Trinity of shadows

at reflected only pieces of Ayla's disheveled face, her expression one of shock and disbelief. Ronan stood motionless, his fists clenched at his sides, a barely contained rage simmering ju

n't deny. *She* had done terrible things. But hadn't she? She couldn't be sure anymore. The darkness inside her, the o

silence. It was low, dangerous, his

. "I don't know wha

ing toward the broken glass. "That thing in the mirror, Ayla... W

pell that had torn Lysandra apart. Hadn't she? Her heart clenched in her chest. *No*, it couldn't be true. She hadn't meant to-s

to make sense of it all. "I wasn't in control. I-there's something else inside me. Something

tinged with something else-something that might have b

's deeper than that. It's-" She hesitated, searching for the right words. "I think I'm more than just a witch. I think I'm

hat none of them were ready to face. Ronan was the first to speak, his voice str

o this ritual, to the *Convergence Rite*. The power... it calls to me, and it's *stronge

hat threatened to consume him. "Because if you can't cont

an she expected, and for a moment, she felt like the ground was being pulle

hrough the tension. "We need answers. Not threats.

c, passed down through the bloodlines of our kind. The Rite is meant to be the ultimate unification, a way to end t

row furrow

ever it is, they're playing a game with

ugh. "Ayla, this isn't a

pered, her voice t

thing else in his eyes now-a glimmer of doubt, perhaps. He didn't trust her, and for good reason. She could feel it. But

s, the maps-they all blurred into a haze of uncertainty. The more Ayla read, the more the pieces of the puzzle seemed to shift, their meanings twisting with every

ly, her fingers tracing the symbols on the page. "What if we'r

is expression unreadabl

the weight of it settle. "What if *I'm* the key? What if the only way to

rowed. "What are

eone who has the blood of all three factions running through their veins. Someone who can bridge the gap.

ence. Ronan's face tightened, but it was Da

o overwhelming. She had been trying to fight the inevitable, but now sh

world down to save it, then