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Chapter 79

Nora

Last night, face-to-face with Oskar Wallen, she had been pure power, burning and destroying. But what overcame her now was colder as she raised her head from the memory and came face-to-face with her grandmother.

“You killed my mother.” She said the words out loud, to see how they tasted. How they landed.

Mercy Holtzfall had the gall to look exasperated.

She had taken away Nora’s entire life. Her father. Her mother. Her place in the family. Her identity. She had made her grandchildren fight for the heirship. To the death.

She had destroyed this family. Because she couldn’t stand to see it change. Even as the city, the world, changed around it.

And she just looked annoyed.

Almost against her will, Nora felt magic flow out of her with a scream.

If she usually lit her magic with a spark, this was a firestorm. It hemorrhaged out of her with raw anger, flowing straight for Mercy.

Mercy Holtzfall moved wildly, taking a staggering step back as she fought to shield herself from the storm that crackled out of every inch of Nora’s being, even as the crowd screamed. She wasn’t sure what she was aiming it at. Not sure what she intended to do. Not sure how far she was willing to go.

But she was burning white hot.

Mercy had more magic than she did. Nora sensed her fingers twitching, ready to pin Nora back. Or maybe force her into the woods. Force her to compete as the sun slowly crept above the horizon.

A shadow fell across Nora from behind. “Is that true?” It was Aunt Grace’s voice. She was still in her silk pajamas, but now she looked wide awake. “You killed Verity?”

And then another voice, Aunt Patience. “Answer her, Mother!”

“You killed one of us .” Uncle Prosper’s voice shook.

What was left of the previous generation lined up in front of their mother, each of them seeming to gather a piece of anger from Nora. A piece of understanding at what their mother had done. What she was capable of. Aunt Grace moved Nora and Lotte behind her as Aunt Patience did the same with Modesty, who looked torn now, her eyes darting to the edge of the woods. As if this might be her chance to get a head start.

Because what was building now, on the edge of the final trial, was all-out war. Anger and magic on both sides.

And then, somewhere deep in the woods, there was a noise. Like a starting shot at a race.

Nora’s eyes moved up in spite of herself, catching sight of a flare rising from the trees, deep in the woods.

Like a signal.

And as it exploded above the treetops, Nora felt something pull at her.

At the magic in her bloodline, even as it sparked in rage.

And then she felt her magic begin to unravel.