Page 77 of Magical Mischief

If I could understand Gideon’s past and his motives, maybe I could break the curse he left behind.

“It wasn’t just Gideon,” she said. “Everything between Stonewick and Shadowick started to unravel. It’s funny how history rewrites itself and people forget. But we weren’t always on opposite sides. Before I came to the village, I’d heard how shared traditions, spells, and even teachers were part of our existence. The priests of Shadowick used to travel here to exchange knowledge. And young witches from Stonewick were welcomed there in return. We were... one community.”

“So what made him turn on us?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“It doesn’t feel like politics,” I said after a beat. “It feels... personal.”

She gave a slow nod. “Some people believed Gideon stumbled across something darker during his studies than anyone realized, and I have to say they were probably right.”

I nodded, feeling closer to the answers than before.

She paused, then added, “Whatever it was, it changed him. Suddenly, we weren’t allies anymore. We were in the way, and he convinced the elders of this very thing.”

“And that’s why everyone is worried this dynamic could spread to other factions.”

“Precisely. Gideon started pushing this idea that Shadowick needed to break free. We were holding them back, hoarding power, stuck in old ways. At first, his family tried to pull him back from that edge. But he had a way of convincing people. Too good at it. Even they ended up siding with him.”

“So, Gideon’s hatred wasn’t always there?” I asked quietly, feeling the weight of this new information press heavily on my chest. “He wasn’t born despising Stonewick?”

That kind of matched what I saw in his mind.

“No,” she said firmly, though her voice carried an edge of sorrow. “He wasn’t. But hatred grows quickly, Maeve, especially when fed by fear and misunderstanding. The more Gideon spoke, the more he convinced Shadowick to close ranks. The old alliances crumbled. Trust dissolved overnight. In a single generation, we became strangers and then enemies. Gideon played a crucial part in severing those ties.”

Her words rattled me. “Do you think there’s something specific he blames Stonewick for?”

“I think Gideon believes we betrayed Shadowick or that we somehow stole something from them…maybe magic or knowledge they were entitled to. But the truth? I’m not sure anyone knows, not even Gideon himself. Sometimes hate becomes a force unto itself, needing no clear reason.”

“Do you think Gideon is beyond redemption? Is it too late for Stonewick and Shadowick?”

“Nothing’s ever completely beyond redemption, Maeve. If anyone can restore balance, it’s you. Your magic, your heart...you’re everything I wished I could’ve been but wasn’t strong enough to become.”

A heavy silence stretched between us, filled with things left unsaid yet fully understood. I took her hand, squeezing it gently. “Thank you, Mom.”

She smiled sadly, returning my grip. “Just be careful, Maeve. Gideon’s wounds run deep, and his hatred is powerful. Whatever path you take, don’t underestimate him.”

“I won’t. I’ve already met him and…”

“What?” Shock ran through her expression. “You’ve met him?”

I couldn’t exactly tell her how or why, so I just nodded.

“You’re in this far deeper than I realized.”

“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.”

“Mom,” I asked softly, the question bubbling carefully, “did you ever hear anything more about my dad? After Gideon’s curse, I mean?”

“Maeve, your father—Alaric Franklin Bellemore—was destroyed in that first wave of battle, the moment Gideon cast that awful curse. Everything happened so fast, we hardly knew who we’d lost until days afterward. But Alaric…” She trailed off, voice tight with emotion. “He was among the first.”

My heart froze.

She truly didn’t know.

All this time, she’d believed him dead—her husband, my father, lost to Gideon’s darkness decades ago.

And suddenly it clicked…why he'd been called Frank all these years instead of Al. He’d chosen his middle name, Franklin, to hide in plain sight from those who might recognize Alaric. I kept my face carefully neutral.