Magical Musing (Stonewick Magical Midlife Witch Academy #2)

Chapter Twenty

The moment I stepped inside the hotel room, I came to an abrupt stop, my hand still on the doorknob as I took in the space.

This wasn’t just a room. It really was a suite.

“Do you host presidents here?” I eyed Keegan.

“Very important people come to stay at my hotel. Consider yourself one of them.” He winked, and an unexpected flutter tickled my stomach.

A sitting area with a plush, navy-blue couch and an overstuffed armchair sat near a polished wooden coffee table, a small stack of books arranged neatly on top. A quaint kitchen tucked into the corner had marble countertops and a tiny espresso machine. A large dining room with a rustic dining table anchored the space, and a fresh bouquet of flowers sat prettily on the table.

Beyond that, through an open archway, was a separate bedroom with a four-poster bed and thick, inviting comforters. French doors led to a balcony with what I assumed was a spectacular view of Stonewick at night.

I turned to Keegan, lifting a brow. “I’m only here for one night.”

He nodded in agreement but didn’t say a word, just strode past me and dropped into the armchair like he had all the time in the world.

I lingered for a second, letting my gaze roam over the whimsical yet elegant decor. Keegan had really outdone himself with this place.

If I hadn’t been so on edge, I might have let myself enjoy it.

Instead, I shut the door behind me, rubbing my hands together, trying to shake the tension out of my shoulders. Before I could fully settle into my thoughts, Keegan interrupted.

“Well?” he said, his voice low but expectant. “What did you want to talk about?”

I exhaled slowly and walked over to the couch, lowering myself onto the cushions.

“Gideon.”

“Figured as much.”

“I need to know what we’re really up against.” I leaned forward, propping my elbows on my knees. “I need to understand why he’s so powerful. You said before that none of you could ever figure out his motive, but there has to be something.”

Keegan ran a hand down his face and leaned back in the chair. “You think I haven’t spent years trying to piece it together?”

“I think you know more than you’re saying.”

He let out a short, humorless chuckle. “You always assume I’m hiding things.”

I lifted a brow. “Aren’t you?”

Keegan didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he studied me, and I crossed my arms and waited.

Eventually, he sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair.

“Fine. I’ll tell you what I do know. But you’re not going to like it.”

That wasn’t exactly reassuring, but I squared my shoulders.

“Try me.”

Keegan exhaled and rested his forearms on his knees, his gaze dark and serious.

“I always heard that Shadowick opposed the motives of Stonewick,” he began, his gaze flicking up to meet mine. “That much was common knowledge. But when the curse fell upon Stonewick, there hadn’t been any escalation, no sign that Shadowick was making a move, no warnings. If anything, things had been oddly quiet. No one was preparing for war. No one was bracing for an attack. And yet—”

He stopped, exhaling sharply, his lips pressing into a thin line before continuing.

“When the curse hit, the shifter and fae clans were given a message. If they stood by Stonewick’s side, they’d be considered the next target. They’d meet the same fate.”

I inhaled sharply, my back straightening against the couch. “And who gave them that message?”

Keegan’s expression darkened. “Gideon.”

Something cold curled in my stomach.

“He was the one who delivered the warning himself?” I asked, just to be sure I heard that right. “I thought he just cast the curse behind the scenes.

Keegan nodded.

“I was young, but I remember it. I saw the fierceness behind his gaze. There was no hesitation in him. No doubt. Just conviction. That was the most terrifying part of it all.”

I frowned, my mind racing.

“But he couldn’t have been that much older than you, could he?”

Keegan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“No. From everything I’ve been able to piece together, he was eighteen when he dropped the curse on Stonewick.”

Eighteen.

My stomach twisted.

“You’re telling me an eighteen-year-old cast a curse powerful enough to tear a town apart and hold it in that state for forty years?”

Keegan’s jaw clenched, but he nodded.

That wasn’t just power. That was something else entirely. Magic of that scale would take years to master, a collective force, or—

“A sacrifice,” I murmured before I could stop myself.

