Page 125 of Bound By Fury

“Thankfully you come from a succession of stubborn women who never saw the point in leaving their home. They’d set up roots here. The hunters’ actions might have taken their magic, but they weren’t going to let them take their home, too.

“My mama and gran were among those that left Earnest in the aftermath. They didn’t talk too much about what happened. They had been witness to something traumatic, and in the end I never learned what it means to be a real Zodiac Witch, only what it was like long before, when it all began. That’s why I moved back here at first, you know? To try to figure out where our magic went. To try to get it back. To learn more about who we are today.”

I nod, her words resonating deeply with what I’ve been feeling all this time. This intrinsic need to understand exactly who I am and where I come from.

“Now, when I came back, your grandma was the only one to entertain my questions about it all. She was still in contact with our old sister coven down in Asheville, though they never did take too kindly to strangers, in my experience…” She’s unable to hide the hint of bitterness in her tone. “But if you want, I’ll look into it. Reach out to some contacts and see if we can connect with those who remain. See if any of their members are willing to meet with you. Help you master your power. Especially as you are coming up on your catalyst. Because whatever power you think you have now, it is nothing in comparison to what you will wield once you make your change.”

I sit up straighter. “My catalyst?” She’s mentioned it a couple of times today but has yet to explain it.

“Every Zodiac Witch goes through something called a catalyst. It’s the maturation of your power, often brought on by a need for great strength. When this happens, the full scope of a witch’s magic is revealed. Seeing as how you’ve already shown such impressive ability and… well, intense emotions that seem to affect it, I don’t think it will be much longer now.”

How much more power could I really have? I can’t even control myself now; I don’t think I can handle any more. “How will I know when the catalyst is happening?”

“From what I’ve heard, there’s no mistaking it. But if you don’t get control of your abilities before then, you run the risk of supernova.”

This time I don’t even bother to ask. I just wait.

“If your magic burns too hot, too fast without control, it can combust. Overheat. And without your catalyst, this measure of strength is deadly for the wielder. A seasoned witch can help you prevent that.”

I open my mouth. Close it. After all this, my brain feels like mashed potatoes.

“Still,” I start hesitantly. “Of everyone left, why me?”

She shrugs sadly. “I don’t know, dear. But it must be a blessing. Because if the Cardinals are coming, then so is the war, and when that happens, your power may be the only thing that saves you.”

THIRTY-NINE

WHEN THE RAIN FINALLY STOPS, we sit on the back porch, the setting sun bursting orange pink across the sky. Around us the forest sings.

I rest my head against the back of the creaking rocking chair as Maureen speaks.

“I grew up thinking the Cardinals were a myth. A children’s story. But my elders told it as a prophecy, an omen for our people. They said that when the Origin first consumed our power and the hunters were born, the Daughter had a vision.

“An imbalance had been created. Magic stolen. Corrupted. An unnatural possession. Over time this disparity would grow as the hunters grew. And the thing about rightful magic is that when we, and those like us—those with pure gifts—die a natural death, our magic returns to that from which it came.

“But when magic is stolen from us via syphons or creatures that make unholy deals with the shadows, that magic cannot return. The stars and their ley lines cannot be fed, and without that power thrumming through the world, all that we are and all that we love will rot.

“This is what the Daughter saw: a shadow-eaten world. Death and destruction. That is, if the Cardinals fail to save us.

“Four witches, each the strongest of their elements, destined to right the imbalance before everything we’ve sacrificed, everything we’ve fought for, every bit of light in this world succumbs to the dark.”

“Okay…,” I say, pushing down the flashing memories of crimson cleaved with black and beady, watchful eyes.

My necklace, my cardinal sign, my burgeoning, long-lost magic… “You don’t think—I mean—I’m not… am I?”

Maureen considers me. “You’re wondering if you are one of the fated four?”

“Is that why Gigi gave me this?” I lift the necklace and turn it to her. “I knew it was the symbol for cardinal signs, but I didn’t know what she was trying to tell me.”

She nods. “It’s the mark of the Cardinal. A common symbol that we’ve adopted over time. Like a good luck charm. Something to remind us that we are one, and that one day the Cardinals will come, and this tiresome battle will finally be over.

“I wasn’t sure until I saw your display of power, and really, without power or a coven of my own, I can’t be the one to tell you definitively… but yes, Harper.” Her eyes bounce between my own. “If the stories are true, if war is really coming, I think you just might be the one we’ve been waiting for.”

My stomach aches. I gulp, staring out into the rain-soaked forest.

It’s one thing to get magic. Another to be the first in a hundred years to do so.

But to be some… some prophecy?