The spell circle glowed faint blue beneath the cottage floorboards, flickering like candlelight caught in a storm. Luna knelt in its center, hair loose, eyes fierce.
“I want to do it,” she said.
Knox hesitated at the edge, one boot inside the ward, one out. “Are you sure? A soul-link isn’t just—”
“I know what it is,” she said softly. “It’s a thread. A choice. And if the Echo’s going to twist me, then I want something real tethering me back.”
Mira stood nearby with a weathered spellbook open. “A soul-link is dangerous under the best conditions. With your Echo half awake, and his bond unresolved…” She trailed off, glaring at Knox.
Luna looked at Knox. “Then we solve it.”
---
An hour later, Mira led Knox into the woods to perform a bond-scrying.
“You realize,” she muttered, drawing si
