Do you recognize her? Magdalina said.Her name is Damawilke. She is the queen wolf.
Magdalina kissed my forehead. The area around me began to shimmer and bend. I felt my body again, although my spirit was still floating outside of it. I realized that the trance was ending, and I didn’t want it to. I wanted to stay here with her.
“Wait,” I whispered. I reached out to touch her, but my fingers went through thin air. She was already fading.
The path before you is full of shadows, Damawilke. All you must do is walk it, Magdalina said.Be brave. And remember always to take what is yours. An alpha doesn’t cower. She demands, and owns what she wishes with a declaration of blood. Proclaim what you want with a vengeance. Only then will it become yours.
Magdalina gradually left my presence. Soon, I was back in my body, sitting on the soggy ground and feeling cold.
Lame. Earth wasn’t as cool as Edinmyre. I wanted to go back.
Arthur was still holding my hands. He blinked slowly as he came out of the trance. I was smiling, but my brother’s face appeared completely stricken.
Oh, shit. What had he seen?
Noise at the edge of the trees caught my attention. Ethan was chasing off a couple of shadowy figures with Amantha’s help. Babcia and Bapa knelt by our side and asked, “How do you feel?”
“A bit spacey,” I replied. I withdrew from Arthur’s grasp to cradle my head.
“Same,” Arthur replied in a hoarse tone. My eyes managed to focus as Ethan and Amantha came jogging back to us.
“What were those monsters?” I asked wearily.
“A couple of wraiths,” Ethan responded. “They were drawn to the area almost immediately when you slipped into the trance.”
“How long were we out?” I asked.
“Merely fifteen minutes, I’d say.”
Had it really been that short? The time I spent with Magdalina felt like hours.
“Drink this,” Babcia said. “It will restore your strength.”
She handed me the potion she’d brewed earlier. I sipped it, and found the floating feeling resided. I handed it to Arthur, and he chugged the rest.
I couldn’t wait to tell everyone about my vision. It came surging out of me. “Our suspicions were right about Lady Magdalina. She’s a goddess,” I said. “She’s Vesna, the Blue Doe of Knowledge. She spoke to me in my vision!”
“By the gods,” Ethan gasped. “Did she tell you anything about the Unseelie stone?”
“It’s in the lost city, which is actually an Unseelie haven that was abandoned when the dark fae lost the war,” I explained. “She didn’t know where the city was, though. The Unseelie fae put a curse on it, so the gods wouldn’t be able to find it.”
“I’ve heard of this place,” Bapa said. “Though it is lost to legend, we may still be able to seek it out.”
“Wow.” Amantha raised her eyebrows. “I can’t believe it. The Blue Doe of Knowledge herself.”
“The sly old girl,” Ethan said in a jolly tone. “None of us should be surprised. I often felt honored to serve her. If only I had known I was in the presence of a goddess!”
Arthur was being awfully quiet. I hoped he wasn’t offended that I’d taken the initiative and blurted out my vision. “What did you learn, Arthur?”
Arthur hesitated. He put his glasses back on before he said, “I spoke with Neva.”
“The Phantom Doe of Shadow, and the goddess of time.” I was surprised. She was the most elusive of the gods.
“Yes, the same. It took me some time to realize who she was. I’d never seen her before.”
“I’m surprised she spoke with you. She never shows up, not even when she’s summoned,” I said.
“I did swear myself to her at my Choosing,” Arthur reminded me. “I must’ve pleased her in some way.”
