Chapter Four
The afternoon had wound down, and Keegan and the others were quietly speaking in the study while Twobble didn’t leave my side as I stood near the entrance, which made me more nervous than if he’d been off with Skonk and their usual shenanigans. And speaking of Skonk, I looked down at Twobble.
“Where is Skonk?” I asked.
Twobble’s pale green cheeks tried their best at reddening, and he cleared his throat. “Great job with the pastries, Maeve. Culinary magic is finally within your reach.”
“Don’t try to butter me up with your…”
“No pun intended, am I right?” he interrupted, elbowing me in the hip, and I groaned.
“Seriously, Twobble. Where is your twin cousin?”
He let out a heavy sigh, and his shoulders dropped slightly. “I told him not to go, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Go where? What aren’t you telling me, Twobble?”
He looked up. “A lot.”
“Great. Just great.”
A few seconds of silence sat between us.
“Twobble, spill it.”
“Okay, fine. Skonk went with Gideon.”
I gasped. I hadn’t even meant to. It just slipped out.
“Why? Why would he do that?”
“He thought he could help us by helping Gideon to stay alive.”
“And Skonk thinks he can do that?”
Twobble folded his tiny arms. “You do realize just how long we live, right? That’s not just good genetics. It’s pure determination and will mixed with a lot of sneakiness and good choices.”
“But Gideon has the shadow stone, and he said whoever has that will be in the Priestess’ sights. Skonk has put himself in a huge amount of danger.”
Twobble cleared his throat. “It's for the good of the cause, Headmistress.”
“Does anyone else know?”
He shook his head.
I pressed my lips together and turned away from him, pacing a few steps across the room before stopping near the window, my fingers brushing lightly against the cool glass as I tried to make sense of what he’d just said.
Skonk. With Gideon.
Of all the choices.
Of all the people.
“Of course he did,” I muttered under my breath, because it fit in a way I didn’t like, not one bit.
Twobble shifted behind me. “He thought it through.”
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“It makes it intentional.”
I turned back to face him. “Intentional danger is still danger, Twobble.”
He didn’t argue with that, which somehow made it worse.
The Academy felt quieter now that the evening had begun. The soft thrum of voices from the study drifted faintly down the hall where Keegan and the others were still talking through plans and possibilities and everything we weren’t quite ready to act on yet.
I crossed my arms, my mind already racing ahead. “When did he leave?”
“Gideon and Skonk left before your first pastry du flambeau this morning,” Twobble said.
“And Gideon let him come?”
Twobble hesitated. “I don’t think Gideon stops people from doing what they’ve already decided. And he may not have realized Skonk was following him right away.”
“That sounds about right,” I said, the frustration tightening in my chest. “He disappears, takes the stone with him, and now Skonk is following him into whatever mess he’s walked into.”
“For the good of the cause,” Twobble repeated, though his voice didn’t carry the same conviction as before.
I exhaled slowly and ran a hand through my hair, because this was exactly the kind of thing that would unravel everything if we didn’t get ahead of it.
“We should tell Keegan,” I said.
Twobble shook his head quickly. “Not yet.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why not?”
“Because the moment you tell him, he’ll go after them.”
“And you don’t think we should?”
“I think we should be smart about it,” he said, stepping closer. “Gideon is already on edge. Skonk knew that. That’s why he went alone. We need to hash this out before we tell the others.”
“Alone?” I repeated, my voice rising slightly. “He went alone into Shadowick with Gideon, who is being hunted by the Priestess, who is preparing dungeons and starting rituals, and you think that counts as being smart?”
Twobble winced. “When you say it like that, it sounds less strategic. And in all fairness, we have absolutely no idea where they went, and I doubt it’s actually Shadowick, not if he’s trying to hide.”
“It sounds reckless.”
He didn’t disagree.
I turned back toward the window again. Gideon wouldn’t go somewhere obvious.
He wouldn’t stay anywhere long.
And Skonk… Skonk would keep up, probably better than anyone else could.
That thought didn’t comfort me the way it should have.
It just made everything feel more complicated.
“There has to be a reason,” I said quietly. “Gideon wouldn’t just vanish without some kind of plan.”
