Page 76 of Magical Mission
“It’s not hard to do, Maeve. You’re incredible. You’ve always been meant for this world. I just started to worry you might not make it back.”
His words flowed through me like a medicine I didn’t know I needed, slowly patching up heartache and filling the holes in my heart.
I glanced in the direction Stella had led the sisters.
“I’m going to figure out a way to help Kryna and Mys settle in. Make them feel seen. They need protection, but they also need to remember why they came here in the first place.”
Keegan’s hand brushed my shoulder, and I felt a tingle run up my spine.
“You’re good at that,” he said.
I didn’t answer, but I held onto the warmth of that moment longer than I should’ve as he turned and disappeared back into the corridor, already working through contingencies in his mind.
By the time I made it to the banquet hall, the warmth hit me like a quilt straight from the hearth. The long tables buzzed with conversation, and the rich smells of roasted vegetables, cider, and braided loaves filled the air. It was as if the near-accident never happened.
Krina and Mys stood just inside the archway, a little stunned, like they'd wandered into someone else’s celebration.
I reached them and nodded toward the nearest table while Stella was filling plates for them.
“Mara saved you seats,” I said. “She thinks Mys looks like the cousin who taught her how to make exploding jam.”
Krina blinked.
“She also wants to ask you about your ring,” I added. “And she’ll probably shove pudding into your hands before you sit down.”
Mys cracked a smile. “Well, that’s oddly specific and terrifying.”
“It’s accurate,” I said, and I wondered how I knew all that.
Was that part of being a hedge witch? A new skill I’d just acquired?
As they took their first steps toward the noisy table, I saw it, just a flicker. Krina’s shoulders eased, and a thread of tension unwound.
This was just the beginning.
But beginnings had power.
And we weren’t alone in this.
Not anymore.
The banquet hall had mellowed by the time I returned.
The boisterous laughter had softened into the hum of warm conversation. `Spoons clinked gently against ceramic, the scent of roasted garlic and honey-sweet carrots still hung in the air, and someone had conjured floating candle blossoms that drifted lazily over the tables.
It was almost peaceful.
Too peaceful, considering what I now knew. I grabbed a plate and added a roll, a few potatoes, and a scoop of vegetable pie. Stella walked up to me and smiled as I took a bite without bothering to find a place to sit.
“I think we’re getting the hang of this Academy thing.”
With a mouth full of roll, I nodded.
By the time I swallowed, Keegan reappeared, but he looked stressed. His eyes fell to my plate, which still had most of the food on it, and he shook his head.
“I don’t have great news.” He leaned closer, and I could smell the faint scent of pine. “It’s Krina’s ex at the inn, and I think he’s already infiltrated things that…”
My eyes met his. “Oh, no.”
