“Do not mistake humility for weakness,” she said softly, her words measured and deliberate. “The ancestors do not waste their time with the unworthy. You are here for a reason.”
“I wish I knew what that was,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You will,” she said, her tone leaving no room for doubt. “But the first step is to stop hiding.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. “Hiding?”
Her lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. “I see it in your eyes, child. You carry something heavy, something you think willbreak you if you let it out.” Her gaze grew sharper. “But secrets have weight, and you cannot carry them alone forever.”
I froze, her words slicing through me like a blade. Did she know? Could she see it—my lack of magic, the void where my power should be?
“I—”
“Shh,” she interrupted gently, squeezing my hand. “Do not speak unless you are ready. But know this: the truth has a way of revealing itself, whether you want it to or not.”
Her words hung in the air, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My father’s warning echoed in my mind:It’s life or death, Maple. Don’t let them know until you absolutely have to. Some covens would consider you weak, they could kill you.
Rene tilted her head, studying me as if she could see straight through my carefully constructed walls. “You’re stronger than you think,” she said after a long pause. “But strength means nothing if you don’t trust it.”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “I don’t know how to trust something I’ve never seen.”
Her smile widened, softening the sharp edges of her gaze. “Then perhaps it’s time you start looking.”
She released my hand, the warmth of her touch fading instantly. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, my mind spinning with the weight of her words.
“Rune will test you,” she said, settling back onto her pillow with an ease that made the conversation feel like a passing breeze. “He is stubborn, but he has his reasons. Do not let his doubt plant seeds of your own.”
I nodded slowly, her words pressing into me like a brand.
“And Maple,” she added, her voice softer now, “whatever you’re hiding, remember this: secrets are powerful tools, but they are also dangerous burdens. Use them wisely.”
I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. She leaned back on her cushion as if she hadn’t read everything there was to know about me. There was doubt in my mind that she knew I had no magic. I could practically hear the truth screaming in the silence between us. “Tell me about you, Maple.”
I could have laughed, Ialmostlaughed. “Didn’t you just see everything about me?”
Her grin was big and genuine. “I can’t see your life story or what you do for fun. My divination doesn’t work like that. I don’t want your secrets. I just wanted to know if you were good for this coven— for my boy. The rest doesn’t matter. The ancestors tell me what’s important. But not every diviner is like me. Be careful who you give your hand to because they will tear you apart piece by piece to find what’s hiding inside of you.”
“And Rune?”
Rene took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “Rune has death magic. He cannot divine like me or his father. He is more in touch with the ancestors than we are and I am sure that’s why he is very confused about his father choosing him a bride but that doesn’t mean that he can see the future or even the past. His magic is his story to tell, not mine.” She waved a hand. “Tell me about you.”
“Like what?” I couldn’t think of anything interesting to share with this woman. I wasn’t a cool person. I barely had any hobbies besides stealing books and baking. Though I was good at both.
“Everything,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Somehow I did. I told her about my home and my family. It spilled out of me how much I loved to be in the kitchen baking and that I probably wouldn’t have found the love for it had I not been the coven’s outcast. She didn’t ask why and I didn’t offer it up. If she knew why, she would keep my secret.. at least for now. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
By the time I was done telling her about my life and what I enjoyed, I was swiping tears from my cheeks. I couldn’t believe I’d given it all up just like that. Rene leaned forward on her cushion and took both of my hands in hers again.
“I know I’m going to love you like one of my own daughters. I am so thankful the ancestors brought you to our coven,” she said, her voice thick with sincerity. Her eyes held a warmth that seemed to cut through the weight I carried.
I didn’t realizehow tense my shoulders were until I closed the door behind me and let out a long, shuddering breath. The Matriarch had read me like an open book. No, like a recipe, dissecting every missing ingredient and still finding a way to call it complete. I wasn’t sure whether I felt seen or exposed. Maybe both. I flopped onto the bed, arms flung out like a fallen starfish, when a knock tapped at the door.
I sat up quickly. “Um. Come in?”
Rune stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with the kind of quiet that made the whole room feel smaller.
“You didn’t get lost,” he said, arms folded, but his tone lacked its usual bite. “Impressive.”
