In front of them was a watery image of Andras, wearing his pale seer robes, standing inside Morgana's empty bedroom with the poppet in his hand. Sunlight spilled through the open balcony and over the bed, where he crouched and tucked the poppet between the mattress and the bedframe. An oily feeling seeped into Morgana's gut. There was something so invasive about Andras being in a space where Morgana slept. A private place where she'd thought she'd be safe.

"That conniving little shit," Aelys hissed.

The image rippled and disappeared only to be replaced by a new one. This time Andras was in the council room. He stood in front of Erik, who wore a dark velvet suit and a gold crown. Erik lounged on a chair near the crackling fireplace.

Morgana stiffened.

"I've done it, Your Majesty. The poppet will ensure that her magic is weakened in case the elixir fails," Andras said.

Erik gave Andras a look of approval. "Good work, High Seer."

The image faded and the water became clear. The candles flickered back to life, chasing away the darkness from Briar's cottage. There was a moment of silence where Aelys's lips pursed, Briar shook her head in disgust, and a storm brewed in Caliath's eyes.

Cold rage expanded inside Morgana, like hoarfrost spreading across a meadow. "That's why my magic stopped working." Her voice wavered. "This whole time, I thought that something was wrong with me. First the elixir and now this? When will it end?" She placed her head in her hands. "He'll stop at nothing to make sure I'm weak."

Aelys rubbed a hand on Morgana's back. "At least you know now."

"It wasn't burn out after all." Briar leaned back in her chair and folded her arms.

"I want to crush that worm," Caliath seethed.

"Which one? Erik or Andras?" Morgana lifted her head.

Everyone chuckled.

"Both," Caliath answered, offering Morgana a grin.

"The only thing I can do now is to find out if there's a way for this poppet to be destroyed." Morgana picked up the grimoire and began flipping through the pages until she found what she was looking for. "To undo the poppet's magic, I'll have to burn it."

"Thank Goddess." Briar exhaled and rested her arms on the table. "I was worried the poppet may have been one of those permanent ones. Meredith used to make poppets that lasted until the intended's death. In her case that was a good thing because she used them for healing. But still ..."

"Thankfully it isn't." Aelys fished the poppet out of the bowl and used her air magic to dry it out. "I hate to think what could've happened."

"Everything would've been ruined." Morgana's mouth was a grim line. "At least this poppet was made by a fae which was why it wasn't as strong."

"Yes, but Andras is a gifted fae. He's the High Seer, so it could've been worse."

Ice settled into Morgana's gut. "But how did he know how to make a poppet? He's not a healer."

"He probably learned it at the Seer Sect."

"I can burn it," Caliath offered.

"I have to do it," said Morgana. "It was used against me and only the intended or the maker of the poppet can undo it because we're magically bound to it."

Briar placed a metal tray onto the table and smirked. "For its funeral pyre."

Morgana picked up the poppet and, once again, a strange cold zap went through her fingers. She dropped it onto the tray and couldn't wait to burn the thing that had crippled her magic for the past few weeks. Caliath handed Morgana a candle and she touched the flame to the poppet's dress, flames streaked up it and set the ribbon alight. She touched the candle to the henbane which curled and blackened. A foul odor went into the air as the fire consumed the poppet. Soon, it was a smoldering pile of embers.

"If Andras breaks into my room again, I'll have to put a fake poppet back in its spot so that he doesn't realize that we're onto him." Morgana's jaw tightened.

"They won't have the upper hand then. Especially once your powers return in full," Aelys said.

"How long until the poppet's magic is gone?" Briar asked.

"Ten minutes after burning," answered Morgana, consulting a page in the grimoire. "In which time we can discuss our plans before we put my powers to the test. Who wants to go first?"

"I can," Aelys said.

"Go ahead." Morgana nodded.

"Well, as expected my luncheon at Undine Manor was successful. The plan for the Winter Ball is in place and if all goes well it will help us sow discord between the aristocracy and my father. As we already know, a lot of the aristocracy aren't happy that Elwyn's mines weren't split equally between the lords."

Everyone murmured in agreement.

"And what about you Briar? How are you going with your wife's case?" Morgana asked.

"Good. I've got an appointment next week at the courthouse. If I get my hands on the registry of fae essences, it'll help me build a case that can help us with our plan. If my hunch is correct, then my wife's murderer is someone high up in the aristocracy because of the way they handled her case, and if I can prove it then the peasantry of Golah Court won't stand for it." She blinked, eyes moist. "Olive had many friends in Golah Village who hated the upper class."

