Page 7

CORA

T he Veil shimmered like a wound. Cora knew that she caused the cracks and she needed to fix it.

Cora stood at the clearing near Moonmirror Lake, hands open, heart pounding, and magic stirring wild under her skin.

From the outside, the spot looked like any other stretch of Hollow Oak—moss underfoot, branches swaying, soft hush of wind moving through pine.

But she could feel the tear in the fabric of the town. The energy was thin here. Loose.

It crackled across her senses like glass about to break.

"Just breathe," she whispered to herself. She bent slowly, fingers brushing a tangle of mint growing along a root. Its sharp scent steadied her nerves a little.

The morning sun had barely climbed over the treetops, still painting everything in pale gold, but she hadn't slept. Not after what happened with the vines. Something was wrong with the town's magic. Something it wanted her to feel and Callum had been straightforward enough to point it out.

So she slipped out before breakfast, walked until the pull in her gut turned sharp, and stopped where the energy felt worst.

She set down a small satchel and pulled out three stones from her pocket. One smooth and black, one green with a crack like a lightning bolt, and the third, a chunk of raw rose quartz. She placed them in a loose triangle on the ground and stepped into the center.

"Alright, Hollow Oak," she said quietly. "I’m here to help. I don't know if you'll let me. But I’m trying."

Her palms hovered above the stones. She closed her eyes and drew on her enchantress training, letting her magic unfurl like silk.

Light shimmered under her skin, soft and pale as dawn.

She focused it downward, imagining threads repairing the fabric of the Veil—sewing torn seams, knotting loose edges.

At first, nothing happened.

Then a low hum built beneath her feet, like the town exhaled against her efforts. The stones began to glow, and her magic surged, stronger than she'd expected. The lake behind her trembled. A gust of wind pushed through the clearing.

“Okay,” she whispered, sweat beading at her temples. “That’s good. That’s working.”

But then it twisted.

Something snagged inside her spell, a sharp edge she hadn’t placed there. Her magic backfired, rushing up through her like lightning. The stones shattered.

A blast of energy knocked her back onto the ground, flat on her spine, air punched from her lungs. Her curse snapped awake like a live wire. A burst of black smoke hissed out from her chest, curling into shapes she didn’t recognize, then dissolved with a faint crackle.

Cora tried to sit up. Her limbs shook. The clearing spun. Her breath rasped.

“Not again,” she murmured. “Please.”

Boots thundered against the earth.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Callum’s voice cracked through the ringing in her ears like thunder splitting a still sky.

She turned her head, blinking hard. He loomed above her, broad and furious, eyes flashing amber. His shirt clung to his chest from a run, biceps flexing as he crouched beside her. The scent filled her lungs, and for one dizzy second, she thought she might cry.

“What are you doing by yourself out here?”

“I was fixing it,” she whispered. “The Veil.”

He reached for her arm, helping her sit up, but not gently.

“You almost tore it.”

“No, I was helping. It pulled at me. I thought?—”

“You thought wrong.”

The words hit harder than the spell backlash. She jerked her arm away and stood shakily, wobbling until she found her balance.

“I didn’t come out here to hurt anyone.”

“You didn’t tell anyone, Cora.” He stepped forward. “You came out alone. Worked unknown magic in an unstable clearing. Do you even know how close you came to fracturing it completely?”

“I didn’t mean?—”

“You didn’t think. That’s what you didn’t do.”

Her chin lifted. “So what, I’m supposed to sit on my hands while the town pulses like a broken drum because of my arrival in the first place? You’re mad because I tried something?”

“I’m mad because you nearly set off a disaster without backup.”

“It wasn’t a disaster,” she snapped. “It was one mistake.”

“One mistake is all it takes here.”

She looked away, breathing hard. He stood close now, heat pouring off him.

His jaw ticked, eyes still burning. He’d probably run straight from patrol the moment he felt the disturbance.

The veins in his forearms bulged, his stance wide and grounded like he was preparing for a fight, or bracing to stop one.

Cora rubbed at her chest where the magic had burst. It still tingled, raw and sore. “I felt like the Veil wanted me here. I thought maybe it wanted my help.”

Callum’s voice softened, just barely. “Or maybe it was warning you to stay out.”

That hurt.

Her arms folded tight across her stomach. “I didn’t do this to prove anything to you.”

“You think this is about me?”

“You’re the one following me around like I’m a walking curse.”

He stepped forward again. “You’re not a curse,” he said, voice low. “But your magic is unpredictable. That means I have to be careful. That’s my job.”

Cora swallowed. She didn’t step back.

“You don’t have to protect Hollow Oak from me, Callum.”

He held her gaze. “Maybe not. But I will anyway.”

For a long breath, neither moved. Her heart beat so loud it drowned out the wind.

Callum dropped his hand. The moment stretched, then cracked.

“I should walk you back,” he muttered.

They walked in silence down the trail, Moonmirror Lake quiet behind them, the woods dense and watchful. A squirrel darted across their path. Somewhere deeper in the trees, something large rustled and then went still again.

Cora glanced at him. He didn’t speak. But when she stumbled slightly, he reached out without thinking and steadied her by the elbow. His grip lingered a beat too long.

Back in town, the square bustled gently with late morning traffic. The scent of sweet pastries and spell-warmed bread floated from the café. The air felt different now, charged in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

Callum stopped near the end of the inn porch.

“I’ll tell the council what happened.”

Cora nodded. “Let me know what they say.”

He didn’t move. His eyes scanned her face like he was searching for something. Maybe understanding. Maybe regret.

“Don’t try it again without me,” he said quietly.

Cora met his eyes. “Would you stop me?”

He didn’t answer, he just turned and headed back to patrol.

She went inside, heart aching, throat tight and still unsure if she was welcome.