Page 11 of Magical Mayhem (Stonewick Magical Midlife Witch Academy #7)

The air in Keegan’s chamber felt too heavy.

I couldn’t breathe.

Slowly, I loosened my fingers from Keegan’s hand and rose to my feet. My knees wobbled as the weight of choice pressed on them harder than any curse. I turned toward the door, but Bella’s sharp eyes caught mine.

In a flicker, she was at my side, her steps soft but purposeful.

I waved goodbye to my dad, and Bella slipped out behind me as the door clicked shut, leaving the others inside.

The corridor was dim, the sconces flickering against the stone.

I pressed a hand over my heart.

“I can’t.” My voice cracked. I swallowed hard, starting again. “I can’t stay in there and pretend this is enough. Not when…”

Bella tilted her head, her fox-senses sharp. “Not when what, Maeve?”

I closed my eyes, gathering the pieces of courage left in me, and whispered, “He’s in the Wilds.”

Her brows knit. “Who?”

My voice faltered, but I forced it out. “Gideon.”

Silence dropped between us, and it was heavier than anything in Keegan’s room.

Bella blinked, her golden eyes narrowing. Then she let out a breathy laugh.

“No. No, Maeve, that’s the mushrooms. You breathed in spores, and they twisted your fears. Nova told you what they do.”

I shook my head fiercely, my voice trembling but sure. “I avoided them this time. I didn’t breathe them in. That voice yesterday, it was real. And I found him.”

Bella stepped closer, her gaze fierce and searching. “You’re telling me you went into the Wilds alone and found Gideon just lying there? The Gideon? The one who’s spent years trying to tear down everything we stand for?”

“Yes,” I whispered, gripping the stone wall to steady myself. “Slumped, fading, broken. I couldn’t move him. But he’s there. And if we don’t help him, Keegan will…” My voice caught. “Keegan will follow.”

Her expression softened and flickered into something raw. She didn’t need me to say the rest.

“The Academy can’t hold without all of us,” I pressed on. “Stonewick can’t hold. Not unless we all stand together—Keegan, my father, me… and Gideon. The Hunger Path calls for nothing less.”

At that, Bella stilled.

She crossed her arms, amber eyes sharp. “The Hunger Path is not to be trifled with, Maeve. It demands sacrifice. Unity. Choice. You’re asking me to believe Gideon, of all people, would choose to stand willingly with us.”

“I know how it sounds, and maybe he won’t,” I whispered.

My throat burned, my chest tight. “But I saw him. He’s weak.

Diminished. He’s not the monster he was, not anymore.

And even if he doesn’t want to stand… we need him.

Without him, the circle breaks before it’s ever formed.

Our first step is to get him back to health and hope he chooses wisely. ”

Bella’s gaze lingered on me, nearly unreadable, but I caught the flicker there.

I spotted a faint glimmer of belief. Or maybe just the echo of what she’d seen in Keegan’s failing strength.

“If you’re wrong…” she said slowly, “it will destroy us. We’re bringing the monster into a village that is finally thriving again.”

“Minus the shadows above,” I corrected.

“But we’ve become united, the stores are bustling with magical folk, the sidewalks are busy with witches filled with hope, and…” She stopped.

“If I’m wrong, we’re destroyed anyway,” I said, my voice breaking. “Keegan won’t last. The Wards won’t hold. The Academy will collapse. And Stonewick.” My breath shook. “Stonewick will fall.”

Her eyes softened at last, the sharpness fading into resignation. “You’re asking me to gamble everything on trust. On you.”

“Yes,” I whispered.

The corridor held its breath, and so did I.

Finally, Bella gave a small nod. “Then I’ll help you.”

Relief surged so hot my knees nearly buckled again. I grasped her hand and clutched it tightly. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she muttered. “We’ll need a plan. Keegan must be protected, even if Gideon joins the circle. And if it comes to choosing between them…” She trailed off, her eyes flicking back toward the chamber. “

I nodded, swallowing hard.

The corridor’s hush broke suddenly with the clatter of feet. Twobble bounded around the corner, jelly smeared across his chin, his vest dusted with hay. His grin was wide and goofy, while his eyes shone with mischief.

“Maeve! Bella!” he cried, waving a half-eaten scone. “I just had the most brilliant conversation with the mule. And I do believe Gideon is somewhere in Stonewick.”

I blinked at him, my mind so full of curses and circles and the weight of Stonewick’s future that I nearly laughed in his face. “The mule?”

“Yes, yes!” Twobble bounced on his toes, crumbs flying. “It’s a clever beast, you know. Ears twitch just right, tail swishes like punctuation. You could learn a thing or two from it, Bella.”

My eyes widened as he continued.

