Chapter 13 The Forbidden Library

• The academy had secrets — that much I always knew. But I never imagined they’d bleed into my life like this. Every stone, every shadow seemed to hide whispers, and now those whispers were screaming.
• Scarlet’s mark hadn’t faded. It pulsed faintly beneath her skin — red and gold — a symbol I’d only ever seen once before, buried in the forbidden records of the High Council. I had studied those records, memorized them even, when I was still a boy. The Blood Sigil. They called it that for a reason. Dangerous. Forbidden. Enough to erase one from history if it showed itself openly.
• When I reached her room that morning, she was already awake. The dim morning light filtered through the heavy curtains, painting her in a sickly gold hue. She sat on the floor, knees drawn up, her hair a wild halo around her face. Eyes glowing faintly, unblinking. In her palm lay a single black feather, its edges jagged, almost as if it had been torn from some massive, predatory bird.