Page 12 of Magical Mayhem (Stonewick Magical Midlife Witch Academy #7)

The stone hallway seemed too narrow for my thoughts.

My head throbbed with the weight of secrets, and every time I blinked, I saw them both.

Keegan fevered in his bed, and Gideon slumped beneath that mossy canopy in the Wilds.

Two threads unraveled in the same pattern with a connection I couldn’t understand.

Before we reached the Academy’s back doors, I caught Twobble and Skonk by their sleeves. They both turned toward me with that infuriating mix of mischief and suspicion goblins wore so naturally.

“You need to understand something before we go,” I said, my voice lower, sharper than I meant.

“Keegan’s curse has taken nearly as much out of him as whatever is happening to Gideon.

They’re both slipping. But even though Gideon looks less dangerous, we must treat him as if he could strike at any moment. ”

“Agreed.” Bella nodded.

Twobble froze. His jelly went forgotten on his chin as his brows knit. “That’s… peculiar.” He scratched his forehead, ears twitching. “Why are they so connected?”

“I don’t know, but we can’t ignore it.”

Skonk sniffed, his grin curling sly again. “Doesn’t matter why. What matters is who’s got the better chance of surviving. And if you’re dragging us into the Wilds, I suppose you’ve already decided it’s both.”

“Yes.” I met his eyes, steady despite the fear tearing through me. “It has to be both.”

The silence that followed was brittle.

“Then where?” Bella asked. “Where do we find him, and where do we take him? You can’t keep Gideon under a moss blanket forever, Maeve.”

I exhaled, the thought striking me with sudden clarity. “Keegan’s hotel.”

They all turned to me.

“Secluded,” I explained quickly, though my stomach twisted with guilt. “Still guarded by the Wards, but not in the Academy. We can keep Gideon there, protected, until we decide our next step.”

Twobble’s ears flattened, his frown deepening. “Keegan will be thrilled to find out you’ve stashed his worst enemy in his own building.”

“I know,” I whispered, my chest aching. “He’ll be furious. But he’ll be alive to be furious, and hopefully he’ll understand, eventually. If Gideon’s part of the circle, we don’t have another choice.”

Skonk clapped his hands once, grinning like a cat in cream. “Sounds deliciously reckless. I approve.”

Bella gave me a long, considering look, then nodded. “If we move quickly, Malore’s shadows won’t have a chance to finish what they started.”

I tugged my cloak tighter, drawing in a shaky breath. “Then let’s go.”

The Academy’s back doors creaked as we pushed through, spilling us into the back of the property. Lavender brushed against my sandals, and rosemary jiggled faintly in pots, and beyond it all, the trees of the Wilds rose like sentinels, waiting.

We moved swiftly along the gravel path, and my heart hammered louder with every step closer to the tree line.

I didn’t know what I was expecting. I didn’t know how to get Gideon healthy enough to see the light, but I had faith, and that was what had to work for now.

A figure appeared to my left. Stella had a steaming cup of tea balanced perfectly in her hand as she strolled along the garden path as though gloom hadn’t settled over Stonewick at all.

Her scarlet red lips revealed her glistening fangs as she sucked the sweetness from a clover and tossed it toward the mule.

When she spotted us, she arched one perfectly drawn brow. “Well, well. This looks suspicious.” She sipped her tea delicately, eyes sweeping over Bella, Twobble, Skonk, and finally landing on me. “Where are we going, darlings?”

Twobble opened his mouth, but I elbowed him hard enough to make him squeak.

I forced a smile, though my pulse thundered. “Just… out for a walk.”

Stella’s lips curved into a smirk. “Into the Wilds? With goblins in tow? My, my. Either you’re planning a picnic or repairing a disaster, and I’d wager on the latter.”

Bella shifted beside me, her tail flicking once before disappearing again. “Maeve…”

I swallowed hard, meeting Stella’s sharp, knowing eyes. She was too clever, too old, too impossibly observant to be fooled.

And we could use her help.

If I lied, she’d know. And if I told the truth all at once, that we were marching into the Wilds to move Gideon, she’d never let me take another step.

“Stella,” I said carefully, “please trust me. I can’t explain yet. But if we don’t do what we’re about to do, if we don’t act now, Stonewick’s at risk.”

Her eyes narrowed, the steam from her teacup curling around her face like smoke. “And Keegan?”

My throat closed.

But before I could answer, Twobble blurted, “He’s fine!”

Skonk snorted. “He looks like a wilted turnip. Don’t lie, Twiblet.”

Bella groaned, pressing her palm to her forehead.

“He's in grave danger of succumbing to the shadows.”

Stella’s gaze flicked between us, her eyes too sharp, too knowing. She sipped her tea again, calm as a queen, then set the cup neatly on the garden wall.

