Chapter 17 THE BOND'S CONSEQUENCES

Chapter 17 THE BOND'S CONSEQUENCES
CHAPTER 017: THE BOND'S CONSEQUENCE

The ceiling is too white, what's the first thing I notice when my eyes crack open.

Everything hurts. My ribs feel like someone carved into them with a hot knife and forgot to stitch me back up. I try to breathe shallow but even that sends sparks of pain through my chest.

"Thalira."

Sofia's face swims into view above me. Her eyes are puffy and red like she's been crying for hours. She grabs my hand so tight it almost hurts.

"You've been out for six hours," she says, voice shaking. "The whole academy won't shut up about it. They're saying you and Morgana are soul-bound now."

Soul-bound.

The word sits heavy in my skull. I lift my hand to my ribs and press gently. The mark is still there. I can feel it pulsing under my skin like a second heartbeat. When I glance down I see the faint outline of a cracked hourglass glowing through my shirt.

"Sofia what does that even mean?"

She opens her mouth but doesn't get the chance to answer.

The door slams open so hard it rattles on its hinges.

Kieran charges in first, his eyes wild and gold. Cassian is right behind him, flames already licking at his knuckles. Alaric moves like a shadow, silent and lethal. Zev trails last, his expression unreadable but his jaw tight.

They make it three steps before Headmaster Corvus blocks the doorway.

"No one touches her," he says, his voice sharp as a blade. "Not until we understand what this bond has done."

Kieran's hands curl into fists. "She's hurt. I'm not leaving her alone in here."

"Neither am I," Alaric says, his tone colder than I've ever heard it.

Cassian takes a step forward and the temperature in the room spikes. "You really think you can keep us away from her?"

Zev doesn't say anything but the air around him ripples. It feels like standing too close to a dream that's about to swallow you whole.

Corvus doesn't flinch. "This bond is ancient magic. It connects two souls who were meant to be enemies, not allies. If any of you interfere before we understand it you could kill her."

The room goes silent.

Kieran's fists shake. Cassian's flames flicker out. Alaric's jaw tightens so hard I hear his teeth grind. Zev just stares at me like he's trying to pull answers out of my head.

I try to sit up. Pain explodes through my ribs and I gasp, gripping the edge of the bed.

"Thalira don't move," Sofia says quickly, pushing me back down.

But it's not the pain that stops me.

It's the feeling.

Something crawls under my skin, foreign and sharp. It's not mine. I can feel it like an itch I can't scratch. Rage. Fear. And something darker underneath, something cold and calculating.

Morgana.

I can feel her.

My breath catches. "She's angry."

Sofia frowns. "What?"

"Morgana," I whisper. "I can feel what she's feeling."

Kieran steps closer, ignoring Corvus's warning. "What is she feeling?"

I close my eyes and the sensation gets stronger. It's like standing in a room with someone breathing down your neck. Her emotions bleed into mine until I can't tell where I end and she begins.

"She's scared," I say slowly. "But she's also planning something."

"Planning what?" Alaric asks, his voice low.

Before I can answer the mark on my ribs burns.

I cry out and clutch my side. Sofia shouts my name but her voice sounds far away. The room spins and suddenly I'm not in the infirmary anymore.

I'm standing in a dark room.

Stone walls. No windows. A single candle flickers on a table in the corner. And there in the center of the room is Morgana.

She's pacing back and forth, her hands trembling. Her face is pale and her eyes are red like she's been crying too. But there's something else in her expression. Something desperate.

"I didn't ask for this," she hisses to the shadows. "I didn't want to be bound to her."

A voice answers from the darkness. It's smooth and cold and makes my skin crawl.

"But you are. And now you'll do exactly as I say."

A figure steps into the candlelight.

Tall. Imposing. Eyes glowing red like coals.

My father.

The Hollow King.

Morgana takes a step back, fear flashing across her face. "You said you'd help me win. You didn't say anything about a soul bond."

