Page 7 of Darkness and Deceit (Obsidian Academy #2)

Five

LILITH

It’s too quiet in Bennett’s office.

And it’s not peaceful. No, it’s strategic. The kind of quiet that feels curated. Staged. Like the silence is another one of her tricks, designed to see which of us cracks first.

She’s staring at me. Not us. Me.

Like I’m the loose thread she’s still deciding whether to pull or cut.

The others are positioned around the room. Simon seated beside me, posture rigid, hands folded too carefully on his lap like he’s restraining every sharp word he wants to say. Vaughn’s in the corner, slouched like usual, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his thigh.

And Kai stands by the door, eyes sweeping the corners of the room, like he’s memorizing every way out.

We’re not talking. But the room is saying plenty.

Bennett leans back in her chair like a queen on a throne. Her face is smooth, her posture regal, but there’s an ageless sharpness in her gaze. Like she’s lived through more than any of us could imagine and come out colder for it.

Dark hair streaked with silver frames her face and there’s a stillness to her that feels older, though it’s hard to tell. Since Protectors and Keepers are touched by the Balance we tend to age differently.

She’s staring at me like I’ve shifted the gravity in the room—and the boys followed suit. Like she’s measuring how tightly they cling to my side… and calculating how long it’ll take to pull them away.

“I would’ve expected one of you to speak by now,” Bennett says finally, her tone bored like she’s scolding a group of underperforming students instead of interrogating four people with enough magic to level half the grounds.

“We’re listening,” Simon says quietly.

But there’s weight in the words. A threat, maybe. A warning.

Bennett’s gaze shifts to him. Holds. “Are you, Mr. Blake?” She doesn’t address him as Simon like usual. Interesting. “Or are you waiting for me to say something you can argue with?”

Simon doesn’t blink. “Depends on what you say.”

There’s a pause. A crackle in the stillness.

“I think we all know why we’re here,” she continues. “The forest. The incident. The Keepers.” Her gaze returns to me. “You’ve stirred up quite a storm, Miss Knight.”

“I didn’t stir anything,” I reply. “I was surviving.”

From my right, Vaughn lets out a low, sharp breath—something between a scoff and a laugh. “‘Surviving,’” he echoes, shaking his head. “Is that what we’re calling it now? Because from where I stood, it looked more like you were being hunted. Question is—by who? And why?”

Bennett says nothing. But something in her expression shifts, like she wasn’t expecting Vaughn to speak. At least not like that .

Kai moves then, stepping slightly closer to me, as if his presence alone is drawing a line she’d be wise not to cross.

He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t need to.

Everyone knows Kai is quiet.

But this silence?

It’s intentional .

Bennett’s eyes flick toward him. “Is that supposed to mean something, Mr. Clarke?”

He meets her gaze. “It means I’m paying attention.”

She studies him for a beat longer than necessary. “And what have you concluded so far?”

Kai meets her gaze without flinching. “That you’re not the only one who can draw boundaries.”

And for the first time, something flickers in her mask—an almost imperceptible tightening around her mouth.

This is no longer a conversation.

It’s a standoff dressed as diplomacy.

Bennett’s fingers drum once against her desk, a subtle tell that betrays her composure. “Boundaries,” she repeats, the word sharp as a blade. “An interesting choice, considering the circumstances.”

I lean forward. “What circumstances? The fact that I’m a Dual? Or that I saw something in that forest you’d rather pretend doesn’t exist?”

Her gaze snaps back to mine. “Both, Miss Knight. Your... unique abilities make you a person of interest. And your claims about an imprisoned Dual?—”

“They’re not claims,” I snap. The heat in my chest is rising too fast to swallow down now, searing up my throat like a wildfire. “I know what I saw.”

My cheeks are flushed and burning, and I blink rapidly to fend off the sting of tears forming from sheer anger. My hands curl into fists against my thighs, nails biting into my palms to keep me anchored in this moment.

I’m done shrinking myself to be palatable. Done trying to fit into a box that was never meant for me. Done hoping someone will believe me simply because I asked nicely.

“Do you?” Bennett challenges, her voice still composed but edged. “From my perspective, you’re a first-year student with unstable powers making claims that could upend the entire realm.”

Something inside me snaps.

Because fuck that .

Enough is enough.

I probably would’ve withered under this kind of scrutiny before. Doubted myself. Fallen silent. But not now. Not after everything I’ve endured.

Not with Simon beside me, tense and ready.

Not with Vaughn watching her like he’s daring her to push one step further.

Not with Kai near the door, silent but immovable—unmistakably on my side.

They’re here. All of them. And they’re not moving.

Simon shifts beside me, tension rolling off him like heat from a forge. “With all due respect, Headmistress,” he says tightly, “Lilith has given you no reason to doubt her. She’s been nothing but cooperative—even after you locked her in a room for three and a half hours with the Keepers.”

Bennett’s eyes narrow. “Cooperation does not equate to truth, Mr. Blake. Especially when the stakes are this high.”

“And what exactly are the stakes?” I demand, my voice rising.

My hair is sticking to the back of my neck with sweat, and I’m practically vibrating with pent-up rage.

“I’ve had a long-ass day and I’m pretty done with having to explain myself over and over.

This conversation is another bullshit power move and I’m so over it.

Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re more concerned with protecting the system than stopping the threat. ”

“The threat,” Bennett repeats softly, like the words themselves are delicate, “is not as simple as you seem to believe.”

