Magical Musing (Stonewick Magical Midlife Witch Academy #2)

Chapter Forty-One

I could still taste the cold on my tongue. My chest burned from heaving gulps of winter air. Hope clung to every shattered beam of my cottage and the splinters that littered the yard. Snow drifted steadily, but I could only see Keegan’s hulking wolf form. His thick fur rippled as he circled Malore.

The monstrous figure of my grandfather lay in a crumpled heap near the ruined porch, the side of his chest rising and falling in ragged, shallow gasps.

Even in the swirl of snow and the half-darkness of the storm, I could see his bulky outline, shoulders larger than I could have ever imagined, a wolf’s muzzle parted in pain or fury—or both.

Behind me, the fox—no, the cunning copper saint that had darted into the fight only moments ago—finished her last leap off Malore’s flank.

She landed gracefully, skidding across an icy patch of ground before bounding toward me. My breath came in frantic bursts, my heart hammering as the realization set in that we had, somehow , won this bout.

But what struck me at that moment was the terrible silence that followed.

I forced my gaze away from Malore’s limp shape to look at the cottage.

Vast sections of the front wall had been torn off. The door looked like it had been bent in half, half-hinged, half-slammed against the battered porch. Splinters of wood stuck out at impossible angles. A portion of the roof had caved in near the living room. The fireplace still glowed, but only faintly, like a last gasp of warmth in a frozen wasteland.

But the cottage…

The Ward was still standing.

I smiled at Miora, continuing her work at the threshold and trying to piece things together as good as new.

My dad popped into my head.

I needed to be sure he was safe.

Keegan released a low, rumbling growl, circling Malore’s collapsed form.

He was massive in his wolf state, even bigger than Malore had been, which was shocking enough.

But what worried me more than anything was that he could die. He’d shifted only to save us from this battle and lose the war.

A strangled whimper caught my ear.

My gaze flicked back to Malore, who seemed to be stirring. I braced myself, terror flaring, but instead of lashing out, his giant head lolled to one side, muzzle caked in bloody foam.

Dead? My heart clenched. Or maybe just unconscious. I wasn’t sure. The fox trotted closer, standing between me and the mammoth silhouette.

I swallowed hard, stepping forward into the swirling snow. The wind stung my cheeks, carrying the acrid smell of magic and spilled blood.

“Keegan?” I whispered, though my voice barely rose above the hush.

Nova appeared at my side, pale-faced and breathing heavily. Her normally poised countenance flickered with worry and lingering adrenaline.

“Maeve,” she said quietly, pressing her hand to my shoulder. “Are you hurt?”

I forced a laugh that came out as a ragged exhale.

“I’m okay,” I managed.

She gave a short nod, then nodded again toward Malore’s body.

“Just—watch out,” she warned her voice a hush. “If he stirs—”

Before she could finish, Malore’s sides heaved one last, rattling breath.

A jolt shot through me; I expected him to leap up and tear at us again, but instead, he went slack.

Keegan, still bristling with alpha fury, approached. He sniffed the body’s flank, and his hackles rose as if confirming that Malore was gone.

Truly gone.

The fox paced near him, bright amber eyes darting between Keegan and Malore. She let out a small, cautious yip. A moment later, she glanced at me again, mischief dancing in her gaze, though it was tempered by something more serious—like she had come here with an agenda.

I pressed a trembling hand to my chest to slow my racing heart. The woods felt uncomfortably big. Every broken piece of wood and shimmer of ice reminded me that we had been locked in mortal combat not five minutes ago. We were in the aftermath, that surreal calm that sets in after the adrenaline rush.

Nova tensed as if sensing something. She squeezed my shoulder as I heard a soft whoosh of displaced air. Then, Malore’s entire body seemed to cave in on itself, a swirl of shadow enveloping it. The shape convulsed, and within three heartbeats, it disappeared entirely. One moment, a hulking dead wolf lay at our feet; the next, the space was empty like a twisted illusion that had never been there at all.

