I extended my palm. She pressed a shadowy ball of darkness into my palm, and said, “You can do whatever you want, including uniting the Crystals at any time you wish. There’s no stopping you. Remember the only one who stands in your way is you.”
My clone disappeared, and the forest vanished around me as I opened my eyes. I found myself sitting on the grass, a ball of shadow magic weaving around my fingers. Lucien and Ethan watched me with awe as I commanded the magic to wrap around my form. My body disintegrated into shadow, and I became nothing more than a wispy form of smoke. I floated above the ground in a column, then flew around the gardens, finding that I could fly even faster in my shadow form than I could with my wings.
The spell began to drain my energy, so I decided to touch back down before I got too tired. I was aware of the sensation of my feet hitting the ground as my body materialized from smoke to flesh. I touched my torso, and found that I’d become solid again.
“Excellent work!” Lucien praised. “I always knew you could do it!”
“I’m so proud of you, onawilke!” Ethan jumped up and down, letting out a bark and wagging his tail.
I scratched his ears and said, “It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be, facing my inner darkness. Once I was ready to confront her, I found I could survive hearing the truth. Even better than that— I could decide what I wanted to do with it. There’s no such thing as the truth, save for what I decide.”
“Precisely. Most fae are unable to embrace the darkness within. It’s a remarkable accomplishment what you’ve done today,” Lucien boasted.
“I’m not done yet,” I said. “I want to do more.”
“Maybe you should rest,” Ethan said warily. “Your spellwork isn’t quite back to normal.”
“I know my limits, and I haven’t reached them yet,” I insisted. “I think my shadow self was trying to tell me how to find the last Crystal!”
“How?” Ethan let out a mindful growl.
“Lady Magdalina said that I had the ability to find the last stone inside of me. She hinted that I already had the potential, I just wasn’t aware of it,” I said. “Maybe she was referencing something I had attempted before, but didn’t work the last time.”
“So what have you tried that failed to manifest?” Ethan asked.
“There was an Unseelie locating spell in the grimoire, remember? I tried it before, when you were possessed by the leshane, but I wasn’t strong enough to pull it off,” I said. “But I’m much stronger now. And what if I canuse the other Crystalsto locate the last stone?” I was getting excited now.
“That would drain their power,” Ethan argued.
“I’m not talking about pulling from them. Just using them as an anchor, a way to call out to the Unseelie stone,” I stated. “Would it work, Dad?”
Lucien rubbed his chin.“Hm. Since you’re merely using them as a base, rather than attempting to channel their power into your own… yes, I think it could.”
“I’m wary of you trying that spell again,onawilke.It backfired the last time, and if not for me and our bond, it would’ve killed you,” Ethan said.
“I don’t think I performed the spell correctly last time,” I said. “The incantation states that I have to find my heart’s true desire. I wanted to find the stones, but at the time, Ethan, we were broken up. All I wanted was you. And just as the spell was supposed to work, I cast it, then you came running, because you thought I was hurt.”
“So maybe the spell did work…” he mused. “I suppose we should give it a fair shot, so long as it can be done safely.”
“I’ll gather the necessary supplies,” Lucien said, already hurrying back toward the house. “Meet me in my office immediately.”
A half an hour later, I sat in a chair in the middle of Lucien’s office. The furniture had been pushed to the walls, and the five weapons that held the Crystals of Harmony were placed around me in a circle. I held a white rose in my hand, and a small knife. Lucien and Ethan waited on the outside of the circle, holding their breath.
I justknewthis would work. There wasn’t any doubt. I pricked my finger, and let a droplet of blood fall upon the white petals of the rose. In a clear voice, I spoke, “Fae ancestors of the briar, lead me to my heart’s desire.”
I had no thought on my mind but the Unseelie stone, and how badly I wanted to unite the Crystals of Harmony at the Sacred Gathering, so this war could be finished. I wanted it so terribly I could feel it deep in my bones.
My magic reached out to the Crystals of Harmony in five blue tendrils. I didn’t attempt to yank on the magic, just let the tendrils connect to my locating spell. Their warm power braided into my spell, though nothing immediately came to me.
Come on,I thought, calling out to the Unseelie stone.I know you can hear me. You want to be found— don’t deny it. You want to be reunited with the others. Show us where you are, so I can prove myself to you.
My shoulders started to slump, and I felt my body completely relax. A feeling of falling came over me as I sank into some kind of vision.
I was standing outside of my cottage in Edinmyre. I fluttered my wings— they carried me toward the crystal cave that was just outside of it, and I soared inside. Though the cave was dark, I ignited a light in my hand, which flickered off the reflection of the crystals embedded in the wall. I kept flying forward for several miles, until the cave ended and opened up to a wide world. The sky was purple, and giant mountains loomed around me. Spanning before me was a massive lake of ice as far as the eye could see.
Time sped up— I soared forward over the ice, but I was flying faster than I had the capability to. I left the frozen lake and entered mountains, winding around snow-covered trails that were shrouded by birch trees.
Then, the trees parted. I came to a massive gate made of nothing but amethyst. I looked up— there, written in Unseelie runes, was an inscription I couldn’t understand.
