“I believe Odette told us she and Theo met arusalkaonce, some time ago during her first semester at Arcanea University,” I said, thinking back on the subject. Odette being Odette, none of us had ever taken her story very seriously, but perhaps there was something to the tale.
“Then they are very lucky. Therusalkadon’t appear to just anyone,” Gus said. “Typically,rusalkaonly show themselves to children, or those that have druid blood. Therusalkaconsidered druids their cousins, though thedrycaare all gone now.”
Emma and I shared a glance. Theo had not told his brother about Odette’s druid blood. We tried to keep that knowledge as quiet as possible. Had therusalkachosen to greet Odette because they were kin? At the time, she had not known she was a druid.
“In all the tales I’ve heard aboutrusalka, they are quite dangerous,” I commented.
“That’s because they are. Most fae who run intorusalka, especially men, are slaughtered by them, typically drowned. It’s not a good idea to go looking for them unless they choose to show themselves… unless you desire a watery grave.”
Gus studied the scale. “Did a child give this to you?”
“Yes. Why?” I asked.
“That part is important. If you had received it from an adult, it would mean the scale was stolen from a child, therefore rendering the magic useless.”
“So it’s valuable?” Emma asked.
“Yes. To find a scale of theirs is very rare.Rusalkadon’t shed their scales unless they intentionally wish to leave one behind for someone to find, and in all cases, it is only for a child. The child must give away the scale freely, otherwise, the magic will cease to work. It cannot be taken from a young one, only gifted by them.”
“A strange coincidence a child gave us one today, then,” I mused.
“Don’t call it coincidence. One of the gods probably guided this little girl to the scale, at the exact moment you were about to arrive at the village,” Gus said. “These instances don’t happen often. They’re rare enough to be considered fairy tales and acts of fate.”
“Are all gifts byrusalkaonly given to children?” Emma asked.
“No. They may gift other objects, such as things they find at the bottom of the river, and whatnot. But as in most situations with any fae, you don’t take whatever object they give you. It’s a recipe for a bad contract.”
Gus placed the scale on the table and leaned back. “As they are immortal, their magic can nearly be as strong as the gods. This scale has great power.”
“Power enough, perhaps, to appeal to the Spring Princess?” I asked hopefully.
“I think so. She will find this an exceptional item to have in her possession, but then again, so will anyone else. Keep it safe,” he insisted, handing the scale back to us.
We thanked Gus for his time, and offered him payment for his services, which he refused. We settled on donating a significant sum to the Alicorn Hall of History to show our gratitude. He left just as twilight was falling over the wolven village.
“We have what we need to make the trade,” Emma said, turning the scale in her palm. “Now all we need to do is discover where her island is, and the Seelie stone will be ours. We’re so close, Ethan.”
That we were. Another victory was within our grasp, and yet, I couldn’t help but feel anxious about the whole endeavor. A nervous rattling in my gut told me that going to the realm of the Spring Princess would have unintended consequences for whoever joined us on our quest there.
I only hoped that whatever she demanded of us, the sacrifice would be worth it to obtain the Seelie stone.
Our timein the wolven village was quiet. It was a well-needed rest from the palace, and all of its duties, which we sorely needed. I had the thought that everything was peaceful for the first time.
Unfortunately, that peace was bound to be interrupted at some point.
Emma was brewing our morning tea the day beforeHeimskanun.I smelled something was off about the tea the moment Emma poured me a cup. I stared at it, surveying the tea’s woodsy scent and wine color, which was slightly off. Emma rose the cup to her lips, about to take a drink.
“Don’t drink that!” I knocked the teacup out of her hand. It shattered on the floor. She stared at me like I’d gone insane.
“What’s going on?” Emma took a few steps backward as I carefully took the lid off the teapot. A sharp scent filled the room. The lid dropped out of my hand, clattering against the floor.
“Get back.” I grabbed Emma’s arm and pulled her away from the table.
“Why? What’s wrong with it?” Her body tensed against mine as she went on high alert.
“This is a wolfsbane tincture. It is dangerous to all wolvens, but especially shifters,” I said. “One drop of this would’ve been enough to kill us. If this had touched our lips, we would’ve been dead.”
“So even if we would’ve tasted the poison in the tea, by then it would be too late,” Emma mused.
