Rose barely had time to enjoy her newfound clarity before a raven arrived at her window, bearing the crest of the High Coven Council. Its eyes glowed violet. Its message was simple:
You are summoned. Attend immediately. Refusal is not permitted.
Nimbus eyed the bird with distaste. "You'd think with all that magic, they could at least send cookies."
"They want answers," Rose said, unsealing the parchment. "And probably blood."
Belladoma stood behind her, already cloaking herself in the formal robes of an Academy Headmistress. "The Council doesn't issue personal summons unless they're frightened. Or planning to cage something they don't understand."
"Which am I?" Rose asked.
Belladoma met her gaze. "That depends on whether you walk in as a threat or an equal."
The journey to the Council's stronghold—a floating fortress woven into the bones of a dead dragon—was swift but tense. As the skyships docked, rows of masked magi in ceremonial armor flanked the entrance. Every inch of the structure was etched with protective runes. Rose felt their energy bristle as she stepped through.
The Council chamber was cavernous, built from obsidian and starlight. Seven thrones formed a crescent. The witches who occupied them were old in every sense—some only physically, others in mind, magic, and menace.
High Witch Mordessa spoke first. "Rose Thorne. We felt your storm."
"Then you know I'm still alive," Rose replied.
A younger Councilor sneered. "You unleashed untempered Brimstone magic. Such power is forbidden."
Belladoma's voice cut across the chamber. "She didn't unleash it. She mastered it."
Murmurs swept the room.
Mordessa raised a hand. "There are concerns. The Brimstone storm has destroyed civilizations before. Your bloodline is tainted with chaos."
Rose stepped forward, head high. "My mother saved me. I mastered the storm. I didn't ask for this, but I chose what to become."
"Do you understand what you carry?" one asked.
"I do now," Rose said. "And I'm not your weapon. I'm not your enemy. I'm not yours."
The chamber grew cold. A silence bloomed that felt like it might never end.
Then Mordessa leaned forward. "We will test you."
A sigil lit beneath Rose's feet, glowing like a sun.
"If you fail," the younger Councilor said, "you die."
Nimbus groaned. "You guys are such drama queens."
Belladoma touched Rose's shoulder. "I'll be beside you."
"No," Rose said softly. "They want me. I'll give them me."
And with that, she stepped into the light.