Page 41 of Magical Mayhem (Stonewick Magical Midlife Witch Academy #7)

The crack in the door widened, a sliver of shadow pushing through like smoke curling from an open wound.

I turned, grabbing both goblins by their sleeves before they could bolt in opposite directions on their own whims. Their eyes went wide, Twobble’s full of panic, and Skonk’s glittering with his usual reckless mischief.

“Listen to me,” I hissed, though my chest was hammering with every strike against the Wards. “Twobble, go find my dad. Protect him with everything you have. Nothing, nothing, can happen to him.”

Twobble blinked at me, his mouth opening like he wanted to protest. “But Maeve, I’m not exactly…”

I tightened my grip until he squeaked. “You are exactly what he needs right now. You’ll stick to him like jam to toast. Do you understand me?”

His lips pressed together, and for once, he didn’t make a joke. He gave a reluctant nod, muttering, “Fine. But if he starts barking orders like a dog, I can’t promise what happens next.”

“Blame me later,” I said, releasing him. “Go.”

He shot one last wide-eyed glance at Keegan before darting down the corridor, his little legs pumping furiously, already calling out for Frank like a child looking for his lost toy. Relief and worry tangled in my gut, at least Dad wouldn’t be alone.

I turned to Skonk, who had that devilish grin plastered across his face like he was born for this exact sort of chaos.

“And you get to Gideon. Nothing can happen to him either. If Malore’s curse takes him under completely, we lose everything.

I don’t know if Stella and the other vamps made it there. ”

As of now, only Lady Limora was by his side, and I couldn’t imagine that holding for long.

Skonk gave a single wry nod, no quips this time.

That unsettled me more than any of his jokes ever had.

Without another word, he darted into the shadows at the edge of the hall, slipping through a narrow gap in the wall I hadn’t even noticed before.

Probably led to Goblin tunnels. Of course.

He’d make it to the inn faster than any of us.

That left me. Keegan and I.

And the door.

The next strike split it open.

Shards of wood flew like shrapnel, the spells shrieking as they bent under the force. A wave of shadows burst through, snarling, clawing, writhing into the shape of beasts I couldn’t name. The air went ice-cold, the torches along the wall snuffing out as the tide poured into the corridor.

Keegan roared, the sound not entirely human, and threw himself forward.

His fists cracked like thunder against the first beast, shattering it into smoke.

I flung my hands wide, electricity spiraling from my palms, uniting with Hedge and something I didn’t understand, as it whipped across the advancing line.

The smell of burning evil filled the air, acrid and sharp, but it only bought us a heartbeat.

More came. Always more.

The air became a storm of claws and teeth and shrieks.

Shadows struck from the walls themselves, crawling like spiders before leaping.

I spun and lashed, electricity bursting from my hands, energy wrapping them until they glowed like molten iron.

Each strike burned them, but each time, the void left behind pulled at me, threatening to drag me under.

“Maeve!” Keegan’s voice bellowed, raw with fury.

I turned just in time to see him stagger. A shadow-beast twice the size of the others had its claws locked around his arm, dragging him toward the tear still yawning wide behind the broken door.

“No!”

I lunged as a current blazed down my arm. I slammed my palm against the beast. Light burst outward, searing it into smoke that howled as it dissolved. Keegan sagged to his knees, panting, but his hazel eyes still burned when they met mine.

“On your feet,” I said, grabbing his wrist and hauling him up. “You’re not going anywhere.”

He smirked, even through the blood running down his temple. “Didn’t plan to.”

We fell into rhythm. His fists and snarls, my flames and vines. Together, we pushed the tide back an inch at a time. Shadows shrieked and cracked, smoke burning away in bursts of fire and light. But for every one we broke, two more clawed their way through the tear.

The floor shook under another impact. This time it wasn’t the door. It was the very walls of the Academy. Cracks spidered up the stone, glowing faintly as the Wards strained.

“Maeve!” Nova’s voice carried from the hall, but she couldn’t reach us, not through the storm of shadows. I saw her green eyes flashing from behind a barricade of students, her staff raised high, her mouth shaping words I couldn’t hear.

And then, through the chaos, I caught sight of the students again.

Lines of them, spilling down the corridor toward us, wands raised, faces pale but determined.

They had followed the call, leaving the banquet hall behind to join us at the breach.

Illusions shimmered above their heads—fox-fire, fae-light, runes glowing like stars.

They didn’t hesitate. They braced themselves shoulder to shoulder, raising their magic in a wall of light that joined mine, slamming into the shadows.

For a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe.

Pride and terror warred inside me. They shouldn’t have to deal with this. They should be safe, tucked behind walls, guarded by their instructors. But here they were. Strong. Steady. Refusing to let the Academy fall without them.

The shadows hit their line and broke like waves crashing against a rock.

Keegan snarled beside me, his voice shaking the air. I struck with light until my arms trembled, jolts pulsing until my fingers bled. And still the shadows came.

But so did the students.

Fae magic tangled with the Hedge. Shifter claws flashed in sync with witchfire. Runes scorched the floor while herbs burned in the air. And slowly, the tide began to slow.

But I knew this wasn’t the end. Malore wasn’t through with us. He was only testing, waiting, laughing from somewhere just beyond our sight.

