Page 70 of Shattered Veil
Brigid hesitates, her mask slipping for a moment. I see vulnerability in her eyes, and it makes my chest ache with an unfamiliar feeling. The people who raised me taught me that vulnerability was the worst kind of weakness. They taught me to despise it, and to hate it in others, to use it to my advantage. Seeing Brigid like that does something different to me. It’s disturbing.
“Myself,” she whispers, in answer to the wraith.
Her answer hits me harder than I expected. I know that fear. I live it every day.
The wraith’s eyes flare brighter at Brigid’s answer. The hair on my arms stands on end.
“Interesting,” it hisses.“Most lie. Or speak of death, pain, loss. But you, you fear what lies within.”
Brigid stands rigid. That pull inside me makes me want to reach out, but I can’t. This is her trial to face.
The wraith’s form starts to shift, its edges becoming misty and ephemeral, then coming together again, but more solid. My breath catches as I realize what’s happening. It’s taking Brigid’s form.
The doppelgänger stands before her, an exact mirror image, but wrong. Its eyes are dark with malevolent power, shadows curling around its feet.
“Is this what you’re afraid of?” it asks in Brigid’s voice, but colder, harder.“The darkness inside you? The power you could wield if you only embraced it?”
Brigid takes a step back, her face pale.“No,” she whispers.“That’s not me.”
The doppelgänger laughs, a cruel sound that echoes off the stone walls.“But it could be. All that power, just waiting to be unleashed.” It raises a hand, shadows coiling around its fingers.“Think of what you could do. No one would ever hurt you again.”
Brigid’s eyes widen, a flicker of longing crossing her face before she shakes her head.“No. I won’t become that.”
“You already are,” the doppelgänger hisses.“I’m the part of you thatyoutry to hide, to deny. But I’m always there, just beneath the surface.”
I watch, every muscle tense, as Brigid faces her darkest self.
The doppelgänger lunges forward, shadows trailing in its wake. Brigid stumbles back, her hands coming up in a defensive gesture. Darkness swirls around them both, and for a moment, I lose sight of them.
When the shadows clear, Brigid stands alone, panting. The doppelgänger is gone, the wraith is back.
The wraith nods slowly, its glowing eyes fixed on her.“You may pass,” it rasps.
The spectral figure fades away, revealing a door behind it. Brigid takes a breath, straightens her shoulders, and steps through.
I move to follow once she’s gone, but the wraith reappears, blocking my path.
“Speak the name of your greatest fear,” it demands again.
I clench my jaw, glaring at the creature.“Losing control.”
The wraith’s eyes narrow.“Half-truth,” it hisses.“Speak fully, or be trapped here forever.”
Anger flares in my chest. I want to tear this thing apart with my shadows. But I can’t. I need to get through it.
“Fine,” I spit.“My greatest fear is caring too much. Getting attached. Putting someone else before the mission.”
The admission burns in my throat. The wraith studies me for a too long.
“Interesting,” it finally rasps.“You fear attachment as much as you crave it.”
Before I can respond, the wraith’s form begins to shift. My stomach drops as I realize what’s coming.
The mist takes a familiar shape - Brigid. But not the Brigid I know. This version of her is broken and bloodied, like from the mirror chamber.
“Is this what you’re afraid of?” the doppelgänger asks in Brigid’s voice, but hollow and cold.“Failing to protect her? Or is it what comes after?”
The scene shifts. Now Brigid stands before me, whole and beautiful, but her eyes are hard. Cold. Terrifying.
