“George got him here in one piece, no thanks to you,” Twobble continued.
“George?” Bella cocked her head.
“The mule,” Twobble replied. “But thanking you?” Twobble sputtered. “You’re one mushroom short of a summer stew!”
I lifted a hand, silencing them both. “It doesn’t matter how he got there. He’s there now. And we don’t have the luxury of waiting.”
Bella nodded in agreement.
Skonk tipped his head, grin sliding back into place. “Well, lucky for you, I’m an excellent guide. Knows the Wilds better than anyone. Knows the shadows too.” His grin turned sly. “And if the shadows did this to him, then maybe I can help unravel it.”
“Why are you talking about yourself in third person?” Twobble asked.
I ignored the cousin spat and let out a deep breath. “I know right where I left him, and I could use a lot of help getting him out of the Wilds.”
“Can’t we just leave him there?” Skonk teased.
“We don’t have a choice but to bring him out,” I whispered. “If we don’t get them both to stand at the circle, willingly, Stonewick falls. The Hunger Path calls for nothing less.”
Bella’s eyes narrowed. “Then let’s make sure they both live long enough to get there willingly.”
Skonk’s grin widened as Twobble groaned again.
But me? My heart pounded with a single truth.
This was the beginning of a gamble none of us might survive, but it was the only hand we had.
Chapter Twelve
The stone hallway seemed too narrow for my thoughts. My head throbbed with the weight of secrets, and every time I blinked, I saw them both. Keegan fevered in his bed, and Gideon slumped beneath that mossy canopy in the Wilds. Two threads unraveled in the same pattern with a connection I couldn’t understand.
Before we reached the Academy’s back doors, I caught Twobble and Skonk by their sleeves. They both turned toward me with that infuriating mix of mischief and suspicion goblins wore so naturally.
“You need to understand something before we go,” I said, my voice lower, sharper than I meant. “Keegan’s curse has taken nearly as much out of him as whatever is happening to Gideon. They’re both slipping. But even though Gideon looks less dangerous, we must treat him as if he could strike at any moment.”
“Agreed.” Bella nodded.
Twobble froze. His jelly went forgotten on his chin as his brows knit. “That’s… peculiar.” He scratched his forehead, ears twitching. “Why are they so connected?”
“I don’t know, but we can’t ignore it.”
Skonk sniffed, his grin curling sly again. “Doesn’t matter why. What matters is who’s got the better chance of surviving. And if you’re dragging us into the Wilds, I suppose you’ve already decided it’s both.”
“Yes.” I met his eyes, steady despite the fear tearing through me. “It has to be both.”
The silence that followed was brittle.
“Then where?” Bella asked. “Where do we find him, and where do we take him? You can’t keep Gideon under a moss blanket forever, Maeve.”
I exhaled, the thought striking me with sudden clarity. “Keegan’s hotel.”
They all turned to me.
“Secluded,” I explained quickly, though my stomach twisted with guilt. “Still guarded by the Wards, but not in the Academy. We can keep Gideon there, protected, until we decide our next step.”
Twobble’s ears flattened, his frown deepening. “Keegan will bethrilledto find out you’ve stashed his worst enemy in his own building.”
“I know,” I whispered, my chest aching. “He’ll be furious. But he’ll be alive to be furious, and hopefully he’ll understand, eventually. If Gideon’s part of the circle, we don’t have another choice.”
