Return now to your grave,
I say to you, god of poor death,
This world be no longer your slave.”
The druid girl was solemn as she said, “Once the Worldweaver recites the words, she shall use the silver crown’s power to surrender her magic in order to trap Droga.”
“Indeed. Using the crown’s power to imprison Droga will take all of her energy. It will surely kill her,” the leader stated. “If the Worldweaver desires Droga back in his grave, she’ll have to sacrifice herself to do it.”
The druid girl bowed her head. “So mote it be.”
The druids before me began to bleed into a melting painting of color. Just before the vision broke, I felt a warm sensation take over my body as the words resonated inside my mind, over and over like a song on repeat. The Pool of Memory had used its magic to embed the incantation into my mind, so I’d never forget it.
The vision fell away, and I awoke as if from a dream. I withdrew my hand from the Pool of Memory, and found that I was still clutching on to Ethan’s hand. He opened his eyes, and we stared at each other for a few moments, dazed as the visions the Pool had given us slowly faded from our eyes.
“What did you see?” I asked.
“My vision didn’t pertain to the crown, so you first,” he said.
I told Ethan everything I’d seen in the vision— everything, except that the crown’s magic would take my life. If I told him that, he’d try to stop me from finding it, and we were so close to our goal that I couldn’t have him stopping me now.
His look was thoughtful as he said, “So the druids died out because they used all their magic to forge this crown. Utilizing the wolven stone in such a way killed them, and their race.”
“I think the woman who advocated for the crown’s forging was Odette’s ancestor,” I said. “They looked very alike.”
“And what they said matches up. I found the wolven stone in the royal treasury, though I didn’t know what it was at the time I forged it into your sword, and therusalkadid give the crown to Odette,” Ethan said.
“If the druids were right, the crown would be able to counteract the magic in the Crystals of Harmony, and stop Droga. Or at least, put us on equal footing, so we could fight him without being obliterated immediately,” I said. “We need to get our hands on it.”
We stood. I brushed off my cloak as I asked, “What did the Pool show you?”
Ethan took a long moment to himself before he responded. “A blonde woman. She was dressed in armor and standing on top of a hill, the eve before a great battle. I could tell there was some sort of conflict going on, because there were soldiers below. I… I think it was Kalina.”
“Really?” My eyes widened. “So we must’ve failed to defeat Droga after all.”
“Perhaps. There was a dark-haired man beside her. I believe he was her mate.”
“Why would the Pool show you something like that?” I asked.
“There’s more. Kalina shifted.”
“What? You mean, into a wolven?”
“Yes. She was a she-wolf with silver fur.”
I shook my head. “That’s impossible. She’d be the only sorceress that could shift.”
“I’m starting to learn nothing’s impossible where Kalina’s concerned,” Ethan said. “Once she shifted, the man climbed on her back and pulled out a wand. Emma, she’s mated to a warlock.”
Fae could mate with people outside of our own race, but for us to be with someone from the Miriamic Coven was laughable. Witches and fae hated each other, and always would.
But Kalina had been the exception in every case. “All of that seems improbable, but if the Pool of Memory showed it to you, it must be true.”
“I think it was the same vision of the future Elijah saw when he came to the Pool of Memory. It’s the next Great Supernatural War.”
“How old was she in the vision?”
“Twenty, at least.” Ethan was quiet for a moment, before he asked, “Does that mean we lose the war, and Droga takes over everything?”
