“It isn’t,” she said.
Every head turned.
“The Academy knows,” Nova continued, stepping closer. “It was aware of the risk when it agreed to move Gideon to the cottage.”
Twobble crossed his arms. “That’s comforting in a deeply unsettling way.”
Nova smiled faintly. “The Academy rarely commits to long-term solutions when a short one will suffice.”
Skonk frowned. “Short-term, how short?”
“Twenty-four hours,” Nova said. “Sometimes less.”
The pieces slid together so neatly I almost laughed.
“The night,” I said quietly. “It only wanted him close for the night.”
Nova inclined her head. “Yes.”
Stella exhaled slowly. “That was when the Priestess was closest.”
“And when the circle had just closed,” I added. “Everything was raw. Exposed.”
Celeste looked between us. “So, the Academy wasn’t trying to keep him forever.”
“No,” Nova said. “It was keeping him unavailable.”
Twobble rubbed his chin. “Like putting a dangerous object on a high shelf until the chaos toddlers go to sleep.”
“That’s… one interpretation,” Nova said.
“Or goblins,” Celeste chided, and Twobble laughed.
Relief eased through me. “So, it won’t hold this against us.”
“No,” Nova confirmed. “It anticipated resistance from the Stone Ward. It allowed the outcome.”
The Academy hummed softly, as if in agreement.
Skonk let out a breath. “Well, that’s good. I was worried the building might start dropping ceilings on me as punishment.”
Twobble brightened. “Give it time.”
Celeste squeezed my hand. “So, what now?”
I looked around the hall, at the ancient stone and soft light, at the place that had chosen when to intervene and when to step back.
“Now,” I said, “we stay alert, but we breathe.”
Nova nodded. “The Academy is not done watching. But for today, it has released its grip.”
Twobble perked up. “Does that mean snacks and tea are back on the agenda?”
Stella smiled. “Always.”
The tension eased into something gentler as the Academy settled into its quieter rhythms. Gideon was no longer contained, but he wasn’t forgotten either.
And for the moment, that balance felt like enough.
