“She’s right. If we don’t find a way to stabilize things, the entire magical balance collapses.”
Kade blinks, startled. “You’re not like other witches, Zara. You’re bound to me. You’re an enchantress. We can’t fucking rewrite everything in the space of a few fucking hours now that Galen’s dead. It’ll cause more rebellion and we won’t survive it.”
His words hang between us, heavy and unyielding, and a spark of anger ignites in my chest, my defiance and resolve burning hotter than the wood on the hearth.
“And if we don’t change,” I counter, stepping closer, “then we definitely won’t survive. The rebellion isn’t a future problem, Kade. It’s already here. You think witches haven’t been questioning the station for years? Galen’s death isn’t just a tragedy; it’s an opportunity. If we don’t use it to rebuild now, there won’t be anything left to save later.”
Kade opens his mouth to argue, but Darius cuts him off.
“She’s right again, and you know it.” His voice is sharp, brooking no disagreement. “The old ways have already failed. Clinging to them will delay the inevitable.”
The ground beneath us seems to hum with quiet tension, like the earth preparing for a shift that’s been long overdue. There’s an almost imperceptible vibration in the air, as though something large and unseen is about to move. The stillness before change is both unsettling and inevitable, the calm before the earthquake that will alter everything.
“We don’t have to make all the changes at once,” I say softly. “We don’t even have to make them quickly. But we need to start, Kade, and I need your word we’re going to change the way things are.”
Kade’s eyes flicker with uncertainty, and I notice his struggle in his gaze. His loyalty to tradition runs deep, thicker than blood, and I know it won’t be easy to pull him away fromit. His lips press into a thin line, weighing the cost of change, and his silence stretches too long, the tension building like a tidal wave ready to break.
“Don’t do this,” Kade mutters, but it’s more to himself than to anyone else.
“We’re past the point of pretending we can keep things as they were,” I say, my words sharper now, piercing through his resistance. “We need to act before it’s too late. Kade, if you can’t see that, we’ll never move forward.”
His jaw tightens, but then his gaze shifts to Darius. A silent understanding passes between them. It’s one I don’t fully trust yet, but I know this moment is bigger than both of them. I hold my breath as Kade nods, his expression stiff.
“Fine. But it won’t be easy.”
“When is anything with you ever easy?” I reply.
Kade scoffs and locks eyes with Darius. “Your word, Darius. She needs your fucking word.”
He nods once. “You have it, but we need to talk about my wife. I don’t want her sidelined in all of this. She’s not some toy to be hidden away just because it’s inconvenient. She deserves acceptance, just like the rest of us.”
There’s no mistaking the firmness in his voice. He doesn’t like the idea of his wife being overlooked or pushed aside, and his position is absolutely clear. He’s not asking for permission; he’s demanding her inclusion, no matter what happens next. No matter what the risk might be.
“You accepted Zara, Kade. My wife deserves no less.”
Darius wants his wife to have the same status as me, and if I want the witches to be treated equally then that means we have to give her the same respect. She doesn’t get to be an afterthought. Not anymore.
“Done,” Kade says, stealing my words from me. “The fourof us are in this together, Darius. That witch of yours had better get used to the weight of her responsibility. Just like the rest of us, if we’re going to make it through the mess the two of you are dragging us into.”
