Instead, I kept seeing the look on the shifter’s face, felt the orc’s restraint, and saw the fear in a few of the witches’ expressions.
The hall doors opened, and I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.
Keegan moved differently from anyone else. Quiet. Grounded. His presence didn’t push into a space. It anchored it.
He crossed the hall without hurry, boots steady on the stone. There was a faint crease between his brows that hadn’t been there this morning.
He stopped at the end of the table. “You hiding?”
“I’m strategically eating,” I said, taking a sip of tea. “It’s very different, except that I’m not hungry.”
His mouth curved slightly. He slid into the bench across from me without asking.
The air shifted, just enough that I felt it in my shoulders.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Ember’s at the front desk,” he said. “I had her stay to keep an eye on things.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all.”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “The inn’s getting busy.”
“Busy how?”
“Remarkably busy.” He eyed me. “Unsettlingly busy.”
I blinked. “We just had a minor standoff on the front steps, so I’m glad things are going well everywhere.”
“I’m almost fully booked,” he continued. “For the foreseeable future.”
I lowered my cup slowly. “Tourists?”
He shook his head once, and a prickle went down my spine.
“Are they non-magical?”
Another shake of his head, and I let out a grunt. “You’ve got to tell me something.”
“Magical,” he said flatly. “Creatures of every kind.”
A pit of uncertainty formed low in my stomach.
“All of them?” I asked. “Each and every guest?”
“Yes.” He scratched his jaw and glanced around the room.
“Is this like typical fall tourism?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“No.” He bit his lip for a split second. “And they’re not here for instruction. They’re here because they think Stonewick is… stable.”
That landed harder than I expected.
“Stable,” I repeated, thinking back to the new orc arrivals.
“Safer than where they came from,” he clarified. “Things are happening faster than we thought.”
A kitchen sprite returned, this one carrying a small plate of sliced apples dusted with cinnamon. It placed them neatly between us, then glanced from me to Keegan, and I smiled.
