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M cColl

I burst from the house like a woman possessed, my heart hammering against my ribs so hard I can barely breathe.

“Let her pass!” my mother shouts from behind me.

The Children of the Veil step aside as I run past them, their faces grim but making no move to stop me. Behind me, I hear my mother’s measured footsteps following at a deliberate pace.

The hooded figure stands motionless among the others, taller and broader than all of them. Even with his face obscured, I know that silhouette. I know the way he holds his shoulders, the exact line of his spine.

“Kian?” I whisper as I approach, my voice cracking with desperate hope.

He doesn’t respond. Doesn’t so much as twitch at the sound of my voice calling his name.

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe… Everything inside me is telling me I’m right. I know I am.

With shaking hands, I reach for his hood and pull it back.

I gasp, stumbling backward as if I’ve been struck.

It’s him. His golden hair, his strong jaw, the familiar features I’ve memorized in intimate detail. But it’s not him at all.

Gasps and shrieks erupt from the crowd around us. Several people stumble backward, and I hear someone cry out in horror. Children start to wail.

His eyes – those beautiful green eyes that used to look at me with such warmth and desire – now glow with an unnatural brightness that makes my skin crawl.

The green is so vivid that they look like they might be able to emit light in the darkness.

But worse than their inhuman color is their complete emptiness.

There’s nothing behind them. No recognition, no emotion, no spark whatsoever.

It’s like looking into the eyes of a dead man.

“Isn’t he lovely?” my mother asks from behind me.

There are more shrieks and yells; the crowd pulls back. Even one or two of the Children of the Veil take a step back.

“You have nothing to fear,” Lilith announces, her voice carrying easily across the gathering. “In his current state, he is completely harmless. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. I assure you.”

I shake my head in disbelief, tears streaming down my face as I take in the full horror of what she’s done. Dark veins spread across Kian’s right cheek like a spider’s web, creeping down his neck and disappearing beneath his clothing. The black lines pulse with a faint, sickly light.

With trembling fingers, I pull aside his tunic and cape, exposing his chest. Kian doesn't react at all – doesn’t move, doesn’t resist, doesn’t even seem to notice my touch at all. He just stands there like a statue while I examine him.

The sight makes bile rise in my throat.

Those same black veins cover his royal marking, marring the beautiful tree design until it’s barely recognizable beneath the corruption. The intricate lines that once proclaimed him as King of the Emptyfae are now twisted and polluted by whatever my mother has done to him.

“What is this?” Cordelia Ravenshadow asks, pushing through the crowd. Her eyes are wide with shock. “What did you do, Lilith? I mean, I’m sure you have a good explanation.”

“He’s a conjurer,” Lydia breathes, her voice filled with horrified disbelief. “You’ve turned him into a conjurer,” she adds.

“Please enlighten us, High Mystic,” Seraphina says, her usually composed demeanor cracking as she stares at Kian’s transformed state. Morgana stands beside her, both women looking shaken.

Several of the Children of the Veil step forward, pulling down their hoods to get a better look. Among them is Blaise, his young face a mask of horror as he takes in what’s been done to the man he met just days ago.

My mother straightens to her full height, magic crackling around her like a living thing. When she speaks, her voice carries a supernatural power, reaching every ear in the growing crowd. She seems to grow in stature.

“My friends, my family, members of our beloved coven,” she begins. “What you see before you is not a tragedy but a triumph. This is the dawn of our era – the era of the witch!”

The crowd hangs on her every word.

“For too long, we have hidden in these mountains while the realm suffers,” she continues, gesturing dramatically.

“For too long, we have cowered behind our barriers while others determine our fate. But no more! Queen Snow is one of us – a witch, our sister in magic. She has offered us an alliance, a place at her side as she reshapes this realm. And this,” she indicates Kian with a flourish, “this is our gift to her. Our offering of loyalty and good faith.”

I swallow thickly, looking at Kian, who doesn’t move. He doesn’t so much as blink. My eyes sting, and my throat feels clogged.

