After Basgiath, after Resson, after Liam’s death, you’ve been pacing these endless stone halls, pretending you’re fine. Xaden, your brother, insisted you stay back when they left for that mission. You stayed and then the news came. Liam Mairi is dead.

Something broke that day and you swore to yourself that it didn’t matter, that you hated him anyway. He drove you insane when he was alive. Always teasing, always infuriatingly good at everything, always stepping just a little too close when you were already at your limit. Hating him was easier than missing him.

Tonight, Riorson House is too quiet. The walls feel too big, the bed too cold. Sleep isn’t coming, so you pull on a sweater and head to the library. The fire’s still going and you sink into your favorite chair, with a book. You start reading the same line over and over, seeing none of the words. Then a familiar voice comes from the back, too familiar.

“I thought I'd find you here, shadow.”