be opened again. All fae in Malovia will lose their connection to this world, turn to dust, and die.
I felt myself growing cold. “So I’ll stop it. I’ll keep the portal to Edinmyre open, and the fae won’t die.”
It’s not so simple, Milonna said. If the fae are to survive, the portal to Edinmyre must stay open forever.
“How do I do that?” I asked. This already felt like an impossible task.
A long time ago, the fae were in possession of six stones, Milonna said. They were called the Crystals of Harmony. These stones are the only source of magic in the Arcanean world that can produce the magic of healing. The crystals kept the portal between the two worlds open, and allowed the fae to journey back and forth. If you find these stones, and reunite them, the portal will heal, and the connection between both lands will continue. All my other champions have failed to unite the stones. You are my last hope.
“You’re a goddess. Can’t you find them, and bring them back together?” I pleaded.
Milonna shook her head. When the gods banished the fae from Edinmyre, we all agreed not to allow them to return unless they proved themselves, she said. My husband Tomir scattered the stones purposefully, in a test to see if the fae had changed. If I interfere and gather the stones myself, it will be considered cheating by the gods. Droga is the only god who has the audacity to meddle himself with the stones.
“What does Droga have to do with it?” I was getting impatient. This was a bitch of a task already, and now the Dark God was involved.
Droga wants the stones for himself. If he has control of the portal, he has control of all the fae, Milonna responded. He is not truly dead, Emma, just waiting to be resurrected. His spirit still haunts these lands. You must prevent the stones from falling into his possession at any cost. He will send his champions to search for them as well.
The thought of Gabby and Elijah gaining control over the Edinmyre portal made me feel sick. We had to get our hands on those stones, before they did.
“Can you tell me more about the stones?” I asked. “Something that might help me find them?”
Each stone represents a different quality that embodies the heart of a true Arcanea. To find them, you must display the trait that represents each crystal, Milonna said. The wolven stone signifies undying loyalty. The next stone, the dragon stone, represents bravery.
“What about the rest?” I asked.
The alicorn stone signifies faith. The griffin stone, compassion. The last two stones, the Seelie stone and the Unseelie stone, represent the light and the dark. Both are needed for a fae to become everything they’re meant to be. Only once all the stones are reunited can the portal be reopened, and the fae can return to Edinmyre.
“I don’t even know where to begin looking,” I said in a depressed voice.
You already have one, Milonna said kindly. The blue stone that is forged into your sword is the wolven stone, passed down in the monarchy for centuries. There are only five left to go.
I gaped, while Ethan’s ears perked up. The wolven stone was in Lodburzan, the blade he’d gifted me at the King’s Contest? That was incredible.
“Where are the others?” I asked.
One crystal— the dragon stone— is very close, Milonna said. It is here in Edinmyre. If you find it, you can use it to return to Earth, and search for the rest. I cannot give you any more hints.
Milonna changed back into a doe. She reached out her velvet nose to me and pressed it against my forehead. You are my last hope, champion. Do not lose courage.
“How much time do we have before the time loop ends?” I asked, voice quivering.
Three years, Milonna replied. Before the first of the snow melts away at the end of your fourth winter.
I let out a choked noise, and my friends gasped behind me as Milonna repeated the words of the prophecy the hag had spoken to me.
The time I would die.
Milonna blinked, and in moments, she was gone. I jumped to my feet— I turned on the spot and called for her, voice echoing throughout the forest, but she wasn’t there. She’d already faded.
I dropped my head. Ethan got to his feet. I shivered as I said pitifully, “I feel so alone.”
He pushed his head up against me, and I clung to him.