Page 154 of Magical Mayhem

And above us, the stars burned steadily, silent witnesses to her final gift.

Chapter Forty-Six

The night had finally quieted.

No more roaring shadows, no more thunderous strikes rattling the stones. Only the warm hush of summer air pressing soft against our skin, a strange, unexpected balm after so much fury. The sky glittered with stars, clear and steady, as if the storm had never existed.

Students and teachers sprawled across the courtyard steps, leaning against one another in tired heaps. Keegan’s arm was firm around my shoulders, steadying me, though I knew he was barely holding himself upright. My father sat with his torch extinguished, its blackened tip across his knees. My mother had both arms wrapped around him, and for once, he didn’t squirm away. Even the Silver Wolf, back in her human form now, stood near enough to let the glow of her presence warm the air.

Silence lingered, heavy but not empty. It wrapped around us tenderly

Twobble sniffled. Loudly. He rubbed his palm down his nose, muttering in that way that made you want to roll your eyes and hug him all at once.

“She was one hell of a woman,” he said, clearing his throat. “One hell of a woman.”

The solemnity cracked. Something inside me broke open, and before I could stop it, I was laughing.

My dad laughed too, the sound booming and ragged. He slapped his knee, shaking his head, and for once, my mother didn’t scold him for being “undignified.”

I hugged Twobble, burying my face against his small shoulder as Keegan’s arm tightened around me. Laughter spilled from me like water breaking through stone, hot with tears but bright too.

We had survived.

Malore was gone.

But it wasn’t over.

We still had the circle to complete. We still had a village to rebuild. The shadows might scatter, but the scars would linger. And yet here, in this moment, laughter wasn’t treason. It was medicine.

“You know,” Twobble sniffed again, patting my back awkwardly, “I’m impressed by my bravery.’

“Bravery?” Skonk snorted from a few steps down, his grin devilish even under soot. “You hid under Frank’s elbow for half the fight.”

“Strategic cover,” Twobble corrected, sniffing again. “Very advanced maneuver. You wouldn’t understand.”

I couldn’t help it, I grinned.

Keegan leaned closer, his hazel eyes soft, the corners crinkling. “Only in midlife could cracked wands and sprained wrists look this proud.”

I tilted my head against his shoulder, exhaustion tugging at my bones. “Magic in midlife isn’t the end. It’s the start. They’re proving it.”

He kissed the top of my head, his arm tightening. “So are you.”

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat refusing to ease.

Twobble sniffed again, breaking the moment. “If anyone’s passing out medals, I’d like mine shaped like a pie. Apple, preferably.”

Skonk groaned, but a few of the students perked up.

“Pie actually sounds good,” one witch murmured.

My father leaned back, wiping his face with his sleeve. “You all fought like hell. Stonewick will remember this day.”

“Stonewick will rebuild,” my mother said firmly, squeezing his hand. “And so will we.”

I nodded, though my chest tightened at the memory of Grandma Elira. “She told me her purpose was something else. She always said she’d know when the time was right. I never understood it, and I never stopped asking. And all along, she carried that burden.”

Keegan pressed his lips to my temple, whispering, “She carried it so you wouldn’t have to.”