I nod, even though he can’t see it.
Even though neither of us know what talking later even means.
I hear her before I see her.
A crack of uncontrolled magic ripples through the corridor, sharp enough that my wand vibrates in my palm, sharp enough that Theo’s head snaps toward the doorway as if the air itself called his name. For a second I tell myself it’s impossible, that Harper wouldn’t-
But then she fills the entrance of the observatory like a storm given skin.
Her eyes are burning violet, bright enough that every lantern in the rafters flickers in response. Her jaw is clenched, her breath rapid, her stride so furiousshe barely seems tethered to the floor. I’ve seen my sister angry, truly angry, but this isn’t anger.
This is something that has been caged too long, finally breaking.
Sebastian follows her in, slightly breathless, confusion still all over his face as if he hasn’t had time to piece together what led her here. He opens his mouth to speak, but Harper doesn’t even acknowledge him. Her stare is locked on me, hollow and wild, like I’m the only thing she can see.
Theo moves toward her, a cautious hand lifted.
“Harper-”
She brushes past him without slowing.
Three strides. That’s all it takes.
Her hand fists the front of my shirt, and before I can even brace myself, she slams me back into the stone wall. The impact sends a bolt of pain up my spine, but it’s nothing compared to the look on her face, betrayal, terror, rage… and underneath all of it, hurt so deep I flinch from it.
Her fingers grip my jaw, forcing my face toward hers. Her breath fans across my lips, shaking with fury.
“Who told you,” she whispers, no, breathes, like a curse being summoned,
“you could take my memories?”
The world stops.
Theo freezes. Even the lantern glow seems to hold its breath. For a heartbeat, it’s just her hands on me, her magic vibrating through my bones, her eyes, our mother’s eyes, shining like twin fractures in the universe.
I want to tell her I’m sorry. I want to tell her I didn’t have a choice.
But shame hits me first.
My gaze pulls, not toward her, but to the doorway.
To Sebastian.
His brows knit in confusion, mouth parted as if he’strying to put together a puzzle he didn’t know existed. He looks at me the way someone looks at a reflection they don’t recognize.
Harper notices.
Her grip tightens until my jaw aches, until I’m forced to look at him fully. “Look at him,” she spits. “Look at what you did.”
A piercing eruption of pain hits the center of my skull, so sharp it nearly buckles my knees. My vision blurs. I clutch for the wall to keep from collapsing as memories, no,shattered piecesof memories, press themselves violently into place.
She doesn’t see it.
She doesn’t see what it costs me.
A thought, not my own voice but mine all the same, claws its way out of the dark corners of my mind.
The pressure becomes unbearable. The thought slams forward until my mouth is speaking before I can stop it.
