I returned home not long after Mama Joni left, not in the mood to work anymore. Aisha had agreed the day seemed off and closed the office, hoping for a positive vibe the following week. Spending the rest of the day watching TV with snack breaks in between, not even the voodoo dolls' usual rowdiness—they playfully fought in front of the TV—bothered me. But every time I thought about the two notes from Esther and her dumbass grin back at the preachers' house, my eye twitched and my lip curled. No one had ever gotten under my skin as fast as she did. It was a Guinness world record.

Usually, it was the other way round. I'd purposely annoy the enemy, knowing it would knock them off their game and allow me to finish them off easily. That was why what Esther was doing pissed me off. I recognized her intention, and the fact it was working wrenched my gut.

If I wasn't careful, I could spend the rest of my time before the full moon obsessing over her and what tricks she had, instead of my own, which I knew were superior to hers. When powerful sorcerers fought, the one who was able to get in the other's head first usually won.

In order to beat Esther, I needed to stock my magic arsenal. In a matter of life or death, you either went big or you died.

Cat or mouse, huh? I scoffed.

Fuck being a rabid dog.

I was a motherfucking lion.

When I got moon magic, Mawu and I had agreed the Friday before the full moon was the perfect time to learn the distinct magic wielded by previous users. And with there having been thirty of them before me, I had sixteen left to learn before mastering moon magic. I couldn't wait to unlock the fifteenth ability. It was the required number before I could speak to Mawu's descendants, and vice versa.

The dolls had played themselves to sleep, so I took them to their bedroom and returned to the living room. Sitting on the floor cross-legged, I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. The night's cold air burned my nostrils before dispersing in my chest. The temperature in Dar Es Salaam was never average. It was either too hot or too cold. I loved it.

I patted my chest thrice, activating my astral magic. Then I clenched my hands, releasing magical strings from my knuckles, which swiveled around my hands and arms before covering my whole body like a cocoon.

"Release," I muttered before gasping when my soul popped out of my body like a balloon and hovered in front of it, staring at the cocoon dumbfoundedly as my jumbled thoughts gathered themselves to make sense of what had happened.

Astral projection was a bitch. The longer my soul was away from my body, the more fatigued it would be. But man, it was so fun floating around like Casper the Ghost with no one being able to see me. The joy of anonymity; I could do whatever I wanted. Oh my goodness, now I understood why Peeping Uriel loved watching people from the Mirror Dimension.

The magic cocoon would hold my body in place until my return. And with the wards around my house as strong as ever, no harm would come to it while the strings had time magic imbued in them to prevent my body from aging.

I flew out of my house, phasing through the ceiling, headed for the moon. Moving one arm forward and the other backward, I pretended to be superman. As a child, I always wanted to fly, but I didn't have the ability until I got gravity magic from moon magic's past user. I remember spending the following week flying around the city at night, enjoying the wind brushing against my skin with tears in my eyes. If only Baba was here to see me. It was our dream to fly together, as he had gravity magic as one of his abilities.

When I landed on the surface of the moon, I activated my sense magic—improving my vision—and turned to Earth. Its blue marble appearance with white swirls was ethereal from out here, and I trembled from excitement. If I wasn't in my soul form, I would've stood there and cried for hours. The dying planet was still beautiful. Just staring at it made me believe all my problems had gone away, making me feel reborn and able to deal with whatever shit life was about to throw my way.

"Ahem," a voice said behind me.

I turned around and found Mawu staring at me. She wore a long white dress with magic symbols on it and a crown with a glowing metallic silver moon on top.

As the Voodoo and Moon Goddess, Mawu held dominion over sorcerers who held such magic abilities, especially with the former. Her appearance depended on who she spoke to. With me, she chose to look like Baba's late mother—a dark-skinned woman with long, grey braids and hazel eyes—knowing how much I loved and respected the woman. But like most occult detectives, she had died on a job with my grandfather. A tragic but perfect ending for them.

"Ahem!" Mawu said again, louder this time.

I rolled my eyes before going to her and kissing her hand. With how dramatic she was, I thought twice about wanting to meet other gods and goddesses. Especially the African ones.

"Much better," she said with a smile, revealing her pearly-white teeth. "But–"

"I know, I know, I know. I'm late." I sighed. "You don't have to nag me about it."

"Nag you? We meet once a month, and this is the fourth time in a row you're late."

"You know what they say?"

"No, what?"

"Better late than never."

"That's all they say?" She raised her brow.

"Yes." I smiled.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"So you're positive the saying isn't, better late than never, but never late is better?"

"I'm not Positive, I'm Binti Nasra."

Mawu frowned.

I laughed out loud before patting her shoulder. She was funny sometimes without knowing it. When I met her the first time, I was so scared of her. Mawu, the scary Voodoo and Moon Goddess. No one, not even the strongest sorcerers in the world, dared to say her name in vain. Even if the world forgot about the War of the Gods, those of us who heard about it knew how much of a badass she was.

I appreciated the fact she let me get on her last nerve and not wipe me out of existence. I loved my life, even if it didn't seem like it sometimes.

"How have you been Mawu?" I asked.

"Call me Goddess Mawu."

I crossed my arms. "Come on, Mawu. Don't be like that."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, why are you letting Esther trick you so easily? She now has the upper hand. And if you don't take her seriously, she'll kill you."

"I know." I hated when she gave me lectures, reminding me of Mama.

"Do you have a plan to beat her?"

I scoffed. "You know I do."

"Let me hear it." She crossed her arms.

I scratched the back of my head and chuckled. "Ok, I don't have one yet. But I will soon."

Mawu sighed. "I want you to be the first user to master moon magic. You've gotten further than the others. Sixteen more to go and you'll be as strong as The Supreme Leaders. And I know you plan on confronting them after speaking to James and the other crows. It won't be easy, and you may face resistance as they believe they're above the law. So you need to be serious from now on."

I placed my hand on my chest. "I promise to be serious from now on."

"Good." She smiled. "The ability we're unlocking today is too powerful and hard to control. Be careful when using it or you may hurt others."

"Understood."

It took me years to master the first fourteen abilities. Unlocking them was the easiest part as I spent the next few months to a year learning their many spells and applications from their users. But now that I've grown as a sorcerer, it only took a few days to weeks to learn. It was why Mawu was optimistic I would master moon magic within the year.

"Can it help me defeat Esther?" I asked. Mawu decided which ability to unlock, saving me the headache of having to choose.

"I chose this one just for that," she said.

I smiled. "What power is it?"

"Transmutation."

Only one sorcerer in history had been recorded to possess such ability. It was so powerful and destructive, even The Supreme Leaders feared her. But they couldn't touch her since she was a soul reaper and her power proved valuable in combating revenants.

I hadn't known another transmuter had existed and that they had moon magic. Soon I'd be the third.

"Is this sorcerer the first or second transmuter?"

"First."

I gasped. "Who is it?"

Mawu usually left the teaching to the sorcerer who had that magic ability. I was about to learn from the first-ever transmuter. My stomach groaned with excitement, and I couldn't help but grin like a child.

"The first transmuter is Eve—the so-called first woman in existence."