us off to a party. The absurdity of it all nearly makes me burst into nervous giggles, but I manage to hold it together. Barely.

Tony hesitates, glancing back at Headmistress Bennett, her stern expression echoed by the older students standing around her. Their faces are like unreadable masks, revealing nothing. The clearing is completely silent, and no words of encouragement come our way.

I refuse to let my closest friend face the Shadowing alone, especially when he looks ready to pass out. His hand trembles in mine as we take another step closer to the darkened forest.

“I promise you, we’ll be fine. We’ll be celebrating in the Pred dorm tomorrow night, I’m sure,” I try to reassure him again, but the words feel like a lie. I push aside any notions of foreboding and uncertainty, and focus on the idea that we’ll get through this instead.

“I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but I don’t think it's working...” Tony trails off uneasily. “Plus, Vaughn will be there and I’m not sure I want to be a witness to murder.”

And to be fair, being in Vaughn’s presence has put me dangerously close to murder several times before. Even now, picturing his smug smirk, I feel an overwhelming urge to wipe it off his face.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” I tell him with a small smile, releasing his hand. We have to enter the forest alone, without any energetic interference from anyone around us. No one nearby is allowed to help us in any way, as it maychange our Shadows permanently. “I’ll see you on the other side, all right? You got this.”

Tony nods and, surprisingly, is the first to move. He vanishes into the darkness, and I hesitate for a moment before following, my heart racing and my palms slick with sweat. An ominous presence looms ahead, not Tony, something else, causing my skin to prickle with fear, and my breath to hitch in the back of my throat.

Throughout history, darkness has been misunderstood—or so we’ve been told. While it holds a lot of power, it’s not inherently evil, even if it doesn’t feel that way right now.

I pause, closing my eyes for a moment as I draw in a deep breath. The energetic field around me is powerful, pulling me in different directions, but it’s up to me to decide which path to follow to summon my Shadow. It’s ironic, really, since they are made of light, yet they’re called—

C o m e. The word is whispered inside my head so silently, yet it echoes through my mind so clearly. For a moment, I’m stunned, thinking that my own mind is playing tricks on me. The Darkness might be all-consuming, but it doesn’t... talk.

Or, at least, I don’tthinkit does.

I don’t dare to move; instead, I focus on the sounds around me. I hear Tony walking somewhere in the distance, but the voice that invites me forward didn’t come from him. No, it feels like something I can’t explain. Something far more sinister than I want to admit.

C o m e, the voice repeats, this time with an energetic pull that yanks me forward. I’m left with no choice but to follow its lead. I’ve heard many stories about the things that take place in the forest, but I never expected to be spoken to here. Not like this.

Finally, I dare to open my eyes and look around. Unsurprisingly, I’m met by complete darkness, yet I cansomehow find my way forward. I don’t know where I’m going, but I know there’s someplace I need to be.

You have returned to me…

A feeling of unease creeps over me, and I swallow hard. My feet continue to move as if they have a will of their own, but every inch forward feels like a step closer to danger. The darkness around me seems to twist and shift, lightening enough to reveal gnarled trees that appear to be rotting right in front of my eyes. This feels… wrong.

Suddenly, a soft hum breaks through the silence, sending a chill down my spine and causing every hair on my body to stand on end. “Who’s there?” I demand, my voice echoing through the trees and fading into nothingness. “Show yourself!” I stumble backward, scared, only to hear a sickening sound of wetness underneath my feet.

Glancing down, my heart races as I realize I’ve stepped into something wet. A wave of horror washes over me as I see the color of the liquid beneath my feet—a deep scarlet—like blood.

Oh no. Shit!

Panic sets in as I realize that it stretches out endlessly in all directions, surrounding me in a sea of crimson as far as I can see.

“Fuck!” The sharp curse escapes my lips before I can even think, the word echoing through the dark forest in a neverending loop of fucks.

Shadows swirl and shift around me, causing my heart to hammer even harder against my ribcage. With each step I take back, my feet sink even further into the pool of thick crimson liquid, the squelching sound filling the air. The metallic scent is strong, nearly suffocating me, and I struggle to catch my breath. My panic doubles and I realize something has seriously gone wrong with this ritual.

When I open my mouth to curse again, no words come out. I try again, this time to scream for help, but nothing. It’s as ifsomething has stolen my very voice. The dark energy seems to feed on my fear, if that fact it’s swirling closer and closer to me is any indication.

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