And then he stepped inside the circle.
The rest of us took our places slowly, guided more by instinct than instruction. Gideon hovered at the edge of the circle, not yet stepping in. I watched him from the corner of my eye, noting the way his shoulders tightened, the way his gaze flicked toward the forest as if measuring distance. His magic stirred restlessly, brushing against the Wilds and recoiling, not in discomfort, but in unease. For the first time since I’d known him, he looked uncertain.
Skittish.
Good.
My dad stood where the earth felt densest, his boots sinking just slightly into the soil. My father positioned himself opposite Gideon. His posture was calm, and his breath was steady. The quiet miracle of his presence humbled me.
I stood where the book had instructed me, where the lines of the incantation had been etched into my memory.
Nova traced the edge of the mushroom ring, staff gliding over the air just above the caps, careful not to disturb them. Stella lingered near the perimeter. She held her magic tight, ready to step in if needed but trusting the Wilds to do what they had always done.
I wondered, not for the first time, why the Priestess wanted Malore’s Hunger Path to win so badly. What did she gain from a world stripped down to endless wanting, from power that devoured itself? Was it belief? Control? Or simply fear of what would happen if the Path ended and something gentler took its place?
The thought slipped away almost as soon as it formed.
It didn’t matter, not tonight.
Whatever the Priestess’ reasons, whatever bargains she had made, they would not be decided here.
Soon, the Hunger Path would be put to rest.
The Wilds pulsed, and the mushrooms brightened in response as if they had heard the same unspoken truth.
The air grew thick and charged, humming softly against my skin. Somewhere deep beneath the clearing, something ancient turned its attention fully toward us, and my skin tingled with awareness.
I stepped forward, feeling the circle accept my presence without hesitation. The ground warmed beneath my feet, steady and sure. I looked around at the faces gathered here, at the strange, imperfect constellation we had become, and felt a calmsettle over me that had nothing to do with confidence and everything to do with readiness.
Gideon swallowed and tipped his chin up to the sky.
My pulse climbed as worry set in that he was about to harness his dark magic after all. The mushrooms flared briefly, but settled, and their glow adjusted to include him rather than reject him, and I realized I could set aside my fears for now.
I met Gideon’s gaze and saw it then, clear as anything the Wilds had ever shown me.
He knew.
He knew this was the night.
The Hunger Path had led us all here, winding and cruel and persistent, but it had reached its end. The Ancient Rites waited patiently beneath our feet, older than fear and ambition, ready to be remembered.
The sky above the clearing shifted as clouds parted just enough to reveal a scattering of stars. The shadows retreated to the edges, unhappy, restless, but powerless to stop what had already begun.
I drew a steady breath, feeling the Wilds gather close, feeling the circle tighten not as a trap, but as a promise.
Tonight, the story would change.
Nova lifted her staff, and the Wilds answered.
The glow of the mushrooms deepened, their caps brightening until the clearing felt cupped in light, as though the forest itself had leaned inward to listen. The air thickened, as every breath hummed with expectation.
“By root and ring,” I began. “By vow remembered and vow renewed. We call the circle to witness itself.”
The ground beneath our feet warmed, and the faint markings etched into the earth brightened. Lines traced from the center like veins filling with light.
I stepped forward when Nova nodded, feeling the circle accept me instantly. Keegan moved beside me as the air crackled faintly around him. My dad followed as if he had been walking toward this moment longer than any of us realized. Gideon hesitated for half a breath, then stepped in last.
The link tightened, and the mushrooms settled into a wary glow.
