if the king and queen are quashing any useful information to the people.”
I sat back. “But, regardless, it’s not our concern. We need to focus on finding the stones.”
Emma’s face was curious. “Really? You’re letting it go that easily?”
“I promised you I’d change, onawilke, and change for the better. I’m keeping my promise,” I said as I grasped her hand. “I’ve ceased to be obsessed with what the monarchy is doing. Eli is no longer my priority.”
Emma smiled, and moved nearer to me. My insides continued to warm. It was like we were growing closer every passing second. Despite what we’d gone through, our walls had come down, and what we’d been through had only helped to make us stronger. I was so attached to her now, I couldn’t think unless my thoughts were of her. The overpowering feelings I felt for Emma were animalistic. These days, I felt more wolf than man, and there was no place I’d rather be.
Odette raced into the cafe, her pink knitted hat bobbing on her head as she waddled to us.
Her blonde hair was matted with snowflakes as she flung herself onto the table and gave a dramatic gulp of air.
“Guys, we found it, we found it!” Odette exclaimed, cheeks bright and nose pink against the cold. Theo came stumbling after her, trying to breathe.
“You found what?” Emma asked.
“We think we discovered the thing,” Theo hissed, glancing around. “We should go right now.”
His tone was urgent. We barely shared a glance before all of us snagged our coats. We followed Odette and Theo outside, where a heavy snowfall was coating campus. Chunks of snowflakes trickled down, making snow banks that were three feet high or more.
“Where are we going?” I asked as Theo led us beyond the university gates and into the forest. “I’m assuming you found the alicorn stone.”
“We did, or at least, we think so,” Theo said in a rush. “Odette and I brainstormed, and I think her visions have been leading us to it all along.”
“We can’t have overlooked it this whole time,” Stefan argued.
“Yes we did. The Pool of Memory showed me a stone gate, remember?” Theo asked. “I knew it had to be the location of the Alicorn Court. I went looking for it after we returned. I found it, and thought the gate might act as a portal to where the Alicorn Court is, but it didn’t work. I tried passing through the gate over and over, but nothing happened. I figured the portal was dead.”
“If it didn’t transport you anywhere, isn’t it?” Emma asked.
Theo shook his head. “No. The stone gate is a trick. I kept on ruminating on what Lady Iris told us— the gate will open when you discover the door. It didn’t make any sense, at first, until I realized the riddle was actually a clue, instructions on how to find the Court. I went to the stone gate thinking it might be a portal, but I didn’t believe it was one. Lucien said for fae magic to manifest, you have to believe the spell will work, or it won’t. If we believe this time—”
“The portal might appear,” Emma breathed. “Theo, you’re a genius.”
“And it’s an excellent way for the Alicorn Court to hide their location,” I added. “Someone looking for the Court might come across the gate, but if they don’t have faith that the gate is an actual passageway, they’ll never find what they’re looking for.”
“Exactly.” Theo increased his pace to nearly a jog.
We ran for about thirty minutes. Then the trees parted, and all of us looked up as we came face to face with a large round gate. The gate was completely made of stone, and surrounded by ruins. It was big enough for an alicorn to pass through in their shifter form.
Theo and Odette stopped in front of the gate. We gathered around them, until Emma spoke up. “Wait. The rest of us should hold back.”
“Why?” Alexei asked.
“Because this is the entrance to the Alicorn Court. I bet only alicorns can open the gate, like how Stefan and Delmare were the only two who could get past the ward to retrieve the dragon stone,” Emma said. “Maybe the gate only opens for alicorns.”
“Fair point,” Theo acknowledged. “Everyone stand back.”
The rest of us stood a good twelve feet or so away from the gate, so it wouldn’t detect our presence as Theo and Odette faced the stone circle. Theo observed the gate calmly, like he knew the portal would