Chapter 23 SOFIA'S WARNING
CHAPTER 023: SOFIA'S WARNING
Sofia finds me on the rooftop, sitting alone..
I'm sitting on the edge with my legs hanging over the drop. The wind bites at my face but I don't move.
She sits beside me without asking. For a minute neither of us speaks. Just the wind and the distant sounds of the academy below.
"You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days," she finally says.
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize. Just don't fall."
I almost laugh. "Wasn't planning on it."
She nudges my shoulder. "Talk to me. What's going on in that head of yours?"
I stare out at the horizon. The sun is setting and the sky bleeds orange and purple.
"I don't know who I am anymore," I say quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"I feel Morgana's emotions like they're mine. Her fear. Her shame. All of it." I grip the edge of the roof. "And the boys are pulling me in four different directions. Kieran wants me to be careful. Alaric wants me to be practical. Cassian wants me to trust myself. And Zev just watches like he already knows how this ends."
Sofia doesn't interrupt.
"And then there's this power inside me," I continue. "This time magic that I can't control. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and I'm terrified that one day it's going to work at the wrong moment and hurt someone I care about."
"Thalira—"
"I'm falling apart Sofia." My voice cracks. "And I don't know how to stop it."
She takes my hand and squeezes. "You're not going to hurt anyone."
"You don't know that."
"I know you," she says firmly. "And you're stronger than you think."
I shake my head. "I'm not strong. I'm barely holding it together."
"Then let us help you hold it together." She squeezes harder. "You don't have to do this alone."
Tears sting my eyes. I blink hard trying to keep them back but they fall anyway.
"What if I can't save everyone?" I whisper. "What if I have to choose?"
Sofia turns to face me fully. "Then you choose yourself."
I stare at her.
"I'm serious," she says. "If you break everyone else falls too. You have to survive this Thalira. Even if it means making choices that hurt."
"That's not fair."
"Life isn't fair." Her expression softens. "But you're not doing anyone any favors by tearing yourself apart trying to save everyone. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is save yourself first."
Before I can respond the bond flares.
Not soft like before. Violent.
Pain explodes in my chest like someone drove a spike through my ribs. I gasp and double over.
Sofia grabs my shoulders. "Thalira what's wrong?"
I can't answer. Can't breathe.
Through the bond I see Morgana's room. She's backing up against the wall. There's someone else there. A figure in a black cloak. Their face is hidden but I can feel their intent.
They're here to kill her.
"No," I choke out.
Morgana tries to fight back. Shadows burst from her hands but they're weak. She's still recovering from the duel. Still drained from everything the Hollow King did to her.
The figure raises a blade.
"Thalira talk to me," Sofia shouts.
"Morgana," I gasp. "Someone's attacking her."
The blade comes down.
I scream.
The world fractures.
Everything stops. The wind. The sounds. Even Sofia's voice cuts off mid word.
I'm not on the rooftop anymore.
I'm standing in Morgana's room.
The attacker is frozen mid strike. The blade hangs in the air inches from Morgana's throat.
Morgana is pressed against the wall. Her eyes are wide with terror.
I don't understand how I got here. Don't understand what just happened.
But I don't have time to question it.
I run to Morgana and grab her hand. "Come on."
"Thalira?" Her voice is strangled. "How are you—"
"Move."
I pull her toward the door. She stumbles but follows.
The moment we cross the threshold time snaps back.
Behind us the blade slams into the wall where Morgana's head was a second ago.
We collapse in the hallway. Both of us breathing hard.
Guards rush toward us. "What happened?"
"Someone's in her room," I gasp. "They tried to kill her."
The guards charge inside. I hear shouting. The sound of a struggle.
Then nothing.
One of the guards comes back out. His face is pale. "They're gone."
"What do you mean gone?" I demand.
"There's no one in there. Just the blade stuck in the wall."
Morgana's hand tightens around mine. She's shaking.
"Did you see their face?" the guard asks.
She shakes her head. "They wore a cloak. I couldn't see anything."
"But they were real," I say. "We both saw them."
The guard exchanges a look with his partner. "We'll investigate. For now you both need to go to the infirmary."
"I'm fine," Morgana says.
"You're not fine," I snap. "Someone just tried to kill you."