“We need not grovel any longer.” Her voice rises, magic making it echo off the mountains themselves. “We need not hide. It is time to claim our rightful place as the dominant magical force in this realm.”

As she drones on, using sugary words and promises, I can’t stop the emotion anymore. At this point, I am crying silent tears that blur my vision.

“Trust me, my people.” She holds her hands up high, looking larger than life itself. “Trust that I would never lead you astray. I have guided this coven for decades, kept you safe, helped you prosper. When have I ever steered you wrong?”

She makes me sick. White-hot anger burns through me like wildfire, drying my tears and straightening my spine. Someone has to speak for Kian, since he can’t speak for himself. Someone has to tell them the truth about what they’re facing.

When my mother finishes her performance, I wipe my face, smoothing my dress with one hand. The other goes to the crystal at my neck. I hold it in my closed fist for a few moments before letting go.

I’ve heard Kian speak passionately about his vision for the realm enough times to know his arguments by heart. More than that, I’ve lived through Snow’s corruption firsthand. I can do this.

It’s time to step up. Time to stand tall.

“You have been misled,” I say, my voice carrying clearly across the suddenly silent crowd. “I’m sorry, Mother, but you’re wrong. About all of it.”

I move to stand before them all, my heart pounding but my voice steady.

“Snow isn’t our sister – she’s a parasite,” I begin, and I can feel their attention focus on me like a physical weight.

“I’ve seen it for myself. I lived it for three years.

I was used as a vessel to channel magic from the emptyfae to feed her endless hunger for power.

She corrupts everything she touches, turns it twisted and wrong.

Look at Kian. Look at what our High Mystic has done to him.

” I gesture to him. “It is the same as what has been done to our realm, by her, by Snow. You need only walk from this valley to see it. The devastation, the corruption. It’s endless. ”

My voice grows stronger as I continue. “Snow will never be satisfied with just taking Kian. That woman is not satisfied by anything. Her need for power is endless. An alliance?” I snort-laugh.

“I think not. A partnership? Never. She’ll want it all – every last drop of power from every witch in our coven, and then she’ll want more.

It will be the same across all the covens.

This isn’t the era of the witch my mother speaks of, but rather the beginning of our destruction. The beginning of our end.”

I can see uncertainty creeping into their faces now, the “spell” of my mother’s words beginning to break.

“Queen Snow needs to be stopped, not appeased,” I press on.

“We shouldn’t be siding with someone so evil, so corrupt that she turns great men into soulless weapons.

Kian is a good man – a king with a vision of bringing our fractured realm together.

Yesterday, he met with The Circle, and they agreed to ally with him and his fellow kings.

” I am sure to lock eyes with each of The Seven – barring my mother.

“Not to dominate others for our own gain, but to work together against a common enemy.”

My voice breaks with emotion as I look at Kian’s vacant stare.

“This great man envisioned a future where fae and witches and humans could coexist, where we’re united by our shared desire for freedom and peace.

He didn’t deserve this. None of us deserves this.

My mother is leading you astray, leading us all toward destruction. ”

I turn to face the crowd fully, tears streaming down my face again. “Please, I’m begging you to listen. I’m begging you to see the truth before it’s too late. We need to stand against this and do what is right, not just for our coven, but for all of humanity.”

The silence that follows is deafening. Everyone stands frozen, their eyes moving between my mother and me, uncertainty written across their faces.

Then my mother begins to clap, slow and mocking.

“Very touching, daughter,” she says, smiling.

“I had no idea you were capable of such a wonderful speech. It’s a pity it’s such a waste of breath and, moreover, a waste of all those tears.

” Her expression hardens. “I am the High Mystic of this coven. These are my people, and all major decisions fall to me. You have absolutely no say in this matter.”

But before I can respond, Seraphina steps forward.

“With respect, Lilith,” she says, her voice firm, “all collective members of The Circle do have a say. You may be High Mystic, but major decisions fall to The Seven, not to you alone. We had an agreement with Kian – with the Emptyfae King. Why are you acting on your own? Why didn’t you bring this to The Circle first? ”

My mother’s face darkens. “Because, as High Mystic, I made a decision on behalf of The Circle. I’m doing what’s best for the coven.

