62
Brinley’s POV
Something about Maevryn was… off. I’d tried to ignore it at first. The delicate way she moved, the perfectly timed smile. The way she made sure she was always near the twins, but never too near. Like she knew how far to lean before looking suspicious. We had both been hanging out alot more now that the twins were occupied with her. It was a sence of reilef but I also missed the twins. But I also cant help but realize all of this is a target to Maeve, and how shes reacting to the scenerio. The one Cecile caused. But Cecile was flawless. And that was the problem. No one was that flawless. She was clever. Warm, in a false sugar way. And day by day, she was pulling the twins from us. From her.
From Maevryn.
I could feel it so could Maeve. Even if she didn’t admit fully to what we were both seeing. We used to walk to class together with Rowen and Kieran flanking us like comforting shadows. Now Cecile showed up outside their dorm every morning with a freshly brewed tonic and a carefully orchestrated joke. They’d laugh. Smile. Nod at us like we weren’t even part of the moment. And goddess, it hurt. It wasn’t just about romance. It was trust.
Our little family, the thing we were building, surviving for. It was cracking. All because of Cecile and the posion she was using on them. I looked over at Maevryn as we walked toward the training field. She was quieter than usual. Her strawberry blond hair, now golden, was caught in the light like fire, but her eyes were somewhere else.
They were shadowed.
Guarded.
She’d been shifting more lately. Not just into Stromi her wolf, but everything about her was shifting. Her energy. Her aura. There was something brewing behind her skin, like a storm trapped in a cage.
“Let’s spar,” I said as we entered the empty courtyard. “Just us.”
Her gaze flicked to mine. “You sure?”
I nodded. “We BOTH need to punch something.”
That earned a ghost of a smile. “Not wrong there.” We didn’t bother with warm-ups. We just moved. The first blow she threw barely missed my ribs.
I countered with a sweep kick to Maeves side, we both had so much pent up anger brewing under our skin. She caught my ankle, spun, and dropped me to the ground. I rolled, popped up, and threw a punch toward her chest. She deflected it with her wrist. We were breathing hard within minutes. Each hit was heavier than the last. Not just with her magic or our muscles but with emotion. I was angry. And so was she. Angery isnt even the right word Furious is more like it.
“You feel it too,” I panted, dodging a strike. “Right?” Maevryn didn’t answer. But the tension in her jaw told me everything. We collapsed on the grass after a while, sweat slicking our skin. My side throbbed where she’d landed a hit.
“She’s pulling them away from us and succeeding,” I whispered.
Maeve didn’t look at me. Just stared up at the sky.
“I don’t know how to stop it.”
“I do,” she muttered. “But it wouldn’t end well.” Before I could ask what that meant, a familiar presence entered the courtyard. Lucian. He looked… wrong. His walk was slower. His eyes, slightly glassy covered in a fog. He smiled at us, but it didn’t reach the way it normally did.
“Good sparring,” he said. “You two make a powerful pair.” I narrowed my eyes. Maeve stood slowly.
“You okay, Lucian?”
He blinked. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Maeve stepped closer. “You’ve never called our sparring ‘powerful’ before. You usually say we’re sloppy.”
Lucian tilted his head. “You’re imagining things.” No. We weren’t. I saw it in Maeve’s face the exact second she decided to stop wondering and actually confirmour suspicions.
“I want to try something,” she said to me, tone quiet. “I learned it in Spellcraft. A mind charm. It’s not invasive. Its more like unlocking a stuck drawer in someones mind.”
“You want to dive into his head?” I asked.
Maeve nodded. “Just a glimpse. Just to see.”
Lucian frowned. “Girls, I don’t—” But Maeve had already stepped forward. She held out her hand.
“Please, Dad. Just trust me.” And maybe it was that word 'Dad' that made him pause. She never had called him dad.. Not to his face. She had called him that once before when we were talking. It was a slip up that she caught after words. He nodded his head once putting his trust in his only kid. I took Maeve’s free hand. Our minds synced instantly. Familiar. Warm. She touched Lucian’s forehead with her other hand. Her eyes glazed over. And we both saw. A haze. Dim lighting. Tea, steaming in a black mug. Cecile across from him. Pale, poised, sweet. The sound of her voice was like poison in silk.
“Maevryn is strong, isn’t she?”
Lucian nodded slowly. “Very.”
“Does she still lose focus when you bring up her mother?”
“Sometimes…”
“And the twins?”
“They love her. But they’re scared.”
“Brinley?”
“She’s seen the future. She’s terrified.”
“Can Maevryn be pushed?”
Lucian hesitated. Then: “Yes. If someone knew how.”
The vision trembled. The spell faltered. I let go. Maevryn snapped back with a gasp, stumbling slightly.
“I—I saw it,” she whispered. “She used tea. She asked about all of us. She’s manipulating him.”
Maevryn’s face twisted. “Why can’t they see it?”
“Because she’s hiding behind something stronger than magic this is something dark.” I stepped back. And the vision slammed into me.
Maevryn.
Standing in the courtyard.
The moon above her was fractured red, split like it was shattered by a scream.
Lucian lay at her feet.
Blood pooling.
Rowen collapsed nearby. Motionless.
Kieran standing across from her, eyes black with betrayal. a head was dismembered in Maevryn’s hand.
And Maevryn was glowing, and furious. She lifted her hands.
And set the ground around her in a ring of fire. A warning.
I heard her scream.
She looked at us with a look of darkness as she ran into the forest in her wolf form. She ran untill I couldnt see her darkness surrounded her untill everything was smoke and ash.
I snapped out of it with a cry, falling to my knees.
Maeve rushed to my side. “Brin? Brinley?!”
“I saw it,” I whispered. “I saw you.”
Her voice trembled. “What did I do?”
I met her eyes.
“You burned a warning.. You killed her.”
Maeve’s hand slipped from mine. Silence stretched thin as the final peice snapped into place.
“What do we do?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“We figure out what Ceciles plans are.. And stop - " she motioned with her hands "Whatever that is, before she turns me into it."
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