Page 2 of Claimed By Stone
I shook my head, waiting for the guards to open the door.
"What is it?" she asked, her eyes tight with panic.
I stepped aside, revealing the crystal that sat embedded in the center of the round table. It was still hard for me to believe. After a decade of being nothing but a rock, it glowed.
A little puff of air left her mouth as she looked at the crystal. "How is that possible?"
Both of us stared at the crystal's glow in silent awe.
"I don't know,” I finally said. “I was in here until the wee hours of the morning before I finally returned to my chambers for a couple of hours' sleep. But when I returned, this is what I found."
Frema took her seat at the round table, gazing at the crystal. "I don't understand."
"I don't understand entirely either. I'm guessing it has something to do with Khuldruk. Perhaps he's found his mate."
"Have you heard from him?"
I shook my head.
"Should we go get him?"
I sat down at the table, admiring the glow of the crystal. "Let's give him some time."
"What do we do?"
I shrugged. What else could I do? This was what we'd been hoping for years. We'd been searching for a way to bring the magic back to our clan fruitlessly. When I woke up and found this, I thought I was dreaming. But it seems to glow even brighter now than when I left to find Frema.
"I think we should just keep it between us for now. We wait to see if Khuldruk found his mate, and then we will talk to him to find out what to do."
She nodded, but I could tell there was something else going on in that head of hers.
"What are you thinking?"
Her brow scrunched as she kept her eyes on the crystal's glow. "I agree with you. This stays between us for now. But I was planning on leading a training today. It might be a good time to test their strength."
"Agreed," I say. "That sounds like a good plan. I’ll stay here and do some more research, and maybe I’ll check in with the healers to see if they need more supplies and see if they have noticed anything."
"Remember subtlety, brother," Frema said.
A deep chuckle rumbled from deep inside my chest. "I'm not the one who has trouble with subtlety, dear sister."
She scowled before pushing her chair back and standing. "I'll find you after dinner and report what I’ve found."
"I’ll await your news."
She stood from the table and clasped my shoulder. "Thisisgood news! Why do you seem so unsure?”
"No," I said as I gave my head a little shake. "It is good. I just wish to know the source of its return before I celebrate."
"Well, I’m pleased nonetheless. I’ll find you later."
As Frema left, I stayed at the table looking at the crystal.
She was right, it was a good thing. I just wasn't quite ready to celebrate yet. There were so many unknowns. I don't do well with unknowns. I like to have all the information. I find comfort in understanding the world around me, and over the past couple of years, nothing in our mountain has made sense.
When I got word of the witch in the westerly woods, I knew it was a fool's wish that she might be able to help us. But here I was, gazing at our crystal that had been slowly fading since the death of my parents. I needed to make notes before I forgot anything.
I stood from the big round table of our war room and turned to make my way up the curved stone stairs leading to the upper level that housed my study and library. It was where I spent most of my time these days. I sat at my desk and pulled out my journal to make detailed notes of the day.
