Magical Musing (Stonewick Magical Midlife Witch Academy #2)

Chapter One

The Academy knew the answer before I did. The building’s whispers seemed to vibrate to life, energized by something I still didn’t understand.

“You’ve made your choice,” Grandma Elira said softly. A knowing smile edged her lips, and my stomach knotted.

“Have I?”

I didn’t.

I hadn’t.

My thoughts flickered to Celeste, to the quiet streets of Stonewick, to the tea shop where Stella brewed her calming blends.

And to the cottage.

Everything felt so pure, welcoming, and like home.

But I didn’t want to end up like my grandmother, tethered to this place, watching life pass through the haze of magical duty.

There was life to be lived outside these walls and people to protect.

Yet there was no denying it.

I had so much to learn, and the Academy could offer me more knowledge than I’d know what to do with.

I’d already jumped over the first hurdle.

Magic existed.

I’d become a believer. Worlds that I couldn’t even fathom existed beyond the ordinary and unfurled their tentacles, pulling me in.

“You’re thinking of the outside world,” my grandma said softly.

Her knowing words broke into my spiraling thoughts, and I nodded.

“Stonewick isn’t separate from the Academy, Maeve. The two are intertwined, and the stronger you become in here, the better equipped you’ll be to protect them out there.” Her words resonated but didn’t fully calm the storm brewing in me. “It does not have to come all at once. It’s not all or nothing.”

I shook my head and smiled.

“What if I’m not cut out for this? I’ve accidentally used magic without even realizing it. What if I do that again, and it has real-life consequences?”

I remembered the one-finger salute emoji with my ex and couldn’t hide my smile. That sucker slipped into that text without me. Granted, it wasn’t all bad. It had left me oddly satisfied when I needed it most.

My grandma grinned, looking over at the glowing pillars lining the room, and the quiet settled over me.

I’d never been in a building this grand, in a magical library, no less.

Moments like this had become so common that I often wondered if I’d wake up and everything would disappear.

The Academy. The village. The cottage.

But then I thought back to Frank, Stella, Twobble, Nova, Karvey, and Keegan…

And I knew they were more real than I could understand.

Grandma Elira sighed and brought her gaze back to me. “Do you think the Academy would have let you through its gates if you weren’t meant to be here? It chose you, Maeve. Just as you are.”

I glanced around the beautiful space and thought about the pedestal in the cottage’s cellar. It gave me glimpses of this room before I had the wherewithal to imagine it.

Looking at the windows, I noticed some vines slowly weaving through the walls with a shimmering call. These grounds were living, breathing entities tied to something larger than me.

The Academy was whispering encouragement every way it knew how.

The sheer majesty of the room—the golden arches, the glimmering books, the magical orbs floating like fireflies—made it feel like stepping into a realm outside of time.

Perhaps, outside of my sanity.

Yet, there was weight to this knowledge.

A responsibility in knowing that a place like this existed to teach magical folk, and I was chosen to be here.

To learn…

“Come,” my grandma said, reaching for my hand. “There’s something I want to show you.”

Her fingers warmed against mine, which were as cold as ice out of fear.

I’d never been great with the unknown, but once I had my facts, I was anything but indecisive. But at Stonewick, it felt like I’d never have all the facts. I was always clawing for bits of information when the time was right. The rest of my life had been built around logic and decisions.

The moment I found out my ex-husband was sleeping with everyone in the town, I knew it was over. No hemming and hawing. I knew I needed to move on. My daughter was spreading her wings at college, and there was no point in delaying the inevitable.

But with the Academy, I wondered…Would there be regrets? Why wasn’t the answer screaming at me?

Or maybe it was, and I was letting fear guide me.

As my grandma led me down a long corridor, the air hummed faintly with hidden magic. The bookshelves were traded for stone walls.

Walls shifted as we walked, and staircases opened, seemingly to nowhere, as we passed by them.

“Where are we going?” I asked, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

“To the Hall of Promises.”

The name alone made my pulse quicken.

Hall of Promises.

It sounded so hopeful and whimsical.

A wall to my left shifted, and a stairwell appeared.

“This is the one.” My grandma’s eyes sparkled. Her words were singing into the hallway.

And I couldn’t blame her. After so many years without family or loved ones, she was probably ecstatic to have a real-live Bellemore in front of her.

I smiled at realizing I’d just used my maiden name without thinking.

But it felt grounding somehow.

As we descended the stairs, the air grew warmer.

A faint scent of aged parchment, lavender, and something spicy wafted up to greet us.

My fingers traced along the stone walls, feeling the coarseness rub against my fingertips.

The golden glow intensified until we entered a circular room lined with mirrors and edged with intricate floral vines that grew directly from the walls.

The space felt like a living garden, caressing the glass and sprinkling beauty into me like I was part of it, the Academy.

Tiny green leaves sparkled with the unknown. Small red berries clung to the vines along the bottom of the wall, and white flowers reflected off the mirrors.

