It wasn’t the blind and reckless kind that pretends everything will work out. It was just the quiet certainty that I wasn’t facing this alone.
For a moment, my mind felt lighter, like something fragile had been lifted out of reach and set somewhere safe.
The sprite’s glow brightened briefly, then faded back to its normal flicker.
The feeling passed with it.
The chamber settled back into focus with the cauldrons, the rising heat, and the thin thread of magic still pulling at the seam of the Flame Ward.
The sprite released my hand and darted toward a smaller cauldron that sat half in shadow. It rested a little apart from the others, as though it had always been meant for quieter work.
The sprite hovered above it for a moment before dipping inside.
The surface of the cauldron shimmered once and then went still.
A quiet understanding settled over me.
The memory cauldrons didn’t just hold echoes of spells and memories. They protected the intention behind them.
I didn’t need to look inside to know what the sprite had placed there.
Celeste’s laugh in the kitchen.
Her stubborn courage.
The way she hugged me too tightly before running off to school.
Safe.
Not gone—just out of reach from the Priestess.
Those moments weren’t surrendered forever.
They were simply held somewhere the Priestess couldn’t reach without disturbing something far older than her ambition.
I let out a slow breath.
Whatever she wanted from me, she wasn’t getting that.
A flame sprite streaked past my shoulder, leaving a thin trail of warmth across my sleeve before circling back in agitation. Its tiny form crackled in protest, emitting a high, chittering sound that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.
I turned back toward the cauldron.
The thin thread of magic shivered.
For a heartbeat, it hung there, perfectly still.
Then it pulled harder.
The nearest cauldron dimmed another shade, and the seam of the Flame Ward groaned like something under strain.
The sound was slow and deliberate.
Whoever held the other end had just realized I was here.
And they weren’t letting go.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