Aelys placed her hand over Briar's arm, and Morgana slipped her a handkerchief. Briar dabbed at the moisture escaping her eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Caliath murmured.

"It's alright." Briar waved a hand, as if to wave away Caliath's words. "We're setting things right." She blew her nose. "I'll finally be able to get justice for my wife."

"What about you Caliath? Any updates?" Aelys asked.

"I'm working on getting as many of my citizens out of Golah Court as I can, so that they can avoid the fallout of our plan. I've had meetings with Damon about Aeperians who want to move back to Aeperos Court. Unfortunately, once Aeperians move to Golah Court it's harder for them to move back because they must pay an exit tax of a thousand gold pieces." He crossed his arms. "Obviously, Erik won't abolish that tax because it makes him a lot of money. Surprisingly though, Damon agreed to a contract where Aeperos Court can partially pay some of the tax. There's been a huge backlog of citizens waiting to return to Aeperos Court. I guess after a while of living here they realize that Golah Court is not what they'd hoped it would be."

"That will change once I break the contract," Morgana said.

"And once I'm queen." Aelys straightened in her chair. "Your citizens will be treated fairly, and I'll abolish that tax."

Caliath nodded.

"Speaking of magic that can break contracts, shall we see how your powers are?" Briar asked Morgana.

"Sure." Morgana glanced at the charred husk that used to be the poppet and her stomach squirmed with sudden doubt. After everything that had happened, she'd become wary of anything that seemed too easy. It was a surprise that the scrying spell had even worked at all, considering Andras had done his best to mess with her magic. So, what if burning the poppet hadn't worked? What if something else had interfered with her powers? What if the reason her powers didn't work was because she was weak and there was no hope of her ever getting better because she had no coven? The thoughts threatened to drag her under, like a dark wave pulling back from a shore. She needed to stop thinking like this, she needed to stop spiraling. There was only one way to find out whether the poppet's magic had been destroyed.

Morgana closed her eyes and summoned the elements. In her mind's eye she stretched her arms out and out, until she toppled into a deep well. It was as if Morgana was tumbling through space, past twinkling stars and galaxies, until she crashed into a pool of magic where sparkling light crept over her skin. The light consumed her, then she was whisked away to a green flourishing forest where fresh leaves scented the air and flowers bloomed rich and sweet. The sun warmed Morgana's skin and a clear bubbling river wound through the trees. All was still and silent, as long grass rippled in the breeze. Wildflowers swayed. In front of the river was a strange woman with her back facing Morgana.

Morgana frowned and took a step closer. Who was this woman? She'd never seen anyone who looked like her before. The woman had long flowing deep blue hair that was made of roiling ocean waves. Her skin was the pale green of vast meadows full of rippling grass. And she wore a dress that looked as if it were made of swirling clouds that drifted past the tops of snow-kissed mountains. The woman turned, and Morgana's breath caught in her throat. The woman stepped forward and the trees bowed towards her, wildflowers sprouted underneath her feet. Her eyes burned like two suns. A chill went through Morgana, she wasn't sure what kind of faerie or being this woman was. She didn't know whether the woman would harm her. Then the woman smiled and lifted an arm and pointed at Morgana. A vortex of earth, air, fire, and water shot out of her finger and collided into Morgana's chest. She flew back, and in that moment, Morgana realized that the being in front of her was the Goddess.

Morgana opened her eyes, back in Briar's dining room.

Caliath's mouth dropped open.

Aelys and Briar grinned.

The elements charged through Morgana's veins like bolts of lightning. She stood up and ran over to a mirror dangling on the wall to confirm that her magic had returned. Her eyes glowed amber and Morgana grinned. "The Goddess gave my magic back to me."

Power burst from the grimoire and everyone jumped. The book floated into the air and opened to the dark and shimmery cloud that housed the concealed spells. Morgana made her way back to the table, whilst everyone stared in stunned silence. Slowly, like a fog cleared by a breeze, a section of the dark and shimmery cloud dissipated.

Aelys gasped and Briar murmured a prayer.

Caliath couldn't tear his eyes away from Morgana, who picked up the grimoire, eager for the unlocked spell. A moment passed when everyone collectively held their breath. Strange golden light from the grimoire radiated over Morgana's face. After a moment, she grinned. "This is the spell we've been waiting for."