Chapter One-New Discoveries

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The circle flared with power lighting every charm on my necklace

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The circle flared with power lighting every charm on my necklace. If I had blinked, I would have missed it. But a surge that lit my core? No—surely, seers all over Acklemar would have felt that.

I cringed when the doors to the library flew open and crashed against the wall of my beloved sanctuary. "Astra!" she hollered. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Josie," I said, clutching my hand to my chest. My eyes darted toward the door.

She turned and looked at it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to, it's just that—"

I nodded. "I know. I felt it too."

Her hands were shaking. "I—I've never seen anything like it. I had to find you."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and guided her into a chair. "Well?"

"She's back..."

I sat down across from her and tapped my finger to my lips as I thought. There was only one person who had ever created a ripple in the circle before. But that was three years ago when she just disappeared and vanished from Acklemar without a trace.

"It's Wren—she's back," Josie insisted.

I reached over to close the book on the table. Of course, she was back. "Did you see where she was? I need all the details you can remember. We won't have much time."

"I know. Especially with that draw of power from the circle. The Fire throne will launch a search for sure." She sighed and ran her finger along the binding of the book that was on the table between us. "Astra... She looked hurt. The girl with her had burns and—"

I leaned forward in my chair, my heart racing. "What? She's hurt?"

"She had blood on her face when a gentleman caught her. It looked like she might have fainted or passed out."

"What? She had people with her?" I said in disbelief. "That's not possible."

She raised an eyebrow. "When it comes to Wren, I think the impossible has always been her specialty." Then after a brief pause, she giggled. "I still remember the time she astral projected through your bowl of porridge in the great hall. Scared you so bad, you wouldn't touch your gruel for a month. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard." She smirked. "Remember? You landed on your back, oatmeal in your hair and your dress flipped..."

"Ack-hem." I cleared my throat.

"Right." She looked down and smoothed out her skirt. "Your question. Yeah, there were three others."

"Three? You're sure?"

She sat up. "Astra. I know how to do my job. Of course, I'm sure."

"Sorry. But three..." If that was true— There was no time to waste. I thumbed the stones on my necklace and found the white crystal one, then rotated it around the rope chain. I closed my eyes and held one name on the tip of my thoughts, then brought forward every image I could remember of her, letting them spin in my mind. "Where are you?" The images faded and blurred to form a single picture—the Vardain Cliffs. Somewhere along the grain fields, with several plains of terrain to cover. "We'll need Travelers with sight... We should probably take Vega and Rygar. When you wake them, tell them we'll be shifting light and to meet downstairs in the great hall in half a turn."

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