Page 25 of Spirit Storm

Mica thinks Brimstone has the answers and said she will continue to train and try to gain access to the secrets of the forge. I’m still thinking about that when I realize that Asher has stopped walking.

He stands with his hands on his hips, his head tilted back, looking up at one of the many spires of the academy building. Ivy has grown so thick over the stone it looks like it’s structural. "Okay, this is genuinely unhinged."

"It's just a school, Hendrix," Wylder says.

He scowls. “An incredible Hogwarts-style magic school, maybe, but not ‘just’ a school. Look at that tree. The leaves aren’t the golden leaves of autumn, they’re actual gold. Like, metallurgically, gold."

Wylder follows Asher’s pointed finger and shrugs. "The leaves of a money tree change depending on the ambient magic levels."

"And that’s the most insane sentence you've ever said to me. Like actually bonkers, dude.” He falls back into step beside me and links his arm with mine. “So, Pops, while you were here, did you just wander around here mind blown?"

"To say the least."

He sweeps a hand toward a cluster of students crossing the far path, one of whom has what appears to be a small storm cloud orbiting her left shoulder. "Is stuff like that normal here?”

“Considering that this is the place for those struggling with their magic, yes.”

He considers that for a long moment before he shoves his hands in his jacket pockets and starts walking again. "Okay, so where are we going? Do you know where they put Violet and Lily, or are we just vibing it?"

"I know their dorm cluster is in the east wing." I scan the path ahead. "But I don't know their schedules, so we’ll have to track them down."

Wylder pulls out his phone and starts tapping through screens. “I’ve got you. Just another perk to sleeping with me.”

I laugh. “But by no means the most impressive one.”

He flashes me a sexy grin, his green eyes sparkling. “Okay, Lily was let out of class twenty minutes ago and is relaxing in the gardens. Violet is still in session.”

“Perfect. Then we’ll start with Lily in the gardens.”

We strike off across campus, and the closer we get to the gardens, the lighter my heart feels.

Logically, I know Arcana was the only choice for them until we’re sure their powers are stable.

Emotionally, I’ve been swamped with guilt and worry and every other big sister abandonment, self-recrimination feeling I could stuff into my poor, dented heart.

The gardens are the natural center of the academy grounds, designed around a series of interconnected hedgerows and stone paths that branch into smaller, quieter pockets the further in you go.

I learned early on during my stay that if something needed to be figured out and the walls of my room were too close, the gardens were where to go.

Wylder leads us through the main path and then turns right at the hedgerow fork, toward the alcoves tucked along the back wall where trailing wisteria has wound itself through old iron frames over centuries.

It’s not far from the alcove where Wylder took me for my first lesson in control. Maybe he’s thinking about that too, because he’s got a soft smile warming his handsome face when he glances over at me.

Look how far we’ve come.

We find Lily tucked into an alcove bench with both feet pulled up underneath her, her sketchbook balanced on her knees, and her brown hair falling forward as she leans over her work.

"Hey, Lil. How are the muses treating you?"

Her head lifts, and her face lights up with a complete, unguarded brightness. "Poppy!"

She's off the bench in a single motion, and then she's got both arms around me and squeezing hard enough that I feel my spine shift.

I hold her tight and breathe her in. Her hair is soft under my cheek, and smells herbal from whatever the academy uses in their shampoo. Most importantly, she feels like home.

"How long are you here?" She pulls back but keeps her hands on my arms like she's making sure I can’t get away. "Please say more than an hour, because Violet will be crushed if she misses your visit.”

"Hopefully, a few hours. We’re waiting on a call from The Order, but in the meantime, we came to check on you guys, and to make sure Mica's on track."