At the center of the room was a stone sculpture in the formation of books.

“This is where you’ll pledge yourself to the Academy,” my grandma said, her voice reverent. “It’s not just a formality, Maeve. It’s a bond, a connection that will guide you as much as it binds you.”

My pulse quickened at her words.

I slowly turned in the room, taking in every single item. I looked up at the ceiling, where an endless energy source spiraled into a beautiful mosaic.

But when I looked closer, I realized I was watching moments from my life…

Holding Celeste when she was born.

Letting her hand go on the first day of kindergarten.

Watching her play at our favorite park.

Driving her to college.

I hesitated and returned my gaze to my grandma as heat rolled through me.

What was I doing here?

“What if I can’t promise forever? I have a daughter. A life. I can’t just leave that behind.”

She slowly turned to me, her expression soft but unyielding.

“The Academy doesn’t require forever, Maeve. It requires your intention and your willingness to learn and protect. You’re not giving up your life. You’re strengthening it. Everything you do here will ripple out to the world you care about.”

“But you’re still here,” I pointed out.

“It was an unfortunate set of circumstances.” Her slim lips pressed into a downturned line.

I cocked my head and drew a deep breath.

“Right. But what if another strange set of circumstances traps me here?”

“What if?” She moved toward a far wall and stood where two shrubby vines slowly moved back to reveal a pedestal not unlike the one back at the cottage.

“But what if this commitment gives you a life that even your wildest dreams couldn’t imagine?” Her words struck a chord but doubt still lingered. “Your daughter is building her life. Isn’t it time you build yours?”

The heat was unbearable, and I didn’t know if it was from the decision ahead of me or a hot flash gone rogue.

I looked up at the ceiling and saw that the mosaic had vanished above, and I approached the pedestal slowly, my fingers grazing the glowing surface.

The heat lessened with a familiar yet foreign persistence.

The magic of the Academy searched my soul, teased my senses, and unleashed a wicked desire to learn inside of me. I stared at the glass, and my breath caught as visions spread across the smooth surface before me.

Images of Keegan carrying me in his arms, kissing me slowly and deliberately flashed through the glass.

I glanced at my grandma, who didn’t appear to see anything before I turned my attention back to the pedestal. Keegan kneeled and set me down where…

The image dissipated into a battle scene with Gideon’s gaze fastened on me. The clouds darkening and echoes of screaming souls…

I gasped and stepped back, whipping my fingers back from the pedestal.

“Did you see that?” I asked.

“It’s not my life to see.”

“My life?” I repeated, shaking my head. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Did it make sense back at the cottage?”

I narrowed my eyes. “You knew about that?”

She nodded slowly. “So, did it?”

“No, it didn’t make any sense at the time.”

“But does it now?”

“Yeah. It does.” I focused on the pedestal, and my stomach knotted like a pretzel.

“The Academy sees you, Maeve. It knows your potential, even if you don’t see it yet.”

The mirrors around the room shimmered faintly, and for a moment, I thought I saw movement within them—light flickering in a dance with shadows.

If I didn’t know better, it felt like someone was watching from beyond the glass.

“What are these mirrors?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“They’re a reflection of what’s to come,” she said cryptically. “They show the possibilities that lie ahead, depending on your choices.”

“Different from the pedestal?”

She nodded. “The mirrors reflect possibility. The pedestal reflects probability.”

A chill ran through me. I was staring at images based on probability.

“Maeve Bellemore.” The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning.

Searching for something I might not be able to give.

I turned to my grandma, but her expression remained serene.

“Do you accept the call of the Academy?”

It wasn’t my grandma speaking.

These words clung to the air and surfaces around me. I closed my eyes, feeling my old world slip into my new world.

“This is your moment, Maeve,” she whispered. “No one can make this decision for you.”

My eyes blinked open as my heart pounded.

I stared at the glowing pedestal, and the room held its breath. I was certain of it.

Who was speaking to me?

I thought of Celeste, Stonewick, and the friends who had fought beside me. And I thought of the battles yet to come, of Gideon’s shadow looming over everything I cared about.

And the curse.

I needed to learn about what created this divide.

I needed to be stronger to stand a chance against Gideon and protect the people and places I loved.

I needed to be…

Smarter.

More.

I took a deep breath and stepped closer to the pedestal, the bask of its light cradling me. My fingers hovered over its surface.

Magical.

“I…” I began, my voice wavering.

Before I could finish, the mirrors around the room flared to life, their surfaces shimmering with images too quick to discern.

My heart raced with uncertainty.

Flashes of fire, shadow, and light danced across the glimmering surface.

Battles won and lost.

Of faces—some familiar, others not.

The room seemed to pulse with energy, urging me on, but I hesitated.

The choice wasn’t just about me. It was about everything and everyone I was trying to protect.

“Maeve, the Academy believes in you. Now, you must believe in yourself.”

The room seemed to expand endlessly.

And I collapsed.

I had my answer, and the Academy held it close.