Ivy and her people are settled into a place of their own, and I''m left feeling awkwardly unbalanced between trusting her and feeling like I can''t.


    Lucas doesn''t seem to have the same misgivings, and—despite Selene''s soft growls in my head—I leave him to handle the Aspen wolves, resolving to talk to him later.


    It doesn''t feel like the issues with Ivy will be detrimental to the pack or cause issues with our alliance with Aspen, but it''s not something I want to ignore, either.


    She''s a strange one, Selene murmurs.


    Grimoire sounds thoughtful. She seems to have a great amount of power and respect in her pack. Perhaps she had always hoped to mate another alpha and become Luna, rather than an alpha''s sister.


    "Maybe." Heading toward the gnome''s cabin, I add, "She was strange before Lucas ever entered the picture, though."


    Yes, when you mated with the Aspen alpha.


    My feet stumble over nothing. "I didn''t mate with him. I was in heat."


    He marked you, Grimoire points out. That''s mating. Though you''re lucky it didn''t take.


    It''s a grim reminder of a dark past I really don''t want to think about. "Let''s move on from this topic."


    It didn''t take because we are stronger, Selene says, proudly ignoring my request. She is only matched by our Alpha.


    Her smug tone irks me. "You hated him, remember? I distinctly recall you making snide remarks and encouraging me to sleep with—"@@@@


    The past is the past, she mutters, and I can practically feel her metaphorical tail tucked between her legs.


    Oh, so the all-knowing wolf is capable of mistakes? Grimoire sounds positively gleeful at this new knowledge of Selene''s past. She isn''t perfect after all?


    Shut up, book. All you have is theory with no real life experience. You''ve lived between pages all your life.


    Better than a wolf who pretends to know everything when she doesn''t.


    My head aches with their back and forth, and I slip into the gnome''s cabin after a quick knock. "Hello? Dr. Blackwell?"


    The Grand Sage''s head pops up over a pile of gadgets and gizmos on his dining table, his eyes twinkling with excitement. "Ava! Just the witch I wanted to see!"


    His enthusiasm is infectious, and I can''t help but smile back. "Hello, Dr. Blackwell. How''s the prototype coming along?"


    Nope. Still looks like plain old quartz.


    "How so?"


    The gnome''s eyes practically glisten. "Excellent question!" he just about bellows into my face.


    This is a man dedicated to his craft, Grimoire observes approvingly.


    "Think of it this way: the quartz stones you''ve been charging are little more than batteries. They contain a certain amount of power, but it''s basic. Nonspecialized."


    He pauses, gauging my reaction. I nod slowly, encouraging him to continue.


    "This crystal is more like... well. You can have one that specializes in fire, allowing you to create magitech with the ability to invoke fire. Or water. Or even a wand that produces great winds. It brings your elements into the magic.


    Some even say a hint of the caster''s wisdom is brought with it."


    "But they''re both quartz," I point out.


    "What? No!" He clutches the crystal to his chest in shock. "This is not quartz. It''s a crystal created for the purposes of containing magic. It is something I use often in magitech, but my source is usually Fae magic. I have not had a chance to harness a wizard."


    "Oh..."


    The fanatic look in his eye makes me feel like a slab of bloody meat, leisurely swirled in the ocean before a ravenous shark.


    "It won''t hurt," he adds, dropping it into my palm now that I''ve been educated in its provenance.


    As my fingers close around the crystal, I can feel a slight tingle, different from the usual sensation of channeling magic into quartz. It''s as if it''s reaching out to my magic, eager to connect.


    It takes barely more than a nudge to direct the flow of magic within me, almost constantly circulating, and divert it into the crystal in my palm.


    It''s strange. The quartz stones feel energetic when I''m done, but this crystal almost feels alive. In fact, it feels suspiciously similar to the necklace and ring I wore for quite some time. Whose magic filled those crystals?


    The process doesn''t take long.


    The Grand Sage gently takes the crystal from my hand, his eyes alight with excitement and gratitude. "Thank you, Ava. This may be all we need for our breakthrough."


    I rub my palm, my skin almost itchy where the crystal made contact, but swallow back the words asking how it''s supposed to help. He''ll just launch into another explanation I don''t fully understand. "No problem."