Page 143 of Magical Melee

“Why?” I asked, my throat tightening. “What caused it?”

Keegan shook his head, his lips pressing into a thin line. “No one knows for sure. The curse came suddenly, without warning. One day, we were a thriving community with powerful allies. The next, we were isolated, struggling to defend ourselves. The Academy had been closed for about sixty years already, and the town was making do, so nobody truly knows how it happened or where the curse came from.”

The weight of his words settled over me, and I felt a pang of guilt. I had chosen to stay with my friends to fight for Stonewick, but I hadn’t realized just how much they’d already lost.

“Is that why Shadowick is so bold now?” I asked softly. “Because they know we’re vulnerable?”

Keegan’s expression darkened. “Exactly.”

Before I could press further, Stella bustled in from the kitchen, her apron dusted with flour and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“Ah, there you are, Maeve!” she said brightly, her voice cutting through the heavy atmosphere. “Come on, we need all hands on deck for Thanksgiving prep. You wouldn’t believe the mess I’ve made trying to bake pies.”

I blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “Thanksgiving? Now?”

“Yes, now,” Stella said, grabbing my arm with surprising strength. “Time waits for no one, especially not pies. Come on, you’ll love it. We’ll bake, we’ll laugh, and we’ll forget for a few hours that we’re under siege. Ember is working hard to strengthen the Maple Ward while Nova is handling the Flame and Butterfly wards. It’s our job to make tomorrow feel as normal as possible.”

I glanced back at Keegan, but Stella was already pulling me toward the kitchen. He gave me a small, apologetic smile but said nothing more. I couldn’t help but wonder if Stella had swooped in deliberately, cutting off the conversation before it could go any deeper.

Keegan knew more about the curse than he was letting on. That much I was sure of.

The warm, buttery scent of pastry dough and spiced apples filled the air as we entered the kitchen. Stella let go of my arm and began bustling around, pulling out mixing bowls and rolling pins.

“Here,” she said, handing me a wooden spoon. “Stir that while I roll out the dough.”

I obeyed, though my mind was still spinning from what Keegan had told me. “Stella,” I said slowly, “was it really that bad when the curse hit?”

She didn’t look up from her work, her hands expertly flattening the dough. “It was worse,” she said quietly. “But we survived. And we’ll survive this, too. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll even break the curse.”

Her words were meant to be reassuring, but they only made my heart ache more. There was so much I didn’t know, so much history and pain that had been kept from me. I wanted tounderstand, to help, but how could I fight an enemy I didn’t fully understand?

“Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?” I asked.

Stella finally looked up, her expression softening. “Because you had enough on your plate,” she said. “And because some things are easier to carry when they’re shared later.”

I frowned, unsure what to make of her answer. But before I could press further, she gave me a pie dish and a playful nudge. “Come on, Maeve. Let’s make some magic in the kitchen. Literally.”

I managed a small smile and set to work, but the questions still lingered in the back of my mind. As I rolled out the dough and sprinkled spices over the filling, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story than anyone was letting on.

Later, as the pies baked and the kitchen filled with laughter, I glanced out the window. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale glow over the woods. The Academy loomed in my mind, its ancient walls holding answers I couldn’t yet grasp.

But for now, I was here.

With my friends.

And despite everything, I felt a flicker of hope.

We would face whatever came next. Together.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the warm, comforting smell of something delicious cooking. The second was the sound of Stella humming a cheerful tune, her voice lilting through the cottage like sunshine breaking through the clouds.

I stretched, feeling surprisingly refreshed.

After days of chaos, battle, and restless nights, I finally managed to get some real sleep. I climbed down from the loft, my bare feet padding softly on the wooden floor as I followed the scent of roasting vegetables and baking bread to the kitchen.

Stella stood at the counter with rolled-up sleeves.