The Power of Shadows by Abby Geigerman

Author:Abby Geigerman [Geigerman, Abby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Airglow Publishing
Published: 2023-10-23T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

I WENT THROUGH the motions, never fully present. Breakfast was just as lively as usual; everyone seemed to be in high spirits despite having a non-zero chance of dying tonight. My mind played through all the possible scenarios, not sparing any gory detail, until I felt a nudge at my arm from Walcott.

"You okay?" He lowered his voice so the others couldn’t hear.

"Just nervous," I whispered, trying to collect myself. I wanted to be as strong as the others, unflappable in the face of danger, but what if I forgot everything? What if my magic simply dried up? It was irrational, I knew, but I couldn’t help but worry about every dire possibility.

Azden stole a few glances at me throughout the meal, furrowing his brows every time. I’m sure he was listening to my thoughts, but I didn’t care. Let him hear all the ways tonight could go wrong. Maybe then he’d take something seriously.

Now that’s not fair. I didn’t even jump in my chair; I was used to his interjections by now. I take most things seriously. I’ve just found no use in wallowing in dread. It could have sounded bitter, but it wasn’t. He was offering a slightly firm reminder that my anxiety wasn’t helpful. It did help; not that I would ever tell him. It would just inflate his already annoying ego.

Don’t you think this is a little intrusive? I asked.

But it helped. He looked at me with a smirk. That damn smirk. I rolled my eyes and started listening to the conversation for the first time that morning.

"All I’m saying is that I think Rahni should get a puppy. It would be a huge upgrade from all the snakes," Walcott said.

"Snakes?" I asked before I could stop myself.

A fiendish grin spread on Rahni’s face as she looked up at me.

"Can I see them?" I wasn’t sure I meant it even as I asked.

"You will tonight," Olyn promised. I should’ve been afraid, but it only assuaged my fears. Looking around the table, not only were we all enchanters, but trained fighters. Not to mention we had both a day and a night enchanter.

"Calm down, Princess. It’ll be fine," Rahni said. I took a few deep breaths and focused on trying to stomach some of my food.

Everyone was busy after breakfast, so I wandered the halls aimlessly. I was going to be let out, back into the real world. I had lost track of the days down here. I ran my hand along the wall, feeling the cool stone beneath my fingertips. I remembered when I used to get lost trying to find my room. Who are we kidding, I still get lost. The winding corridors were never-ending.

Not for the first time, I wondered how they came to be. I doubted Azden and his friends were able to construct all the rooms by themselves. Though Lillya had said that the rebellion used to be bigger. And yet Azden expected us to be okay now?

I took a few more deep breaths.

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