Page 13 of Shattered Veil
“Aha! This might be exactly what we need,” Eira says with an excited gleam in her eyes.
We sit down at one of the study tables and begin reading through the book together. As we do so, we realize that opening a rift is not as simple as just channeling shadow magic.
“There needs to be a certain type of energy present,” Eira says thoughtfully.“It says here that only pure magic can create the kind of energy needed to open a rift.”
I think back to the moment the rift opened. The surge of power when my shadow magic connected with Marius’s. The way it felt like something ancient awakening inside me.
“Pure magic,” I mutter.“What does that even mean?”
Eira’s brow furrows as she scans the text.“It’s not entirely clear. But from what I can gather, it’s magic untainted by mortal limitations. Raw. Primal. Like the magic of the gods.”
My eyes widen.“Gods? Like the Morrigan?”
A chill runs through me. The Morrigan. The dark goddess of fate. Of chaos. Whose prophecy I’m somehow connected to.
“Yes, the Morrigan would certainly fit.” Eira looks up from the page, considering.“It says that the rift is a realm between realms. A place outside of time and space.”
“What do you mean, outside of time?”
Eira’s eyes are wide and solemn.“It means that for Rory, trapped there... time may not pass the same way it does here. Days could feel like years. Or years could pass in the blink of an eye.”
The implications hit me. We need to get him out. Now.
“There’s more,” Eira says.“The rift is filled with... entities. Creatures born of shadow and chaos. Dangerous beyond imagining.”
I close my eyes, seeing again those writhing tendrils of darkness. What horrors are waiting for Rory in that timeless void?
My heart sinks.“How long has Rory been trapped, trying to survive that?”
Eira’s eyes meet mine. There’s something in her gaze I can’t read.“For him? Could be minutes. Could be months.”
My hands shake as I take the book from her.
“How do we get him out?”
“You opened it once. You can do it again.”
I frown.“How do you know that?”
She shrugs, turning away to scan more shelves.“Just a hunch. You’re not exactly ordinary, Brigid.”
I stare at Eira’s back as she moves between the shelves.
“How do you mean?”
“You have shadow magic,” she says without turning around.“That’s rare enough. But you’re also tied to the Morrigan’s prophecy somehow. That makes you... unique.”
“You really do know quite a bit about all of this, considering.”
Eira freezes for moment before resuming her search.“I know things. That’s why you came to me for help, isn’t it?”
I watch her for a minute, trying to think of why I feel so unsettled.“Eira, why aren’t you more surprised by all this? The rift, Rory being trapped...”
She turns, eyes unblinking.“I’ve seen strange things before, Brigid. This is Grimstone, after all.”
Fair point, but still. My gut twists with unease.
“Will you help me open it again?”
