Nova gestured to the floor, where a circle of chalk and light had already been laid
Crystals marked the cardinal points, each humming with a different tone. I’d not used this spell before, but I recognized the symbols for grounding, release, memory, and protection.
“Twobble,” Nova said without looking away from the circle.
“Yes, oh, terrifying oracle?” he replied.
“You’ll anchor the perimeter.”
Twobble blinked. “I will?”
“Yes.”
His chest puffed out. “Finally.”
“Don’t get cocky,” Bella muttered. “Or you’ll wind up like the toad.”
Skonk shifted closer to the door. “Skonk, you’ll watch the outside Wards.”
“Are you trying to chase me away from all the fun?”
Nova smiled. “You’ll never know.”
Ardetia inclined her head. “I’ll stabilize the spell lattice.”
“And I’ll stay with Celeste,” Bella added. “Body and breath.”
Keegan glanced at me. “And you?”
I swallowed, realizing my daughter didn’t need me in this moment. “I’ll be right here.”
Nova’s gaze flicked to me briefly, knowing and kind. She could sense the tension I was carrying, the way my magic hadn’t quite settled since the mirrors.
But she didn’t press. Nova simply nodded in my direction, as if acknowledging a truth that would be dealt with later.
And then my ex ribbited again.
“Enough,” I said firmly. “You’re about to be human again. Act like it.”
He went still.
Celeste took her place in the circle, shoulders squared, hands loose at her sides. Nova positioned the toad at the center, adjusting him gently but firmly so he couldn’t hop out of place.
“Last chance,” Nova said softly.
Celeste exhaled. “I know.”
As Nova began to speak, the shop responded. Tarot cards slid from their shelves and hovered in a slow orbit, images flashing briefly—The Tower, reversed. Judgment, softened. The Star, bright and steady. Crystals flared, light threading through the circle in quiet harmony.
I watched my daughter breathe.
In.
Out.
In.
The magic stirred with intention. It responded to Celeste’s presence like it had been waiting.
