Page 124 of A Bolt of Magic

“What is this?” Cordelia Ravenshadow asks, pushing through the crowd. Her eyes are wide with shock. “What did you do, Lilith? I mean, I’m sure you have a good explanation.”

“He’s a conjurer,” Lydia breathes, her voice filled with horrified disbelief. “You’ve turned him into a conjurer,” she adds.

“Please enlighten us, High Mystic,” Seraphina says, her usually composed demeanor cracking as she stares at Kian’s transformed state. Morgana stands beside her, both women looking shaken.

Several of the Children of the Veil step forward, pulling down their hoods to get a better look. Among them is Blaise, his young face a mask of horror as he takes in what’s been done to the man he met just days ago.

My mother straightens to her full height, magic crackling around her like a living thing. When she speaks, her voice carries a supernatural power, reaching every ear in the growing crowd. She seems to grow in stature.

“My friends, my family, members of our beloved coven,” she begins. “What you see before you is not a tragedy but a triumph. This is the dawn of our era – the era of the witch!”

The crowd hangs on her every word.

“For too long, we have hidden in these mountains while the realm suffers,” she continues, gesturing dramatically. “For too long, we have cowered behind our barriers while others determine our fate. But no more! Queen Snow is one of us – a witch, our sister in magic. She has offered us an alliance, a place at her side as she reshapes this realm. And this,” she indicates Kian with a flourish, “this is our gift to her. Our offering of loyalty and good faith.”

I swallow thickly, looking at Kian, who doesn’t move. He doesn’t so much as blink. My eyes sting, and my throat feels clogged.

“We need not grovel any longer.” Her voice rises, magic making it echo off the mountains themselves. “We need not hide. It is time to claim our rightful place as the dominant magical force in this realm.”

As she drones on, using sugary words and promises, I can’t stop the emotion anymore. At this point, I am crying silent tears that blur my vision.

“Trust me, my people.” She holds her hands up high, looking larger than life itself. “Trust that I would never lead you astray. I have guided this coven for decades, kept you safe, helped you prosper. When have I ever steered you wrong?”

She makes me sick. White-hot anger burns through me like wildfire, drying my tears and straightening my spine. Someone has to speak for Kian, since he can’t speak for himself. Someone has to tell them the truth about what they’re facing.

When my mother finishes her performance, I wipe my face, smoothing my dress with one hand. The other goes to the crystal at my neck. I hold it in my closed fist for a few moments before letting go.

I’ve heard Kian speak passionately about his vision for the realm enough times to know his arguments by heart. More than that, I’ve lived through Snow’s corruption firsthand. I can do this.

It’s time to step up. Time to stand tall.

“You have been misled,” I say, my voice carrying clearly across the suddenly silent crowd. “I’m sorry, Mother, but you’re wrong. About all of it.”

I move to stand before them all, my heart pounding but my voice steady.

“Snow isn’t our sister – she’s a parasite,” I begin, and I can feel their attention focus on me like a physical weight. “I’ve seen it for myself. I lived it for three years. I was used as a vessel to channel magic from the emptyfae to feed her endless hunger for power. She corrupts everything she touches, turns it twisted and wrong. Look at Kian. Look at what our High Mystic has done to him.” I gesture to him. “It is the same as what has been done to our realm, by her, by Snow. You need only walk from this valley to see it. The devastation, the corruption. It’s endless.”

My voice grows stronger as I continue. “Snow will never be satisfied with just taking Kian. That woman is not satisfied by anything. Her need for power is endless. An alliance?” I snort-laugh. “I think not. A partnership? Never. She’ll want it all – every last drop of power from every witch in our coven, and then she’ll want more. It will be the same across all the covens. This isn’t the era of the witch my mother speaks of, but rather the beginning of our destruction. The beginning of our end.”

I can see uncertainty creeping into their faces now, the “spell” of my mother’s words beginning to break.

“Queen Snow needs to be stopped, not appeased,” I press on. “We shouldn’t be siding with someone so evil, so corrupt that she turns great men into soulless weapons. Kian is a good man – a king with a vision of bringing our fractured realm together. Yesterday, he met with The Circle, and they agreed to ally with him and his fellow kings.” I am sure to lock eyes with each of The Seven – barring my mother. “Not to dominate others for our own gain, but to work together against a common enemy.”

My voice breaks with emotion as I look at Kian’s vacant stare. “This great man envisioned a future where fae and witches and humans could coexist, where we’re united by our shared desire for freedom and peace. He didn’t deserve this. None of us deserves this. My mother is leading you astray, leading us all toward destruction.”

I turn to face the crowd fully, tears streaming down my face again. “Please, I’m begging you to listen. I’m begging you to see the truth before it’s too late. We need to stand against this and do what is right, not just for our coven, but for all of humanity.”

The silence that follows is deafening. Everyone stands frozen, their eyes moving between my mother and me, uncertainty written across their faces.

Then my mother begins to clap, slow and mocking.

“Very touching, daughter,” she says, smiling. “I had no idea you were capable of such a wonderful speech. It’s a pity it’s such a waste of breath and, moreover, a waste of all those tears.” Her expression hardens. “I am the High Mystic of this coven. These aremypeople, and all major decisions fall to me. You have absolutely no say in this matter.”

But before I can respond, Seraphina steps forward.

“With respect, Lilith,” she says, her voice firm, “all collective members of The Circle do have a say. You may be High Mystic, but major decisions fall to The Seven, not to you alone. We had an agreement with Kian – with the Emptyfae King. Why are you acting on your own? Why didn’t you bring this to The Circle first?”

My mother’s face darkens. “Because, as High Mystic, I made a decision on behalf of The Circle. I’m doing what’s best for the coven. Queen Snow cannot be defeated – she’s too powerful. Can’t you see that, Seraphina? We need to back the victor in this war, not chase after lost causes with delusions of grandeur. The lost kings are a lost cause.”

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