Page 37 of Magical Mayhem

Skonk’s expression hardened for the first time. His grin slipped away, and his black eyes flicked toward the floor.

“Not by herbs,” he muttered. “Possibly by shadows.”

The words crawled over my skin, cold and certain.

Shadows.

Twobble’s ears twitched, his scowl faltering. “Why didn’t you bring him straight here then? Why leave him for Maeve to hunt down? Now we have to figure out where the mule dumped him.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell Twobble, I’d already found him in the Wilds.

“Why didn’t you just ride with him on the mule?” Twobble tilted his head.

Skonk stiffened, his shoulders snapping back. “I wouldn’tridewith him.”

“What’s wrong with riding on a mule?”

“Not the mule, Twiblet. Evil. I never ride with evil.” Skonk cleared his voice. “Or…very seldom.”

Twobble blinked. “What?”

“Never mind. So where is he?” Skonk crossed his arms, glaring down his nose.

“In the Wilds,” I explained.

“You left him out there?” Skonk looked amused.

“Wait! You let me carry on about Gideon being in Stonewick somewhere without telling me you already found him?” Twobble looked incensed.

“Sorry, my friend. You didn’t give me much of a chance.” I smiled at my sidekick. “But I thank you for confirming how he got here with the mule.”

His chest puffed out. “Gladly.”

“So, where is he?” Skonk tried again.

“I wasn’t going to welcome him into the Academy.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“I did my job. I called the Wilds from the Undersoot, gave them a hint, and what do you know? A bramble mule popped up, all leafy and spark-sparking. Perfect solution.”

Twobble threw his arms in the air, exasperated.

Bella, who had been quiet at my side, finally let out a sharp laugh. “So let me make sure I’ve got this right.” Her eyes gleamed with both humor and a hint of admiration. “You found Gideon half-dead in an alley, refused to ride him here yourself because you’re too proud, and instead talked a bramble mule into dragging him through the Wilds like a sack of potatoes?”

Skonk grinned, all teeth. “Now you’re catching on.”

Twobble groaned so loud the sconces flickered. “We’re doomed.”

But I wasn’t laughing. My stomach twisted tighter with every word. If Skonk’s story was true, Gideon hadn’t stumbled into the Wilds by chance, and spores hadn’t weakened him. He’d been broken before that, already undone by shadow or keeper.

And that meant time was even shorter than I thought.

“Maeve,” Bella murmured, catching my expression.

I shook my head, forcing the panic down. “If he’s poisoned by shadow, then it’s worse than I feared. If the Hunger Path calls us all to the circle…” I trailed off, swallowing hard. “All I know is that we can’t leave him behind, or it won’t work.”

Twobble pointed accusingly at Skonk. “And you justlefthim with a mule to dump him off? Really? That’s your grand contribution?”

Skonk rolled his eyes. “Everyone should be thanking me.”