“Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you both so much.”
My mother blinked away fresh tears. “Will you cast your wish here?”
I shook my head and held the Stone even tighter. “I can’t. I need to be near Timith. My book from the Isle of Song states that if one’s wish is to affect another fairy, it’s best to cast the wish in their presence, lest the Stone misinterpret what your wish is and affect another fairy.” I glanced at Kole. “Will you take me to him?”
My father straightened, his aura rising. “We should bring Timith here. It’d be safer than allowing Primelle to leave these walls again.”
“That would be unwise, Your Majesty,” Kole replied. “The Council believes Timith can infect others, and if a mistake is made during his transfer...” Kole let his words hang, but his honest and firm response had my father nodding.
“Very well.” He sagged more. “In that case, take her there and straight back. No delays and no stops anywhere else.”
Kole bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Kole mistphasedme back to my aunt and uncle’s home. He grasped my hand to do so, but I could have sworn that his touch lingered when he and I reappeared in my aunt and uncle’s residence. But I didn’t pay it any further attention. Fate had given me a second chance, and there was no way I was blowing it a second time.
Since we’d materialized in the hallway, just outside of my aunt and uncle’s bed chambers, I barreled through the door, not bothering to knock before doing so.
“Prim!” My aunt shot to her feet from where she’d been sitting in the corner chair. “You’re back!” Her gaze swept over my opulent gown, her eyes widening slightly, but understanding hit her expression just as fast. And in her eyes, I saw it. The child she’d raised in secret, far from the court’s prying eyes, was in fact a princess, and the decadent dress I wore conveyed that in a way no words could.
Jamie shifted from where he stood in the corner, shooting Kole a wayward glance.
Kole inclined his head at his fellow warrior. “The king and queen have returned the Stone to Princess Primelle. They couldn’t cast its wish. Only the princess can, and Primelle has chosen to save Timith.”
Jamie’s eyes narrowed. “When did this happen?”
“Just now,” I replied.
Jamie pushed away from the wall. “I’ll need to see proof of that.”
“Proof?” My eyebrows shot up. “Why would you need proof?” I glanced between the two warriors. Jamie was eyeing Kole suspiciously, yet Kole didn’t say anything further. Annoyanceflashed through me that someone else was now trying to stop me, and I held up the sparkling gem in my hand. “What more proof do you need? I’mholdingthe Stone. How would I be doing that if the king and queen hadn’t returned it to me?”
I lifted it higher, not that I could have hidden it. A myriad of colors emitted from the glittering jewel, its size like a large goose egg, and its starlight was so brilliant that at times I had to look away.
“But how did you get it?” Jamie peered at Kole again, his eyes narrowing more.
The warrior’s expression flattened. “Enough, Jamie.”
“I don’t think so. We both know you?—”
“I’ve broken no vows,” Kole growled.
Vows?Confusion swam through me, even more so since Jamie continued to stare at Kole, but I was done with whatever the two were arguing about.
I returned my attention to Timith and tentatively peered at my uncle. His eyes were closed, and he lay on the bed entirely still. My magic streamed out of me so I could assess him more.
I gasped. Timith’s heartbeat was so faint and slow that I could barely detect it.
“Dear Gods.” I took another step closer to him until his face was plainly visible above the sheets.
My breath sucked in, and I clutched the Stone tightly.
In a way, my uncle looked similar to the creature that I’d encountered with Kole outside of Inisville, since his skin was so pale and taut. But unlike that creature, my uncle still looked fae. He didn’t look like a monster, and black claws didn’t tip his fingers, nor did his bones protrude from strange angles. But he still had those horrifically long fangs.
As my aunt had warned me, they were longer and sharper. But other than the pale skin and fangs, he still looked like Timith.
Regardless, I shuddered, and a part of me knew that without the Stone’s wish, by either nightfall or the morning, my uncle would be entirely turned into whatever he was becoming.
I swung toward my aunt and the warriors. “I’m casting my wish now. Stand back. I’m not entirely sure what it’ll do to those around me.”
