Chapter 23: Temptations of Power
The black ooze still clung to Evan's boots as he stumbled through the academy's abandoned alchemy wing, each step leaving behind a faint, sticky residue that shimmered unnaturally in the torchlight. The echoes of the shattered chamber haunted him - the way his own face had smiled at him from the mirror, the way the darkness had blinked. His chest ached where the dagger had been, the scar pulsing with a dull, persistent throb that seemed to synchronize with his racing heartbeat.
Around him, the once-grand corridor stood in ruins. Shelves of delicate glassware lay shattered, their contents forming strange, colorful patterns where different potions had mixed on the stone floor. The air carried the acrid tang of burnt herbs undercut by something darker, metallic - the scent of old magic gone wrong. Evan's fingers trailed along the wall for balance, coming away damp with moisture that wasn't quite water.
The others had scattered after their escape from the underground chamber. Rowan had gone to secure the remaining students, his deep voice booming through the dormitories as he organized evacuations. Aria had vanished into the shadows to scout the damage, her knives glinting in the moonlight as she moved. Isolde had rushed to the archives, determined to find any clue about the hooded figure that wore Evan's face. And Selene... Selene had simply disappeared the moment they emerged from the tunnels, her silver eyes unreadable before she melted into the darkness.
Now Evan stood alone in the wreckage of what had once been the Pyre Department's practice halls. The massive stone tables where students had once practiced potion-making now stood cracked and blackened. A single, half-melted copper cauldron lay overturned in the corner, its contents long since evaporated but leaving behind a stain that seemed to pulse faintly in the dim light.
A voice cut through the silence like a blade sliding from its sheath.
"You look like hell, stormcaller."
Evan turned so quickly he nearly lost his balance. His hand went instinctively to where his dagger should have been, finding only empty air.
Mira Solene leaned against a half-collapsed bookshelf, her crimson hair dulled by dust and ash. The usual fire in her eyes had banked to something colder, more calculating - like embers waiting for the right moment to flare back to life. Her arms were crossed over her chest, the sleeves of her jacket rolled up to reveal forearms marked with fresh burns. She looked at him the way a mountain lion might eye a wounded deer - assessing, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"What do you want, Mira?" Evan's voice came out hoarser than he expected. He hadn't realized how raw his throat was until now, the words scraping against his dry throat like sandpaper.
She pushed off the shelf with deliberate slowness, her boots crunching over broken glass as she stepped closer. "To offer you a way out." The faint glow from the corridor's dying torches cast shifting shadows across her sharp features.
Evan barked a humorless laugh that turned into a cough. His ribs ached with the movement. "Right. Because you've been so helpful up until now." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, not surprised to find a faint smear of blood. Whatever had happened in that underground chamber had taken more from him than he'd realized.
Mira's lips curled, but there was no amusement in the expression. "You think I wanted this? The Vessel waking, the academy crumbling?" She took another step forward, close enough now that Evan could see the faint tremor in her hands - the slight shake that betrayed her calm facade. "Caine's lost control. The rituals were never supposed to go this far."
The admission surprised Evan, though it shouldn't have. He'd seen the way Mira watched the headmaster during assemblies - that subtle tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers would twitch toward her hidden knives.
"And yet you helped him," Evan said, forcing himself to stand straighter despite the pain lancing through his side.
Mira's eyes flashed. "I survived." Her fingers twitched at her sides, sparks dancing briefly at her fingertips before she clenched them into fists. The scent of ozone briefly cut through the other smells in the room. "And now I'm offering you the same chance."
She reached into her coat with deliberate slowness, giving Evan ample time to react if he chose to. What she withdrew made Evan's breath catch - a small book bound in what looked like human skin, its pages edged in gold leaf that gleamed despite the dim light. The moment it touched the air, Evan's scar flared hot, his remaining magic stirring like a sleeping beast awakened by the scent of blood.
Mira held it out between them, her expression unreadable. "Forbidden spells. The ones the Arkwrights sealed away centuries ago." Her thumb brushed the cover, leaving behind a faint smear of soot. "There's power here that could protect you - protect all of us - from what's coming."
Evan stared at the book. His pulse hammered in his throat, so loud he wondered if Mira could hear it. The magic radiating from it was palpable - dark and thick as syrup, with an undercurrent of something wilder, more dangerous. It would be so easy to take it. To finally have the strength to fight back against Caine, against the Vessel, against whatever nightmare was unfolding beneath their feet.
His fingers twitched at his sides, his magic reaching instinctively for the power promised in those pages. He could almost feel it already - the surge of energy, the certainty of victory, the ability to protect those he cared about.
He reached out—
And stopped.
The memory of the figure in the chamber flashed behind his eyes - his own face, hollowed out by whatever lurked in the mirrors. The way it had smiled as the shadows consumed it. The way its voice had echoed with countless others when it spoke.
His hand dropped back to his side. "No."
Mira's expression darkened, her fingers tightening around the book. "Don't be a fool. You'll die without this."
"Maybe." Evan met her gaze steadily despite the way his body screamed for rest. "But I'd rather die than end up like him."
For a heartbeat, Mira looked almost impressed. Then she scoffed, tucking the book back into her coat with a smooth motion. The air immediately felt lighter without its presence. "Your funeral." She turned to leave, her boots scuffing against the debris-strewn floor. At the doorway, she paused without looking back. "Oh, and Evan?"
He tensed, waiting.
"Selene's not telling you everything." Mira's grin was audible in her voice. "Ask her about the Silent Court."
Then she was gone, leaving Evan alone with the weight of her words and the creeping dread that he'd just made a terrible mistake.
The torchlight flickered ominously as Evan leaned against the broken table, his legs suddenly weak. His scar pulsed in time with his heartbeat, a constant reminder of what he'd lost - and what he still stood to lose. Somewhere deep beneath his feet, the academy groaned, as if in answer to his thoughts.
He needed to find the others. Needed to warn them. But first...
Evan pushed off from the table, wincing as his ribs protested the movement. First, he needed answers about this "Silent Court" - and he knew exactly where to find them.