Keegan’s sharp gaze snapped to mine. “What?”

I hesitated, then shook my head, my mind spinning.

“It just—nothing comes from nothing. Power of that magnitude has to come from somewhere.”

Keegan’s expression didn’t change, but I saw the tension in his shoulders. He was thinking the same thing.

The question was, what had Gideon given up or worse, what had he stolen?

Because no matter how naturally gifted someone was, no eighteen-year-old should have been capable of doing what he did.

Keegan sat back, studying me.

“That’s the thing that’s always unsettled me. There was no great war before it. No battle, no long, drawn-out conflict. Just... one moment we were all living our lives, and the next, the curse fell upon us.”

“And Shadowick suddenly held the power,” I muttered.

Keegan nodded. “When the Academy closed its doors sixty years prior, it felt like a move to protect itself, but Stonewick continued functioning. Even the Academy still let some scholars and protectors through the doors. The town was lively with shifters, fae, witches, and wizards all joining in community and helping one another. From what I gathered, the people of Stonewick just knew that at some point, the Academy would reopen, and witches and wizards would be trained again. Sure, the residents here were more watchful of Shadowick, but with the sheer number of fae and shifters, everyone felt safe. I remember when I was born and growing up here, it felt like the safest place in the world. I could turn down one alley and see a Fae practicing her charms or a shifter hulking around helping those who needed strength and loyalty. It’s probably the only time I was proud to be part of that group.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He cleared his throat. “But then I saw how weak the shifters could be, buckling from an eighteen-year-old’s words. Fleeing like rats from a sewer. It was like the magic disappeared overnight.”

“If the magic can disappear overnight, then maybe we can make it appear just as quickly.” I drummed my fingers against my knee, my mind buzzing with more questions than answers.

“The threats weren’t unactionable, Maeve. Gideon showed what he could do to pixies, golem…” He stopped. “He made an example of them when he cast the curse upon our village. He knew fear was the most actionable of emotions, even if he didn’t have the capability to execute his plan fully.”

“If he didn’t truly have the power then, he surely does now.” I shook my head.

“In the first few years, every time someone got too close to the truth, they either disappeared or met an unfortunate end.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Keegan leaned forward, his gaze locked onto mine.

“That’s why I told you before—you are more valuable to this than you realize. The Academy opening isn’t just about breaking the curse. It’s about standing against whatever Shadowick has grown into.”

My throat tightened.

Gideon wasn’t just powerful. He’d held that power for decades.

And he wasn’t done.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Then we have to find out where his power really comes from.”

Keegan nodded, but his expression was grim.

“And fast.”

“There is something to be said for patience.”

I chuckled and let out a deep breath.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not one for patience. I like to expedite things. Stonewick’s entire wait-and-see spiel really doesn’t work for me. I need answers now, not tomorrow.”

“You know how well that works.” He smirked and shook his head.

“Well, the Academy seems to have agreed with my approach. Look how fast she welcomed me in.”

“Can’t argue with that.” His eyes stayed on mine.

My mind buzzed as I tried to piece together the scattered fragments of history that had led to this moment. But there was still something missing—something deeply personal that Keegan had never shared.

I swallowed, choosing my words carefully.

“What about your family?” I asked softly. “What happened to them when the curse fell?”

Keegan went completely still. His gaze flickered toward the fireplace across the room, but his expression remained stagnant.

I pressed on. “You never really talk about them, Keegan. And now, after everything—after realizing just how little warning there was before the curse hit, I can’t help but wonder why.”

His jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought he would shut me down completely. But instead, he exhaled and leaned back in the chair, his fingers drumming lightly against the armrest.

“They left,” he said finally, his voice quieter than I expected.

I frowned. “Left?”

“They abandoned Stonewick,” he clarified, his tone carefully even. “They chose to walk away.”

A strange mix of emotions rolled through me—confusion, disbelief, even a little anger.

