“But breaking his legacy wasn’t simple, and it showed that there was someone else behind it,” I continued. “But first we had to reopen the Ancient Rites by destroying the Hunger Path.”
I hoped even an ounce of this made sense to her.
“We needed to restore the ancient rights that were meant to restore balance, not punish.
Her fork lay forgotten now. “That’s what you did before I got here?”
“Yes,” I said. “With Keegan. With Gideon. With your grandfather.”
Her head snapped up. “Grandpa was there?”
“Yes,” I said softly. “And he was incredible.”
She shook her head, overwhelmed. “You’re saying you all… rewrote something ancient.”
“We invited something ancient,” I corrected. “And ended the Hunger Path. We pulled it apart at the root.”
“And Gideon agreed to help,” she said slowly.
“He did,” I said. “And that mattered. The magic required consent from all of us. The Hollows held the vow. The Wilds held the space. The circle closed the way it was always meant to.”
Celeste stared at me like she was trying to reconcile ten different truths at once. “So Gideon isn’t… what he was.”
“No,” I said. “Not anymore. Hopefully.”
She glanced toward the far end of the hall, where voices murmured faintly. “Then why does everyone still look like they want to throw him out a window?”
“Because trust doesn’t reset as easily as magic,” I said.
She nodded slowly. “Okay. I think I understand that part.”
I hesitated.
“There’s more,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “Of course there is.”
“The circle worked,” I said. “The curse is broken. The Hunger Path is gone. But when something like that ends, it leaves… space.”
Celeste leaned forward. “Space for what?”
“That,” I said quietly, “is the problem.”
She stared at me.
“Mom,” she said slowly, “you’re doing that thing where you tell me just enough to be terrified.”
I met her gaze, seeing her clearly now, not as a child I could shield, but as someone who was already standing in the current, whether I liked it or not.
“I know,” I said. “And I’m sorry.”
She waited.
“The magic that held everything in place for so long is gone,” I continued. “Which means things that were suppressed are starting to move. Old forces. Old attention.”
Her expression sharpened. “Like?”
“Like the Priestess.”
