I hovered on my carpet, the seekerill in front of me, and I was shaking so violently my teeth rattled. I had no idea if I’d gone anywhere at all or if the void the god had created had been an illusion and entirely in my mind. Regardless, I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my tears away.
Out of nowhere, Diredan spoke again.You may pass, female of Mistvale Kingdom.
Sagging, I nearly fell off my carpet, but just as fast, my eyesight sharpened.
Straight ahead of me, the Stone waited.
“Thank you,” I whispered. Cautiously, still breathing so quickly I felt lightheaded, I began to move my carpet forward, fearful that at any moment the labile god would punish me again.
But as each second ticked by, his promise held.
The forest remained calm.
No creatures came for me again.
And right in front of me, the Wishing Stone waited.
Magic surged around the magical gem, and it washed over me as I approached it.
Disbelief filled me that my uncle’s device had truly led me here. The irony thathisinvention would save him nearly made me weep anew, especially when the Stone fully appeared before me.
Laying upon the Wood’s floor, in a small crater devoid of any plant life, the Stone sat. It was so beautiful, so blinding, that for a moment, all I could do was stare at it.
Its magic sang an ancient song of beauty and grace. Power vibrated around it so poignantly that it called to me as I reached for the shimmering gem.
It was a million colors all at once, oscillating and shifting from shade to shade, as though it were alive and breathing all on its own. Its magical essence vibrated the air around it, and I extended my hand to clasp it.
The second I touched the Stone, a brush of wind graced my cheeks. Tingles shot up my arms, and the urge to claim it asminegrew like a lifeforce inside me.
Yes, the Stone seemed to say as I lifted it.You are worthy.
A shout rose in the distance, a male calling and cursing.
Your warrior is looking for you.Diredan’s ancient, primal voice again entered my mind. He chuckled.So many have triedto enter my domain today, but entry has been barred. I do not like how you all want to play with my creatures.
I held the Stone firmly, and it glowed and heated inside my hands. “Kole? He’s here?”
He’s been here since you entered, trying to find his way inside to follow you.
My eyes widened.And Nym, Jessip, and Felix?I cringed, waiting for the worst news, to hear that my friends had all been killed in their quest for the Stone.
The god laughed in my mind.They turned back around the second they stepped foot past my perimeter. They were no match for me. Not like you.
I sagged, breathing a sigh of relief that my Faewood friends still lived and that Kole remained outside, unharmed. “Thank you for letting me pass.”
But the god disappeared, his interest in me forgotten. I was only a fleeting second in his slumbering eternal existence, and I knew he no longer felt me worthy of his time.
Not wanting to press my luck further, I held the Stone tightly and turned my carpet around, then zoomed back the way I’d come as fast as I could go.
The creatures of the Wood watched me pass, their magic brimming and their curiosity flowing, but they let me fly by, no longer trying to maim and kill me.
Increasing my speed, I barreled back to the forest’s edge.
Ahead of me, the barrier loomed, the silvery essence calling to me.
I burst through the Wood’s perimeter and gulped in a lungful of fresh air on the other side. Behind me, the Wood’s energy pulsed, and above, the first few stars began to appear.
“Primelle!” Kole’s roar came from farther away, and then a surge of magic billowed in front of me, and the warrior was there.
