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Anita places a soft hand on Rosie’s shoulder, and for a moment, the hardened tavern owner softens at her touch, leaning into Anita’s hand as if she is bearing some of the darkness Rosie carries.

We share some of the same darkness after all.

I sip the bean brew created from scratch and look at the two women across the table, understanding dawning. “I can always count on you to lead me in the right direction.”

“Oh, Akemi dear, you are leading yourself. I’m just guiding the wind into your sails.”

The common room in the evening is blissfully quiet for the first time in weeks now that students are headed home for solstice break. No more cramming for finals, studying into the early hours of the morning, or fighting about the latest Solarball game.

My friends are waiting right where I suspected, though Leaf and Ramona seem a little surprised to see Esther. She was my only other option seeing that Castor was called to the front lines on the border. Rumor has it that the Jord is joining forces with the Southern Continent.

War is brewing; I can feel it in my bones.

The moon hangs in the sky, flaunting its proximity that is, apparently, fading.

“Thank you all for meeting me,” I say, taking a seat next to Esther on the couch near the fireplace. Ramona and Leaf took the leather chairs.

“Anytime,” Leaf says, taking a sip of wine. “Your note seemed urgent. What is it?”

Ramona leans in.

Esther has a notebook in her lap, already scribing the meeting with a pink feather quill. Not sure why she’s already writing with such fervor, as we haven’t said anything much yet, but I shrug it off.

I cut to the chase. “I need your help saving the world.”

Esther’s quill stretches a thick line off the edge of her notebook.

Leaf almost spits out wine, quickly covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

Ramona doesn’t flinch.

I continue, “It’s the moon’s orbit. I’ve been getting visions for a year about two different Watchers going on an adventure of sorts, collecting three different stones. The Marfik, or moon stone, the Cebalrai—star stone—and lastly”—I pull the Helios Blessing from my pocket—“the sun stone”.

All three are listening with rapt attention, though it takes all of my focus not to rip the quill away from Esther’s hand as she scratches away furiously at the page. Even her tilted handwriting is similar to Marrow’s. Her father. I jolt out of my thoughts.

“Castor and I were brainstorming in my Starwatcher lessons, and we think we need to use the stones together. We think their combined powers will be enough to pull the moon back into orbit and trap it there.”

“Are you certain?” Ramona asks.

“No, not completely,” I answer honestly, “but I do think this is the only source of magic strong enough to fix it.”

Leaf takes a long gulp. “Where do we come in?”

“Esther and I were doing some research in the library about the stones, and after Castor’s lesson… I think I know where the other two are located!”

“Oh, shit. Where are they? How can I help?” Ramona says, practically reaching toward her sheathed daggers.

“That’s the thing. I’m almost positive I know when I’m supposed to retrieve the star stone. In all my memories from the stars, it’s only been retrieved during the spring equinox.”

Esther mumbles under her breath drawing a flower on the page next to “spring equinox” before underlining it a few times.

“None of the books here have anything about it. Based on the way Lord Rollo and the Jord were torturing me for information, they don’t know either.” I shudder, and both Ramona and Leaf reach over to rest a hand on my knee. I’m not sure I’ll ever tell them the full story of what happened in the Jord.

They don’t press me for more information, which I am grateful for, so I continue. “That leaves Terraguard. I will go there during break to look for more information. I’m sure Atlys will be more than accommodating with my request to look in his libraries. We will need to wait until spring to get that stone, assuming I can confirm the location.”

“And the moon stone?” Leaf asks.

The landscape I was able to confirm in my lesson with Castor flashes in my mind. The giant trees, sparkling lakes, and vine-covered houses. “The Forest Tribe has it.”