But for now, we held.

I drew a shuddering breath, sweat stinging my eyes, and glanced at Keegan. He was pale, his body shaking, but his hazel eyes still burned. He gave me the smallest nod, and for that heartbeat, the world steadied.

We were still standing.

Stonewick was still standing.

For now.

But we had to move this fight outside, or there would be nothing left of the Academy.

The corridor shook so hard it felt like the Academy itself was trying to throw me off balance. My boots slid on broken stone, and I jammed my shoulder into the wall to steady myself. Shadows poured through the tear in the air, snarling, their claws scraping sparks against the stone.

I yanked my wand from my belt, the polished wood humming as it met my palm. Heat surged up my arm, and I raised it high. “Incendio!”

Flames burst from the tip, shooting straight into the horde. For a breath, the corridor blazed bright. The creatures screamed, a sound that rattled my skull, but when the light sputtered, they reformed, smoke lacing back into claws and jaws.

I tried again with another blast, another flare. The shadows staggered, but they did not fall. My arms shook with the strain, my chest heaving. The wand quivered as if it too doubted me.

“Not enough,” I whispered.

The beast closest lunged. Its teeth snapped an inch from my face. I thrust the wand point-blank into its gaping maw and let loose every spark I had left. Fire ripped outward, scattering it into smoke that stung my lungs.

But five more shoved forward to take its place.

Behind me, Keegan roared.

He had one hand braced on the wall, his body shaking with exhaustion, but he raised the other, and the air itself bent around him. Dark curls of power coiled from his fingertips, blue-black lightning that spat like live wires.

I hadn’t seen his mage power quite like that before.

He hurled it forward, and the corridor exploded with sound. Shadow after shadow crumpled, their forms burning away into ash.

I staggered, half in awe and half in terror. He was magnificent, his hazel eyes glowing, his power filling the air like a storm. But I could feel the twist of it too—the curse, the way it fed on every ounce of strength he conjured.

He shouted words in the ancient mage tongue, the guttural syllables shaking the very walls. His spell split the corridor in two, a canyon of light and shadow that burned through the horde. The students behind us gasped, some cheering, while others shielded their eyes.

But when the light dimmed, Keegan fell to one knee. His breath tore from him in ragged gasps, sweat running down his face, his whole body trembling. The curse gnawed at him, greedy for more.

“Keegan!” I darted to his side, pressing a hand to his shoulder. His skin burned under my touch, and for a heartbeat, I thought he’d collapse right there. But his hazel eyes lifted to mine, still fierce.

Sacrifice.

“Not done yet,” he growled, forcing himself upright. “Not while they’re still coming.”

The shadows howled, as if answering his defiance, but then they vanished, and for the first time, I saw him.

Malore.

Not his body…no, he was too clever to step through so soon.

But his shadow stretched across the courtyard outside, towering, wings of fog stretching wider than the Academy itself.

His face flickered in the mist, jagged features made from stormlight.

His laughter rolled like thunder, shaking dust loose from the ceiling.

The students faltered, their lines wavering as his presence pressed against them. Even the strongest shifters bared their teeth but stepped back. Fae charms dimmed. Witchfire guttered.

He wasn’t even inside, and already he was breaking us.

I tightened my grip on my wand, but the wood shook in my hand. I could fire blast after blast, burn myself hollow, and it wouldn’t be enough. Keegan was already bleeding power, and the curse would take him before Malore did if he pushed any further.

The truth slid into my bones, cold and sharp.

We couldn’t fight him like this. Not as scattered pieces.

The dragons had warned me.

The only way to break the path Malore twisted, the only way to silence his laugh, was to stand united. All of us out in the open.

I knew it as sure as the shadows pressed closer.

But first, we had to survive this.

I shoved my wand back into my belt, ignoring the gasps from the students who saw me drop my only weapon.

“Maeve!” Keegan barked, his voice hoarse. “What are you doing?”

“What I have to,” I said, planting my feet.

I walked outside and stretched out both hands, palms wide, and called not just to flame, not just to Hedge, but to the bones of the Academy itself. The ground under my boots thrummed, the Wards in the distance responded as the air between my fingers lit with threads of magic too old to name.

The shadows surged, and I met them head-on, not with fire, not with light, but with the will of Stonewick itself.

Vines erupted from the cracks in the earth, thicker than tree trunks, blazing with emerald fire. They whipped into the air, smashing beasts to smoke, knotting into a barrier that pulsed with my heartbeat. The shadows shrieked, clawing, but they couldn’t pierce it.

Behind me, the students filed outside in steady footsteps, their magic flaring brighter as they felt the Academy stir with me.

Nova’s staff gleamed like a green star, Ardetia’s charms sang, Bella’s fox-fire blazed higher. Even Stella’s teapots cracked louder, steam hissing as she threw them like bombs.

Keegan stood at my side, swaying but unbroken. His unyielding gaze never left me as if I were his anchor.

Malore’s shadow stilled, his laughter cut off mid-echo.

He saw me.

He felt me.

This wasn’t wand-work. This wasn’t warlock spells.

This was Stonewick’s heart, beating through mine.

And I would not let him take it.