Keegan was already there, one arm lifted protectively as if he could physically brace the building if needed. Lady Limora stood beside him, eyes bright and assessing, skirt immaculate despite the chaos. Skonk hovered near the edge of the room, chewing on something and looking deeply unimpressed.
And then I saw it.
A pile of rubble sat where the outer wall curved toward the main doors, stone blocks scattered like someone had upended the Academy itself. Atop it all sat Gideon.
He was brushing dust from his shoulders, slowly and carefully, as if this sort of thing happened to him all the time.
He cleared his throat.
“What happened?” I asked because apparently that was the sort of question one asked when Stonewick’s most dangerous man was atop debris like it was a stage.
He looked at me, blinking once. “I assumed that when the Academy untrapped us, it understood that I could roam where I needed to go.”
Skonk let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, that’s rich.”
Twobble appeared at my side, arms folded, eyes darting back toward the sitting room. “Let me guess. You tried to be sneaky.”
“I tried to be practical,” Gideon replied coolly. “I needed some fresh air.”
“So,” Skonk said, tilting his head, “you’re saying the Academy tried to blow you up for wanting fresh air, even though it decided to keep you here to so you stayed safe?”
Good point, Goblin Friend.
Gideon winced faintly.
“Obviously, it didn’t want me to leave. I attempted to exit through the front door, and it… corrected me.”
I stared at him, then turned slowly toward the massive front doors. They stood closed, pristine, utterly unapologetic. I crossed the foyer and laid my hand against the stone, feeling the residual thrum of magic still vibrating through it.
When I pulled the doors open, the truth revealed itself.
The steps outside were gone.
Not shattered. Not collapsed.
Gone.
Chunks of carved stone lay scattered across the courtyard like discarded toys, as if the Academy had ripped its own steps free and hurled them backward with singular intent.
At Gideon.
I shut the doors slowly.
“Well,” I said, turning back to him, “that’s… committed.”
“Not the development I hoped for,” he said, sounding genuinely rattled now.
“We don’t need the Academy blowing itself up on your behalf,” I snapped, irritation slicing through my fear. “The message is clear. You’re here for the time being, so please don’t go trying to sneak off again. I rather like the architecture we have.”
“Understatement of the year,” Keegan muttered under his breath.
Gideon rubbed the back of his neck, dust still clinging to his dark clothes.
“For the record, I don’t enjoy being forcibly retained.”
“No one asked,” Skonk muttered.
He hesitated and inclined his head stiffly. “Fine. I’ll stay. For now.”
