“Oh, I see a sparkly trail,” Stella called. “Is that hers?”
“Follow it.” Twobble dashed toward the glitter, and I chuckled.
Keegan shifted back beside me at some point. I didn’t see him move. I just felt the change in the air. He stood at my shoulder, warm and steady and quiet in the way he always is when he’s observing something important.
“They’re not waiting for you to tell them what to do,” he said softly.
“No,” I answered. “They’re not.”
Matale looked at me again. “Is that okay?” she asked. “If we organize it?”
I blinked out of whatever daze I’d slipped into.
“Yes,” I said immediately. “It’s more than okay.”
Relief crossed her face like she’d been bracing for resistance.
“Head to the kitchen,” I added. “The sprites will love this. They’ve been bored all afternoon.”
Right on cue, one of the kitchen sprites zipped into the hall as if it had been listening. It hovered midair, head tilted.
“We’re baking,” Matale announced.
The sprite spun in a delighted circle and darted toward the doors.
“I found her.” Twobble clapped once. “Back to business. Kitchen formation! Those with pastry skills, forward. Those without pastry skills, you’re about to develop them.”
A small group of witches followed Twobble, already rolling up their sleeves as they went. The energy in the room wasn’t frantic so much as steady, purposeful.
I watched them slip through the doors before finally letting out a breath.
For the first time all day, the air around me felt lighter, as if the pressure that had been sitting on my chest had eased.
Keegan stepped a little closer.
“How are you?” he asked.
It wasn’t the kind of question he tossed out casually.
I considered it for a moment.
“Honestly?” I said. “As long as I’m not thinking about the Priestess, I’m okay. I’m good.”
He gave a small nod. “I get that.”
I leaned back against the table, watching the hall slowly empty.
“I can’t let her live in every decision,” I said after a moment. “If I do, she’s already won.”
“No,” he said quietly. “She doesn’t get that much space.”
When I turned toward him, his eyes were still on me.
Not scanning the room.
Not searching for threats.
Just me.