My lips parted, shock flaring.

“What—” I couldn’t form words. He’s gone. The body just vanished. I snapped my head to Nova, who looked equally stunned.

A rasping snarl broke the silence.

In wolf form, Keegan jerked back from the spot, then, with a guttural huff, contorted in on himself. I gasped, stepping forward helplessly as his fur receded, bones reshaped. Magic arced around him in brief, flickering lines. And then, as quickly as he had become a monstrous wolf, he was human again, kneeling in the snow, steam rising off his bare skin.

“Keegan!” I lunged to his side, ignoring the chill that pricked my legs. He was breathing, at least—chest heaving, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. As far as I could tell, he was mostly unscathed. A few bleeding cuts marred his arms, and bruises dotted his ribcage, but by some miracle, he was alive.

He blinked up at me, swallowing hard.

“Maeve,” he rasped.

How was he still okay? The confusion in his eyes matched the swirl of anxiety in my stomach.

The fox ambled closer, muzzle low to the ground, letting out a soft whine as if checking on Keegan. Then, with an almost playful flick of her ears, she turned to me, her tail swishing. I noticed for the first time the faint pattern of silver and golden flecks along her hind legs, like starlight dancing on russet fur.

My mind buzzed with too many questions. Who was she, and why had she jumped into a fight that wasn’t hers? I’d already suspected she was no ordinary fox, but now I felt certain she was something more magical.

Nova laid a hand on Keegan’s shoulder, helping him to his feet. He shivered, clearly disoriented, and I pulled off my heavy coat, draping it over his trembling form. The cold might’ve cut him to the bone, but I had no illusions that a few layers of cloth would fix the deeper shock of what he’d just been through.

“I’m sorry about your grandfather,” Keegan said, voice still ragged. “I—”

My stomach flipped.

Grandfather.

Right—Malore was my grandfather, a monstrous alpha I’d never met, who had tormented my father and threatened everything I loved.

The realization that he was dead—except the body had disappeared—coiled in my gut. That colossal shape we’d fought was gone without a trace. My eyes burned with unshed tears, but I couldn’t quite name the emotion swirling inside me—grief, confusion, or leftover adrenaline.

Nova cleared her throat.

“Keegan,” she said softly, “you saw how the body vanished, right? That means—”

He locked eyes with her, a question in his gaze.

“That wasn’t her real grandfather,” Nova finished gently, turning toward me.

My breath hitched as a new wave of confusion battered me.

“How?”

“I’m so sorry, Maeve, but he remains alive. That was a decoy. Some form of advanced shapeshifting or conjuration. If that had been him—if he’d truly died here—there would be remains, or at least a more stable corpse.”

A flood of relief and horror crashed through me at once.

“So… that means we didn’t defeat him,” I said, voice unsteady.

Keegan and Nova traded glances.

“He’s still—somewhere?” I clenched my fists, glancing at the battered ruins of my home. “Why would he—”

Nova shook her head, giving me a steadying look.

“I don’t know. But the fact that it vanished suggests it was a ploy. A distraction, maybe. Malore might have used it to test your defenses or to lure you into revealing something you otherwise wouldn’t.”

Or to keep me busy, I realized, ice trickling down my spine.

Frank.

My father had been in the cellar, or somewhere Ember took him.

Did we lose track of him? The thought made my pulse spike. If Dad wasn’t safe, if something or someone had snatched him…

Gideon.

“During the fight, I saw Gideon. Maybe. Or my mind…”

Stella walked over, and Nova nodded in agreement. “Considering everything we’ve been through, I understand not knowing for sure.”

I closed my eyes, remembering how panicked Ember had been earlier, how we’d been so caught up in this monstrous decoy.

“It was just a decoy,” I whispered, repeating Nova’s words to anchor myself. “He’s still alive. And somewhere out there, doing who-knows-what.” My chest tightened with dread. “And for who? Gideon? Himself? Some other piece of the puzzle?”

