Page 11 of Magical Moonbeam

She smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll bring the sage. It sounds like we might need it.”

Bella’s classroom was filled with soft light, with the window wide open. She sat on the ledge like she belonged there. Her gaze overlooked the Butterfly Ward below, where the flowers swayed lazily in a warm breeze. Summer was near but not quite here.

She turned as I approached, with her gaze flicking to mine.

“Something’s stirring,” she said before I could speak.

I nodded. “I feel it too. I’m meeting with everyone in the Maple Ward in ten.”

She was already off the ledge, with the grace of a fox, but the body of a human.

Last was Ardetia. Her classroom was quiet, but when I peeked in, it was empty, or at least it looked that way. I scanned for her familiar glow, but she was nowhere to be seen. She was likely already aware and watching.

Some fae had the uncanny ability to do this, and it appeared she was one of them.

“Ardetia, I’m meeting with everyone at the Maple Ward in eight minutes. Hope to see you there.”

“I’m already on it,” she said, whisking by me. The only clue was the wind in her wake.

With everyone in motion, I turned down the corridor, heart already beating faster.

Time to find Keegan.

“Where are you hurrying off to?” Twobble sided up to me with a stack of books in his small arms.

“Come with me, and you’ll find out.” He grunted and shifted his books to his hip. “Do I have time to drop these off at my room? This is brutal for a guy my size.”

I smiled and nodded, looking at his tall stack of colorful books. “Absolutely. Have you seen Keegan?”

“He was eating a scone on the main staircase, staring at the ceiling like he’d found his way into heaven.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know what gets into that guy.”

I chuckled, wondering if it was the kiss.

I left Twobble to his dramatic book shuffle and rounded the next corner toward the main staircase, where sunlight streamed through the high windows like golden ribbons.

Sure enough, I spotted Keegan halfway down the steps, leaning on the carved banister with a half-eaten scone in one hand and a far-off look in his eyes.

He reallywasstaring at the ceiling.

I paused for a beat, watching him, and then it struck me how easily he fit here now. When we first met, he’d been all growl and mystery, like the wilderness had walked upright into my life and refused to be tamed.

Now, the Academy seemed to have softened him just slightly. Not tamed, never that, but maybe made him part of something again.

“Was the sconethatenlightening?” I called out.

He blinked, then looked down at me, a crooked grin blooming across his face. “It has a glaze on top that might be divine intervention.”

I laughed, making my way up toward him. “You ready for a walk?”

“Depends. Are we talking cozy walk or walk into magical peril?”

“Somewhere in the middle,” I said lightly. “Maple Ward. Five minutes. The others are already heading that way.”

He took another bite of the scone, then dusted the crumbs from his hand and fell into step beside me. “Sounds like we’re overdue for a meeting. I’ll just come with you.”

“The Moonbeam’s pressing,” I said quietly. “I can feel it in my skin.”

He nodded, solemn now. “I can too. It’s like the world’s holding its breath. So, I take it you found out some information in the library.”