I didn't expect to hear from Dorian again. After everything that happened, I figured I'd be on my own for a while. But then my phone buzzed, and there it was—his name on the screen. I stared at it for a moment before answering.
"What do you want?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent. I wasn't sure what to expect.
"Meet me at the old church," Dorian said. His voice was urgent, more serious than I'd ever heard him before. "There's something you need to know."
I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. Last time I saw Dorian, things didn't exactly end well. I didn't trust him. I didn't trust anyone anymore. But I had no choice. I needed answers, and Elias was the only one who could give me any.
I didn't waste time second-guessing myself. I grabbed my jacket and left my apartment. The city streets were dark, quiet, and colder than usual. My mind raced with questions as I walked. What did Dorian want? What could he possibly have to tell me that I didn't already know?
The old church was a bit of a walk. When I reached it, I pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside. The air smelled stale, and the only sound was the faint echo of my footsteps. I could hear Dorian before I saw him, the sound of his breathing, the shift of his weight on the stone floor.
I found him near the altar, standing with his back to me. When he turned around, there was something different in his expression. He didn't look like the confident, sarcastic man I was used to. There was tension in his eyes, like he was holding something back.
"You came," he said, his voice soft but tight. "Good. We don't have much time."
I didn't move closer. "Why the urgency? And why here?"
"This is the safest place for now," he replied. His gaze flicked toward the entrance of the church, like he was making sure we weren't being watched. "The sorcerers are looking for you. We need to be careful."
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of sorcerers. I had been avoiding them for a reason. I didn't want to get dragged into whatever power struggles they were dealing with. But Dorian wasn't one to speak like this unless he was serious.
"Why now?" I asked. "Why couldn't you just tell me this over the phone?"
"Because it's too dangerous," he said. "And because I need to explain something important to you."
"Explain what?"
He hesitated before answering, his gaze flickering away. "It's about your bloodline, Evelyn. There's more to it than you think. More than I think you know."
I felt a chill crawl up my spine. I didn't need to hear that. I already knew too much about my family's dark past. But somehow, I had the feeling that Dorian was about to throw even more weight on my shoulders.
"Go on," I said, my voice steady even though I was far from calm.
Dorian didn't speak immediately. Instead, he walked to the center of the room and motioned for me to follow. I did, but I kept my distance. Something about the way he was acting felt off, like he wasn't telling me the whole story.
"The sorcerers know who you are," Dorian said. "They've known for a while, and they've been keeping track of you. That's why I've been watching you, Evelyn."
I didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean, watching me?"
"I mean I've been keeping an eye on you," Dorian said, his tone clipped. "I didn't trust you at first. But then, when I saw the way you reacted to the book, I realized something. You're tied to the prophecy. And you're the key to everything."
I stared at him, confused. "What prophecy?"
"The one that started it all," Dorian said. "The prophecy that says a child of your bloodline will either bring about the destruction of the sorcerers or the rise of their greatest power."
I shook my head, my thoughts racing. "This is too much. I'm not— I'm not involved in any prophecy."
"You are, Evelyn. Whether you like it or not, you're part of something bigger than you realize." Dorian paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "Your bloodline is cursed. It's been cursed for generations. And the sorcerers are afraid of what you might do."
"I'm not going to do anything," I snapped, my frustration starting to boil over. "I don't want any of this. I never asked for it."
"You don't get a choice," Dorian said. His voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it. "You're already in the middle of it. And the sorcerers are coming for you, whether you want them to or not."
I felt like the floor was dropping out from under me. The last few days had been a blur of confusion and danger, and now Dorian was telling me that it wasn't going to stop. I didn't know what to believe anymore.
"So what do we do now?" I asked, my voice small.
Dorian looked at me for a long moment before answering. "Now we get ready. We don't have much time."
I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but I knew one thing for sure: nothing was going to be the same after tonight.
I could feel the weight of the prophecy hanging over me, heavier than ever before. And I had no idea how I was supposed to handle it. But one thing was clear—I wasn't going to be able to avoid it much longer.
The sorcerers were coming, and there was no way to stop them.