Page 54 of Magical Mission
And near the back, Lady Limora stood before a section on dream magic, her fingers drifting along the spines like she was reading through touch alone.
A lump caught in my throat.
This was everything I’d hoped for.
And still…
A shadow pulled at the edge of the feeling. A thread of unease winding its way through the warmth.
Twobble’s voice echoed faintly in my mind.
There was something with them… a shadow… too tall, too wrong.
I looked at them again. Really looked.
They were smiling. Engaged. Curious.
It couldn’t be them, right?
But the thought stayed, sharp as glass beneath bare feet.
What if one of them wasn’t here to learn?
What if one of them hadbroughtsomething with them, knowingly or otherwise?
My gaze swept the room again, slower this time. Watching for something that didn’t fit.
A student standing too still. A book that refused to be touched. A sprite that hesitated before making contact.
Nothing obvious.
But that’s how it would be, wouldn’t it?
A spy wouldn’t wear a name tag.
They’d blend in. Charm you. Learn the rules before breaking them.
Or at least I would.
I walked deeper into the library, trailing my fingers along the edge of a nearby table, and watched the students out of the corner of my eye.
A sprite zipped past me with a scroll longer than my arm, muttering about overdue archiving and the nerve of new readers rearranging the alchemy section. I gave a half smile, then continued on, weaving between tables and study nooks.
A few students looked up and smiled as I passed.
“Headmistress,” one murmured with a nod.
I returned it with a smile of my own, trying not to let my unease show.
I wasn’t suspicious of them.
Notexactly.
But I had to be careful. I owed that to the Academy. To the women who trusted me. To the dragons hidden beneath the floors and the wards humming just beneath the stone.
And the curse? We had to stop it, not invite it in.
I stopped near the tall arched window where morning light spilled onto the reading rug, and took a deep breath.
