Ethan bounded toward the portal. I closed my eyes as the portal enveloped us completely, hoping to the gods it didn’t spit us out on another planet we didn’t know.
I smelled the meadow around the Willow Maiden before I saw it. I opened my eyes, and felt spring sunlight encompass me as Ethan sailed through the portal and back to Malovia. He landed on his feet, and stumbled. I went flying off, rolling into the base of the Willow Maiden with my head still spinning.
I looked around. We’d spent hours in Edinmyre, but by the sun’s position, it didn’t look like any time had passed here at all. Milonna was right. Time moved differently there.
“You all right?” I felt Ethan’s hands lift me up. He was a man again, and set me upright. I leaned against the base of the Willow Maiden. I was back in my normal clothes, and as far as I could tell, my wings, tail, and wolf ears were gone.
I shook my head to clear it. “Yeah... I think so.”
“Wee!” There was a happy cheer as Odette and Theo jumped through the portal, with all the grace of a horse and his rider. They landed gracefully, and Odette slid off Theo’s back before he changed into a man.
Alexei flew through the portal with Kiara on his back. He helped her off, though he looked a little dizzy as he became a man again.
“Are you okay?” Kiara asked in concern.
Alexei rubbed his temple. “I’m fine. The headaches get bad when there’s a lot of emotion, you know?”
I was about to ask who was getting emotional, until Stefan and Delmare emerged through the portal, making out the whole way. Fucking really?
“Okay you two, get a room,” I teased. Now that the floodgates were open and Delmare no longer felt the need to hide her feelings, they were being totally gross.
Stefan pried his mouth away from Delmare’s and pointed at me. “In a moment. What are we doing with that thing?”
He gestured to my bag. I withdrew the dagger. It looked even more splendid here than it did on Edinmyre. The silver had an exceptional glisten to it, and the ruby’s red color was so vibrant, it appeared to be not of this world.
“I think it needs to go to Delmare,” I said, handing it to her. “It feels right.”
“Me?” Delmare balked as she took the dagger in hand. “Why? You’re the Worldweaver.”
“I think each crystal should go to its main Faction,” I said. “Not to mention I don’t feel safe holding onto them all. If all the crystals are in one place, it makes it easier for Gabby and Eli to find them. If we keep them separate, there’s a better chance of keeping them in our possession.”
Delmare nodded. “I agree. I’ll keep this safe for you, Emma, until the time is right to use it again.”
“Are we using it again?” Alexei asked aloud. “I mean, Edinmyre is cool, but it’s kind of dangerous.”
I shrugged. “If we figure out there’re more stones in Edinmyre than on Earth, we’ll have to.”
Kiara tapped her chin. “I can do some research about it. I don’t know much about the Crystals of Harmony, but there have to be some clues out there on where they are.”
“The way that dagger healed Stefan was amazing,” Ethan said. His voice was filled with excitement as he said, “Maybe we can use it to heal Emma!”
There was a long, dramatic pause that was full of tension. Panic crossed the faces of my friends. In a small voice, Odette uttered, “Heal... Emma?”
Ethan’s face fell when he realized what he’d let slip. He glanced at me in a panic, but I shook my head to let him know it was all right. It was time. My friends needed to know.
I gestured toward the tree. “I should probably talk to you guys about something.”
“Oh my gosh! Emma, are you sick? Are you dying?” Odette gushed. Her eyes welled with tears. “I shouldn’t have been so mean to you! I’m so sorry!”
“It’s not like that. Please, sit down,” I said.
The six of us sat at the base of the Willow Maiden. The Companions took their place next to the Marked as they watched me expectantly, waiting anxiously.
Ethan was at my side. His cheeks were tinged with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Emma. I didn’t mean to tell them.”
“Tell us what?” Delmare said. Her tone was pissed, but she looked more upset than anything.