Page 61 of Magical Mission
He sighed, but there was affection behind it. “Come on. You might want to hear this, too.”
And just like that, the warmth of the inn chilled with something I hadn’t seen coming.
Chapter Fifteen
Keegan held the door open for me, and I stepped into the hallway beside him.
We didn’t speak right away. The inn was quiet, the lobby sounds now behind us, and only the distant clink of dishes from the kitchen reminded me it was nearing supper. The air had that hush to it as if it were waiting to hear what we had to say.
Keegan looked tired, not in the obvious way, or like he’d just shifted. His shoulders were still squared, and his expression didn’t show exhaustion, but I could feel it in the slight slump of him as we walked side by side toward the inn’s side exit.
“You look like you fought a dragon and lost,” I said.
“Just a talkative guest,” he muttered.
“Same thing.”
He gave a tired chuckle. “Honestly? A sprite would’ve been more straightforward.”
We reached the back porch where the wood planks creaked beneath our boots. I leaned against one of the posts, watching the evening light scatter over the rooftops of Stonewick. From here, I could just make out the chimney of Stella’s tea shop, acurl of smoke rising lazily into the pink sky. I glanced at the area on the patio that Keegan had long ago told me about, a safe space.
“You want to tell me what actually happened in there?” I asked.
Keegan braced one hand on the railing and exhaled slowly. “I can try.”
I waited.
“The guest checked in a day ago,” he said. “Solo traveler, warlock. He says that he’s just feeling out where his next magic jackpot is, whatever that means. I think he’d had one too many magic mushrooms, if you know what I mean.”
I scowled and rolled my eyes. “Great.”
“But I told him if he speaks to anyone at the hotel like he did, he will no longer be welcome.” Keegan shrugged. “He was sniffing around with all sorts of questions, but I hope it’s just an unruly guest.”
“That’s not what your gut says, is it?”
“Nope,” Keegan said. “If he weren’t dodging questions and giving the front desk a hard time, I’d feel better.”
“Well, now it’s my turn, and I hope the two aren’t related.”
“Wait. What? You didn’t just come here to check on me?” he teased.
There was something about being with Keegan that always put me at ease, even when I was drowning in my thoughts.
“Okay, what aren’t you telling me?” His eyes stayed fastened on mine.
“I heard two students in the library talking, and it was all very cryptic…” I bit my lip for a brief second as I thought about what exactly worried me. “I heard one student reporting to the other how you’d left for the inn.” I glanced around, and a shiver ran through me. “And then I heard them talk about how someone wouldn’t even know if something was happening right under someone’s nose.”
“You’re the someone?”
“I assume so. I have no idea what they’re planning, but it’s for tonight.”
“So, this guy at the inn might be a distraction.”
“It makes me wonder or he could be completely unrelated.”
“He was asking about town businesses. All the magically owned ones.” Keegan turned to face me fully now, brow furrowed.
“He asked about the tea shop and wanted to know if Stella sold anything stronger behind the counter. Asked if Nova’s place had an underground escape for other realms.”