“I’ve been around for centuries, and I can tell real worry when I see it.”

“How can I help? I’m coming with you.”

My heart skipped.

Because with Stella, it was never a suggestion, and I was worried she’d feel inclined to report this to Nova or Ardetia, since they often revealed themselves to be sensible.

Twobble looked like he’d swallowed a shoe sideways, and coughed into his sleeve. Skonk grinned like he’d just won a bet no one else had agreed to. Bella decided now was the perfect time to shift, and her tail flicked as her golden eyes narrowed in wary amusement.

“Stella—” I started.

“Don’t waste your breath, darling. If you’re off to do something reckless, you’ll do it whether I approve or not. The least you can do is let me enjoy the show.”

I rubbed a hand over my face. “This isn’t entertainment.”

“After this many years on the planet, it is, if you know how to look at it,” Stella smirked faintly. “Now, off you go.”

Her words gave me both relief and dread. For whatever reason, she’d decided to stay behind.

The forest swallowed us almost immediately, and the light dimmed, with only shafts of gold breaking through fractured spaces between branches.

None of us spoke for the first few minutes, our steps muffled, our shoulders brushing leaves that curled toward us.

Finally, Twobble muttered, “This is ridiculous. I feel like we fell down a rabbit hole with magical mushrooms and wicked men tricking us.”

“Shh.” Bella’s ears flicked in irritation. “Do you want the whole forest to hear you?”

“Maybe,” Twobble muttered. “At least then it can answer back.”

Skonk chuckled, sharp and smug. “If the Wilds are listening, cousin, they already know you’re afraid. Better to let them think you’re brave. Or at least clever.”

“I am clever,” Twobble shot back.

“Then why am I the one who found him?” Skonk asked, his grin flashing white in the gloom.

I clenched my jaw, refusing to let their bickering derail me. My heart pounded louder the closer we drew to the fallen log.

Please still be here, I begged silently. Please don’t make me doubt myself again.

It couldn’t be the mushrooms.

The mossy canopy came into view, draped like a green curtain over the massive trunk. I hurried forward, my breath catching as I stepped into the clearing.

And froze.

The space behind the log was empty.

The moss still bore the faint indentation of where a body had slumped. Ferns bent askew, wildflowers crushed flat. But Gideon himself, his heavy form, was gone.

My heart plummeted.

“No,” I whispered, stumbling forward. I dropped to my knees in the damp moss, pressing my hand to the hollow where he’d been. The earth was still warm.

But what if he had been the mushrooms and never had been Gideon? What if it were merely a wolf or…

“He was here,” I said hoarsely. “I swear it. He was right here.”

Skonk leaned lazily against a tree, crossing his arms with infuriating calm. “Well, isn’t this convenient?” His grin sharpened. “Our mossy menace has grown legs.”

Twobble pushed past him, already crouching low. He pressed his nose nearly to the moss, sniffing loudly, his ears twitching.

“Don’t make fun of her,” Bella said sharply, glaring at Skonk.

“I’m not,” Skonk said, his grin never faltering. “I’m admiring Gideon’s commitment to the chase.”

“Quiet,” Twobble snapped, his face twisted in concentration. He sniffed again, louder. “He was here. Shadows linger. Faint, but—yes. He didn’t vanish. He moved. Or was moved.”

I turned to Bella, desperation raw in my voice. “It’s true. He was here. It’s not the mushrooms playing with my mind. You believe me, don’t you?”

Bella’s gaze met mine briefly, and she stepped closer, crouching to press her fingers against the moss. When she looked back at me, her expression was clear, certain.

“I completely believe you. Skonk sent him. You found him. And now…” Her mouth quirked wryly. “Now he’s wandering around the Academy grounds.”

My heart stopped.

The image hit me like a blow.

Gideon, stumbling through the halls, past the charms, past students who had no idea what evil looked like up close.

Twobble groaned, throwing his hands up. “Nothing says summer school is under control like this situation.”

“Wait until Nova runs into him.” Skonk chuckled, entirely too pleased with himself. “But at least if he’s wandering around the Academy, at least we don’t have to carry him.”

Keegan would never forgive me. Nova would call it treachery. Ember would have her teacup ready to clout me over the head.

And yet, if I abandoned Gideon now… everything we had fought for would unravel.

“He could barely move when I talked to him last, let alone move. He shouldn’t be impossible to find.”

Bella nodded, her fox tail flicking once before disappearing. Twobble scratched furiously at his head, muttering about how he hadn’t signed up for this level of chaos. And Skonk’s grin widened, devilish as ever.

The Wilds held their hush, watching, listening.

And I knew, with a certainty that ached in my bones, that Stonewick’s fragile summer had just cracked wide open.