Twobble nodded slowly. “He always has a plan.”
“Then we need to figure out where that plan is taking him.”
Silence settled between us again, heavier this time, filled with all the things we didn’t know and all the ways this could go wrong.
And then, almost without thinking, I said, “Luna.”
Twobble blinked. “The yarn shop?”
“Yes.”
He tilted his head. “You think she knows where Gideon went?”
“I think she knows things she doesn’t always say out loud,” I replied, already moving toward the door. “And if Gideon passed through anywhere near Stonewick, there’s a chance she felt it.”
“Or saw it,” Twobble added, hopping off the table to follow me. “Or knitted some magic into a scarf and forgot to mention it.”
I paused just long enough to glance back at him. “That’s not reassuring.”
“It’s honest.”
I reached for my coat, pulling it on as the chill from outside seeped in through the cracks around the door, carrying the crisp, early-evening air that always seemed chillier when something was off.
“I need to go now,” I said.
“What about the others?” Twobble asked. “Keegan’s going to notice you’re gone.”
“I’ll tell him when I get back,” I said, though I knew exactly how that conversation would go, and I didn’t have time for it, not when the pieces were shifting this quickly.
Twobble followed me out onto the small path leading away from the Academy, his shorter steps quick to keep up with mine.
“Maeve,” he said, softer now. “What if she doesn’t know?”
I didn’t slow down. “Then we keep looking.”
“And if Gideon doesn’t want to be found?”
I let out a quiet breath, the weight of that question settling deep in my chest.
“Then we find him anyway,” I said. “He has something he shouldn’t.”
“But do you actually want it?”
I didn’t answer.
The alley toward town was dimly lit, as Stonewick settled into its evening rhythm, shops closing, voices fading, magic quieting just enough to let the night take hold.
But even with all of that, something felt… off.
The shadow mark stirred again, that cold sensation threading through me in a way that made my steps falter for just a second before I pushed through it.
Twobble noticed because, of course, he did. He was my sidekick.
“You felt that,” he said.
“I’m fine,” I replied quickly.
“You’re not fine.”
“I don’t have time not to be fine.”
He didn’t respond right away, and when I glanced down at him, his expression had shifted into something more serious than I’d seen from him in a while.
“You’re going to push yourself too far,” he said.
“Probably,” I admitted. “But not tonight.”
We reached the village center with the familiar storefronts coming into view, and I felt a small, strange sense of relief when I spotted the warm glow spilling from Luna’s shop window.
At least something was still open.
At least something was still normal.
I slowed as we approached, my hand hovering for just a second before I pushed the door open, the soft chime above it ringing out into the quiet space.
The scent of wool and lavender wrapped around me immediately, warm and steadying in a way that made my shoulders drop just slightly despite everything pressing in on me.
Luna looked up from behind the counter, her needles stilling mid-motion as her gaze landed on me.
“Maeve,” she said, her tone gentle but knowing. “I was wondering when you’d come by.”
I blinked. “You were?”
She smiled faintly, setting her knitting aside. “You’ve got that look.”
Twobble leaned in close to me. “You do have a look.”
I ignored him and stepped further inside, letting the door fall shut behind us.
“I need your help,” I said.
Luna nodded once, like she’d already expected that too. “It’s about Gideon.”
I didn’t bother asking how she knew.
“Yes,” I said. “Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”
Luna’s gaze held mine for a long moment, something thoughtful passing through her expression before she reached for the yarn beside her, her fingers brushing over it like she was listening for something only she could hear.
“He didn’t just leave,” she said slowly. “He was pulled.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Pulled where?” I asked.
Her eyes lifted back to mine.
“Somewhere he didn’t plan to go.”
“Skonk is with him,” I explained. “And word has it that the Priestess has readied her dungeons, and she might have already moved my mom to one.”
Luna’s jaw tightened. “This is getting complicated.”
“I think it has been that way since the moment I set foot in Stonewick.”
I looked around Luna’s quaint yarn store and couldn't believe how much I had changed since the first time I came in here. I'd grown confidence while skating into many missteps, but persevered, even when I wasn't sure what the next step should be.
And that was where I was at now. I didn't know what my next move needed to be.
