Page 92 of Magical Moonbeam

And something in the world tilted with me.

I sat with the Hanged Man card in my hand long after Nova had gone still.

The candlelight flickered behind me, shadows stretching across the room like they were listening. Maybe they were. It wouldn’t surprise me anymore, not in this place. I traced my thumb along the worn edge of the card, letting the image settle into my thoughts. Suspension. Change. The quiet before something breaks.

“Of course it would be that one,” I muttered to myself, placing the card in my pocket.

A gentle knock sounded behind me.

I turned just as the door creaked open.

Ardetia stepped in first, her movements as quiet and seamless as always. A glimmer of silver caught the edge of her braid. Her presence always felt like dusk: elegant, elusive, and filled with things left unsaid.

Bella followed close behind, barely shifted for just a breath before her golden eyes flicked toward me in fox-form before softening into human again. She still carried the wildness withher, though, tucked into the twitch of her fingers and the tilt of her head.

“Nova sent for us,” Bella said as she moved toward the table. “She said it was time.”

Ardetia nodded once. “And that you’d need a stabilizer.”

I stood up slowly. “A what?”

“For the spell,” Ardetia said, as if this were all perfectly normal. “You’ll be working from the forge’s core flame. That means you need balance. Something grounded and steady to keep you tethered.”

Bella tapped the center of the table. “Which, according to Nova, is me.”

My brows lifted. “Because you’re steady?”

“No,” she said with a grin. “Because I’m sneaky enough to pull you out of a magical spiral before it consumes you.”

A nervous laugh escaped me. “Comforting.”

“Now, let’s walk over there before we change our minds,” Bella teased.

We quietly exited Nova’s room and made our way down the long corridors and out the main doors. No one said a word as we marched into the Butterfly Ward and out the tiny alley tucked away from prying eyes. It wasn’t until we reached the Flame Ward that I felt the heaviness lift slightly as Nova opened the gate. We made our way to the building, and I opened the door.

We walked inside and up the stairs, still with no words. The heat washed over me as the fire sprites dashed from one cauldron to the other.

Ardetia stepped closer, her hands gliding in slow motion as she summoned a small, crystal orb that glowed faintly blue.

“This,” she said, “will hold what you give. The spell isn’t about speaking words. It’s about offering memory, intention, and a specific kind of release. The flame doesn’t take it unless it knows the memory was yours to give.”

“So, no hearsay.”

“Correct.”

I stared at the orb. “So I give a memory… to power the spell?”

“Yes,” Ardetia said gently. “Something strong. Something rooted in your truth.”

I swallowed.

Bella’s head turned sharply toward me, eyes narrowing with interest, but she didn’t say anything.

Smart fox.

Ardetia studied me with her ageless eyes and nodded.

The room shifted around us as the spellwork took shape. Ardetia moved like a sculptor, weaving light and breath into the orb while Bella flicked her fingers and set protective circles into place with silent magic, old and sure.