“I don’t know.” Nova shook her head, surprising me.
The words hung there, and even the goblins looked confused by her uncertainty.
Nova was the queen of vagueness, but this was different.
Twobble shifted uncomfortably. “That’s… not reassuring.”
“No,” Nova agreed. “But it’s honest.”
Skonk crossed his arms. “What do we do?”
Nova’s gaze drifted toward the window, toward the north, toward a place none of us wanted to think too closely about. “We watch,” she said. “We prepare. And we stop assuming every threat is moving the way we expect it to.”
I felt the weight of it settle deep in my bones.
The orcs weren’t coming for Stonewick, which meant whatever was coming next might be far worse.
Celeste cleared her throat. “I think I’m ready to turn Dad back.”
The words landed like a dropped plate.
I blinked once. Then again. “You’re… ready?”
Because the last time we’d spoken about this, she’d wanted time, space, and distance. She’d been thoughtful and cautiousand understandably unsure. Her sudden certainty startled me far more than hesitation ever could, but maybe after hearing about the orcs, she wanted out.
And that, I could totally understand.
Celeste calmly nodded.
“Hey,” I said gently. “Is everything okay?”
She let out a small breath. “Yeah. I think so. I mean… as okay as things can be right now. I doubt I’ll even be able to focus on school when I know you’re back here trying to fight…orcs. I mean, I’ve read enough fantasy books to know those are big creatures.”
I chuckled and nodded. “And I apparently should have read more.”
Nova remained still, watching Celeste closely.
My daughter shifted her weight, leaned against me, and crossed her arms loosely. “It’s just—there’s so much happening. Magic is everywhere. There’s so much I don’t understand yet. Orcs moving around and a grandmother who’s apparently very angry and very powerful.” She made a face. “Which I’m still processing.”
“That’s understandable,” I murmured.
“And Dad being a toad,” she continued, glancing down again. He ribbited softly, as if reminding us he was still present. “That’s… funny. A little. But it’s also one more unstable thing.”
My heart squeezed. “You think turning him back will stabilize things.”
“Yes,” she said simply. “I think it’s the safest thing for all of us, and I think returning to school soon is needed, or I might do something accidental.”
“Ah, but there’s a certain mystique to new magic,” Nova smiled and glanced at me. “Your mother is still in the infancy of it all, and she manages to throw us for a loop daily.”
“I can’t deny that,” I said, chuckling and squeezing my daughter closely.
I was stunned at the maturity in Celeste’s voice, and it caught me off guard. Not because she wasn’t capable of it, but because I still sometimes forgot she was old enough to see the bigger picture without being pushed into it.
“I don’t want Dad tied to this place,” she added. “Not with everything that’s going on. If there’s a chance the Priestess, or anyone else, can sense magic like that, then… I want him away from here and back to his normal life.”
My ex croaked louder, and I rolled my eyes. He was such a prima donna.
Celeste sighed. “Sorry. But you don’t belong here.”