Queen Snow cannot be defeated – she’s too powerful.

Can’t you see that, Seraphina? We need to back the victor in this war, not chase after lost causes with delusions of grandeur. The lost kings are a lost cause.”

“Lilith, please reconsider—” Seraphina begins.

She never gets to finish.

Lightning erupts from my mother’s hands, striking Seraphina in the chest and sending her flying backward to crash into the ground with a sickening thud. She lies motionless, her body smoking.

Horrified gasps and screams fill the air as several people rush to Seraphina’s side.

Cordelia gets down on her knees. “She’s barely breathing. Get her to the healer,” she instructs. Two villagers carefully lift her unconscious form and hurry toward her house.

The crowd looks terrified now, backing away from my mother as she stands there with magic still crackling around her fingers.

“Who else dares stand before me?” she asks, her voice deadly quiet. When no one responds, a conceited smile crosses her face. “I thought not. Because I won’t be so lenient next time.”

The seconds tick by. You would be able to hear a pin drop.

At first, my mother is frowning hard, her frame rigid, then she starts to relax, a smile forming on her face.

No!

I won’t allow it.

I step forward. I have to. I can’t let her win, even if it means my death.

“I do,” I say in a voice that is far stronger than I feel.

My mother laughs, the sound sharp and cruel. “Oh, McColl. Haven’t we already established that you’re not strong enough to stand against me? You’re all alone, child.” Her eyes narrow on me.

She raises her hands, magic building between her palms. “Stand down now, or I will strike you down. And I won’t go easy on you this time, daughter.

I’ll finish you once and for all. You’ve been nothing but a disappointment to me your whole life.

I thought that would change, but I see that I was wrong.

You won’t be missed.” She looks pointedly at Kian.

I stand tall despite the terror coursing through my veins.

“Then that’s what you'll have to do,” I say quietly, pulling up my own magic.

I can’t fight back in case an innocent is injured or killed.

But I can attempt to protect myself. The odds are not in my favor.

“I won’t stand aside and let you destroy everything.

Even if it means dying, I’ll do what’s right. ”

“Very well, then,” my mother snarls, power building to deadly levels around her hands.

But before she can strike, Lydia steps forward to stand beside me.

I’m so shocked I nearly fall over.

“She’s not alone,” Lydia says. “I agree with everything McColl said. I won’t back someone like you. I hate what you have done to Kian. This is wrong. Snow needs to be stopped. I’m with you, McColl.”

“How touching,” my mother sighs. “Fine. One, two, it makes no difference to me.”

“This is insanity, Lilith.” Cordelia moves to stand on my other side. “You can’t do this. I side with McColl. You’ve left me no choice.”

My mother’s mouth drops open. “You have to side with me.”

Cordelia shakes her head. “This has gone too far.”

Morgana is next, and I smile. I can’t believe this.

Blaise steps forward, along with several other Children of the Veil, and I throw out a shocked-sounding laugh when another of The Seven joins us.

I’m not alone.

Another member of The Circle joins us, and then villagers begin leaving the crowd to stand with us, too.

Within moments, we’re no longer a handful of rebels; we’re a united front against tyranny.

Kian would be so proud. He would love this. He doesn’t move. He doesn’t do anything. There is no change.

“Noooooooo! This is an outrage.” My mother lifts her hands, preparing to attempt to strike us all down, but we act as one.

Our combined magic overwhelms her defenses, binding her with ropes of magical energy before she can unleash her fury.

She struggles and screams, but many witches working together are more than a match for even her considerable power.

It is proof that we can beat Snow as well.

We can do it.

I watch as my mother is carted away, screaming all the while.

“Where will they take her?” I ask.

“The dungeons,” Lydia says. “She will have to stand trial. I’m so sorry about Kian. If I had known… Do you think he can be helped?”

I shrug. “I don’t know.” My voice cracks. I look into Kian’s vacant eyes. “I fear that he may be lost.”

And this time for good.