CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Sturrm steps around the gnomes sitting on the floor of the tunnel in a group cuddle.

“I’m sorry I can’t heal you one last time,” I say, peering at them over his arm.

The leader waves a weary hand. “Go, so that we may fulfill our part of the bargain.”

Dash clomps down the new tunnel in front of us, Sturrm following with long strides.

The fissure might have originally been nothing more than a vertical crack, but now it’s a good four-feet wide and eight-feet tall. Red light shines at the end, and a trickle of excitement goes through me. What will we find?

Sturrm carries me into a small cavern.

Dios mio, it’s amazing! Glowing red crystals stud the floor, walls, and ceiling, bathing the room in light and the strong hum of magic. It’s like stepping inside of a lit-up geode.

“Ohhh,” Bella sighs from beside us. “I’ve read about these but never gotten the chance to see them before.”

“Why are they red?” Sturrm frowns. “They’re supposed to be healing, not dangerous.”

But the magic that hums through the room feels kind of like mine. It’s a good feeling, not a harmful one.

“People always think red is a bad thing. Because it’s the color of our blood, it instinctively means ‘danger,’” I say. “But what they always forget is that blood is a good thing, too. Blood is vitality. Blood is life.”

Sturrm grunts his affirmative grunt.

“How many crystals do we need?” Dash asks.

“We should take all of them,” Bella says. “We should not leave any for the sluagh to destroy, for such is a waste. Any the orcs and humans don’t need, the dragons will keep safe.”

“And study,” Sturrm says, cocking an eyebrow at her.

“Would you expect any less?” She tilts her head. “Dragons are the scholars of Faerie. We hold more knowledge than anyone.”

“I think you mean hoard ,” Dash says.

“We’re willing to share, if we deem the recipients worthy.”

The unicorn spears her with his golden eyes. “What about me? Am I worthy?”

“No.” Her tone’s teasing.

Instead of being affronted, he laughs.

They move off together. Dash uses his teeth to pull crystals from the walls, and Bella rears up on her hind legs to reach those in the ceiling.

Yet Sturrm remains still, holding me.

“Set me down.” I push at his shoulder. “I’m the short one. I’ll get the ones on the ground.”

He grumbles a little, but does as I ask. Then he pulls his last sheet of leather out of the pack on Dash’s back and forms it into a large bag.

My fingers tingle when I grab the first crystal, and a shiver of magic goes through me as it releases from the ground. It’s warm, the faceted sides smooth and pleasant to the touch. Its power continues to tickle, sliding up and down my right leg like a playful kitten chasing a bit of string. “Uh, is anyone else feeling anything from the crystals?”

“Nope,” Dash says.

Sturrm grunts a negative.

“What kind of thing?” Bella pauses to ask.

“Never mind.” I’m not sure I can explain it, and we need to focus on collecting the crystals, not analyzing them. We’re so close to completing Sturrm’s quest. I murmur to myself, “Eyes on the prize, Selena.”

But every crystal I touch does the same thing, trickling power into a different part of my body. By the time I finish all of the ones on the floor, there’s not a part of me that hasn’t been “tickled” inside .

I get on my knees and start on the crystals protruding from the bottom of the walls. It takes a few minutes to realize the work is now effortless, my body no longer feeling tired, my magical “nerves” no longer crispy.

We continue to work until we fill Sturrm’s bag with crystals, but there are still more left in the cave.

“That’s all we can carry.” He straps the bulging bag to Dash’s back.

“Funny how easily you say that when it’s not you doing the carrying,” the unicorn says, amusement coloring his voice.

“I can take the rest,” Bella says.

I ask, “How?”

“You’ll see.” She bobs her head, then gets back to work on the ceiling. “Keep plucking crystals.”

We’ve got a system down by now. I do the lower walls, Dash takes the middle of the walls, Sturrm takes their highest part, and Bella does the ceiling. Soon all of the red light in the room is concentrated on the glowing pile of crystals in the middle of the floor.

As soon as I add the last one to it, Bella reaches out to grasp as many as she can. Then her clawed foot disappears into a place right beside her stomach.

“Oh! You’ve got one of those, too.” I step closer. “Can you explain what it is?”

“Dragons don’t like to be encumbered by packs and things.” She throws a dismissive glance toward Dash,

He rolls his eyes. “These aren’t my things. Shoot your side-eye at the orc. ”

She ignores him and continues. “So one of them found a way for us to each create a place only we can access.”

“How big is it?” I ask.

She shrugs, her wings rustling on her back, and scoops up another fistful of crystals. “As big as I need it to be.”

“Mierda! That’s amazing!” I want one—it’s the ultimate pocketbook.

“Of course it is.” She bobs her head. “I’m a dragon, and we’re—”

“—superior beings.” Dash rolls his eyes. “Yes, we all know.”

Sturrm pulls out his glow stone, lighting the room as more of the crystals disappear into Bella’s magical purse.

I reach out and snag one for myself, shoving it into my pocket. “I think we should keep a few of these for more than the deathsleep antidote. I think they also help with magical burnout.”

Sturrm’s head whips around. In two strides, he’s right in front of me, his big hands grasping my shoulders to pull me upright as his eyes scour over me. Concern radiates off him in waves of warmth I want to bask in forever. “You’re feeling better?”

“I am.”

His frown dissolves into a smile that makes him more handsome than ever.

My heart skips as I grin back. Dios mio, I love how much he takes care of me, how much he notices every little thing about me, how much he cares about me.

I love him .