Page 163 of Magical Moonbeam

“Everyone,” I called. “Gather your essentials. One bag per person. Leave what you must, but keep your spellbooks. And keep each other close.”

The Academy groaned softly above us. A sound not of stone or wood, but something deeper.

It was time.

Not to flee but to endure.

And when we returned, we would come not as survivors.

But as guardians.

And I would make sure this place, its stories, its students, its soul, was never touched by darkness again.

The students moved like birds before a storm.

Some were calm, following their teachers in tidy lines through the glowing doorways, laced with shimmering thread. Others darted between groups, whispering last-minute spells into their belongings, their faces pale with fear and confusion. The teleportation stones glimmered with gold as each group disappeared in a swirl of protective light.

It was working for now.

The evacuation was orderly, with no panic, no screaming, just a terribly focused hush. A quiet that made the hairs on my arms stand up and my magic prickle like it knew something I didn’t yet.

I stood just inside the great doors, hands clenched at my sides. Celeste was beside me, clutching her hands together like they might fall off her arms. Her eyes were wide, her lips tight, and her shoulders drawn in.

I turned to her and placed both hands on her arms. “You’ll go with the next group, okay?”

Her chin lifted. “No.”

“Celeste—”

“I’m not leaving you.”

It was a simple statement. Clear. Absolute. She’d drawn her line in the Academy, and not even magical protocol or motherly instinct was going to shift her.

But this wasn’t about bravery.

It was about survival.

I bent closer and lowered my voice as Ember appeared. “Please protect my daughter. She refuses to leave.”

Ember smiled and nodded. “Like mother, like daughter.”

“Go, Celeste. I love you more than life itself.”

“Don’t say goodbye.” She searched my eyes, mouth twitching with a thousand unspoken questions.

“I won’t. See you shortly.”

Ember nearly pulled her away, and I knew she would ensure she disappeared as one of the haunts.

Keegan approached silently. “She okay?”

I nodded. “She will be.”

His brow lifted. “You’re sure?”

“She’s a Bellemore.”

Celeste gave me one last, long look, and then they disappeared.