“What is it, then?” My dad asked, moving closer to her. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Miora?”
She swallowed.
But she didn’t answer.
A louder thud sounded from above, another gargoyle settling into position. They were circling the cottage now. Guarding. Or also bracing.
Karvey took a step toward the pantry.
“Stay back,” he said over his shoulder. “The stone,” He broke off, frowning. “I can’t… hear it.”
That was wrong. Karvey always heard the stone. He could tell you what century a wall had been built in and whether someone had ever tried to blow it up just by leaning on it for a minute. For him to be deaf to it…
“Is it Shadowick?” Mom asked, voice tight.
Karvey shook his head slowly. “No. Not exactly. It’s… older than that. And not hers.” He glanced at me. “It’s closer to the Academy’s signature. But… sideways.”
The Academy.
The pit in my stomach deepened.
“A branch?” I asked. “An anchor? Elira never mentioned anything under the cottage.”
Miora flinched at my grandmother’s name.
Everyone’s eyes swung back to her.
She stared at the light, lips parted, breathing shallow. Her usually sturdy hands trembled.
“Miora,” I said gently. “What’s happening?”
The light from the cellar intensified, bleeding brighter along the cracks until it painted the underside of the table, the nearby chair legs, the toe of my boot in sharp pale outlines. It made everything look double-exposed…our cozy, mismatched kitchen, and under it, a ghost of something other.
I took a cautious step toward it.
Keegan’s hand shot out, grabbing my arm. “No.”
I looked back at him. “We can’t just stand here and watch it burn brighter.”
“We absolutely can,” Twobble said from behind Skonk, who seemed to have become his living shield. “It’s called tactical observation.”
“I agree with the goblin,” My mom said, which under other circumstances would have been a landmark moment.
The air in the room was humming now, the same frequency as in the mirror corridor, but dampened somehow by the cottage wards. It felt like standing too close to a beehive when all you can hear is the bodies moving.
My mark pulsed again, in time with the light.
“Maeve,” Karvey said quietly, “the stone is still holding. For now. But whatever it is… it’s rising along your line. It knows you’re here.”
That was not comforting.
“It’s not the priestess?” I pressed. “You’re sure?”
“If it were, the cold in here would be worse,” he said. “She pulls heat.” His mouth twisted. “This is more… neutral. For now. It could tip.”
Gideon’s voice flashed through my memory:She wants something she should never have. And if you are the key, I will play nicely.
Was this connected? A tether? Another door she’d hidden while we were looking at the Luminary?
