Haley let out a whoop, and everyone laughed. Leave it to my sister to turn this moment into a pep rally.
Grinning at her, I continued.
“I am a Shadowborn witch. My birth name is Morgan Susanna Sil—” I hesitated on the last word, knowing that this moment would change my life in so many ways. It felt big and important, all-encompassing, and I took another steadying breath, letting the feelings wash over me. Inside, my magic simmered, sending tendrils of heat and electricity crackling through my veins.
“Silversbane,” I finally said. “I am the third daughter of a third daughter of a third daughter, all of us descended from the first witches—those chosen by the Elemental Source to be the guardians of earth’s magic.”
A murmur rippled through the group, and I felt the energy in the room rise and warm in response, but no one laughed at me. No one called me a heretic or rolled their eyes or pelted me with crystals. No one stormed out or tried to talk over me. No one called me insane.
Letting out a breath, I caught Ronan’s eye, and he winked at me, flashing that crooked grin I’d always loved. Next to him, Asher gave me the thumbs up. Darius was next, offering a supportive and seductive smile—I was pretty sure he couldn’t differentiate between the two. Then Emilio, his hand on his heart, his eyes locked on mine, sending me his love. Haley was at the end, smiling brightly, a beam of light I felt down to my very soul.
I touched the cards in my pocket and continued.
“My sister Haley and I, along with two other sisters we haven’t yet found—Georgina and Adele—are part of a prophecy that dates back millennia. It states, among other things, that under my leadership, we’re to unite the covens against all who seek to oppress us, and bring our global sisterhood—witchcraft, in all its many forms and practices—back into the light.”
I told them everything I knew. Everything I’d learned from Deirdre, all the details she’d shared about the original prophecy and the scholarly interpretations that’d followed. I told them the little bit I knew about our birthmother, about what had happened to us as children. And I told them about my belief that we’d find the remaining Silversbane heirs—my sisters—at the cemetery outpost Norah had told us about.
“Whether you’re a believer in all of this prophecy talk or not—and most days, I’m not even sure whereIfall on that scale—one thing is certain,” I continued. “Weareunder attack. A threat is upon us, not just here in Raven’s Cape and Blackmoon Bay, but in cities and states throughout our country and beyond. Witches have been kidnapped, tortured, experimented on, murdered. And this threat, this looming black cloud of death and destruction… It’s no longer just about witches. Every living being is at risk now, supernatural and human alike.”
At this, Emilio and Elena joined me at the front of the room, sharing all the details they could about the ongoing investigations, about the information Norah had provided, and about the fae council’s betrayal, putting every last one of our theories on full display.
No stone was left unturned, no puzzle piece unexamined. Some of the witches asked questions. Others shared their own observations from their time in the cave prisons or from rumors and whispers they’d picked up in their covens. Reva told us about things she’d witnessed as she’d traveled the shadows of Norah’s house, back when she’d been living there, corroborating a lot of what I’d discovered in Sophie’s book of shadows. And others remained quiet, simply taking it all in.
But again, no one laughed, or shouted, or turned their backs on us. They were with us. One hundred percent.
I took center stage again, knowing that the next part had to come from me. Knowing that every moment in my life had led me here, to this one.
Liam and I had spent countless hours debating destiny versus free will, fate versus choice. He’d always insisted I had some grand destiny, a special path that had been mapped out in the stars long before I was even born. I’d always believed I made my own choices—that no universal forces, no bloodlines, no supernatural conspiracies, no magic could conspire to bend my will, no matter what the prophecy or Death himself said.
But choice and destiny weren’t mutually exclusive. They could both exist, they could both be honored. Perhaps destiny merely nudged us in certain directions, placing opportunities in our path at every step. The rest? That wouldalwaysbe up to us.
I smiled, knowing I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“We all took a different road to get here,” I said, looking out again at the witches and loved ones that’d gathered. “Some of you were imprisoned, and you ended up here because by the time you were liberated, it was too dangerous for you to return home. Some of you had no homes to return to. Others came because there’s safety in numbers. Some of you just wanted to be part of something bigger than yourselves. But one thing we have in common is our sisterhood. Our magic. And our desire to live and love and practice in peace.”
“Give peace a chance, y’all,” Haley said, again making everyone chuckle. She had a knack for shining a light on the dark places, that was for certain.
“Unfortunately,” I continued, “that peace now comes at a price.” I took a deep breath, again drawing on the love and support of my rebels, my sister, my friends. “In three days, we’ll be leading a team to the cemetery outpost in the Olympic National Forest to liberate any remaining prisoners and gather additional intelligence about the siege in Blackmoon Bay and the enemy’s larger plans. We’ll need protective magic, offensive and defensive spellcasters, healers, fighters. What we’re facing there… It’s likely going to be brutal. We’ll fight monsters that used to be men, and men that made monsters out of their brothers. We’ll fight dark magic the likes of which we’ve never encountered before. And worse—we’ll fight the ideologies that allowed that magic to manifest in the first place.”
Fighting off a shiver, I pressed on. “Some of us may die. And those of us who do make it out alive will come back here, only to regroup for a bigger, deadlier mission: reclaiming the city of Blackmoon Bay—the place that many of us in this room once called home. Make no mistake—this is just the beginning of a much longer, much more difficult battle, and none of you signed up for it. So, if any witch, shifter, demon, or other ally wants out, now is your chance. There arenojudgments here. You will still be protected, still have a home here, still be welcomed. Understood?”
Everyone nodded. I had no idea which way this was going to go, who would be left standing at the end of it all. I was running on those two magic words again—hope and faith.
Taking a deep breath, I made my final declaration. “I will ask that we all close our eyes now. Those who wish to remove themselves from consideration for the upcoming operation can quietly leave the room. For those who remain in this room after a count of one hundred, we’ll break up into groups, assess everyone’s skills and abilities, and make our plan of attack.”
I watched as everyone closed their eyes, then closed mine and began the count out loud. Over the sound of my voice, I heard the soft rustling of people rising from their chairs, shoes scuffing against the hardwood, footsteps bearing witches to the perceived safety of some other place.
I tried not to let my disappointment show. I’d made my choices, after all. It was only fair to give them the same opportunity, and stand by my promise not to judge.
“Ninety-nine… one hundred.” I opened my eyes.
And my heart nearly stopped.
Every chair and couch was empty.
Because every person in the room was now on their feet, standing before me. Not a soul remained seated, and not a soul had left. They’d merely risen, closing the spaces between them, drawing together.
From the center of the group rose a sparkling mist of the palest pink light, pulsing warm and bright, and their faces turned toward it, smiling. It was their magic. Their hope. Their solidarity. Their promise.
