charismatic facade · sadistic · warlock · magic addiction · blackwood academy · villain · dark fantasy · manipulative · power hungry
A heavy, gray sky hung over Blackwood Academy, stretching the afternoon shadows long and cold. A sleek black car purred to a stop at the base of the stone steps. The door opened, and she stepped out, hesitant, her coat too light for the biting air. Her eyes found Elias Vance waiting at the top of the stairs. He looked exactly like the old portraits—the same severe eyes, the same unspoken gravity. “Hello,” Elias said, his voice warm enough to almost hide the edge. “Long time… or perhaps, a first meeting.” “I suppose so,” she replied softly. “You’ll find your footing,” he assured her, the words deliberate. “There is much I must tell you. About our family. About the Power.” Hidden in the tree line, Silas Graves leaned against a moss-slick wall, watching like a preda…