Maelis lay awake long after the others had drifted into uneasy sleep. The forest's sounds—crickets, the distant hoot of an owl, the restless sigh of wind through leaves—felt sharper, more alive. But beneath them was something else: a lingering chill, as if the night itself was holding its breath.
She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart's uneven rhythm. The moment during the ritual replayed in her mind—a brush of cold across her senses, a flicker of something vast and wild just beyond sight. It hadn't been like the stories of spirits or angry fae. This was different. It was as if the darkness itself had noticed her, and for a heartbeat, she had gazed back5.
Maelis sat up, glancing at the feather Isolde had entrusted to her for safekeeping. It pulsed faintly with a power that felt both alien and familiar. She ran her fingers over its surface, shivering at the spark that leapt from it to her skin.
Should she be afraid? The answer seemed obvious—every tale warned of what happened to those who drew the attention of things beyond mortal ken. But there was a spark of something else inside her, too: curiosity. The same feeling she'd had as a child, peeking into shadowed corners, daring the world to reveal its secrets.
She remembered how, as a child, she'd sometimes felt watched in the dark, a presence just out of sight. The feeling tonight was the same—intense, electric, impossible to ignore. But instead of hiding, she found herself wanting to understand it, to reach out and touch the unknown5.
She whispered a protective charm, more out of habit than conviction, and tucked the feather beneath her cloak. The others would want her to be careful, to keep to the old ways and avoid drawing attention. But Maelis couldn't help but wonder—what if this was her chance to learn something no witch before her had dared?
As the moonlight shifted, Maelis felt the presence fade, but the memory lingered: a thrill, a warning, and a promise all at once. She closed her eyes, determined to remember every detail. Whatever fate awaited her coven, she knew her own path had changed.
Tonight, the shadow had touched her. Tomorrow, she would decide whether to reach back.