Page 71 of Magical Moonbeam
“It’s more than a test. It’s practice.” She stepped to the side, where the floor dipped slightly near a smaller cauldron, its flame lower but more volatile. “The forge is not just a place to witness the past. It’s a tool to strengthen your hold on the present. Hedge witches, especially those newly awakened, often struggle to distinguish between what must be spoken, what must be hidden, and what must be released entirely.”
I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling the echo of the silver thread I’d seen in the flames.
The unmentionable.
Their secret still pressed like a sacred note between my ribs.
If the forge couldn’t rip it from me, maybe neither could Gideon.
“Think of something that no one knows,” Nova said softly. “And keep it tight.”
The cauldrons activated around me as the sprites hurried their bodies through the air, and I clung to my secret. They zipped around like dragonflies bouncing off the burning liquid while keeping their flight path.
And then, the liquid calmed, and the sprites hovered.
“I kept it,” I breathed. “That memory. The one thing I couldn’t let them have.”
Ardetia’s golden gaze softened. “Good. You’ll need to do that again. And again. Until you can hold it like breath as naturally, effortlessly, and untouchably as possible.”
Nova moved closer, brushing her fingers over the iron railing. “The strength of a Hedge witch lies not only in what she reveals, but in what she choosesnotto reveal. And in this world, with the Veil thinning, and with Gideon watching, your mind will become both a weapon and sanctuary.”
A chill skittered along my arms despite the heat.
“You really have to work on your delivery,” I teased. “Because that is not selling it.”
Ardetia chuckled while a smile touched Nova’s normally solemn expression.
I looked back at the flame, at the flickering memories that had already tried to slip free.
The fire wasn’t just showing me what I feared. They were looking for the weak spots. Testing how tightly I held the walls of my mind.
“I need more of this,” I said.
Nova nodded. “You’ll have it.”
Ardetia folded her arms, her voice steady as stone. “Control comes in layers. With each forge visit, you will learn not only to hold your thoughts but to sort them. Some you keep. Some you lock. Some you let go.”
“And the ones I want to forget?”
Nova’s expression turned pensive. “Even those must be acknowledged before they’re released. Forgetting isn’t hiding. It’s surrender. And surrender should always be your choice.”
I took a long breath.
I was starting to understand.
If I could master this place, I might be able to master my mind and finally stand in front of Gideon without fear that he’d steal something precious from me.
For I was their keeper, and I would not let anyone steal them from me.
Chapter Eighteen
I should have felt comforted by the hush in my office. My dad huffed and curled up calmly, reminding me how little peace I’d felt since Moonbeam’s Eve on the horizon. Two nights. Gideon’s name pulsed at the back of my mind like an unattended burn.
Lists normally helped me, but not this time. I’d tried one at dawn and lost the thread halfway through, but as I looked down again, I wondered if I should try again.
• Interview teachers
• Inspect Wards
