Chapter Four
My jaw clenched as I willed myself to stay vigilant and strong.
Fearless.
I’d do whatever it took.
I forged deeper into the spiraling gloom as the thread of hope quivered under my feet. My chest tightened with love and desperation.
My eyes clenched shut as I forced myself to remain strong and focus on the good.
If we intended to get my father back, break the curse, and open the Academy, we couldn’t let the shadows win.
This was so personal, it ached, and I fully understood why my friends didn’t tell me about my dad until recently.
I opened my eyes and saw that I wasn’t looking at Stonewick.
Instead, I was peering into the heart of Shadowick.
A dark, hollow structure that looked surreal was perched in a ripple of roiling mist. My dad’s essence emanated from somewhere inside. I sensed his spirit flicker, fragile yet defiant, calling out wordlessly to me.
Tears pricked my eyes.
He’s here.
The knowledge both elated and terrified me.
The churning darkness of the building resembled a fortress, tendrils of vile magic snaking around the walls, sitting behind the mansion I’d spotted from my time here before.
I took another step. My father’s energy shimmered, but it was faint.
It suddenly felt as small as a candle flame in a violent wind.
I reached my hand out and felt a jolt of ice slam into my chest. Gideon’s shape materialized as his face twisted in fury. His eyes narrowed as he registered my presence.
“So…” His deep voice boomed. “You dare intrude on my domain, witch?”
The malevolence in his gaze nearly took my breath away, but I forced myself to speak.
“You won’t keep him forever. I’m coming for him.”
Gideon’s laughter reverberated through me like a thousand knife points.
“Brave words, Maeve. But do you really think you can step into my world and take him back? You forget… time is on my side here. The deeper you wade into illusions, the more lost you become.”
Fear lanced through me, but my magic surged in defiance.
I will not yield.
The thought of Alex’s cunning smile slipped into my mind, and I recognized the same arrogance in Gideon. That feeling they could both get away with something when quite the opposite was true.
I was persistent. I knew how to wear people down.
Summoning every ounce of nerve, I lunged forward, but Gideon raised a hand. A shockwave of dark magic radiated outward and slammed into me.
A jolt of agony cut through me as I stumbled.
But I wouldn’t lose the thread to my dad.
The building’s heavy darkness, the thickened fog, Gideon’s face…everything blurred. My dad’s essence flickered like a candle about to be snuffed out, and I screamed in desperation.
“NO!”
The simple word pushed back Gideon’s looming shadow for a heartbeat. I dove toward the glimmer of light. I couldn’t see my dad physically, but it was enough to anchor me.
The next moment, the entire realm shook, as if splitting at the seams.
My breath seized in my throat.
Through the veil, I heard muffled voices calling my name.
Nova’s?
Keegan’s?
Stella’s?
With dawning clarity, I realized that my physical body must still be in the cottage circle, the others fighting to keep the incantation stable.
A wave of darkness closed in again.
Gideon’s laughter twisted my insides.
“Your father is mine,” he hissed. “Fight me all you like, but you will never reach him in time. Unless you give me what I want. Unless you embrace that I have what you need.”
Rage flared through me, banishing some of the pain.
“Watch me,” I breathed.
I’m not helpless, not anymore.
I called toward the feeble magic that coursed in my veins and focused on the bond between my dad and me.
Summoning the last of my strength, I poured my intentions into the spell we cast and brought my gaze to Gideon’s.
He recoiled, and I smiled.
Gideon couldn’t hide his surprise that I had entered his domain. His shadowy hand slashed the air, and darkness cascaded over me.
Shimmering images of fear and despair taunted me, wrapping their tentacles around me to bring me down.
But I clung to that bright tether to my dad and let it guide me out of the gloom.
As the images parted, I glimpsed that eerie fortress again behind the mansion, and a single door flickered in the blackness.
The entire realm cracked like a mirror struck by an ax as shards of the world I walked fractured around me.
The ground lurched, and I fell backward, out of Gideon’s domain, and away from the doom of his soul.
I gasped as pain tore through my body and mind.
Clutching my chest and trying to catch a breath, my eyes flew open to see the familiar surroundings unfold into the comforting glow of my cottage.
I was sprawled in the chalk circle with my right arm flung wide, the other clutching my chest.
My heart hammered so violently that I thought it might burst, but I saw Nova, Stella, Twobble, Miora, and Keegan standing in the circle with tension carved in their expressions.
I tried to speak, but all that came out was a harsh breath.
Stella knelt beside me, pressing a cool hand to my forehead.
“Maeve, are you all right?” she whispered.
I managed a slow nod, though I trembled from head to toe.
My chest felt tight.
“I…I saw him,” I croaked.
Keegan knelt, his hand wrapping around mine. “Frank?”