Luna watched me for a long moment, her fingers resting lightly on the yarn in her lap like she could feel the threads of something deeper running through it.
“You’re not lost,” she said quietly. “You’re just standing at a point where every path matters.”
I let out a small breath. “That doesn’t make it easier.”
“No,” she agreed. “It doesn’t.”
Twobble wandered toward a basket near the counter, poking at a bundle of soft blue yarn like he might uncover a hidden answer tucked inside it.
“So,” he said, glancing back at us, “do we have a plan, or are we going to stare meaningfully at string until something reveals itself?”
Luna’s lips curved slightly. “Sometimes that works better than you’d think.”
“I don’t doubt it,” I said, stepping closer to the counter. “But we don’t have time to wait for something to maybe happen. If Gideon was pulled somewhere, then it wasn’t random.”
“No,” Luna said, setting the yarn aside and standing. “It wouldn’t be.”
She moved toward one of the shelves, her hand brushing along the rows of neatly wound, vividly colored skeins as if she were tracing a pattern only she could see.
“Magic leaves impressions,” she continued. “Not always visible. Not always loud. But it lingers. Especially when it’s tied to something powerful.”
I knew where Luna was going with this because her fiber arts had led us places before. The magic touched the threads, leading through doors, opening up worlds in new ways of looking at things. But right now, I didn't feel I had the patience.
“The stone,” I said.
“The stone,” she echoed.
Twobble perked up. “So we follow the impression.”
Luna glanced back at him. “If we can find it.”
I crossed my arms, thinking it through. “You said he was pulled. That means something called him.”
“Or someone,” Luna added.
That didn’t sit well.
“Do you think the Priestess could do that?” I asked.
Luna shook her head slowly. “She could set things in motion. She’s not waiting anymore, Maeve. You can feel that.”
I nodded, because I could. It wasn’t just the shadow mark or the birthmark or the strange pull that seemed to hum beneath everything lately. It was the way the world felt just slightly off, like something had shifted and hadn’t settled yet.
“I need to find him,” I said, the words coming out firmer this time. “Not just because of the stone. Because of Skonk too. He made a choice, and now he’s in it.”
Twobble straightened. “He is very much in it.”
Luna stepped closer, her gaze steady. “Then we don’t go chasing blindly. We start where the threads are strongest.”
I frowned slightly. “Meaning?”
“You,” she said simply.
That caught me off guard. “Me?”
I knew my mom was in even more danger. When the Priestess first captured her, she probably made my mom feel welcomed, but once my grandma realized, my mom wouldn't budge; she was ready to discard her. Time was not in our favor.
“You’re tied to the stone now,” she said. “Whether you want to be or not. That connection you feel… it’s not one-sided.”
I swallowed, my hand almost lifting toward my shoulder before I stopped myself. Ever since my injury and the shadow mark that was left behind, I'd felt different.
On one hand. I felt more connected to something I didn't understand, but it also felt isolating. I didn't want to believe I was connected to anything related to my grandmother or to shadowing. But the stone had been communicating with me; I felt it.
“You think I can track it.”
“I think you can try,” she said gently. “And I think you won’t be alone when you do.”
Twobble nodded. “I’m excellent at providing company. I’ll come along.”
I glanced at him. “That’s not comforting. The thought of you in danger is more than I can handle.”
He shrugged. “I'm an old pro. Danger is my middle name.”
Luna reached for a small bundle of yarn, deep silver threaded with faint streaks of something darker, and placed it in my hands.
“This won’t tell you where to go,” she said. “But it might help you listen better.”
I looked down at it, feeling a faint warmth pulse through my palms, subtle but there.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
She smiled. “You already know what you need to do. You’re just waiting for permission to believe it.”
I let her words settle, as my grip tightened slightly around the yarn.
“I’m done waiting,” I said. “It's time to get my mom back and face my family's past.”
Twobble grinned. “That sounds promising.”
I laughed and glanced toward the door before bringing my gaze to Luna. “I’ll talk to Keegan. We’ll figure out the next step.”
“You will,” she said. “You’ll know what to do.”
And for the first time since the evening had unraveled, I felt like maybe that was true.