Page 12

He blinked at me, faux-offended. “But the tone! The wistful stare! The heartfelt monologue on the threshold…”

“I asked questions. That’s all. You showed up uninvited, rattled off a list of alarming talents, and nearly got drop-kicked into the clouds by your cousin.”

Twobble held up a hand proudly. “Still willing, by the way.”

Skonk ignored him and sat straighter. “Regardless, you will need my help. You think that place is going to wait for you to understand it?”

“We don’t even know the plan yet,” I said. “Which is exactly why I wanted to have this conversation quietly without rumors or improvisational goblin performances.”

“You wound me,” Skonk said, flopping dramatically.

Bella sipped from her tea and sighed. “So, what is the plan?”

All eyes turned to me.

I hesitated, not because I didn’t have ideas, but because suddenly, in this room filled with magic and sharp stares and a goblin making a throne out of a footstool, the weight of what we were doing felt very, very real.

I glanced toward Keegan. He met my gaze, steady and sure, even if I could still feel the hesitation just behind his calm.

I looked at Nova, who had already pulled a tarot card from the air, turning it slowly in her fingers like it might answer everything.

“Here’s what I do know,” I said, finally. “The Moonbeam is approaching. Shadowick is stirring. The Wards are strong, for now, but we’ve all felt it. Something is waiting on the other side of that thinning Veil.”

I let that settle for a moment.

“I know the layout of Shadowick by heart,” Skonk announced.

My gaze whipped to his. “How is that possible?”

“I was running a mission, more of a reconnaissance, if you will.” Skonk polished his nails on his chest and blew his fingertips.

“And I managed to get in and get out pretty quickly, but not before I skittered along each street and alleyway.” He tapped his temple. “I know it like the back of my palm.”

Twobble turned to look at his cousin and glanced at me.

“Still trust him?” I asked.

“Implicitly, even though I wish I could say otherwise.” Twobble pursed his lips together.

“What were you doing there?”

“Official goblin business.” Skonk lifted his brows. “Couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to, which I don’t.”

I snickered and shook my head, realizing the goblin life was something I needed to get used to.

“I’ll offer you room and board if you’ll stay and help us with our plans.” I knew they loved nothing more than a good trade.

Twobble gasped. “He’s going to be on the property?”

“Only until Moonbeam, the day after,” Skonk lifted his chin. “I have other places to be after this.”

Twobble’s shoulders relaxed.

“Thank you, Skonk, for offering your expertise.”

Skonk stretched out with a lazy sigh. “Well, now I feel welcomed.”

“No one welcomed you,” Twobble grumbled.

Skonk tossed a pebble into the air and winked.

“I know.”

I glanced around the room and saw Nova’s steady eyes, Bella’s furrowed brow, Keegan’s quiet worry, and even Skonk’s smug little grin, and something clicked into place.

We weren’t ready.

Not even close.

“We need a dry run,” I said aloud.

That got everyone’s attention.

Stella perked up, lifting her teacup like she was toasting to the chaos. “Ooh. I do love rehearsal.”

“No, I mean it.” I stood a little straighter, thoughts falling into place like puzzle pieces. “Skonk knows the layout of Shadowick, every street, every alley, every crooked corner. But the rest of us? We’re going in half-blind.”

“I can sketch you a map,” Skonk offered casually, flicking another pebble between his fingers.

“Not good enough.” I shook my head. “We don’t need sketches. We need experience. Muscle memory. Visual cues. Places to hide. Lines of sight.”

Twobble narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical. “You want to recreate Shadowick?”

“Yes,” I said. “Right here. In Stonewick.”

A beat of silence followed.

“You want to build an evil twin town in our backyard?” Stella asked, delighted.

“Not evil,” I said. “Not permanent. Just a scaled version. Something we can use to prepare. Walk the streets. Practice the entry points. Learn the ways the village might trick us.”

Nova’s head tilted. “You want to imprint it on your body, on your magic.”

“Exactly.” I looked at her, grateful for the way she always seemed to understand the unspoken.

Ardetia sat forward for the first time, her voice soft but clear. “We could use glamour and illusion to reshape the training fields for a few days. I know several fae runes that would allow the landscape to hold its shape.”

“I could enchant markers at the boundaries,” Bella added, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

Keegan hadn’t spoken yet, but I could feel him watching me. When I met his gaze, there was a quiet nod of approval, maybe even pride. And something else I couldn’t name.

Twobble looked as though he were chewing something bitter. Finally, he let out a long sigh and said, “It’s… not the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

“High praise,” I said with a smile.

He pointed at Skonk. “But if he starts naming streets after himself, I’m reversing the signage and leading him into a Hedge maze.”

“Tempting,” Skonk said, leaning back with a dreamy look. “Skonk Alley. Skonk Square. Ooh, Skonk’s Very Modest Hero Boulevard.”

“Stop,” Twobble groaned.

“Look,” I said, reclaiming the room. “We don’t know what’s waiting for us in Shadowick. But that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare. If we make this version in Stonewick real enough, just for a few days, we’ll go in with instincts instead of guesses.”

Stella tapped her teacup with one elegant nail. “Can I suggest vampire cloaks and dramatically poor lighting for ambiance?”

“I’ll allow it,” I said.

“And traps?” Ember asked, bright-eyed. “I could scatter a few minor hex mines. Keep us sharp.”

“No one’s getting hexed,” Nova said smoothly. “Yet.”

“Pretend, of course.”

I took a breath and looked around the room again. This time, I saw more than concern. I saw commitment. Readiness. Belief.

Skonk sat up a bit straighter. “I can map it for you tonight. The real streets. The shifts. Even the way the shadows lean. It will give you something to go off when recreating.”

“You’ll do it under supervision,” Twobble muttered. “I’m not letting you slip a candy goblin tavern into the middle of the plaza.”

“I have particular taste,” Skonk sniffed.

And I could feel Twobble’s irritation rolling off him.

“Twobble,” I said gently, “thank you. I know this isn’t easy.”

“It’s not,” he muttered, crossing his arms. “But you’re right. This gives us a fighting chance.”

And that was enough.

We were going to recreate Shadowick.

Stonewick’s shadow.

And even though I still wasn’t sure what would be waiting when we crossed that Veil… at least now, we wouldn’t be walking in blind.

Twobble finally sank into a chair beside Skonk, glaring sideways at him.

“Don’t get used to being useful.”

Skonk grinned. “Too late.”