Droga wants the stones for himself. If he has control of the portal, he has control of all the fae,Milonna responded.He is not truly dead, Emma, just waiting to be resurrected. His spirit still haunts these lands. You must prevent the stones from falling into his possession at any cost. He will send his champions to search for them as well.
The thought of Gabby and Elijah gaining control over the Edinmyre portal made me feel sick. We had to get our hands on those stones, before they did.
“Can you tell me more about the stones?” I asked. “Something that might help me find them?”
Each stone represents a different quality that embodies the heart of a true Arcanea. To find them, you must display the trait that represents each crystal, Milonna said.The wolven stone signifies undying loyalty. The next stone, the dragon stone, represents bravery.
“What about the rest?” I asked.
The alicorn stone signifies faith. The griffin stone, compassion. The last two stones, the Seelie stone and the Unseelie stone, represent the light and the dark. Both are needed for a fae to become everything they’re meant to be. Only once all the stones are reunited can the portal be reopened, and the fae can return to Edinmyre.
“I don’t even know where to begin looking,” I said in a depressed voice.
You already have one,Milonna said kindly.The blue stone that is forged into your sword is the wolven stone, passed down in the monarchy for centuries. There are only five left to go.
I gaped, while Ethan’s ears perked up. The wolven stone was inLodburzan, the blade he’d gifted me at the King’s Contest? That was incredible.
“Where are the others?” I asked.
One crystal— the dragon stone— is very close, Milonna said.It is here in Edinmyre. If you find it, you can use it to return to Earth, and search for the rest. I cannot give you any more hints.
Milonna changed back into a doe. She reached out her velvet nose to me and pressed it against my forehead.You are my last hope, champion. Do not lose courage.
“How much time do we have before the time loop ends?” I asked, voice quivering.
Three years,Milonna replied.Before the first of the snow melts away at the end of your fourth winter.
I let out a choked noise, and my friends gasped behind me as Milonna repeated the words of the prophecy the hag had spoken to me.
The time I would die.
Milonna blinked, and in moments, she was gone. I jumped to my feet— I turned on the spot and called for her, voice echoing throughout the forest, but she wasn’t there. She’d already faded.
I dropped my head. Ethan got to his feet. I shivered as I said pitifully, “I feel so alone.”
He pushed his head up against me, and I clung to him. “You are never alone.”
There was a beat of heavy silence, one Stefan decided to lighten with a joke. “Okay, so if one of you dudes changes back, I’ll know it’s because you’re horny,” he cracked.
Delmare facepalmed— Alexei let out a nervous laugh.
Ethan was thoughtful. “I didn’t know the stone I set into your blade was of such power. My father passed it down to me, said it was a royal heirloom, but never could I have imagined it was a Crystal of Harmony.”
“Have you heard of them before?” I asked.
“Very few times, in court gossip,” Ethan replied. “They’re considered relics, almost like the Holy Grail.”
I scoffed. That wasn’t very helpful. Nobody had foundthatin the centuries they’d been searching for it, and we had a matter of three years to find all these stones.
“Milonna wouldn’t have brought us here if she didn’t want us to help Emma,” Alexei said. “She appeared to all of us.This is our responsibility.”
“Indeed,” Kiara said, before she frowned. “Though this does seem like a tall order. Edinmyre is as big as Earth is. The dragon stone could be anywhere.”
“It doesn’t matter. Wehaveto find the dragon stone. Otherwise, we’re stuck here,” Delmare said.
Alexei flattened his feathery ears against his head. “So... Milonna only appears to those who are destined for an early death. Doesn’t that mean we’re all going to die young?”
“I don’t think so. She only spoke to me,” I said quietly. “I’m her champion. That’s the only way the death rule applies.”