Keegan staggered, leaning on me for support. He looked utterly drained, his expression etched with the same confusion and worry that churned inside me.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, as if his apology could somehow fix the decades of anguish Malore had inflicted. But the sorrow in his eyes told me he felt personally responsible.

“You won. There’s nothing to be sorry for,” I said softly, running my thumb against his jaw.

My gaze drifted to the piles of debris from the cottage, half-buried in snow, and sorrow churned in my gut.

At that precise moment, a ripple of warmth brushed over my skin—like sunlight piercing through storm clouds.

The fox stepped into my line of sight, but something was different now.

A faint shimmer traced her silhouette, and I realized with a jolt that she was changing shape. Fur receded, limbs elongated, and threads of golden light danced around her until she stood before me as a slight, regal woman.

Her blonde hair fell in loose waves around her face. Every strand was dusted with flecks of gold, silver, and copper that caught the moonlight. She cleared her throat, lifting a hand as if to reorient herself in human form.

“I hope I was of some service,” she said, voice as smooth as satin. She regarded the ruined yard, the battered cottage, and the swirl of broken magic with a gentle, apologetic smile. “I’ve been trying to find the right moment to introduce myself, but… well, events unfolded.”

My eyes widened. I knew the fox was magical, but watching her shift into this woman—so poised and radiant—still left me breathless. I managed a shaky laugh. “ Some service? I’d say you saved our lives.”

She offered a small bow of her head. “I appreciate that. Truly, I do. But Keegan’s fight is what ended it. I just acted as a nuisance to wear your grandfather down.” Her gaze flicked from me to Keegan, Nova, and back again.

“I’m glad you’re here, but I don’t know why. I’ve seen you around the last week or so.”

“I had a calling to the Academy. I felt the relentless pull in my bones. I only realized recently that it meant I’d find you here.”

I cocked my head, crossing my arms in a feeble attempt at warmth. “You mean… the Academy called you? Already?”

She brushed a few flecks of snow from her hair.

“Well, it hasn’t opened yet, has it?” She gave me a knowing look. “There still need to be teachers and a Headmistress and—” She trailed off, letting the meaning sink in.

My heart skipped a beat.

I remembered the old texts about the Academy summoning those destined to serve or be served by it. The dragons had revealed themselves to me. Gargoyles had aided me. A fox had arrived. And I was still reeling from the suggestion that I might be connected to it all.

“That’s me, or… maybe not me?” I fumbled, “We do need a Headmistress, but I’m not sure—”

Keegan, still leaning on me, let out a soft chuckle. Nova patted my arm, a hint of a grin behind her stoic expression.

“Why do you think the Academy’s Wards have let you do so much?” Nova said quietly. “You’re the reason it all stirs.”

Heat flushed my cheeks. Even Stella, from behind a broken column, looked at me with a proud smile though she was too exhausted to speak.

Meanwhile, the newcomer regarded me with a twinkle in her eyes.

“No, it’s true,” she said. “You are, or will be , the Headmistress. And I—” She placed a hand over her chest in a playful and reverent gesture. “I’m your first teacher.”

A swirl of excitement mingled with the exhaustion tugging on my limbs. I tried to wrap my mind around being Headmistress of the Academy.

But it all started to make sense whether I wanted to believe it or not.

The fluttering key.

The dragons.

The Wards.

The possibility of it thrummed like a chord in my heart, almost drowning out the chaos around us. Was that why the Academy had awakened? Why I’d been drawn here?

“I—” I began, but the right words wouldn’t form.

The lady smiled, bright as dawn. “And I’ll help you if you’ll have me. Magic is my calling, illusions my specialty. But let’s save introductions for a calmer moment. I believe you have more pressing concerns.”

“What do you mean?”

Ember sprinted into the yard, nearly slipping on the slick ice near the steps.

“Have you seen Frank?” she panted, eyes wide, hair disheveled. “I—I can’t find him anywhere. I went to the cellar and—” She shook her head, swallowing anxiously. “It was empty. ”