Page 136 of Magical Melee

Tears lined my bottom lids as I tried to blink them away, shifting under the weight of his body.

His body remained lifeless.

No rhythm of breaths between our bodies.

Just stillness.

“I need you,” I whispered, feeling my throat tighten.

“Maeve, you don’t need anybody,” his gruff voice coated me like the sweetest chocolate. “You’re the strongest woman I know.”

Shock pummeled through me, and I sniffled with a soft chuckle of disbelief. “Then why am I lying underneath a man who just risked his life for me, crying like a…”

He rolled himself off me and smirked. “Aw, youdocare for me.”

I narrowed my eyes on his. “Don’t get used to it.”

His lip turned up slightly at the corner. “Oh, I won’t.”

Keegan’s fingers laced through mine as he helped me up.

I cleared my throat. “But, thank you.”

“I never break my promises.” Keegan was beside me now, his sword flashing as he deflected a dark spell aimed at Nova from the same wizard.

“Stay focused!” he shouted over the din. “They’re trying to wear us down.”

“I noticed,” I shot back, firing another spell at a figure that emerged from the treeline—a witch. Her hands wreathed in brilliant flames as she attempted to aim at Keegan. But my energy hit her square in the chest. She staggered back, and the flames dissipated into thin air.

“Not bad,” Keegan said with a quick grin, but his eyes were sharp and concentrated. “I guess we’re even.”

But I felt a pang of doubt.

Was I enough?

The Academy’s robed figure had offered me a chance to learn and to grow stronger. Yet here I was, fighting with every ounce of my strength alongside the people who had become like my family, and the exhaustion was eating away at me.

Suddenly, a sound like rushing wind filled the air.

I looked up and froze.

A group of figures emerged from the forest, their shapes silhouetted against the brightening sky. Some were walking confidently through the trees, their hands glowing with magic. Others were flying—on broomsticks.

“Oh, no.” My words filled with dread, but Keegan shook his head.

“Don’t worry. They’re on our side.”

I blinked, half convinced I was imagining things. “Are those… brooms?”

One of the flyers dipped low. Their broom skimmed just above the treetops as they hurled a glowing orb of energy at a cluster of shadowy figures. The explosion lit up the woods and scattered the creatures like leaves in the wind. The pine trees clanked their trunks in appreciation.

“Apparently, that’s a thing,” I muttered, half-laughing in disbelief of people flying on cleaning tools.

Stella followed my gaze and let out a delighted cackle. “Oh, it’s about time they showed up!”

“The Stonewick residents,” Nova said, her voice calm but tinged with satisfaction. “They’ve come to fight.”

The newcomers spread out across the battlefield as their magic lit up the forest in bursts of color and energy. Brilliant colors beamed in all directions. A man with a flaming staff strode confidently through the underbrush, his attacks so precise and devastating that he rivaled Keegan.