“That’s usually the goal,” Caleb muttered.
Several goblins darted between the broomsticks gathered near the courtyard wall, passing out tiny lanterns glowing with greenish light. Others tightened straps on satchels filled with herbs, charms, and what looked suspiciously like kitchen utensils.
I blinked at Skonk. “Is that a frying pan?”
“In case of emergencies.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“It’s cast iron,” he defended. “You’d be surprised.”
Twobble puffed out his chest proudly. “The goblins have organized themselves into aerial and ground support divisions.”
I stared at him. “Since when do goblins have divisions?”
“Always. We are survivors, Maeve. That doesn’t happen by accident.” He pointed toward a cluster of goblins climbing onto broomsticks that looked wildly too large for them. “Sky goblins handle message delivery, distraction maneuvers, and emergency snack distribution.”
“Don't forget medical care.” A goblin behind him lifted two bags overhead.
Twobble nodded. “Exactly.”
“Ground goblins?” I asked carefully.
Twobble’s grin widened slowly. “They tend to be in front of or behind chaos.”
“That feels accurate,” Stella murmured.
“At least you're honest.”
He gave a wicked and mischievous grin as Nova moved through the courtyard. She touched shoulders as she passed witches and shifters alike, murmuring protection spells beneath her breath. The lantern light bent strangely around her magic tonight, softer and ancient somehow. It seemed like every person she touched seemed to steady a little more.
The air felt charged, while the Academy towers loomed behind us against the dark sky and broomsticks hovered inchesabove the stone paths, twitching impatiently beneath nervous hands.
A few witches whispered to one another while adjusting cloaks and tightening boots.
One vampire witch calmly reapplied lipstick using the reflection in a floating orb.
My father stepped closer to Caleb near the gates, and for the first time in my life, I saw them not as alpha and outsider. I saw two men who respected each other.
“We bring them home,” my dad said quietly.
Caleb nodded once. “We’ll bring them home.”
Beyond Stonewick, a howl rose low and distant.
The shifters along the gates lifted their heads immediately.
“Is it Keegan?” I asked Caleb.
“He's closer to Celeste.”
“Then that settles it.” I tightened my grip on the broomstick as the witches around me began rising slowly into the moonlit sky one by one.
Below us, goblins scattered across the grounds carrying glowing lanterns while wolves slipped into the trees and orcs formed heavy lines near the ridge path.
For one breathtaking second, the entire courtyard moved together like a single living thing.
And standing there beneath the lantern light with magic moving through the Academy stones behind us and an army of midlife witches gathering beside me, I realized the Priestess had made one catastrophic mistake.
