“From this far away,” Ardetia added, thoughtfully. “It’s pretty difficult to do.”
Nova gave a small nod. “Distance matters. Wards matter. Anchors matter. And your mother—” She paused, her expression tightening in a way that suggested she was choosing her next words with care. “Your mother is not a weak mind.”
The compliment didn’t help. If anything, it made my stomach turn because once again, it pointed to my mother choosing to walk into the compound.
“Strong minds can still be targeted,” I offered.
Nova didn’t argue.
“Yes,” Ardetia said quietly. “They can.”
I blinked a few times, trying to steady myself.
“Then what do we do? I can’t…Nova, I can’t just sit here and wait for her to… disappear. I’ve heard the stories about the Priestess’ previous kin. I don’t know how much time my mom has left.”
“Were there any clues?”
I sighed, knowing this wouldn’t exactly plead my case. “She left me a note.”
Nova and Ardetia’s expression softened at that bit of news. They knew what stories I meant, but the note also signaled premeditation.
“We don’t sit,” she said. “We’ll follow the trail. We’ll face what’s real before fear starts filling in the rest.”
My chest tightened.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“First,” she said quietly. “Tell us exactly what you know, where she was, when she left. Who saw her? What the note said.”
“I know,” I said too quickly. “Twobble saw her. Caleb saw her. The orcs saw her. There was a figure past the tree line—”
“Not all at once,” Nova said gently. “Breathe.”
I drew in a breath and let it out slowly while trying to make my body listen.
Ardetia glanced toward the doors again.
“We can’t leave the students alone,” she said under her breath.
“They aren’t alone,” Nova replied.
Only then did I notice how the Academy had quietly arranged itself around the chaos. Returning students were guiding the new ones, and teachers were spaced through the hall like steady posts. I spotted Professors Lainsley Turnel and Lara Benedim, keeping order and delegating only when needed.
Nova looked back at me. “Where do you want to start the reenactment?”
“Wait. You’re saying we should do it?” My fingernails dug into my palms.
“If it’s the only way to bring peace so that you can focus on the battles ahead, then…yes.” Nova’s gaze left mine as she glanced at the students. “Where do you want to begin?”
“We should start on the path she took,” I said. “From the gardens through the Wilds and…”
Nova’s expression shifted. “You want to physically walk it.”
“Yes.” I nodded, not knowing what else we could do.
Ardetia studied me for a moment, then glanced toward the doors, as if checking the world outside.
“We can’t recreate the exact moment that your mom made the decision,” Ardetia said quietly. “That belonged only to your mom. But we can follow the route she took and see what’s left behind in the energy that she left behind or any other magical clues.”
