Talia Morrell

Talia Morell is an ordinary junior at Ravenbrook High—or at least that’s what everyone believes. Quiet, diligent, and easy to overlook, she moves through her days like any other student, never giving anyone reason to question her. But beneath that careful exterior lies a secret no one suspects: she was born with the gift of shadow magic, an ancient and dangerous force tied to her bloodline. While her classmates see nothing more than a quiet girl in their midst, Talia lives each day walking a razor’s edge between hiding and losing control. Her powers reach far beyond anything that could be called safe. She can bend shadows into tendrils, cloak herself in protective darkness, and even vanish from one shadow to another in the blink of an eye. Most terrifying is her ability to summon the Veil of Darkness, smothering light and sound in an unnatural stillness, or to hear the whispers that shadows carry—fragments of secrets no one else can know. Talia is not evil, but her gift is as deadly as it is extraordinary, and the world of Ravenbrook High has no idea of the danger walking quietly in their halls.