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I try to get my thoughts sorted. “My mother shoved a bunch of knowledge into my baby brain—no idea how—and it just...waited there. When my memories came back, my magic kicked in, and boom, it all came rushing back along with everything else. But there wasn’t room for much—just the location of various mirrors and a few spells that she thought might be useful: how to travel through the mirrors, drawing the shadowguard, a few defensive things…how to light fires. Nothing big.”

Hecate frowns. “So you have come into your magic now?”

“Yes,” I reply. “It probably would have happened earlier but was suppressed by whatever was blocking my memories. But I have no clue how to get it do anything useful.”

“You told me shortly afterward that you were a mirror mage. That’s good and could be useful. There are no others left that I know of.”

“I’m not just a mirror mage. I’m everything. I’m also a healer and a spellcaster.”

Hecate’s eyes widen. “That’s not possible. No one but Selene herself—” She trails off as she realizes what she’s saying.

I just raise an eyebrow, then shrug. “It doesn’t matter because I can’t access any of it. At the moment, it’s like I’m using borrowed stuff, like a normal person would say a spell. I can feel the magic deep inside me, like a well of power. But it’s sleeping.”

We sit in silence for a moment. I wish I had something else to eat.

Hecate seems deep in thought.

“Why don’t you start by telling me how it normally works?” I say. “What usually happens when a witch comes into her magic?”

She thinks for a moment. “I don’t know what is normal anymore. I’ve been away from Astrali for over five thousand years. For obvious reasons—” she gives me a pointed look—"I’ve been keeping a low profile. I do get occasional news, though, and it sounds as though things have changed beyond recognition.”

Well, five thousand years is a considerable length of time. “So, what happened when you came into your power?”

She closes her eyes for a moment. When they open, there’s a faraway look on her face. A smile tugs at her lips as she remembers something good. That’s nice. I’d love to have some good memories.

“When I grew up, coming into your magic was a cause for celebration. It was a rite of passage for all women. I waseighteen, and I came from a family with strong magic, but even so, I was unexpected. There was a huge party. Everybody gave me presents.”

“Sounds like fun. What about my mother?” I frown as I think of something. “Are you a lot older than her?”

“I’m ten years older. She was my baby sister, and it was clear that she was a powerful witch from the start.”

“Were you close?”

“Up until she was twenty-two...” Hecate trails off.

“Then what?” I prompt.

She gives me a shrug. “Then I left Astrali. I came here to learn at Selene’s temple.”

There’s obviously more to this story than she’s saying, and I want to know it all. “Why? What happened?”

Savage pain flashes across her face, but then it’s wiped away. “That’s a story for another day. Now we need to work.”

Damn. I think that’s a story I’d like to hear, and I will bring it up at another time, but she’s right. We need to work.

“Clear your mind,” she says.

Easier said than done.

Chapter 25

Okay, Maybe Not So Well…

Hours later, and I’m fighting the urge to scream.

“Concentrate,” Hecate says for about the hundredth time.

It’s not as though I’m not fucking trying.