The Shadress (MCD x Reader)

Ch. 31- Death Approaches

I am running out of chapters again...

I don't know what I'm going to do, but my degree and novel take precedence over this right now. I might have to put it on hold again, even though I don't really want to.

I push my sopping wet hair from my face, several of the strands sticking to my fingers with the movement. As I take this pause, my breathing evens out; the distinct smell of petrichor stings my nose.

Even the heavens seem to be reacting to the High Priest closing in. I don't really know how close he is, but the downpour started early this morning and hasn't let up since.

I have a large stack of, now, sopping wet firewood, but it was more about the motion of swinging an axe than gathering materials. Even still, I methodically stack each of the cut pieces, briefly calculating how long it would take them to dry fully.

In the Library, now a few days ago, I had gone looking for a few "lost" spells in some of the books, though many of them required a more extreme amount of mana than what I could reliably produce in a few days. The extra spellwork would have been useful, no doubt, but I don't think it would have protected my soon-to-sour mood.

When I got back to the group, Jace was apologizing profusely, which made me rather confused. After all, no one was hurt or missing, and we got everything we had come for. All the usual suspects that required an apology weren't an issue.

It wasn't until I heard Lady Aphmau's voice tentatively curl around my name – my real name – that I understood what he was begging forgiveness for.

Laurence also unhelpfully pointed out that he had called me by it earlier in the day, a teasing smile plastered on his face. "I was gonna ask about it in private, but Aphmau beat me to the punch."

Regardless, I wasn't terribly upset with the reveal. Most of my frustration comes from the fact that I couldn't be the one to tell her on my own time. Besides, I'm aware how little Aphmau keeps secrets about things that stress her out. There's no telling how many people know it by now.

The wind shifts, causing the rain to pelt me from a different angle. If nothing else, it pulls me from my thoughts and causes a great enough discomfort that I decide to finally go inside.

It also makes me quick to shut the door behind me.

Shockingly, the house is quite cold, a chill clinging to my skin and making me shiver.

Jace left soon after we got back, claiming reconnaissance work as the reason. However, anyone with a brain can tell it's because of the mishap in the Library.

I don't really understand why he's so bothered by the problem. Aphmau, ever the peacekeeper, had assured him there was no issue. In fact, she went back to calling me "Shade" even though I didn't request her to. It seems mostly like a method to reassure Jace more than anything else.

I quickly dry myself with a towel from my room and sink into one of the cushions on my couch.

But, like always, my peace does not last long.

A knock on the door has me dragging myself up from the couch and clicking on a lamp. Even more unsurprisingly, Aphmau and the others are standing outside. Though they are nearly soaking wet.

The four of them push past me, and I shut the door quickly to keep the most rain possible out of the house. Due to the rain, they stand awkwardly between the dining room and the living room, clearly not wanting to soak my furniture. Wordlessly, I turn to get more towels, passing them out before plopping back onto the couch.

"What do you think is going to happen in the coming days?" Katelyn asks me, pressing the towel against her hair one last time before carefully draping it across one of my dining room chairs. The others follow suit. "I mean, the rain isn't exactly a good omen."