“Oh yes, I do!” Odette piped. “Verymuch. Emma, meet Augustus Antov. He’s my go-to source whenever I need to write an essay for my History of Malovia class.”
It seemed weird a big guy like him was into history. “So… you work at the Alicorn Hall of History?” I asked.
“I know it’s unexpected, but research is kind of my thing,” Gus explained. “Along with wooing the ladies.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “We’re not staying long. We just came to ask a question.”
“Ask away.” Gus stirred the cider on the stove. “I’m all ears.”
“We need to research thedryca, for a school project,” Odette explained. “We’ve looked in the school library, and in other places, but books aren’t going to give us what we need. Do you have any resources to get us started?”
“It’s smart that you came to the alicorn village if you’re looking for history on the dryca. There were more druids in our Faction than there were in all the others.” Gus rubbed his chin. “But if youreallywant to get the full druid experience, you’ll have to go to the Pool of Memory.”
“The Pool of Memory?” Theo asked. “What’s that?”
“It’s an ancient pool where the druids left their knowledge when they began dying out, to preserve it,” Gus said. “It’s a well-kept secret. Any Arcanea who dips their hand into the pool will access some wisdom of thedryca, though it’s the Pool’s decision to choose what knowledge to bestow.”
“How do you know about it?” Theo asked.
“My class took a visit to it when I was in graduate school. It’s typically a place only fae historians know about,” Gus replied. “It’s very far away though— took a whole weekend to get there and back. Not to mention dangerous. Place is crawling with monsters.”
“Could you tell us how to get there?” Odette asked.
“Sure.” Gus paused. “What do you need it for? This seems like a lot of work for one school project.”
“It’s for Korva’s class,” I rushed to say. “She’s being really tough on grades this semester. She wants photo documentation and everything.”
“Ah, old battleaxe Korva,” Gus said, not too fondly. “That explains it.”
I relaxed. Korva’s reputation as a huge bitch prevented Gus from asking too many questions.
“So you’re sure going to the Pool will help us with our… project?” Odette asked.
Gus gave a nod. “It’s one of the few remaining druid ruins that haven’t been demolished. Here.”
Gus rifled in a cupboard. He found a map of Malovia, then drew a line on it across a quarter of the country, circling a spot that wasn’t near any city or town. “Whatever you need will be there.”
“Thank youso much, Gus. We’re sorry we can’t stay, but it means everything!” Odette gushed. She snatched the map out of his hands and ran outside.
“It’s nothing, sweetheart,” Gus called after her. “I’ll see you soon!”
As we walked down the street, I asked, “Are you guys sure this is going to work? The Pool of Memory sounds pretty random with the knowledge it gives you.”
“Odette’s a seer, which means she’ll be able to accessallthe contents the Pool has to offer,” Theo said. “Thedrycaleft it there for new druids who need information, so if Odette asks it a question about where the alicorn stone is, the Pool will have to answer— provided thedrycagave it the information we need.”
“So what are we waiting for? Let’s go,” I said impatiently.
“We can’t go there today,” Theo said. “Gus said it took a whole weekend to get there and back. We’ll have to take a day trip to get thereif we hurry, and the place might be crawling with monsters. We must take everyone with us to make sure we stay safe.”
Disappointment flowed through my veins. We had to wait a few more days, until all our friends could come to the Pool with us? That felt like forever.
“We’ll get there, Emma,” Theo said. “Don’t get too discouraged.”
Hard to do that when your entire magical race was on the line. But at least we were one step closer.
Odette skipped brightly down the road. “Hey, at least it gives me some time to start packing.”
Theo screeched to a halt. “Packing? For what?”
