Page 82 of A Fate In Moonstone

“Gregory and I were lovers many, many centuries ago. He was so handsome, and smart. Something all the women in my lineage are found of. Intelligence.” She sighed, and her hair shifted to pink before she inhaled again.

“But like all things, there’s a balance. Gregory became obsessed with core magic. Understanding it, needing to know more and more. Pushing limits that should not be pushed. He was playing fate with his experiments, and while his research was a success…” She swallowed and paused. Like the memory was too much to speak of. “He pushed too far, and one of the people he experimented on slit his throat.”

What the hell was in this journal?

Cautiously, I scanned through the notes and closed it after seeing diagrams of bodies split open.

“He found my moonstone which allowed stabilization in the procedure. The bodies were more resilient, and their intuition strengthened. With the guidance of Gregory and the dagger, a Fae could remove their core from their body and become human.”

What the fuck?

My head shook and I set the book down with a loud thud.

No way. This was my destiny? I don’t think so.

“Take my core out? My sapphire core? The very thing that makes me who I am? Like out of my body and become human?” Not that there was anything wrong with humans, but still. I was Fae. A Fae princess because of the gem core.

“Yes, Princess. It is your only chance of escaping death.”

Truth.

I shot up and this time I did not fall. My body remained steady, my magic hummed beneath my skin like it heard every word and wanted to rebel.

“The poison is acting like a parasite in your body. It’s connected to your essence, using it against you until your body cannot contain it. You must separate your core from this parasitic poison. Even for just a moment. It will die the moment it loses that connection.”

I can’t believe this. I had to be dreaming still. A nightmare even.

“And you’ve seen this? Seen me do this and make it out?” I paced. “Can I put it back in or will I be human forever? Will this sever my mating bond with Rune?”

Magrithia waited in her original elder form again as I got the steam out.

So many questions and she wasn’t jumping to answer them. Could she? Seers knew not to reveal too much. Would I go through this insane plan if I knew those answers?

Resigned, I plopped onto the couch and stared at my fate on the table.

“I don’t want this.”

“No one ever wants a hard destiny. But it is yours whether you struggle, scream, or ignore it. You are dying, and you can feel it.”

My gut tightened. I didn’t want to feel it, but now I couldn’t un-feel it.

“You can let it consume you or you can fight. I already know which you will choose. But you still have to make it and hope you picked the right one. You cannot know for certain.”

My hands ran down my face and I groaned.

We both know what I’d choose and I hated it. There really wasn’t an actual choice to me. I wasn’t the type of person to give up. I was a fighter. I’d fight to stay alive. I’d fight to save magic. I’d always fight until my body gave out. It’s who I was.

“This is gonna suck.”

“It’s not an easy path ahead. But trust the journey, young princess.” That sounded familiar. I peeked through my hands and Magrithia’s eyes glowed like a fiery blaze. “For in the darkest of days to come, faith that your path will lead you to a brighter future may be all that stands between you and the end.”

Celestine’s words as well.

“Now let’s get you back to Crystoria.”

Chapter Forty-Six

Rune stopped touching me twice in the past three hours.