Chapter 20 #2
Geoff laughed. “There’s a cadence to spells. It’s a lot like singing to the energy. Watch.”
He focused and softly spoke under his breath:
“Bristle and wood, from root to crown,
Form with grace, soft bristles down.
Ease the tangles, smooth the fray,
Guide wild strands and knots away.”
In a shimmer of light, a beautiful carved brush appeared in his hand, the bristles soft and gleaming with tiny strands of moon-silk.
Alice’s jaw dropped. “That was a spell?”
Geoff handed her the brush. “Your turn.”
She cleared her throat, repeating the words carefully. Nothing happened. She groaned with frustration.
“Keep trying,” he encouraged.
She released a puff of air and nodded, focusing and thinking of the cadence in his voice when he spoke his spell. Her lips parted when the second time, a puff of smoke and a thistle appeared.
“Cadence. Think of it as music,” she whispered.
Her lips parted and she let the words form in her mind, wrapping them in a soothing melody. This time, light sparked around her hand—and a simple, lovely hairbrush bloomed into being.
“I did it!” she gasped, grinning.
“You did,” he said softly.
Their eyes met.
Then he tilted his head. “So… is that worth another kiss?”
Her grin faltered. She looked at him—really looked. The soft lift of his brow, the boyish curl at the edge of his lips, the flicker of uncertainty behind his confidence.
She stepped closer.
“Maybe,” she whispered.
And tilted her face up to his.
Geoff leaned in, his breath locked in his chest as Alice tilted her face toward his. The glow of the brush she had conjured still shimmered in her hand, forgotten. Just a heartbeat more…
“Geoff!”
The voice cracked through the clearing like a whip. He groaned low in his throat, the sound slipping out before he could stop it.
Alice stepped back with a shy, startled laugh, tucking a stray strand of hair beneath her scarf. Her cheeks were flushed, and she clutched the newly formed hairbrush as if it were a shield. Geoff turned, already knowing who had interrupted.
Striding toward them with the unmistakable grace and authority of someone who had never once doubted her place in the world came Marina, his older sister.
Her dark braid swung behind her like a tail of ink, her silver-blue cloak fluttering as if the wind moved for her.
Just behind her was Isha, his older brother, his expression unreadable but stern.
Geoff instinctively stepped slightly in front of Alice.
“Marina. Isha.” He kept his tone level and polite, lifting his chin with defiance he hadn’t meant to show.
Marina’s eyes flicked to Alice, narrowing with curiosity… and something colder. She stopped a few feet away, folding her arms. Isha came to stand beside her, his frown deepening as he looked Geoff over.
“You were expected back last night,” Isha said without preamble, his voice clipped.
Geoff flushed. “Things changed.”
Marina moved to the side, her gaze sweeping over Alice like a blade. “And who is your… companion?” she asked softly.
Before Geoff could answer, Marina lifted one hand and whispered a quiet spell under her breath.
Geoff bared his teeth in warning. “Don’t.”
Alice stiffened beside him, eyes darting between them. Her fingers tightened around the brush, her posture wary.
Marina’s eyes glowed faintly for a second before the light faded. “She’s a stranger to the Seven Kingdoms,” she announced to Isha in a soft voice.
“Yes, she is, but she isn’t a danger,” Geoff said, wrapping his arm around Alice and pulling her slightly closer. “She fell from a portal in the sky. Her name is Alice, and she needs our help.”
Isha’s jaw tightened. “And you didn’t think to inform us the moment you found her?”
“There wasn’t time,” Geoff snapped, surprising even himself with the fierceness in his voice. “She was scared. It was nearly dark. The storm was moving in fast, and the Night Howlers were already on the hunt. Elder Oak offered shelter.”
“I’m sorry,” Alice said softly, stepping forward. “We didn’t come here to cause trouble. My cousins and I—well, we just wanted to explore. I know it was reckless. I’m sorry if I frightened anyone.”
Geoff’s arm remained firmly around her shoulders. “We were on our way to the village to ask for your help,” he added pointedly.
Before Isha could respond, a voice called out from the path behind them.
“Isha!”
They turned as a girl with copper-brown curls burst into view, breathless and wide-eyed. Erin, their younger sister, came skidding to a stop beside Marina.
“Queen Magika has arrived at the village,” she panted with excitement. “She’s asked to see the young alien who fell from the sky.”
Erin’s gaze landed on Alice with open awe. “Is that her?”
Alice blinked, her lips parting slightly as the weight of the moment settled over her.
Geoff’s stomach sank like a stone. Of course. Of course it wasn’t just the forest that had noticed the ripple in magic.
He looked down at Alice. Her eyes were wide, her mouth pressed into a tight line. Fear flickered across her face, there for only a second before she masked it, but he saw it.
And in that instant, something inside him twisted—sharp and certain. If he had the power, he’d have whisked her away from here, far from the prying eyes and wary spells. Far from anyone’s judgment.
Instead, he reached for her hand and clasped it tightly in his own.
He wouldn’t let her face this alone.