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Chapter 23
The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the towers of Argent Academy already shimmered with wardlight. Protective glyphs glowed along the spires like veins of fire, pulsing with alarm. Over the past hour, every bell in the fortress had rung in a chaotic cadence. Because Mason Reed had returned from the Vault of Silence… alive. And not alone.The Pendant of Aethra pulsed steadily at his throat, casting rings of light and shadow onto the cracked marble of the eastern courtyard. Mason stood alone in its center, the suit rippling beneath his uniform like something that breathed. The dagger at his hip remained sheathed, for now.Across the courtyard, fifteen silver-robed enforcers gathered at the edge of the east gate, staffs raised, shields flickering around their bodies. Among them stood John Virell, wand drawn, and his eyes locked on Mason. Above them, Councilor Thorne watched from a floating dais, arms crossed.“Mason Reed,” Thorne’s voice echoed like a thunderclap. “You are hereby commanded
Chapter 22
The scent of old parchment and dust clung to the air as Mason descended the winding staircase behind the restricted archives. Few knew it existed, an ancient tunnel carved beneath the Academy’s foundations. Its walls shimmered faintly with embedded warding runes, most of them inactive, some flickering like dying stars.At the base of the stairwell, a brass door stood half open. Faint candlelight flickered beyond.Mason pushed it fully open and stepped inside. Edgar was waiting.The warlock stood over a wide table littered with scrolls, rune-etched diagrams, and half-burned candles. His black coat was more tattered than usual, and his eyes had heavy shadows beneath them. “I was wondering when you’d find me,” he said without turning.“You weren’t exactly easy to find,” Mason said.“Wasn’t trying to be.” Edgar finally looked at him. “I heard about the blood oath.”Mason pulled back his collar to reveal the glowing imprint just above his heart.Edgar grimaced. “You let them brand you.”“
Chapter 21
The great bell of Argent Academy tolled twelve times. By the last echo, the sky had dimmed to a brooding shade of violet. Magic hummed like a low storm beneath the surface of the grounds, stronger, thicker, like the air was waiting to explode.Mason sat alone at the edge of the reflecting pool near the south tower, his back against a moss-covered stone lion. The dagger sat on his lap, wrapped in a scrap of cloth, though its presence still pulsed through the fabric. The suit beneath his robes itched, alive, alert. It had been ever since the Eyes Within vanished into mist and whispers.“Things are moving,” he whispered to himself. “Faster than I thought.”He didn’t hear the footsteps until they stopped beside him. “You’re lucky I didn’t blast you,” Norra said, sitting beside him.“Was that an option?”She shrugged. “Probably still is.”He glanced sideways at her. Her hood was down, red streaks in her hair catching the last bit of sunset light. Her face was tight. Alert. Scared, thoug
Chapter Twenty
The wind screamed around the airship like a wild animal. Clouds covered the sky, dark and heavy. The airship moved lower, its glowing runes blinking and sparking, as if they were scared of what waited below.Mason stood at the very front of the ship, holding his cloak tight around him. Cold rain hit his face. He had not slept since the fight in the Whispering Woods. None of them had. Not even for a second.Norra stood beside him. Her arms were crossed, and her sharp eyes stared into the thick clouds.“Something’s wrong,” she said, her voice quiet.Mason nodded slowly. “I feel it too. It's... too quiet.”Footsteps sounded behind them. Felton came up from below deck. His face was pale, almost white.“The captain says there’s interference,” Felton said. “The Academy’s wards... they’re not stable.”“What do you mean they’re not stable?” Aurora asked. She stepped out of the shadows, her long red coat flapping in the wind.Felton swallowed. “They’re... flickering. Fading in and out.”“They'
Chapter Nineteen
The dagger still pulsed in Mason’s grip. Each throb sent a ripple of heat up his arm, like something alive had embedded itself into his veins. He stared at the blade. It no longer looked like forged metal, it shimmered, a dark sheen rippling just beneath the surface, like oil sliding over water. The crimson runes on its hilt glowed faintly in the gloom. Aurora took a cautious step forward. “What just happened?”Mason rose to his feet slowly, still gripping the blade. “I think… it bonded to me.”She studied him. “You mean like the suit?”He nodded. “Yeah. Like the suit.”The dagger pulsed again. The roots around the stone altar began to move.“Nope,” Aurora said. “I don’t like that.”The roots groaned, stretching, slithering back like serpents. The pedestal cracked. The air thickened with pressure.Then the trees screamed. Not like animals. Like people.High, shrill wails echoed through the Whispering Woods. Mason grabbed Aurora’s arm and pulled her back as the clearing around them b
Chapter Eighteen
The silence inside the Academy’s Grand Archive was unlike anything Mason had ever experienced. It wasn’t just quiet, it was watchful. Like the air itself remembered every secret whispered within it. The silence pressed in from all sides, ancient and heavy, as if the walls judged his every footstep.Rows of towering bookshelves loomed like petrified sentinels. They stretched upward, disappearing into the shadows of a ceiling lost to time. Each shelf sagged beneath the weight of grimoires, ledgers, and scrolls whose parchment was older than kingdoms. A fine coat of dust shimmered in the air, disturbed only by his breath.Mason walked carefully, boots hushed by a velvet runner dyed deep crimson. A floating lantern hovered beside his shoulder, casting a pale blue glow that flickered like ghost-light, dancing across faded spines and polished wood.Two hours had passed since Solara, Headmistress of the Academy, had granted him restricted access to the lower tier of the Archive. She’d del
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