Page 10 of Magical Moonbeam

I exhaled a shaky breath and looked up, blinking at the floating dust in the golden light. The sprites had disappeared, leaving me alone with the silence and the echo of the words.

Let it not spread.

Shadowick hadn’t been cursed from the beginning. Itbecamecursed. Itchanged.

And it still could.

If the Moonbeam thinned the Veils, what mightthatlet through?

I closed the book slowly, carefully, like it might unravel if I didn’t.

I’d come to believe that Stonewick was cursed from Shadowick alone, not realizing Shadowick was the first to be cursed.

The air in the alcove was still warm and the light still soft, but something inside me had shifted with a knowing I couldn’t ignore.

This wasn’t just a rescue mission.

It was a race.

Not just against time, but against the shadows themselves.

Chapter Three

The halls of the Academy hummed with late-morning magic, and charms glittered faintly along the ceilings, reacting to the rustle of student energy behind closed doors.

Class was still in session, with just a few more minutes of bubbling cauldrons and floating quills before the corridors filled with voices and charmed lunch baskets. I wandered slowly through the stone passageway, my fingers trailing along the ancient stone. My thoughts, however, were already a few steps ahead.

The Moonbeam was coming soon. I could feel it pressing gently against the edges of my magic, like a tide rolling in from somewhere far beyond the Wards. I needed to talk with Keegan and everyone.

As the bell chimed, signaling the end of class, the hush broke into a gentle roar of footsteps and cheerful chaos. I waited until the students filtered past me, offering waves and warm smiles, then made my way down the east hall.

First stop would be Stella’s classroom.

Her door was flung wide, as always, and the scent of rosehip tea and cinnamon clung to the air. Inside, she was perchedon top of her desk like a roosting bird, cross-legged with her red shawl draped dramatically over one shoulder. A porcelain teacup floated lazily beside her.

“Do you need an ergonomic check for your desk area?” I teased.

“Chairs are confining,” she said, without looking up. “I didn’t get to be this old by sticking to the rules, darling.”

“A chair rebel.”

“What can I say? I’m not a conformist,” she said with a wink. “So, what’s the occasion, dear? Need advice on Keegan and…” She waggled her brows and smooched her scarlet-lined lips like she was twelve.

“I’m all set there. Thanks, though.” I grinned and shook my head, realizing I didn’t have a clue about what my kiss with Keegan meant or what to do with the fact that we’d had an audience to top it all off. “I need to talk with everyone. Can you meet me by the Maple Ward in ten?”

She sipped her tea and raised a brow. “Sounds serious.”

“Seems to be.”

Next was Nova. Her door was slightly closed, but a trail of burnt sage smoke leaked into the hallway like a clue. I pushed gently inside and found her surrounded by tarot cards, each laid out in a tight, orderly circle. Her raven hair shimmered in the candlelight, and her green eyes flicked up the moment I entered.

“You’re not going to like the card I just pulled.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” I asked. “Anyway, I’m summoning the council. Maple Ward. Ten minutes.”

“That sounds official. Are we considered the councilors now?”

I laughed. “Only thing I could come up with for a name. If you have a better one, let me know.”