Page 29 of Darkness and Deceit (Obsidian Academy #2)

Twenty-Six

SIMON

I finish my task for Bennett with soot in my hair and the tang of ash clinging to the back of my throat. She’d assigned me to escort a group of Keepers out to the damaged ley lines along the southern flank—just outside the wards.

Most of the outer protections are still holding, but just barely. The forest around them is another story entirely—scorched, cracked, and humming with unstable magic.

The Keepers were mostly quiet, which was fine by me. I didn’t have much to say either. As soon as they finished their scans, I turned back toward the Academy.

Now, with every step I take, the feeling in my chest tightens.

Something is off.

The feeling sharpens once I reach the main hall. I walk faster, the dull thud of my boots loud against the stone as I head toward the healing ward. I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until I push open the door to Kai’s room.

I expect Lilith to be curled in the chair beside him. She’s been with him constantly. Only leaving in short bursts to train with me or rinse off in a quick shower. But when I open the door, her chair is empty.

The tension coils tighter in my chest.

I take a step inside, scanning the space. The soft amber glow from the candlelight flickers over Kai’s form, still and pale in the bed, his torso wrapped in clean linen. Burned skin peeks through the edges, angry and raw.

All of a sudden his chest jerks like he’s being yanked up by invisible strings, his body spasming as he gasps in a breath that sounds more like a choke.

“Kai!” I lunge toward the bed, hand outstretched, not sure if I should steady him or hold him down.

His eyes fly open, wild and unfocused. His hand shoots out, fingers clamping around my wrist before I can blink. Holy fuck his grip is strong for someone who was unconscious literally five seconds ago.

“It’s okay,” I say quickly. “It’s just me. You’re safe.”

He blinks a few times before recognition returns. He releases me, but doesn’t speak.

I ease back, heart pounding from the damn jumpscare. “I’m going to call for Tanya and summon Vaughn.”

Kai doesn’t stop me, or even react. His gaze stays locked on the ceiling like he’s reading something I can’t see. I step outside the room and summon my bear. “Go, find Vaughn.”

Then I stop a Prey that seems vaguely familiar, but I don’t know their name. “Can you get Tanya for me? Kai is awake.”

She nods and scurries off without a backward glance.

I return to Kai’s room, keeping my steps quiet out of instinct more than necessity. He hasn’t moved. He’s still flat on his back, breathing steady now, but his eyes are wide open. Watching. Unblinking.

Whatever pulled him from unconsciousness hasn’t let him go.

“Vaughn is on his way,” I say, stepping closer. “Tanya too.”

He doesn’t respond.

I settle into the chair Lilith usually occupies, the weight of her absence settling heavier by the second. This is where she should be. She wouldn’t leave him—she hasn’t, not since the attack.

So where the hell is she?

A knock hits the door frame, and Tanya enters without waiting for a reply. Her braid swings behind her like a clock pendulum. She’s calm, and controlled, like she already knows exactly where she’s needed.

“You sent for me?” she asks, already moving to Kai’s bedside.

“He woke up about five minutes ago. Sat straight upright.”

Her eyes flick to his face. “Did he speak?”

“Not yet. Just... grabbed me. Hard.”

She nods, murmuring under her breath as she sets down her kit. Her fingers glow faintly as she hovers them over his ribs and neck. A soft flicker of diagnostic magic pulses outward like a ripple.

“His vitals are stable,” she murmurs. “No signs of magical degradation. That shouldn’t be possible.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“Recovery this fast isn’t just rare—it’s unheard of.” She doesn’t look away from her work. “As you know the blue flame doesn’t simply burn, it rewrites the body’s frequency until you’re no longer balanced. The damage runs much deeper than physical. But it’s as if he’s... synchronizing with it.”

“Synchronizing?” I echo, utterly confused.

She looks at me then. “Adapting. Like his magic is learning to live with the corruption instead of rejecting it.”

A soft snort cuts through the quiet. “I’m still here, you know.” Kai. His voice is dry and cracked, but unmistakably him.

I glance at him, startled.

His eyes are clearer now. Sharper.

Tanya lifts a brow. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I was set on fire,” he rasps. “Then dipped in healing potion and left to rot in it.”

“Charming.” She checks his pulse again. “You should still be unconscious.”

Kai shrugs, and it looks painful. “Guess I missed the memo.”

The door swings open, and Vaughn barrels in, wild-eyed and breathless. “Your bear found me,” he says then stops cold when he sees Kai. “Holy shit. You’re awake.”

Vaughn comes around the bed, pausing when he notices me sitting in Lilith’s chair. He glances around the room and his expression darkens. “Where’s Lilith?”

The uneasy feeling from before returns. “Fuck. I was hoping she was with you or you knew,” I say.

All three of us glance at Tanya. She shakes her head. “I didn’t see her on my rounds earlier, which I thought was odd.”

Vaughn turns to Kai. “Can you feel anything? Through the bond?”

Kai closes his eyes. For a second, everything stills. “She’s not close.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“It means she’s further out than she should be.” He grits his teeth. “Too far for the bond to be clear. But I can feel something.”

“Something?” Tanya asks.

Kai opens his eyes again. “Something wrong.”

Vaughn mutters a curse and paces to the window. “She wouldn’t just leave you.”

“She didn’t,” Kai says. “She went looking for answers.”

I stiffen. “The forest?”

He doesn’t answer.

He doesn’t have to.

I exchange a glance with Vaughn, and we both know.

“She’s not supposed to be out there alone,” Vaughn says tightly.

“She’s not supposed to be out there at all,” Tanya adds.

Kai’s hands curl into fists against the blanket. “She’s trying to help. Same way she always does. But she doesn’t know what she’s walking into.”

Vaughn steps toward the door. “Then we’d better go after her.”

“I’m coming,” Kai says immediately.

Tanya tuts. “Kai Clarke! You are in no condition?—”

“Try and stop me,” he growls.

I don’t say anything, but damn, there’s fire in him still. Burned, half-broken, and somehow still ready to charge straight into the woods after her.

Tanya opens her mouth, then sighs and turns to me instead. “Watch him. If he collapses halfway there, it’s on you.”

“Noted,” I say grimly.

We move fast after that because whatever Lilith has gotten herself into, we’re sure as hell not going to let her face it alone.