Page 32 of Magical Mission

“Son?” she said, her voice breaking on the name like it was both a prayer and a question.

He nudged her hand with his snout, slow and careful.

And then shecrumpled.

Not in pain, not in fear, but in love and recognition.

She dropped to her knees, cloak pooling around her like waves, and gathered him into her arms.

“Oh, my boy,” she sobbed, pressing her forehead to his. “My darling boy.”

My dad gave one of those huffing sighs and pressed closer, before curling into her lap like he'd never left it.

No one spoke. The room had gone still again.

Very few, if any, of the students truly knew the significance of this, but they were reverent and knew that something special was happening.

Even the gravy sprite stopped mid-ladle.

Tears prickled in my eyes.

She’d been locked away in the Academy for so long and cut off from her child, her family, her life for so long. And my dad had carried that same loss in silence, never once telling me who he’d been before he was turned.

Until now.

I put a hand to my chest and held it there, just to remind myself my heart was still inside.

And still beating.

Because sometimes, magic wasn’t loud.

Sometimes it was as simple as a mother and her son, finding each other again beneath the glow of old chandeliers and fresh beginnings. At other times, it was nothing more than a kiss or a wave, conveying everything about love and life in that one moment.

And no one, not even time, could take that away.

The moment stretched, hanging on the edge of curiosity.

Keegan, Stella, and Ember stepped from behind me as we moved into the banquet room.

Then came the smiles.

A few women cheered. One whistled.

“Is that the one you have a crush on?” Lady Limora mouthed to me, glancing at Keegan, except there was nothing quiet about it. We all heard it.

I flushed to my ears, and Keegan chuckled beside me under his breath. The sound was deep and delicious.

“I don’t remember signing up to be a show pony,” he murmured.

I elbowed him lightly. “Just walk and sparkle, Keegan. Walk and sparkle.”

He laughed a full, low sound that made my stomach flutter.

Stella, ever graceful, gave a theatrical bow as we entered. Ember nodded politely, eyes flicking over the tables with a watchfulness that never quite left her.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward to the center of the room. Nova, Ardetia, and Bella were already there, lounging like the competent magical professionals they were as each one raised a brow in unison.

“I have an announcement,” I said, louder now, and the murmur of the room stilled again.