chapter 38

lily

(yelling, flipping through her grimoire) “It’s a shadow construct—it’s feeding off the sigil’s energy. We have to sever the connection!”

patrick

(growling, dodging an attack) “Then do it! I’ll keep it busy.”

Lily stops flipping and slams her hand onto the grimoire’s open page. Her eyes flash with a golden light as she begins chanting. The glowing moss on the walls flickers, responding to her magic. The sigil on the wall shudders, as if resisting her spell.

Grimalkin

(calling out, dodging another lunge) “Better make it fast, little witch! This thing’s learning—it’s getting smarter.”

The shadow wolf’s movements become more deliberate, as if it’s anticipating their attacks. It feints toward Patrick before suddenly lunging at Lily. Patrick roars, tackling it mid-air, but its form shifts, splitting into two smaller shadow wolves. One circles Patrick while the other races toward Lily.