Chapter Three
Nova was waiting for me in the Butterfly Ward.
The garden was one of the Academy’s most tranquil spaces, where delicate, glowing butterflies fluttered lazily among swaying vines. It was hard to believe that so much power was stored here to keep the entrance closed from the outside world.
I glanced around the comforting space as stone statues whispered history that I’d yet to learn but someday would, and creeping vines brushed my ankles in a quiet welcome.
Despite the Ward’s peaceful hush, Nova’s expression told me our situation was anything but calm.
She tipped her head in a silent greeting, then spoke softly, “Keegan stayed behind at the cottage with Miora, Stella, and Twobble. Did you find what we’re looking for?”
“I think so. The book sprites had this waiting for me.” I nodded. “I felt bad for leaving the cottage in such a mess. How’s it coming?”
Nova’s usually stern presence lightened. “You’ve seen what Miora can do. Stone is as pliable as clay in her hands. Plus, Stella’s magic helps tie everything together, and Twobble is surprisingly adept with structural details. Keegan’s overseeing it all.”
“Sounds about right.” I smiled as her gaze fell to the book.
“I’m surprised they had that waiting for you,” she said.
“It was a relief, to be honest. I tend to get lost in the magic of that building.”
“You’re getting more and more connected with the Academy, Maeve. There are so many benefits to being tied so closely, but just as many risks. We must walk carefully between worlds if they can feel your needs outside the walls.”
I nodded, knowing how true that was. It was one of the many reasons we needed to break this curse.
“I need some fresh air,” Nova said.
“No Goblin Tunnels?” I chuckled.
“Not tonight.” She glanced at me with a smile. “If you don’t mind.”
“Don’t mind at all.”
As we left the Academy grounds, stepping briskly through the chilly night, I thought about Bella. She seemed objective, positive, and filled with insight, and with the Academy accepting her, it set my mind at ease.
I couldn’t believe we already had our first teacher.
We walked the streets of Stonewick, witnessing the magical village with the quirky storefronts and tourists wandering the sidewalks. The sight anchored me in a way I desperately needed, and Nova must have known this.
Getting caught up in the magic of it all was easy, but ordinary life was still real and moving forward just as much.
“I noticed Stella’s tea shop was closed,” I said softly. “I feel bad about how often she’s having to rearrange her life for me.”
Nova shook her head. “It’s not for you, Maeve. It’s for the town. It’s for the Academy…our future.”
Her words made me feel better as we walked along the two-lane road to the edge of the village.
The hidden driveway to the cottage came into view. We stepped along the tall, lanky pines and crunched on winter's glistening snow.
The sight in front of me put me in awe.
It was as if nothing had ever happened. Little puffs of smoke twirled out of the chimney. Karvey and the other gargoyles perched in their places along the roofline with no stone out of place.
At the cottage’s threshold, I paused, hardly believing my eyes. The battered, half-destroyed stone walls had been mended into a cottage fit for a witch. The rounded lines, the front porch entirely re-laid, and the shutters repaired and painted made it look like it never happened.
Nova touched my arm lightly.
“They worked hard,” she said, voice soft. “Miora is a truly gifted haunt.”
“It’s as if Malore never set foot on the property.”
“Keegan insisted on returning it to how it was when you first saw it.”
With a breath caught in my throat, I opened the door.
Warm lamplight spilled out, and inside, the smell of fresh polish and a hint of sawdust mingled with something sweeter. I guessed it was some remnants of a potion Stella had whipped up. My chest tightened as nostalgia flooded me, along with fierce gratitude.
But I couldn’t shake my emptiness without Frank curled by the hearth.
My cottage was nearly whole again, a testament to our determination. Now, all that remained was to bring my dad back, and I was stubborn enough to make it happen.
Stella and Twobble emerged from the kitchen and scurried over as Miora’s voice echoed from the loft. Keegan stood near the fire, arms folded, but he immediately smiled when he saw us enter the cottage.
The air in the cottage felt vibrant and welcoming, but I deeply missed my dad.
“She found it,” Nova said quietly, guiding me to the old dining table.
“Good news,” Keegan said. “Now, here’s hoping what I remembered from the texts was accurate.”
“I’m sure it is,” I said, chuckling. “Something tells me you forget very little.”
“There are some things I wish I could forget.” He took a step forward and touched my shoulder. “It’s good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back.” I smiled as I held the thick spell book.
“Did Bella decide to stay at the Academy?” he asked.
I nodded and felt a frown, pushing my eyebrows down. Stella’s brows quirked when she saw my reaction, and I quickly slid the gloominess from my expression. If she spotted how I felt about that matter, he would too.
It was only natural that he asked about our new friend, but whether I liked it or not, she was more Keegan’s speed. First, they were both shifters; she was gorgeous, graceful, and mischievous. I was just…me.
Not that being me was terrible. I wasn’t one of those ladies who beat themselves up over a stomach that flopped and hips that jiggled, but I was realistic. Would Keegan want a fox who could creep into the night or a witch that made brownies explode in the kitchen? I’d go with the fox.
“Should we open it up?” I asked as Keegan nodded, following me to the small dining table.