"And you saved me." She looks at me with something like awe. "You stopped time and pulled me out."
"I don't know how I did it."
"But you did."
Sofia appears at the end of the hallway running. "Thalira what happened? You just disappeared."
"I don't know." I stand and help Morgana up. "One second I was on the roof with you and the next I was in her room."
Sofia stares. "You teleported?"
"I think the bond did it." Morgana's voice is quiet. "Your pain is my pain. When I was about to die you felt it and the bond pulled you to me."
"That's not possible," the guard says.
"Neither is stopping time," Morgana shoots back. "But here we are."
The guard doesn't have an answer for that.
Sofia takes my other arm. "You need to sit down before you pass out."
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine. You're shaking."
I look down at my hands. She's right. They're trembling so hard I can barely control them.
"Infirmary," Sofia says firmly. "Both of you. Now."
We don't argue.
The healer takes one look at us and sits us both down. She runs her hands over Morgana first checking for injuries.
"Physically she's fine," the healer says. "But her magical reserves are almost empty. She needs rest."
"What about Thalira?" Sofia asks.
The healer moves to me. Her hands hover over my chest where the bond mark burns. Her expression shifts.
"What?" I ask. "What is it?"
"The bond is stronger," she says carefully. "Much stronger than it was yesterday."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you're becoming more connected. Whatever magic you used to save her it's deepened the link between you."
Morgana and I exchange a look.
"Is that bad?" she asks.
The healer hesitates. "I don't know. Soul bonds are rare. Bonds formed between enemies are almost unheard of. I can't predict what this will do to either of you."
"Great," I mutter.
The healer gives Morgana a vial of something blue. "Drink this. It'll help restore your magic."
Morgana downs it in one gulp and makes a face. "That tastes awful."
"Most healing potions do."
Sofia sits beside me. "So what now?"
"Now we figure out who tried to kill Morgana," I say.
"And why," Morgana adds.
The door opens and all four boys walk in. They look like they ran the whole way here.
Kieran's eyes lock on me. "What happened?"
"Someone attacked Morgana."
His jaw tightens. "Where were the guards?"
"Outside the room. They didn't see anyone go in."
Alaric's expression darkens. "Then whoever it was knows how to move through wards."
"Or they're working with someone inside the academy," Cassian says.
Zev's eyes glow faint blue. "Did you see their face?"
Morgana shakes her head. "They wore a cloak."
"But you felt their intent," Zev says. It's not a question.
"Yes."
"And?"
She swallows. "They wanted me dead. But not just dead. They wanted me to suffer first."
The room goes cold.
"Personal then," Alaric says.
"Or a message," Kieran growls.
"A message to who?" Sofia asks.
Kieran looks at me. "To Thalira."
My stomach drops. "What?"
"You're bonded to Morgana. Whoever tried to kill her knew you'd feel it. Knew you'd come running."
"So this was a trap," I whisper.
"Or a test," Zev says quietly.
"A test for what?"
"To see how far the bond goes. To see what you're willing to do to save her."
Morgana's face goes pale. "The Hollow King."
We all turn to look at her.
"He's testing the bond," she says. "Seeing how strong it is. How much control he'll have once the seed fully takes root."
"Then we're running out of time," I say.
"How long do we have?" Cassian asks.
I press a hand to my chest. The seed pulses under my skin. "Two days. Maybe less."
Alaric curses under his breath.
Kieran steps closer. "Then we don't sleep. We don't stop. We figure out how to remove that seed before it's too late."
"And if we can't?" Sofia asks.
No one answers.
Because we all know what happens if we can't.
The Hollow King takes control.
And both Morgana and I become his puppets.
The door slams open again.
Headmaster Corvus stands there. His face is grim.
"We have another problem," he says.
"What now?" I ask.
"The attacker left something behind."
He holds up a piece of parchment. Even from here I can see the red ink.
"What does it say?" Kieran demands.
Corvus looks at me. Then at Morgana.
"One will break. One will bow. Choose wisely daughter."
The room spins.
"He's making me choose," I whisper.
"Choose what?" Sofia asks.
I look at Morgana. She looks back at me with fear in her eyes.
"Between saving her or saving myself."