Rune had both gem and wolf cores, but not just any wolf . . . a werewolf core.
Dots lined up in my head. I wondered if he scarred himself while becoming a werewolf. His personality was prickly and feral. People usually gave him a wide berth, and he wasn’t very welcoming. They knew what he was and feared him, not only as a skilled warrior but because of his rare werewolf core.
I wondered if I asked him about his dual cores, if he would answer me honestly. Then I laughed thinking of the answer. He’d probably say no and tell me to do more arm exercises.
Princess Nyx had an amethyst core. Her hair and body matched the coloring of the purple gem. Some Fae took after their cores in appearance. She displayed the amethyst’s properties of peace, stability, and calmness. Maybe I needed to go around her tomb when Rune pissed me off. Then my thoughts drifted toward the onyx.
No one in the book had an onyx core, which continued to befuddle me. Who helped the queen protect the princess if it wasn’t the king? His core was black, but there were subtle differences. Obsidian was like volcanic glass; onyx was a simple gem. Its energy was protection, quieting, and strength. If I hadn’t just read that Rune’s gem core was a tiger’s eye, I would have leaned toward his core being onyx. It made sense that he would be the one to work with the queen to protect his love. However, if it was his strength, then he would be able to reverse what was done.
Magic wasn’t in this realm anymore. No one—not even the powerful queen—could reverse it because they couldn’t use their nature cores. The Fae were like mortals except for being long-lived.
I closed the books quickly, my mind not able to handle any more information. I set them on the table and stared at the Fae dancing in the garden below. Over and over I churned the idea of how I could possibly get the princess out of the tomb without magic. What talents did I possess for this seemingly impossible task?
There was still so much I didn’t know, so much to ferret out, and there was only one person to give me some insight. I was too wired to sleep, too invested in this overwhelming mystery. I had to talk about my finding and sort out my thoughts.
Throwing on my slippers, I peered into the hall to make sure no one was there before slipping from my room and making my way toward Celestine’s cave. Hopefully, since she had been a seer, she would know I was coming. I’d hate to wake her but I was too hyped over everything I’d learned. I needed to know more, and she was my answer.
I passed three guards on the way out, none of them moving from their posts. They only watched me. As I walked onto the grass, a brisk wind fluttered my tunic and the chill bore into my bones.
Shit. I was so determined to get out of the room and find Celestine that I forgot to grab some pants. While the thought was embarrassing that the guards had seen my bare legs, I didn’t turn around to change. My attire was still more modest than some of the Fae dresses at the ball tonight.
“Sapphira.” The cave winds whispered to me again. This time I didn’t shy away or crave to run. I took a step without faltering into the stone narrows toward the only person who could answer my questions.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Celestine waited for me by her cat-owl creatures. The first time I arrived, the sight had shocked me, but now I was more familiar with the Fae realm and its inhabitants. I wasn’t shocked when I saw some tea and grapes on a plate waiting for me on the ground by the fire.
“You do know everything, huh?” I joked, while plopping down where I was supposed to, making sure my dress wasn’t showing anything I didn’t want seen.
“I’ve only seen as far as I dared look before the magic was gone, which was thousands of years. I have some ways to go before I am surprised, my dear.” She enjoyed my light teasing.
“Then you know why I’m here.”
Her pointed fingers smoothed over the head of a white owl cat; its purr quietly echoed around the dark woods.
“I do, and you must know I can’t tell you everything.” She continued stroking the happy creature.
“I don’t understand why. If you want me to save the princess, then tell me how.” Maybe it was cheating to know the future, but I was out of my league with this place and this destiny.
Celestine pondered my words, remaining silent as she pet her friend a few more times before strolling over without making a sound. Graciously, she lowered her body, her cape drifting out of her way to across from me and the fire.
“Do you not think the future would change if I told you what was to come? Are you ready for the answers you seek?” She tilted her head to the side with interest.
If she was to tell me I would have to die in order to open the tomb, would I go through with it? Or if I was going to lose someone like the queen or Dris, could I sacrifice them?
“The destination is not what matters in a hero’s story, only how he or she got there. When all hope seems lost, the hero battles on, refusing to give up. You have it in you. You feel it in your very blood that you can do this. You’re just impatient.”
I wanted to stomp my feet and argue like a child because I knew she was right. I had only been in this realm for a week. I still had three more until I would rescue Tor. What else would occur between now and then?
“I’m afraid.” Confessing my fear aloud wasn’t easy. Better telling her than it slipping out around Rune.
“Fear is in your head; the danger is what’s real. Fear is your mind telling you to run, and if you run, you’ll never know what it’s like to live, my dear. To face the danger and leave the fear behind is a true hero’s destination.”
It was like being hit with a hammer in the chest. She was right—completely. From the nerves firing in my mind to the tips of my toes, her words seeped into my very being.
“I hope I can live up to this amazing person in your head.”
“That’s up to you. Who you want to be entirely depends on the decisions you make. You can choose to leave the survivor side of you back in the community where the rest of your former people died and become the warrior you were always meant to be. Or you can stay as you are, a survivor of the apocalypse and nothing more.”
