Page 73 of Magical Mischief

“You do whatever you must,” Miora said gently. “But be careful. She’s not exactly great at hiding her disdain for magic.”

I snorted a small laugh. “That’s putting it mildly.”

Miora gave my arm a warm squeeze. “Well, good luck. I’ll be down in the cellar if you need me. Try not to let her unsettle you too much.”

“Thanks, Miora. I’m headed to the hotel shortly.”

She chuckled softly, resuming her tune as she returned to the cellar, leaving me alone in the living room again.

My shoulders slumped with the weight of everything pressing in. My fresh divorce, the magic mishaps that never seemed to end, missing Celeste and Skye, ending a decades-long curse, running a dormant Academy…and the dragons.

I felt their call somehow.

Steeling myself, I decided it was time to talk to my mom.

I grabbed my coat and scarf, patted my dad on the head, and stepped outside. The woods behind the cottage glimmered under a pale winter sun, and Karvey looked down from the roof and nodded as the others chatted behind him.

“I did not expect to see your mom here today,” Karvey said.

I chuckled. “That makes two of us.”

“I honestly thought she hated the place.”

“So did I.” I started toward my car and stopped. “Karvey, did she seem happy when she lived here?”

He smiled and nodded. “Extremely so…up until the last year or two. Why?”

“Just trying to piece things together. It’s what I do.”

“I understand. It’s a human thing. Always trying to reason away actions and understand the unreasonable.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Well, when you put it that way. See you shortly. Keep an eye on Frank. I don’t know where Twobble is.”

It didn’t take long to drive to the hotel in town, mere minutes. I found a parking place that didn’t require parallel parking, unlike last time, and thought back to Keegan following me down to the train station before the holidays, just to keep an eye on me, and having me stay at the hotel that night. Not that I had actually stayed in my room. The Flame Ward was just waiting to be discovered.

Nonetheless, I was grateful to him many times, even today.

The regal hotel looked warm and inviting as gargoyles loomed on the roof’s edge. Tourists ate this stuff up when they visited. Little did they know just how real this place was.

As I walked through the front doors, the floors gleamed with careful polishing, and a cozy fireplace flickered near the entrance.

Ember greeted me with a friendly wave, and I smiled, happy to see her stationed behind the reception desk.

“Afternoon, Maeve. Did you come to check on your mom?”

“Yeah. I hope she’s not causing any trouble.”

The white candles behind my friendly haunt flickered as if to reveal the truth.

Ember shook her head. “Define trouble.”

I laughed and nodded. “Gotcha. So you’ve heard from her.”

“I’m not naming names, but room number 335 has had a lot of requests. She was quite specific about her needs.”

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s my pleasure. It’s nice to see her again. It’s been decades.”