Page 29 of Goody Magic Academy: Year Three

Twyla’s face was a mask of concern, her brows furrowed and lips pressed to a thin line. She shook her head almost imperceptibly, a silent warning flashing in her eyes.Don’t do it, don’t trust him, her expression pleaded.

Valentin and the headmaster stood like statues. Their expressions were neutral, but I caught the slight tightening around Valentin’s eyes and the barely noticeable twitch of the headmaster’s fingers. They were trying so hard not to influence me, but their stillness spoke volumes.

As for Kamaron, he paced back and forth, fingers raking through his shock of white hair. Indecision was written in hisevery step and gesture. He muttered under his breath, weighing pros and cons that I couldn’t hear.

As the cacophony of their expectations threatened to overwhelm me, something deep inside me shifted. A calm settled over me, drowning out the noise.

I took a deep, sobering breath. The scent of magic—ozone and spice—filled my lungs. Time slowed almost to a stop as I made my choice, logic finally bowing to the insistent pull of my heart.

“I trust you, Jaxon,” I said, my voice stronger as I handed the bracelets back to Rose. “Show me how to use these, Rose. Time to play the game on my own terms.” The words hung in the air, heavy with finality.

I stretched out my wrists, palms up and vulnerable. My skin prickled with goosebumps, my muscles tensing involuntarily as I braced for pain. Memories of past agony flickered through my mind, but I pushed them aside.

My eyes locked with Jaxon’s, searching his face for any hint of deception. But all I saw was relief, determination, and something softer that made my heart skip a beat. “I trust you,” I whispered again, as much to reassure myself as him. “Please don’t make me regret it.”

I heard a sharp intake of breath from someone—Finn or Twyla, probably. I didn’t look away from Jaxon. This was my choice, for better or worse.

Rose stepped forward, her movements slow and deliberate. The bracelets clinked softly in her hands, a sound that once would have sent ice through my veins but now merely caused my heart to quicken its pace.

Her eyes, warm green flecked with gold, met mine. There was a gentleness there, mixed with determination. “All you have to do is say these words,” she began, her voice barely above awhisper. The air around us went still and silent, as if the very room was holding its breath.

“By moon’s light and shadow’s might,

Let chains of magic take their flight.

Bracelets break, release the power,

Return to me in this hour.”

The words hung shimmering in the air. I could almost taste the magic on my tongue, electric and wild.

“You don’t even need to say them out loud,” Rose added. “You can just repeat them to yourself.”

She held one of the bracelets over my wrist. I could feel heat radiating from it—or perhaps it was just my own nerves setting my skin ablaze. My hand trembled despite my resolve.

“Are you ready?” Rose asked, her voice gentle but firm.

I swallowed hard, trying to moisten my suddenly dry throat. “Y-yes,” I managed, the word coming out shaky and barely audible. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the scent of magic. My teeth clenched, jaw tight as I steeled myself for what would come next.

With exquisite care, Rose placed the first bracelet on my wrist. It snapped into place with a soft click, like a hospital band. I flinched instinctively, but...nothing. No pain. No torment. No searing anger coursing through my veins.

Rose’s eyes searched my face, concern evident in the slight furrow of her brow. “Does that hurt?”

I blinked in amazement. “No,” I breathed, shaking my head in stunned disbelief. “Not at all.”

“Good,” Rose nodded, a small smile at the corners of her mouth. She gently secured the second bracelet. “Now—repeat the spell. Do you remember it?”

I nodded, my heart thundering in my chest in a wild rhythm that echoed the ancient magic I was about to attempt. With a shaky breath, I closed my eyes, centering myself.

As I began to recite the incantation in my mind, something unexpected happened. Each syllable didn’t just resonate in me—it ignited. A tingling sensation sparked at the base of my spine, chasing up to the nape of my neck and spreading through my limbs like wildfire.

A soft clatter jerked me back to awareness. My eyes flew open, widening in disbelief at the sight of the bracelets lying on the floor, innocuous and ordinary, as if they had never been magical restraints at all.

Gaping, hardly daring to believe what I’d just witnessed, I licked my dry lips and repeated the spell again. The words felt different this time—charged, potent. To my amazement, the bracelets rose into the air, floating with an ethereal grace and settling back onto my wrists with a whisper-soft touch that sent shivers cascading down my arms.

“I... I can’t believe it,” I stammered quietly. I stared at my wrists in awe, turning them this way and that. The metal felt cool against my skin, but there was also something more, an energy thrumming beneath the surface, a power I could feel in my very bones.

Gone was the oppressive weight I’d come to associate with magical bindings. In its place was a lightness, a sense of potential crackling at my fingertips. I flexed my hands, watching in wonderment as tiny sparks of magic danced between my fingers.

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