The good druid nodded. “Yes, he can transmute certain objects, and sometimes restore broken ones. Which is why I think he might be able to fix your staff. I saw him once restore a book that had been thrown into afire.”
A thrill ran through me. If we could get my staff back I would have the best of both worlds, my mom’s necklace and my staff. Ardan wouldn’t stand a chance against me. I would be able to pull my magic from the Earth and keep my dragon alive, while also keeping the skyborn hidden with mynecklace.
“Now whether or not he will do it is another matter,” Isaac said, leaning back and closed hiseyes.
I shared a look with Logan. I’d told him about Isaac’s confession of sleeping with Rufus’ wife. This was going to be an interestingday.
As our car climbed the elevation, snow started to dot the treetops and it reminded me of Flagstaff. I was a world away from that time. I’d written my best friend Jen just to tell her my old cell phone was gone and I had no internet for my laptop. I’d given her my new number but hadn’t heard from her. She was still traipsing around Europe, oblivious to the life I was living. I didn’t think I could ever go back to it, to being normal, human, or whatever. This was it. I looked over at my mate and reached for his hand. Logan was my life now, so was Casey, Nadine and the whole pack. Making the world safe for us was my mission. My mother’s missiontoo.
“You okay?” Loganasked.
I gave him an easy smile. “Just reminiscing about Flagstaff, college andstuff.”
He nodded. “Feels like a lifetime ago,huh?”
I sighed. “Yeah.”
I lay my head against the cool windowpane and sleep started to pull at me. I’d always been narcoleptic in cars—something about the smoothness of the ride. If I was a passenger, I was guaranteed to nap. As my eyelids started to close, I let the heaviness of sleep take me and immediately started todream.
“We’ve got it, sir!” the truth witch said as he stood in the corner of the stone castleroom.
Ardan sat behind a large desk, hands clasped, eyes razor sharp. “Did you bring meher?”
The truth witch sagged where he stood and looked at the ground. “Well, no, sir, but I’ve figured out a way to transfer her fire druid magic toyou.”
Ardan looked mildly impressed. “Well, we need her back in order to do that, don’twe?”
The truth witch swallowed hard. “Yes, sir. I’m working onit.”
Ardan’s hand flung out and a gust of wind slammed the sorcerer against the stone wall. “TRY HARDER!” hebellowed.
The door on the far wall opened then, Steven walked in with a dozen powerful-looking druids. They all wore sleek business suits with some form of Celtic tattoo on their face orneck.
“Lord, we’ve got word that she’s been seen in Northern California. She … took out a pack of druids we sent after a skyborn that was in thearea.”
Ardan stood, veins popping in his neck, looking enraged. “Shewhat?”
Steven didn’t repeat himself. He just stared at theground.
Ardan looked at the men before him. “Gentlemen, thank you for coming. The time has come to cleanse the Earth of the weak, so that the strong may prosper. Will we bring back the land of Faery, Faery will exist onEarth.”
The men all raised their fists in agreement and suddenly I heard ascream.
“Sloane!” Isaac’s voice cut through my sleep and the scream, I realized then it was my own voice resounding in theair.
The dream … it felt so real … I think itwasreal. “I had a dream about Ardan.” I sat up and quickly recounted everything. Logan’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the wheel with an ironfist.
“He’s going to come for us in droves to try to take us out, and humanity along with us,” Logansaid.
Isaac exhaled. I hadn’t shared with Logan what the good druid had told me about seeing glimpses of the future. It was clearly a private thing and I respected that. But I hoped Isaac hadn’t seen anything like what Logan had justforecast.
He touched Logan’s shoulder. “I think you’re right. We just have to be ready for him when he getshere.”
I chewed on my inner lip. “He knew we were in Northern California,” I said,paranoid.
Isaac nodded. “But he doesn’t know where exactly, so as long as we can keep our location a secret we have the upperhand.”
“We’re almost here anyway.” Logan eyed the navigation screen on thecar.