“But… I thought your family was part of Stonewick’s foundation. I thought…”

“They were,” Keegan interrupted, his eyes flashing with something reserved. “We were the stewards of this town. My family ran this hotel for generations, welcoming magical and non-magical folk alike. This place wasn’t just a business. It was a neutral ground. A sanctuary.”

He shook his head slightly, rubbing at his temple.

“But when the curse hit, my parents didn’t fight. They didn’t stand their ground. They saw what was happening and decided it wasn’t their problem. They left before they could be trapped.”

I felt my stomach drop. “They had time to leave?”

Keegan gave a humorless laugh. “Barely. The moment Gideon cast the curse, it wasn’t like Stonewick just suddenly was—trapped, frozen in time. There was chaos. The moment the magic surged through the town, it was as if the ground itself rebelled. Buildings cracked, the sky darkened, the entire town was thrown into disarray. People were running, screaming—trying to figure out what the hell was happening.”

I shivered, my mind conjuring an image of Stonewick breaking apart at its seams, the magic twisting it into something it was never meant to be.

Keegan’s voice dropped lower, and I could tell he was somewhere deep in his memories. “I remember standing in the middle of the street, watching as the air rippled like heat waves distorting reality itself. And then the fog came.” His eyes darkened. “Thick, unnatural. It swallowed everything, moving too fast to be natural.”

A cold dread curled inside me. I remembered that fog from my dreams.

“What happened next?”

Keegan’s expression turned grim. “That’s when the barriers went up. One second, you could still see the edges of town. The next, it was like we were locked in a clear bubble. Anyone who hadn’t made it out in time was trapped. And those on the outside…” He trailed off, his gaze distant.

“What happened to them?” I whispered.

He hesitated, then sighed. “They forgot.”

A chill ran down my spine. “What do you mean, they forgot?”

Keegan rubbed his jaw, his frustration clear.

“People who left—my family included—forgot that Stonewick even existed. It wasn’t immediate, but within days, weeks, it was as if the town had been wiped from their minds. The only ones who remembered were those who were caught inside, and by then, it was too late. Eventually, we could roam about like nothing ever occurred, but we didn’t forget. That was almost worse than if we had.”

I swallowed hard. “So your parents… just forgot about you?”

Keegan’s expression hardened. “They forgot everything. My family walked away and let the town die. And I was here, watching it all fall apart.”

The weight of his words hit me hard. I’d always known Keegan was tied to this town in ways I didn’t fully understand.

But this?

This was something deeper.

More painful.

I shifted in my seat, trying to process it all. “Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?”

Keegan met my gaze, something guarded in his expression. “Because it doesn’t change anything.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he shook his head.

“I’ve spent years trying to figure out why my family could walk away. Why Gideon’s magic allowed some to leave while others were bound to this place. And the only conclusion I’ve ever come to?” His eyes darkened. “It was intentional.”

I inhaled sharply. “You think Gideon wanted certain people to stay?”

“I don’t think,” Keegan said grimly. “I know.”

I pressed a hand to my temple, my mind racing. “But why? Why keep some and let others go?”

Keegan exhaled, leaning forward. “That’s the question I’ve been asking for decades, Maeve. And the only thing I know for certain? It wasn’t random.” He shook his head. “There’s a reason why certain families were allowed to leave. And there’s a reason why those of us left behind weren’t. There is power in division and isolation. There is power in dividing people up and stoking them to distrust the ones who aren’t like them.”

A heavy silence settled between us. My thoughts spun wildly, trying to grasp the implications of what he was saying.

“So what does that mean for breaking the curse?” I asked finally.

Keegan’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It means we have to figure out what Gideon did that night. Exactly what magic he used and how it determined who stayed and who left.”

I frowned, considering. “If it was a curse designed to isolate the town… maybe it accidentally kept the right people inside.”

Keegan flashed me a knowing smile.

I swallowed hard. “You were left behind for a reason.”

He met my gaze, and for once, there was no sarcasm, no teasing, no smirk. Just quiet understanding.

And, maybe, just a little bit of fear.