and give him a name. Keep him cozy, and he’ll bless your home.”
I could hear the tiger purr as he rubbed his miniature cheek against my chin. I felt a warm glow of pride. “How else could I keep him happy?”
“There are many ways. But since faerie folk like stones, laying out some shiny things for him to look at would keep him entertained. I think the gem he’d like the most would be a sapphire,” Iris said.
The others froze, and the tiger faerie looked up as I blinked. Was she talking about the wolven stone? How did she know I had it?
“A ruby would work as well,” Iris said, with a glance at Delmare. The dragon stone. “But I think it best if you seek out a pink diamond.”
Her gaze was so heavy on Odette it made her gulp. Iris’ words carried an unspoken meaning.
“Hm.” I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know where I would find one.”
“If you’re seeking gemstones,” Lady Iris purred, “the first place to look would be the Alicorn Court.”
She swept off after that. Me and the girls blinked at each other.
Delmare leaned in. “Did Lady Iris just give us a hint about the alicorn stone?”
“I think so.” Odette gushed in excitement. “Ooh, we’re getting so close.”
“Doesn’t it bother anyone she knows we’re looking for the crystals?” Delmare asked in a whisper. “She basically admitted she knows we have the wolven and dragon stones.”
I contemplated the question. “No. Ethan said Lady Iris was one of the few members of the Circle that stood up to Gabby and Elijah during their trials of competency. I think she’s on our side.”
“But how does she know about the crystals?” Delmare countered.
“Maybe her goddess told her,” I suggested. “We don’t know who she worships, but if it’s Milonna, maybe she reached out in a vision or dream to Lady Iris, so she could help us on our quest.”
“The Alicorn Court? What is that?” Kiara asked. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“I haven’t either,” Odette said. “It must be a closely guarded alicorn Faction secret.”
“Whatever it means, we should investigate it,” I said. “It might lead us closer to the crystals.”
Odette bobbed her head. “Right. I’ll talk to Theo about it. Maybe we can come up with something.”
When class was dismissed, we hurried to lunch, to tell the boys what we’d found. The tiger faerie remained on my shoulder, buzzing like a bee.
I decided to name him Tygrys. Not completely original, but it suited him.
Ethan’s eyes went to the tiger faerie fluttering in a circle around my head the minute we sat down at our usual booth in the cafeteria. “Who’s this little fellow?”
“This is Tygrys,” I said. “He’s my new pet.”
Ethan held out his finger, like he would for a bird. Tygrys fluttered over and landed on it. He began rubbing himself on Ethan’s hand, like a cat would do to someone they loved.
Tygrys liked him. It was even harder to distance myself from Ethan now. I gave a short whistle, and Tygrys looked up. He floated over to me guiltily, tail hanging.
“You boys aren’t going to believe what we found out,” Odette gushed. She immediately launched into what Lady Iris had told us. I was super glad it was loud in the cafeteria so we wouldn’t be overheard, because there was no stopping Odette when she was on a roll.
“So we’re looking for a pink diamond,” Alexei said when Odette had finished. “That narrows it down.”
Tygrys licked at some sugar water I’d put in a tiny saucer. Kiara said, “Theo, do you know anything about the Alicorn Court?”
Theo hesitated. “Nothing pops to mind immediately.”
“Maybe your brother would know!” Odette piped, while Theo waved her off.
“I didn’t know you had a brother,” I said, sitting forward.
“He’s a dullard,” Theo said sourly. “I love him, but h’es certainly more brawn than brains. I hardly think he or my parents would know.”
“We should at least try,” Odette insisted. “It might lead somewhere.”
Ethan hadn’t spoken the whole conversation. He’d been staring at the table, mostly. “You’re awfully quiet,” I said to him.
He grimaced. “We have some bad news.”
Oh, great. “What now?”
“I’m supposing you haven’t checked the media,” he started.
“No. Why would I?”
Ethan took a copy of The Annual Arcanea out of his back pocket and tossed it on the table. With one look at the headline, my heart fell, and my guts twisted. I felt like I could hardly breathe. Panic crept over my skin, making goosebumps rise all along my body.