“Gideon,” I breathed, shutting my eyes against nausea. “He’s got my dad in some twisted fortress behind the sprawling mansion in Shadowick. I’ve seen the structure before in a dream. I… I connected with my dad for a moment, but Gideon blocked me. They know we’re coming.”
“It’s okay.”
“I know which building they’re holding him in.”
A grim hush fell over the group. Twobble’s typical sarcasm slipped, replaced by genuine concern.
“No one from Stonewick has set foot into Shadowick’s fog and come out the same,” Twobble said, shaking his head. “We can’t simply go in and get him.”
Nova nodded slowly.
“You were out for nearly thirty minutes. We heard you screaming, tried to end the spell, but… You wouldn’t let go,” Stella explained. “These spells…”
Nova knelt. “Are meant to last for seconds, maybe a few minutes at most.”
A dark surge of adrenaline still thrummed in my veins as I forced myself to sit up, letting Nova gently steady me.
“I couldn’t leave my dad.”
The memory of Gideon’s cruel and mocking voice still echoed in my mind. But more than that, the image of my dad’s flickering spirit lingered, forging an unbreakable promise in my chest.
But what scared me most was that I wanted to go back.
I craved answers and needed to know what Gideon wanted and why his actions were only getting more brazen.
“To get my dad back, we have to go after Gideon,” I said. “We can’t let him win...not on this. He’s already controlled too much of Stonewick for too long.”
Keegan glanced around the circle.
“Then we plan carefully. With the Academy starting to awaken, we have a chance,” he said gruffly.
I looked down at the old tome. The letters still glowed faintly, and I gently closed its cover. The incantation had given me a glimpse of a path of sorts.
But it also revealed Gideon’s watchful eye.
Stepping foot into Shadowick came with immense risk, but I would do anything to get him back.
Stella brushed a stray tear from my cheek. It had slipped down without me knowing it.
“We’re with you, Maeve.”
Twobble regained some of his bravado and puffed out his chest. “I, for one, can’t wait to teach that smug Gideon a lesson.”
I let out a shaky laugh as my entire body still tingled with the residual magic.
Keegan’s supportive hand on my elbow reminded me I wasn’t alone, and I mustered the last of my strength to stand.
I knew the path forward would be more dangerous than anything we’d faced.
But I clung to hope and the unwavering love that had guided me even in the darkest realms. My dad was alive, and by some miracle, we had glimpsed where Gideon had hidden him.
And if Gideon saw me and realized I’d invaded his turf, then so be it.
I refused to cower in fear. Midlife magic, or whatever power surged through me, was enough to fight for my father, Stonewick, and the future we all deserved.
The curse had to be broken, but first, I had to get my dad back. He didn’t deserve any of this.
Somewhere outside, the wind wailed an echo of the dark domain I’d just escaped. But I lifted my chin, grateful for the warmth of companionship and the promise of justice.
Gideon won’t win. Not this time.
Keegan touched my arm gently, and I looked into his eyes, feeling a mixture of worry and resignation.
“We’ll prepare. We’ll put out a call to what allies we have. But first, you need rest.” Keegan’s gaze lingered on mine. “I mean it, Maeve. You just went through something that would knock most witches out for weeks.”
Stella walked over slowly. Her red lipstick neatly outlined as she clung to a teacup, releasing steam in little puffs.
“For you, dear. You need this to calm your nerves and stay hydrated.”
I reached for the cup of tea and placed the warm porcelain rim against my lips, smelling the sweet scent of vanilla and orange.
“You really need to rest your body,” Keegan tried again.
“Do you ever take your own advice?” I asked, chuckling.
He didn’t take much of a rest when a shifting event nearly killed him.
“It’s different.”
My brows lifted. “How so?”
“I know what to expect. All of this is new for you.”
I wanted to protest, but exhaustion nearly toppled me over. Nodding in reluctant agreement, I sank onto a chair, the old spell book clutched to my chest like a talisman.
Taking another sip of tea, I tried to focus on what just happened. I’d managed to track my dad down, go between realms, and still wound up back where I belonged.
The little cottage in the woods.
I let my eyes flutter shut for a moment while my friends chatted and tried to make sense of what just happened. But things felt different, hopeful.
I’m coming, Dad , I thought.
I allowed a brief moment of rest as the warm glow of the fire warmed my body.
Suddenly, it struck me.
What if it doesn’t matter where Dad is?
“Why don’t we lure Gideon here? If he’s so intent on controlling everything, wants the Academy, wants Stonewick…then let’s make him think we’re vulnerable.”
Nova caught my gaze and smiled with a nod. “He’ll come to us, convinced we’re the easier target.”
“Then we pounce,” I finished. “We force Gideon into the open, surprise him, and free my dad.”
And that was when I knew what I had to do.