As I opened the book, the timeworn pages glowed faintly with residual magic. Anticipation skittered up my arms as I inched closer to read the print: Shifter Habitats, Shifter Mating (going to skip right over that one), Shifter Battles, and finally, Shifter tracking.
My heart pounded as I flipped through the crisp pages with Keegan standing behind me and Nova across the table.
Stella and Twobble stood near the fireplace, trying to keep their nervous energy at bay.
When my eyes finally landed on the spell. An incantation to trace lingering magic from a shifter who’d been forcibly taken was staring back at me. You could track a shifter very much like you would track an animal in the woods, but this involved spell work. Complicated spell work.
I looked up at Nova, knowing she’d be a better candidate to complete the spell.
Hope and dread churned inside me. By the looks of it, this could go incredibly right or terribly wrong.
There was so much at stake, but I was learning that magic was a delicate balance between worlds, equilibrium, and energy. It wasn’t the words or the items that made a spell successful. It was the intent and the connections.
My eyes met Keegan’s, and I cleared my throat. “I think I found what spell you were talking about, Keegan. Would you recognize it?”
I ran my fingers over the script, and the incantation felt alive and humming with ancient power. I lifted my gaze to Keegan’s, and his eyes locked on mine.
Did I see a hint of pride or was it something else?
Keegan dropped his gaze to the text, reading it to himself before looking back at me.
“This is it.” He smiled and tapped the book. “You’ve done it, Maeve. You’ve found the spell book.”
I shook my head. “Not really. The book sprites handed it to me on a platter.”
“Same difference,” Keegan said, smiling.
“Nova, do you think you should be the one who…”
My father’s rescue depended on this. Despite the cold shiver, I knew we had to try. But Nova seemed like the logical person to recite the incantation.
She cut me off. “No, the spell has a much stronger effect if someone with the same bloodline beckons the essence.”
I slid my fingers down the timeworn pages of the old tome, heart pounding with anticipation and dread.
The gentle crackle of the newly restored fireplace provided a cozy counterpoint to the tension in my stomach.
We were all gathered around the heavy wooden table now. Stella and Twobble moved next to Nova, Miora, and Keegan.
Our collective magic thrummed in the cottage’s freshly repaired walls, waiting to be unleashed. I could feel it.
Or I just desperately believed that was how it worked.
Soft light danced across my companions' faces, each reflecting my mix of apprehension and determination.
Even Twobble, with his characteristic irreverence, had grown uncharacteristically solemn. This was, after all, the spell that could help locate my father.
If it worked, we’d have a lead on where Frank was being held. If it failed, we’d be lost again, stumbling in the dark, and probably falling into Gideon’s trap.
“Should we start?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.
My voice sounded smaller than I expected.
Stella reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
“We’ve got you, and you’ve got this,” she said softly. “Trust your magic.”
“This is it.” I pushed the book to Nova to take a look.
She gently turned the pages to silently read the words that would bring us to my dad.
I leaned closer, quietly reading the archaic language under my breath. My hands trembled, but a reassuring warmth radiated from Miora, who stood behind me.
Keegan cleared his throat as his gaze fastened to mine. “You’ve accomplished more than any witch I’ve met in a very short amount of time. Don’t let doubt seep into your bones.”
His belief in me sparked a flicker of confidence deep within my chest.
Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the shutters in a way that might have unnerved me on any other night. Snow fell outside as I focused on the courage I needed to find my dad.
The newly restored walls gleamed with the hush of fresh protection, Miora’s stonework so seamless it was hard to believe we’d nearly lost this place in the last twenty-four hours.
“We’ll need a circle for this,” Nova said, pulling out a slender piece of chalk. “It’s moon chalk.”
“What’s moon chalk?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“I make it at the store. I create a mixture from eggshells, gypsum, and salt and let the moon’s rays penetrate it. This will bind our power and intention and allow for greater benefits once the spell is cast correctly.”
“No pressure,” I said, chuckling.
Nova stepped around the table, moving chairs aside and marking a wide ring on the wooden floor.
Her strokes were confident and expansive.
“It’s glowing,” I said softly.
“That’s from the moonlight. This batch is especially potent since I made it during Yule. The incantation references a ring of unity, a space in which no illusions can hide, and we need a shifter to keep the energy intact.” She eyed Keegan. “And one from blood, you.”
Keegan nodded and stepped forward.
I tried for a smile, but my gaze drifted to the battered tome again.
I could not screw this up.
The text spoke of capturing the essence of a lost shifter, almost like a tenuous thread we could follow across vast distances. The problem was that it required a piece of my father’s spirit to tether onto it, and it could snap as quickly as it was strung.
“Here,” Stella said quietly, producing a small silver tag from her pocket.
I recognized it instantly from my dad’s old collar as my brows cinched together. “It’s his rabies tag.”
Twobble chuckled and shook his head. “Can the man not have a little dignity here? Why not the address tag, Stella? Why the rabies tag? It reminds us all that Frank is…well, a little indisposed.”
I tried not to laugh, but Twobble had a point. I focused on the words, committing the spell to memory, and took the glimmering silver tag, holding it tight.
