Page 62 of Magical Mission

I blinked.

“He sounded… off. Not dangerous, exactly. But not grounded either. I don’t think he’s telling the whole truth either.” Keegan leaned back slightly, watching me.

“Could he be cursed?” I asked. “Confused?”

“Maybe. But if he is, it’s not a spell I’ve seen before. He didn’t trigger the Wards,” he pointed out.

“True.”

“I feel like he’s tied to the two women, but it’s probably a stretch.”

“Not necessarily.” He stepped closer and shook his head. “You’re usually pretty right on top when it comes to reading things.”

I laughed. “You mean like picking up on the fact that Frank was my dad?”

He chuckled. “Okay, maybe not that. But most other things.”

We shared a smile, the quiet stretching between us in that easy way it sometimes did. The porch creaked again as Keegan shifted closer, and his hip brushed mine lightly.

“You always show up right when I’m about to lose patience,” he said.

“Maybe you’re just always close to losing it.”

He gave me a crooked smile. “That sounds about right.”

I studied him for a moment, letting my gaze linger.

“There’s something to this, isn’t there?” I asked, softer now.

“Yeah,” he said. “I can usually get a read on people. This one? It’s like there’s something under the surface of this guy, but it keeps shifting shape. And the questions about the businesses, the layout of town… it didn’t feel like curiosity.”

I nodded slowly. “It felt like reconnaissance.”

He didn’t answer, but the look in his eyes saidit all.

I glanced back out at the rooftops as the last of the light slid off the shingles and into the shadows.

“Do you think it could be connected to what Twobble saw?” I asked.

“I’ve been wondering that. Could be. It could be separate nonsense altogether. Either way, I don’t like it. Everything isadding up to something unsettling.” Keegan studied me for a long moment. “You think this is the start of something bigger?”

“I think we’ve been asking the Academy to open,” I said. “And now it has. But we don’t get to choosewhohears the call.”

We stood in silence for a while, the hum of crickets rising in the background.

I reached over and tugged gently at the cuff of his sleeve.

“Promise me something?”

He glanced down at me.

“If he causes any other issues, let us know.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Worried about me?”

“Just want to make sure the next time you fight a warlock, I at least get a front-row seat.”

He chuckled. “Deal.”