No, forbidding them didn't make it go away. It took more work than that. There were prevention tactics, like educating young witches, ensuring that they stayed away from dark magic, keeping them away from any such temptation. And then there were more active measures: driving out dark magic wherever they found it, reducing Circle Midnight to a few fugitives hiding in the shadows.

But Sylvia didn't need to explain that; her track record spoke for itself.

"You're making a mistake," she said quietly. "I hope you realize that before it's too late."