Page 154 of Magical Mischief

Together, the four of us moved through the corridors, our footfalls in sync, the air around us warming with each step.

We started with Nova’s room. As soon as she stepped through the door, the lights shifted again, this time pulsing gently in response to her presence. The crystals lining the shelves gave off a deeper glow, and the dried herbs seemed to sway ever so slightly, even though the air was still.

Nova touched the edge of the table where the cards lay spread.

“I didn’t imagine this,” she whispered. “That this waswaitingfor me.”

I smiled, but the truth of it tightened something in my throat. Ithadbeen waiting. And it had finally opened its doors to her.

We moved to Bella’s classroom and stood in the stillness for a long moment.

Then I said it.

“I have to tell them.”

Nova looked over. “Who?”

“Stella. Keegan. They’ve been with me through all of it. And they need to know.”

“They’ll want to celebrate,” Bella said, beaming.

I nodded, my hand resting on the carved edge of the desk beside me.

“They should. The Academy is waking up. The Wards are pulsing again. And now…” I looked back down the hall where we’d come from. “Now, we begin.”

Ardetia, still standing near the doorway, said quietly, “One step at a time.”

“Yes,” I said. “But this one? This is the first that matters.”

Because the Academy had spoken.

Because the classrooms had formed.

Because the doors were ready.

All that remained now was the knock at the gate.

Chapter Forty

Luna was out on the sidewalk, arranging a display of hand-dyed yarn in a basket shaped like a giant teacup. Her breath misted in the cold air as she fussed with the arrangement with warm earth tones near the front, blues and silvers tucked farther back like a secret waiting to be found.

I smiled and raised a hand as I passed. “Looking good, Luna.”

She glanced up from a grumpy skein that wouldn’t stay in place and beamed. “They’re fighting me this morning. The wool wants to be rebellious today.”

I laughed. “Don’t we all.”

She waved me off with a wink and went back to coaxing her display into submission.

I kept walking down the cobblestone path that wound through the center of the village, my boots making soft thuds on the piles of snow.

My breath puffed out in little clouds, and the air held that familiar scent of wood smoke and steeped herbs that always seemed to cling to the heart of Stonewick.

It was good to be back in the village.

Just ahead, the windows of Stella’s tea shop glowed with warmth. Stella had twisted garlands of dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks along the door trim, and they rattled softly as I reached for the door.

The bell overhead gave its usual cheerful jingle as I stepped inside.