The Society still watches. Enforcers still visit. But the Binding holds, because Bindings made by Irregulars don't follow the rules.
"And they won't," Samir said slowly, "because undoing a Binding creates a magical backlash big enough to... what? Destroy a city block?" very secret society of irregular witches
"Always." That night, Maggit tried to light a candle. Instead, she accidentally made the entire house hum "Moon River." The walls harmonized. The Society still watches
was twenty-eight, a former librarian who had been expelled from the magical academy for "excessive curiosity." His specialty was finding lost things—keys, memories, the last slice of cake. His greatest failure: he could not find his own family. "And they won't," Samir said slowly, "because undoing
"How often?"
"What if we're not dangerous? What if we're just... different? And what if different, together, becomes something they can't control?"
"You've been flagged for emotional volatility," she said, looking at the singing walls, the geometric plants, the floating drawings. "You know what happens next."