A wave of nostalgia crashed over me, and I remembered petting the wrinkly bulldog who had always been by my side, not realizing that inside that mild exterior was the father I’d thought I’d lost long ago. Setting the tag in the circle's center, I straightened my resolve and stood in the middle with it.
Nova gave me the chalk next, gesturing for me to close off the circle behind me.
“You’re the one with the request. You must close the circle. We’ll be here,” she said, touching my shoulder. “Guiding you.”
I looked at Keegan, who walked into the circle before I closed it with the chalk. The tenderness in his gaze made my chest tighten. It was hard to believe he’d always been watching from afar all my life.
My legs felt like jelly as I carefully drew the final line of the circle, sealing myself inside with the tag and Keegan.
Keegan’s gaze never left me.
“If anything goes wrong, I’ll stop it,” Keegan murmured. “You’re the most important thing we have, Maeve.”
My heart pounded.
What if something does go wrong?
“Thank you,” I whispered, nodding.
The knowledge that Gideon had grown more powerful and cunning than we’d imagined weighed on me. And yet, I knew we had no other choice. We had to find my father before more time slipped away.
“This spell might lead you to more than your father,” Nova said, her eyes fastening on mine. “Be aware that whoever is in his presence can see you.”
“So, Gideon?”
“Anyone.” She nodded. “And Gideon might use this to gain access to much more than we could imagine.”
“But he might be the key to telling me where my dad is,” I stated flatly, and Keegan nodded.
Nova smoothed her cloak and glanced at Keegan before returning her gaze to mine. “I hope we can bypass all that and somehow latch onto Frank’s location without interference, but that’s never been Gideon’s style.”
“But you’ve got this, Maeve,” Stella added.
I nodded. “Okay. I’m ready.”
Stella, Nova, Miora, and Twobble stood on the circle's edge.
Each of them began murmuring a chant to reinforce the protection that Miora had woven around the cottage.
A faint shimmering rose around us as the air charged with potential.
“You’ve got this,” Keegan murmured again.
His gaze stayed on mine before I shut my eyes, focusing on the tag in the center of the circle, anchoring my father’s essence.
My dad’s friendly winks, kind eyes, and loyalty swept through me as I drew in a breath and recited the incantation from memory.
The words sank into my bones immediately, and the magic came alive, circling first around my feet and rising slowly in a spiral.
It felt like cool tendrils of some sentient breeze, each twist beckoning me to push deeper.
I uttered the final lines of the incantation,
“By the wind that weeps in his absence,
And the essence that calls him home,
I summon distant murmurs roaming,
To guide my spirit where his is known.”
I let out a breath as a sudden rush of power cracked through the air. My eyes blinked open in a hurry.
The tag shot up a beam of silvery light that pierced the rafters and illuminated the entire cottage.
My pulse skittered, and I tried to steady my breathing as Twobble and Stella gasped.
Keegan kept his steely gaze on mine as I focused on the ray of light.
“What’s happening?” Twobble whispered.
The rays curled and clung to me as a serpent of magic would.
A strange tug pulled at the center of my chest, and I reached for Keegan.
When I realized I was being drawn upward, I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing, waiting for the invisible string to break to let me rise above everything.
And then it happened.
I felt free.
My eyes flew open.
It wasn’t my cottage in view.
Everything was tinted in ghostly silver, shapes. It looked like I was gazing through a cloudy mirror and felt feathery.
The transient surroundings drifted in an otherworldly glimmer.
My mind spun with a dizzying sensation of both terror and wonder since I was no longer in my body.
I forced a breath and wasn’t sure if I physically inhaled anything at all.
Slowly, the silver haze resolved into faint outlines of trees, a spiraling vortex of night sky.
Dad.
The fear would not swallow me up.
In the distance, flickers of color danced. Green and blue ghostly echoes beckoned me forward like the Northern Lights pulsing with an unknown energy.
I was no longer in the circle at the cottage. Instead, I found myself suspended in a realm shaped by the magic we’d conjured, and took a step forward.
Shadows of trees and hills flickered around me, reminiscent of Stonewick’s outskirts but fainter. Was he hiding my dad here in Stonewick?
A tug yanked at my chest. I stumbled and nearly fell, crying out for my dad.
The silver drift parted and revealed a single bright thread of light that stretched into the dark horizon.
My dad.
Tears burned when I realized I didn’t know how to walk in this strange plane.
So, I just moved, letting the magic guide me.
Each step came more effortlessly than the last. My heart hammered as I recalled Keegan’s warning. If something went wrong, they’d break in.
But I had no sense of the circle or my friends at all. I was alone, chasing a single strand of essence in an endless domain of illusions.
Euphoria washed over me…
I could feel my dad.
He was still alive.
But then dread cut through it.
Another force curled around me, trying to intercept.
The presence sharpened and formed into a looming shape as a chill crawled up my spine.
Gideon.
His confidence swept across my path like a tsunami, blocking my way to where I needed to go.
I tried to swim past the sensation while clinging to my dad’s essence, and my heart tightened when I glimpsed where my dad was being held.
“You’ve finally come,” the deep voice hissed.