“Very articulate. Told me it’s terribly fond of daisies. But here’s the interesting part.” He leaned forward conspiratorially, lowering his voice. “I think it brought Gideon here.”

Bella groaned, pressing her fingers to her temples. “Twobble—”

“No, listen!” He jabbed his jelly-covered finger toward us.

“Think about it. That bramble mule appeared out of nowhere, yes? Right when the students arrived. You don’t think that’s a coincidence, do you?

Hah!” He clapped his hands together, food scattering to the floor.

“It dragged him from whatever shadow had dropped him, plopped him right here at the Academy like a gift of evil, waiting to be unwrapped. Brilliant creature, that mule. Really ought to start charging for rides. But we must find him.”

I stared at him as my mind caught on the absurdity and the truth wrapped inside it.

The mule.

As silly as it seemed, as ridiculous as Twobble always was, something in my gut shifted. Could he be right? Could the Wilds have sent the mule to drag Keegan here, to anchor him when the curse could have swallowed him whole?

Bella’s sharp gaze flicked to me. “You don’t actually believe the mule brought him here.”

But I did.

Or at least, part of me wanted to.

Because in a world where the Wilds spoke, where mushrooms bloomed onto fears, where shadows tugged at the heart of everything, why couldn’t a bramble mule have carried Gideon here?

My lips parted, words catching, but before I could speak, Twobble grinned wider. “See? She believes me. Knew you would, Maeve. You’ve got an eye for destiny. Unlike fox-face here.”

Bella growled low in her throat, but I barely heard her. My chest ached with sudden certainty.

If the mule could bring Gideon here when he was ill, then maybe the Wilds weren’t against us. Maybe they were guiding us.

“Not so fast.”

The voice came from behind Twobble, raspy and smug, and before I could blink, Skonk stepped into the corridor with a devilish grin plastered across his face. His boots scuffed the stone floor, his little satchel bouncing against his side as though it carried secrets better left untouched.

Twobble nearly choked on his tongue. “Skonk!”

“Miss me?” Skonk spread his arms wide, mock-innocent. “Do you really think that mule knew to come here by itself? Come on. That’s what goblins are for. We are transportation experts. Think about our tunnels.”

Twobble’s scowl deepened instantly, and the jelly still dotted his chin like angry punctuation.

“You’re saying—” He jabbed a finger in the air. “You sent Gideon here?”

Skonk puffed his chest, his grin sharpening.

“That’s right. I heard whispers in the Undersoot, where truth likes to slither before anyone else notices.

Word was, Gideon was in trouble. So I popped my head into Shadowick, real stealth-like—” He gave a little bow, hat tipping, “—as I always am. And I’m sorry, Twiblet, I realize not all goblins are as graceful as I am. ”

“Graceful?” Twobble sputtered. “You trip over your own shadow half the time!”

“Stylishly,” Skonk countered with a sniff.

I pressed a hand to my temple, fighting the headache that always arrived when the two of them shared air. “Skonk. Focus.”

He winked at me, though his grin faltered just slightly.

“Anyway. I found him. Gideon. Not in the fields, not out at some shadow training. He was in a pile down an alley near a dark apothecary shop, like someone had dropped him there and forgotten him. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he threw back one too many, if you know what I mean. ” His brows wiggled.

My heart lurched.

“An apothecary?” My voice cracked before I forced it steadier. “Do you think he was poisoned?”

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’t ride with 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 just left him with a mule to dump him off? Really? That’s your grand contribution?”

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

“George got him here in one piece, no thanks to you,” Twobble continued.

“George?” Bella cocked her head.

“The mule,” Twobble replied. “But thanking you?” Twobble sputtered. “You’re one mushroom short of a summer stew!”

I lifted a hand, silencing them both. “It doesn’t matter how he got there. He’s there now. And we don’t have the luxury of waiting.”

Bella nodded in agreement.

Skonk tipped his head, grin sliding back into place. “Well, lucky for you, I’m an excellent guide. Knows the Wilds better than anyone. Knows the shadows too.” His grin turned sly. “And if the shadows did this to him, then maybe I can help unravel it.”

“Why are you talking about yourself in third person?” Twobble asked.

I ignored the cousin spat and let out a deep breath. “I know right where I left him, and I could use a lot of help getting him out of the Wilds.”

“Can’t we just leave him there?” Skonk teased.

“We don’t have a choice but to bring him out,” I whispered. “If we don’t get them both to stand at the circle, willingly, Stonewick falls. The Hunger Path calls for nothing less.”

Bella’s eyes narrowed. “Then let’s make sure they both live long enough to get there willingly.”

Skonk’s grin widened as Twobble groaned again.

But me? My heart pounded with a single truth.

This was the beginning of a gamble none of us might survive, but it was the only hand we had.