Page 10 of Shattered Veil
I nod.“We need to make sure she doesn’t get too close to him. Or his fucking shadow magic, since apparently the fucker has it too. He kept that a secret far too well.”
The words taste bitter on my tongue. Shadow magic. The very thought of it makes my skin crawl, memories of screams flashing through my mind. My family.
Callen leans in.“Agreed. But how do we keep him away? I’m assuming we don’t want to slit his throat just yet? Or…?”
“We watch him. Every move. And we make sure Brigid knows he can’t be trusted.”
“And what about Brigid’s own shadow magic? It seems to respond to Marius.” Tiernan asks, his tone maddeningly neutral.
I struggle to keep my voice even.“You both know how I feel about it. It’s dangerous. Unpredictable. To all of us. To Brigid. To the whole fucking academy.”
Callen’s eyes narrow, a calculating glint in their frosty blue depths.“Speaking of threats to the academy, our new dean has decided to grace us with her presence.”
I follow his gaze across the tables. The dean stands near the staff table, but her eyes are directed towards us.
Something about her sets my teeth on edge.
“We should find out more about her,” Callen muses.“New players on the board and all that.”
Tiernan clears his throat.“There’s also something we have to talk about. Dean Charling’s murder.”
I resist the urge to look over my shoulder.“ What about it?” I ask, keeping my tone low.
Tiernan’s hazel eyes are intense, analytical.“Are we certain it was shadow magic?”
“I think we can all agree that we’re not certain about anything these days.” Callen sips his wine.
I nod in agreement.“Dean Charling knew about Brigid’s magic before it awakened. Before he sent us to get her. Why the fuck would he lie about that?”
I remember the overheard conversation between Dean Charling and a woman I couldn’t see.
“Charling was talking to someone about the Morrigan,” I mutter, more to myself than the others.“And Brigid being a vessel. But who was he speaking to?”
My gaze falls on the new dean. Brigid’s‘friend’Fiona. Could it have been her? The timing fits, but...
“What if,” Callen’s voice interrupts my thoughts,“the Council orchestrated Charling’s murder?”
I whip my head around to stare at him.“What?”
He shrugs.“Think about it. They’ve been manipulating the narrative around shadow magic for years. This could be their latest move. What better way to move someone they can control into a position of power here at the academy?”
I consider what he’s saying. It makes sense. But we still don’t know enough. And to the best of my knowledge, Dean Charling had been lockstep with the Council. He was one of theirs. I push my plate away, appetite gone.
A flash of platinum blonde catches my eye. Laria saunters past, her gaze locked on Callen like a predator sizing up prey.
She stops at our table, leaning in close to Callen. Her voice drips tainted honey.“Mind if I join you, handsome?”
Callen’s face is the picture of boredom.“Yes.”
“Oh, come on,” she purrs, running a finger along his jaw.“Surely you can spare a moment for little old me.”
Callen jerks away from her touch.“Not interested. Especially after that fucking move you pulled in the assembly.” He turns to stare her down.“You’re lucky I didn’t stake you right in your rotten heart.” His smile is cold.“But there’s still time.”
Laria’s eyes flash with anger before she recovers, forcing a laugh.“Playing hard to get? I like that.”
I catch movement from the corner of my eye. The new dean, watching intently.
Laria finally slinks away, her pride wounded. An idea sparks in my mind. Risky, but it could work.