I feel the guys bristle around me.

Simon takes a sharp breath.

Vaughn straightens.

Kai’s shadow shifts across the floor, ready to move.

But I don’t let them speak. This fight is mine. I need to prove—to myself more than anyone—that I can stand my ground.

My hands are clenched in my lap, nails digging deep into my palms.

It hurts. But I welcome it. Because I’m furious.

Furious at being questioned. Dismissed. Treated like a problem to contain.

All I wanted was to follow the path I was given. Become a Protector. Make my father proud. But that version of me doesn’t exist anymore.

They dragged me into the light. Called me unstable. Dangerous.

So fine.

I’ll be dangerous.

But it’ll be on my terms.

“I didn’t ask for this,” I say, my voice low. “And I didn’t go looking for that thing in the forest. It found me.”

“You’re certain it was a Dual?” she asks.

“Yes. Not only did it recognize me,” I reply. “I recognized it—him. Not his face. Or his voice. Just… the magic. The feel of it. Like my Shadows were answering a call I didn’t know they could hear.”

“And you believe he’s imprisoned here on Obsidian Academy grounds?”

I meet her eyes. “I don’t believe he’s here. I know he is.”

Vaughn cuts in. “Which raises the real question: why? Why would someone like that be chained up on an island full of students? So what—someone thought if they locked him up here, no one would ever find him?”

Bennett’s eyes narrow. “You’re asking the wrong questions.”

“No,” I say. “We’re finally asking the right ones. That thing—whoever he is—he knew me. And you knew about him. Long before we ever stepped into that forest.”

Another pause.

The room holds its breath.

Bennett exhales slowly. “Some things are locked away because it’s the only way to keep this realm intact.”

Simon straightens, surprise spreading over his features. “So you admit it. He exists.”

“I never said he didn’t.”

“Then who is he?” I demand.

Her jaw tightens. “He was once a student here. One of the strongest in generations.”

Was.

How many decades ago was this? Was she Headmistress then?

Something in my chest tightens. “What happened?”

“He made a choice,” she replies, her tone measured. “To stand against the Balance. To try and remake it in his image. He almost succeeded too, convincing others to join him.”

Simon mutters, “And so you buried him.”

“No,” Bennett replies. “We contained him.” Another beat of silence. Then she adds—too fast, too reflexive—“It was the only way to stop Magnus and his Rogues.”

The name hits the room like a blast of cold air.

Simon inhales sharply beside me.

Vaughn goes rigid.

Even Kai shifts his stance.

“Magnus?” I echo.

Bennett doesn’t answer.

She said it.

And now it’s out there.

“So he does have a name,” I say softly.

Her silence confirms everything.

And suddenly, the truth feels closer than it’s ever been.

The room erupts—Simon’s voice tight and demanding, Vaughn cursing under his breath, Kai cutting in like steel. But it all feels warped, like I’m hearing it from the bottom of a lake.

Because I’m not here.

I’m ten years old again. Curled in a blanket outside my father’s study. I used to sneak down there all the time, wanting to be closer to him. His voice drifted through the crack in the door lower than usual.

“If it’s really him…” He paused, taking a ragged breath. “If it’s truly Magnus…”

The rest blurs, but I remember hearing paper tearing, a whoosh as a flame caught.

He never said the name again.

And I never asked. Because I knew how secretive and dangerous his job was… but now, I would give anything to know.

I drag myself back to the present—back to the room still thick with tension. The guys are watching Bennett now. But I’m watching her closer.

“How do you know all this?” I ask quietly.

She blinks once. “Excuse me?”

“You said he tried to remake the Balance. That he was once a student. That he was contained.” I tilt my head. “How do you know, Headmistress?”

For the first time, something flickers in her expression. Was she there? Did she play a role?

“Or are you just repeating what the Keepers told you?” I press, voice rising. “Because I’m the one who saw him. Felt him. And what I saw was a prisoner.”

Simon shifts beside me. I don’t look at him. I can’t.

“So which is it?” I ask. “Were you there when they locked him away? Or are you hoping that if you don’t dig too deep, it won’t fall apart?”

She straightens, mask sliding back into place. The cold returns to her eyes like nothing ever cracked through. “This conversation is over.”

“Of course it is,” Vaughn mutters. “Wouldn’t want the truth getting too loud.”

Bennett ignores him. “Classes will resume as scheduled,” she says briskly. “Modified curriculum where appropriate. The Keepers will remain stationed on the perimeter of the forest. They are not to be approached unless you’re summoned.”

“And Lilith?” Simon asks.

“Will not be left alone,” Bennett snips. “You’ll rotate shifts, as discussed.”

Kai makes a soft, disapproving sound that’s almost a growl, raising not entirely unpleasant goosebumps on my skin.

“You’re not protecting me,” I say flatly. “You’re watching me.”

“Call it whatever helps you sleep at night.”

That makes me laugh bitterly. “I don’t sleep much anymore.”

“Then train harder,” she replies. “Because next time your magic answers a call like that, you’d better know what you’re walking into.” She nods to the door. “Dismissed.”

We move together, the four of us. But before I cross the threshold, I turn back one last time. “You didn’t answer my question,” I say. “Were you there?”

Bennett doesn’t answer. But something flickers in her eyes—something I’ve never seen before. Not denial. Not fear…

Remorse.