Page 4 of Shattered Veil
Fiona’s voice ends the silence.“Come now, Brigid. Let’s put this unpleasantness behind us. The Council and Grimstone can protect you. Train you.”
Control me, she means. My fingers clench.
Without even thinking about it, I look behind me, seeking Marius, then I blink, realizing he’s gone. When? How?
Fiona claps her hands.“Alright, everyone. Back to your rooms. We’ll sort this out properly in the morning.”
The others hesitate, exchanging glances, waiting for me. I nod, throat tight. They file out, tension coiled in every step.
Fiona turns to me.“Well, that was exciting! Reminds me of that time we snuck into the library after hours.”
What the fuck?
“Remember? You nearly pissed yourself when that chair creaked.”
I stare, bile rising. This can’t be real.
“We should grab coffee soon, catch up. Maybe a scone even! I haven’t been able to find anything that rivals Georgie’s cherry cake, not even here.”
My mind reels. Coffee? Cherry cake? Like we’re not standing in a secret archive surrounded by guards, like she didn’t just reveal herself as my jailer. Like she didn’t just show herself to be someone who lied to me for years. Betrayed me for years.
“Fiona, what the hell is going on?”
She laughs, light and carefree.“Oh, Brigid, always so serious. Come on, I’ll walk you back. You can fill me in about your new boyfriends on the way.”
The disconnect is nauseating. My best friend turns out to be a completely different person, and now she’s blathering about coffee dates while my world crumbles.
I turn away from her, hurrying to catch up with the guys, not daring to look back.
Chapter Three
Callen
None of us speak as we walk back to the suite. We dropped Brigid off at her room first, after she declined the new dean’s offer. Tiernan tried to convince her to stay with us, but Brigid still seems—rightly—worried about Lochan, and she wanted to be on her own.
I’m trying to wrap my head around all of this—how Brigid’s old friend is now our new dean. Nothing makes sense, and yet...
The door to our suite creaks open, and I freeze. My father stands at the window, his silhouette cutting a dark shape against the misty grounds beyond. Fuck. The high king leaving his palace is never a good thing.
“Well, this is unexpected,” I say with a smile that I hope masks my unease.
Tiernan’s eyes widen.
Lochan’s face remains impassive, but tension radiates from his shoulders.
“And the shit has hit the fan,” Lochan mutters under his breath.
I nod imperceptibly while my mind works. Why is my father here? What does he know?
King Cillian turns, power emanating from his arrogant stance. His cold gaze sweeps over us.
I force a casual tone.“To what do we owe the pleasure, your highness?”
Lochan shifts uneasily beside me. I can practically hear his teeth grinding.
King Cillian’s lips thin.“Mind your tone, boy. I thought it was time I checked in on you. See what extracurriculars you’ve been getting up to lately?”
Does he know about Brigid? About her power? Of course he must. King Cillian knows everything that happens, and he controls the Council.
