Immortal Consequences(83)
Part V
The Beginning
37
Irene
The ticking of the clock was enough to drive her insane.
She had barely slept the past few days, too busy worrying about the impending third trial and mulling over the night of the shadow creature’s attack. She could still see it if she closed her eyes. The towering darkness. The undulating shadows forming pointed wings. Not to mention Louise’s remarkable display of shadow magic shortly after. Despite the genuine shock that had coursed through Irene’s body upon seeing the newbie harness shadow magic, she had to admit that the whole thing had amazed her.
Impressed her, even.
Emilio had spent the past few days hidden within the towering shelves of the Library, drowning in dusty textbooks and ancient scrolls. Somehow, despite his persistence, which bordered on obsession, he had yet to find any answers that might explain how Louise had harnessed shadow magic. Irene was beginning to worry that their efforts were futile. If Emilio, of all people, couldn’t find what they were looking for—then what was the point? Louise had even attempted to cast shadow magic again, supervised by Wren during their training sessions, and nothing. No matter what they tried, she couldn’t re-create whatever she had tapped into the night of the attack.
They had decided to give themselves a week to do research. If at the end of the week they still couldn’t find an explanation for the shadow magic, then they’d go to Silas, Louise’s future at Blackwood be damned. Which meant they had two days left…two days to find answers.
If it were up to Irene, they’d spend their remaining time researching shadow magic, using the last of their precious hours to find an explanation for what was happening to Louise. But there was one tiny problem.
The Decennial Ball.
There was no getting out of it. Tonight, they’d be forced to wear ridiculous dresses and twirl around the banquet hall, plastering on their best award-winning smiles. Valuable time they could use to do further research would be occupied by nauseating small talk. Initially, she had been rather excited to attend, even if it was just so she could wreak havoc and break hearts, but now her mandatory attendance was simply a nuisance.
It didn’t help that the damn wound on her stomach still hadn’t fully healed. Every once in a while, she could still feel a sharp and searing pain. A grating reminder of the weakness now embedded in her skin.
But at least she was still here—she was still in the running.
Georgia and Tristan had been eliminated after the second trial. Silas had explained what had happened to them in rather vague terms—something about slipping through an elemental obstruction. Carter and Josie were both noticeably shaken by the loss of their partners. They had been told it might be months before the eliminated nominees would be fully healed, and everyone knew that a few months in Blackwood often felt like an eternity.
Irene, however, couldn’t have cared less.
Two more nominees eliminated meant she was two steps closer to being crowned the victor.
After finishing classes for the day, Irene went back to her dorm room and sprawled herself across the velvet duvet on her bed, fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the locket around her neck. The window closest to her had been left propped open, a soft whisper of a breeze trickling into the room. In the distance, she could hear the incessant buzz of the other students, their muffled voices melting with the wind. The fireplace crackled, woodsmoke wafting from the dancing flames.
She hadn’t called on Mateo since he’d given her the necklace. She wasn’t entirely sure why, caught between the desire to learn more and an unfamiliar resistance that stopped her from getting too close. Joining the Demien Order was a decision she couldn’t turn back from. And if she was going to make that irreparable decision, then she wanted to be certain it was her decision, and her decision alone.
Either way, if anybody had answers about what happened to Louise…it would be him.
But before she could pluck up the courage to say his name, the door to her bedroom swung open, a familiar disgruntled voice breaking the silence.
“I just don’t trust her.” Masika burst into the room, a tornado of restless energy and frantic nerves. She immediately began to pace in front of the fireplace, gesturing wildly as she spoke. “There’s just something about her story that doesn’t add up. I can’t put my finger on it, but—”
“Masi, please,” Irene said, sitting up. “Slow down. Use words.”
“Louise.” Masika ran a jittery hand through her curls. “Do you truly believe she has no idea how she harnessed shadow magic? I mean…think about it. You can’t harness shadow magic without giving up your humanity. Which means that either Louise somehow managed to bypass that sacred law, or she’s a Demien and is lying to all of us.”
“Catch.”
Irene tossed the knife tucked beneath her pillow at Masika’s face without warning, the sharp blade twirling through the air at an alarming speed.
Masika jumped out of the way at the last second.
“Irene!” She glowered, ripping the knife out of the wall behind her. “Can you stop being an insolent brat for one second and just listen to me?”
Irene lifted her brows in mock surprise. “Well. Someone is in a bad mood.”
“Louise is lying,” Masika snapped.
Irene lifted herself onto her feet and slowly slinked toward Masika.