Page 33 of Magical Moonbeam

Skonk was gone.

Or at least… out of sight.

The forest beyond the Academy shimmered in that strange in-between way it always did, half glamoured, half wild, a patchwork of the old magic that refused to follow neat borders. And somewhere in that patchwork, he’d slipped away.

“I shouldn’t,” I muttered.

My dad huffed near my feet, flopping down with the resigned air of someone who already knew I was going to do the thing I claimed I wouldn’t.

“I know,” I said, bending down to scratch behind his ears. “But the Academy didn’t throw him off the grounds. And that’s… something.”

Because that was the thing, wasn’t it?

The Academyhadn’tblasted him sky-high or locked the Wards or set the gargoyles loose in a flurry of stone and purpose on these grounds. It had let him walk right up to the front steps. He had rung the summons, and the Academy allowed it all to happen.

That meant something.

And I had a terrible habit of listening to things I shouldn’t.

I stepped outside and followed the faint glimmer of scattered leaves and glitter where he’d disappeared. The last student had already gone to class, and the only sound was the rustle of the breeze and the distant hum of the Wards.

I told myself I was being cautious and responsible, and that this wasn’t about curiosity.

Not at all.

I spotted the faintest trail of crushed moss, a smudge of boot prints, a weird little smear of jam I refused to question, and kept going.

The trees thickened quickly. Branches curled like old fingers. The path turned narrow and soft beneath my boots. I let my magic hum gently under my skin, a subtle pulse of awareness as I reached the edge of where the Academy grounds met the wildwood.

Then…

“You really are bad at pretending you’re not curious.”

I jumped.

Skonk was hanging upside down from a branch, legs hooked around it like a smug bat, swinging casually. His glittery goblin entourage was nowhere in sight.

“Do youlivefor the jump scare?” I snapped.

“I dabble,” he said, twisting upright in one smooth flip and landing in a crouch. “You followed me. I’m flattered.”

“I didn’t follow you. I…”

“Wanted to know what I wanted, or what I know,” he finished, standing and dusting off his embroidered vest. “You humans are all the same. Pretend you're above it. But deep down, you want the chaos just as much as the answers.”

I folded my arms. “Skonk, if this is about playing games…”

“It’s not.” His tone shifted just enough to make me pause.

My eyes narrowed on the little look-alike.

“This place,” he gestured behind me, toward the Academy, “is waking up. You think it lets just anyone on the steps?”

“You’re not just anyone.”

He grinned again. “Exactly.”

“That’s not a compliment.”