Page 71 of Magical Mission
“But if we come at this like we’re hunting something dangerous, we’ll lose them. I don’t want that. I want to help.”
Her expression didn’t change, but her silence said more than a dozen arguments.
“You disagree?” I asked.
“I think helping and preparing aren’t opposites,” she said calmly. “We proceed with care. And open eyes.”
“That,” I said, “I can agree with.”
She turned toward the door, already halfway into action. “I’ll get Nova.”
I watched her go, then turned back to Twobble.
“You did well.”
He blinked, startled. “I did?”
“You always do.”
He grinned so wide I thought he might burst.
“Now,” I added, “I need you to stay out of sight. Keep a watchful eye if you can, but don’t spook them. Sometimes you get a look in your eyes that makes people nervous.”
He stood up and gave a little bow. “Discreet is my middle name.”
I raised a brow. “It’s literallyGrindle, Twobble.”
“Details,” he muttered, and vanished out the door like a puff of very opinionated steam.
I sat back in my chair for just a moment more, letting the stillness return.
Krina. Mys.
Sisters.
A shadowed past.
But maybe a chance for us to help someone start over.
We needed to handle this the right way.
We had to reach for understanding before we reached for judgment.
Because second chances were the foundation of this place, and maybe everything was unintentional.
And if we couldn’t offer that, then what were we doing here at all?
The corridor leading toward their wing was quiet, too quiet for this time of evening. Obviously, the chandelier incident spooked everyone.
And whether it was the Academy trying to protect itself and others or whether it was a shadow attempting to cause harm, I didn’t know.
But one step at a time.
Classes had let out, dinner was in full swing in the great hall, and even the book sprites had gone eerily still in the nearby library shelves.
I heard footsteps and walked with Twobble and my dad down the hall until I met everyone.
Nova walked on my left, her stride purposeful and her eyes scanning every sconce, every shift in shadow. Ardetia flanked my right, gliding without sound, her presence calm but coiled, like she’d already thought through five different ways this could go wrong.