"Plans change," he says, his voice like silk wrapped around a knife. "The bond makes you useful. You're connected to her now. You'll feel what she feels. See what she sees."

Morgana's breath hitches. "You want me to spy on her."

"I want you to control her."

The room spins and I'm yanked back into my body.

I jolt upright, gasping for air. Pain screams through my ribs but I don't care. My hands shake as I grip the bed sheets.

"Thalira what happened?" Sofia's voice is frantic.

The boys are closer now, all of them ignoring Corvus. Kieran crouches beside the bed, his hand hovering near mine like he's scared to touch me.

"What did you see?" he asks, his voice rough.

I look at him. Then at the others. My throat feels tight and my chest burns but I force the words out.

"Morgana's working with him."

Alaric's eyes narrow. "Working with who?"

I swallow hard. "The Hollow King. My father."

The room goes dead silent.

Cassian's flames spark back to life. "You're sure?"

"I saw him," I say, my voice shaking. "He was talking to her. He wants her to use the bond. He wants her to control me."

Zev's expression darkens. "That's not possible. Soul bonds don't work like that."

"He seems to think it does," I snap.

Kieran stands abruptly, his whole body vibrating with barely contained rage. "Then we break the bond."

"You can't," Corvus says from the doorway. "Soul bonds can't be broken. They can only be severed through death."

My stomach drops. "So either Morgana dies or I do?"

No one answers.

Sofia grips my hand tighter. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't," Corvus says flatly. "Not one that I know of."

I feel the bond pulse again and this time Morgana's emotions hit me like a wave. Fear. Desperation. And underneath it all, a flicker of something that almost feels like regret.

She doesn't want this either.

"She's scared of him," I say quietly.

Kieran's eyes snap to mine. "What?"

"Morgana," I clarify. "She's terrified of the Hollow King. I can feel it."

Alaric crosses his arms. "That doesn't change the fact that she tried to kill you."

"I know," I say. "But if he's controlling her then maybe she's not the real enemy here."

Cassian lets out a harsh laugh. "You want us to trust her?"

"No," I say firmly. "I want us to use her."

Zev tilts his head, his eyes gleaming. "What are you thinking?"

I sit up despite the pain, my mind racing. "If the bond goes both ways then she can feel me too. She'll know what I'm thinking. What I'm planning."

"That's a problem," Sofia says.

"Or an opportunity," I counter. "We feed her false information. Make her think I'm weak. Make her think I'm scared. And when the Hollow King comes for me we'll be ready."

Kieran stares at me like I've lost my mind. "That's insane."

"It's the only option we have," I say.

The bond pulses again and this time I feel Morgana's presence stronger than before. She's listening. She's always listening now.

I close my eyes and focus on the bond. I push a single thought through it, clear and sharp.

I know you can hear me.

For a moment there's nothing.

Then I feel her fear spike.

And I smile.

"She heard me," I whisper.

Alaric leans closer. "What did you say?"

"I let her know I'm not going to be easy to control."

Corvus steps forward, his expression grave. "This bond is dangerous, Thalira. The more you use it the stronger it becomes. Eventually you won't be able to tell where you end and she begins."

"Then I'll have to be faster than that," I say.

Kieran shakes his head. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"I'm already a target," I say, meeting his eyes. "At least now I have a weapon."

The boys exchange looks but none of them argue.

Sofia squeezes my hand. "If you're doing this we're doing it together."

I nod, my chest tight.

The bond pulses one more time and through it I feel Morgana's voice whisper in my mind.

You have no idea what you've done.

I grit my teeth. Neither do you.

The door to the infirmary creaks open.

A student stumbles in, pale and shaking. "Headmaster," they gasp. "You need to come quick."

Corvus frowns. "What's happened?"

The student's eyes are wide with terror. "It's Morgana. She's gone."

My blood runs cold.

Kieran's voice is low and deadly. "What do you mean gone?"

"Her room is empty," the student says. "But there's a message carved into the wall."

"What does it say?" I ask, though part of me already knows.

The student swallows hard.

"She's mine now.”