Page 92 of Magical Melee
“Great,” I said, throwing my hands up. “Leave me with the comedy duo and the cryptic trio.”
Karvey inclined his head. “You’ll be in good hands.” With that, he stepped outside, his wings spreading as he launched into the night. The sudden gust of cold air made me shiver, or maybe it was the lingering unease.
Twobble shut the door and locked it. I couldn’t help but laugh.
Nova settled into the armchair Karvey had vacated while Keegan and Stella remained standing. Their eyes scanned the room like they expected danger to burst through the walls at any moment.
The book I’d been holding slid off my lap with a thud, and I flinched.
“You’re jumpy,” Stella observed with a sharp gaze. “That’s understandable, but it’s not sustainable. It appears that you’re not safe alone, not yet.”
I sank back onto the couch, feeling the weight of her words. “I’m not exactly thrilled about being alone, but I can’t just keep calling you all over every time I hear a strange noise.”
“You won’t have to,” Nova said gently. “We’ll stay tonight.”
The idea of having them here was both comforting and unnerving. Comforting because, well, they clearly knew moreabout this world than I did. Unnerving because it meant things were serious enough that they felt I needed round-the-clock babysitting.
When I’d left the tea shop, I’d felt like we had this handled as best as one could. But I no longer felt that confidence.
Partially because my last defense was to throw a teapot at someone.
Twobble stretched, his arms comically wide for his small frame. “Since everyone’s here, I suppose I should enlighten you all about what I saw in the forest. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t a raccoon.”
“Twobble,” Keegan said, his tone sharp. “Focus.”
Twobble hopped down from the armrest and paced dramatically in front of the fire. “Fine, fine. Here’s the scoop. The light? Definitely magical. But not your typical ghost light or forest spirit. This was something—or someone—trying to get in. They were sent on a mission. How do I know this? Because they kept circling the cottage. Those things want inside.”
“Trying to get into the cottage,” I repeated, shaking my head. “Then what?”
Keegan frowned. “The forces around your cottage are strong but not impenetrable.”
“I keep hearing that.”
“We all misjudged,” Keegan said flatly.
“I blame myself,” Nova said softly. “I should have seen it coming.”
“Nonsense,” Stella said, pacing back and forth. “No one could have guessed that Maeve would become so appealing to so many so quickly.”
I frowned. “Uh, thank you?”
She chuckled.
“I can’t believe I’m a target of the magical world when I don’t know the first thing about alchemy.”
Nova leaned forward, her expression serious. “You’ve always been a target, Maeve. But now they know where you are. They’re testing the waters, seeing how prepared we are.”
“And how prepared are we?” My brows raised.
Keegan’s eyes met mine, steady and reassuring. “We’re ready.”
Twobble’s toothy grin widened. “And if we’re not, at least it’ll be one hell of a way to go. What an honor. Defending Stonewick…”
“Twobble,” Nova warned.
“What?” he said, holding up his hands. “I’m just saying, a little battle humor never hurt anyone.”
I shook my head, a half laugh escaping despite the tension. “You’re impossible.”
