Page 40 of Magical Moonbeam
Twobble narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical. “You want to recreate Shadowick?”
“Yes,” I said. “Right here. In Stonewick.”
A beat of silence followed.
“You want to build anevil twin townin our backyard?” Stella asked, delighted.
“Not evil,” I said. “Not permanent. Just a scaled version. Something we can use to prepare. Walk the streets. Practice the entry points. Learn the ways the village might trick us.”
Nova’s head tilted. “You want to imprint it on your body, on your magic.”
“Exactly.” I looked at her, grateful for the way she always seemed to understand the unspoken.
Ardetia sat forward for the first time, her voice soft but clear. “We could use glamour and illusion to reshape the trainingfields for a few days. I know several fae runes that would allow the landscape to hold its shape.”
“I could enchant markers at the boundaries,” Bella added, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
Keegan hadn’t spoken yet, but I could feel him watching me. When I met his gaze, there was a quiet nod of approval, maybe even pride. And something else I couldn’t name.
Twobble looked as though he were chewing something bitter. Finally, he let out a long sigh and said, “It’s… not the worst idea you’ve ever had.”
“High praise,” I said with a smile.
He pointed at Skonk. “But ifhestarts naming streets after himself, I’m reversing the signage and leading him into a Hedge maze.”
“Tempting,” Skonk said, leaning back with a dreamy look. “Skonk Alley. Skonk Square. Ooh, Skonk’s Very Modest Hero Boulevard.”
“Stop,” Twobble groaned.
“Look,” I said, reclaiming the room. “We don’t know what’s waiting for us in Shadowick. But that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare. If we make this version in Stonewick real enough, just for a few days, we’ll go in with instincts instead of guesses.”
Stella tapped her teacup with one elegant nail. “Can I suggest vampire cloaks and dramatically poor lighting for ambiance?”
“I’ll allow it,” I said.
“And traps?” Ember asked, bright-eyed. “I could scatter a few minor hex mines. Keep us sharp.”
“No one’s getting hexed,” Nova said smoothly. “Yet.”
“Pretend, of course.”
I took a breath and looked around the room again. This time, I saw more than concern. I saw commitment. Readiness.Belief.
Skonk sat up a bit straighter. “I can map it for you tonight. The real streets. The shifts. Even the way the shadows lean. It will give you something to go off when recreating.”
“You’ll do it under supervision,” Twobble muttered. “I’m not letting you slip a candy goblin tavern into the middle of the plaza.”
“I have particular taste,” Skonk sniffed.
And I could feel Twobble’s irritation rolling off him.
“Twobble,” I said gently, “thank you. I know this isn’t easy.”
“It’s not,” he muttered, crossing his arms. “But you’re right. This gives us a fighting chance.”
And that was enough.
We were going to recreate Shadowick.
