“Was that to replace the Ethergem?” Calvin asked. “So Humbuggle could claim he didn’t steal it?”
“I believe so,” Isadore said. “The salient point is, Graulas and Humbuggle had fulfilled their obligations while betraying all who trusted them.”
“What about the Fair Folk?” Seth asked.
“After all that happened, they realized they had been tricked into an unjust war,” Serena said. “The Fair Folk had been trusted to keep the balance for the magical world based on the promise that they would never fight an unjust war. Graulas and Humbuggle invoked the curse attached to that promise, and many kingdoms of the Fair Folk were lost.”
“Where did they go?” Calvin asked.
“Nobody knows,” Serena said. “They vanished. Most assume they were destroyed, but some suspect they were imprisoned.”
Isadore folded her hands on the table. “All of that suffering and destruction so that Graulas and Humbuggle could get what they wanted.”
“The largest piece of the Ethergem,” Merek said.
“Otherwise known as . . .” Isadore prompted.
“The Wizenstone,” Seth finished.
“Graulas was an extremely powerful demon,” Isadore said. “He attempted to wield the Wizenstone, and he succeeded for a time. He used its connection to the Source to seal off the Source from the mortal world. The effort almost killed him. He never returned to his full strength after that.”
“The Source is cut off?” Seth asked.
“Power still flows from it,” Isadore said. “But not like before. None in this world can visit the Source anymore. The effort also limited the power of the Void, because it always stays in balance with the Source.”
“That would weaken the Fairy Queen and the Underking,” Seth said.
“Considerably,” Isadore agreed. “After Humbuggle realized that the Wizenstone could not be wielded directly, he became the custodian of it and developed the Games. The Giant Queen hates him passionately, but she let him bring the Games here in hopes the sky giants could win the stone back.”
“I saw the Wizenstone,” Seth said. “It looked complete—not like a piece of something else.”
“The Wizenstone and the stones in the crowns were worked into fair shapes,” Isadore said. “They are magical in nature and therefore shapeable by magic. Only the Ethershard looks like a broken piece.”
“I always wondered where those three crowns originated,” Merek said.
“Would finding the Wizenstone heal the nipsie curse?” Calvin asked.
“I don’t think so,” Serena said. “Our people were supposed to deliver the Ethergem to the Fair Folk to prevent the sky war. Instead we stole it from the giants in an unjust war, and the Ethergem was shattered. I think our best hope for removing the curse is to gain forgiveness from the giants.”
“You think that would be enough?” Calvin asked.
“I hope so,” Serena said. “I’m not sure what more could be done.”
“Could the giants wield the Wizenstone?” Seth asked.
“I doubt whether anyone could properly wield it,” Isadore said. “The giants never commanded the Ethergem. It was meant as the power source of Stratos. It kept their realm aloft, and they could siphon power from it to work their magic. But no one giant was allowed to claim the Ethergem as his or her own.”
“Unwieldy or not, the Wizenstone is loaded with more power than was ever meant for this world,” Merek said.
Isadore nodded. “Many crave a chance to channel that power.”
“Do you want that chance?” Seth asked.
“Others simply wish to keep that power out of dangerous hands,” Isadore said.
Calvin slumped to his knees, head bowed. His shoulders shook with sobs.
Serena crossed to him and laid a hand on the back of his neck. “Calvin, what’s wrong?”
“Our quest is hopeless,” he managed, the words sad and halting. “After all this time, all these years of hoping and searching, we never had a chance.”
“Calvin, we still have the prophecy,” Serena said kindly. “You are here, and so is the champion.”
“You don’t want me here,” Calvin said.
“I want you safe,” Serena said. “But the elders sent you, making your claim to the quest as good as mine. With the champion found, who knows what is possible? What use is a prophecy if success comes without struggle?”
Calvin looked up, tears in his eyes, hope returning to his voice. “I suppose the prophecy is meant to keep us going even when the way seems impossible.”
“And your champion is making progress,” Serena said. “He needs to know the location of the Unforgiving Blade. And that is a secret we have uncovered.”
“We found the resting place of the Unforgiving Blade as part of our general studies,” Isadore said. “We didn’t know it would be relevant to the Games. The blade was fashioned from a fragment of Raglamar.”
“The sword that shattered the Ethergem,” Seth said.
“That weapon emerged from the Void brimming with dark power,” Isadore said. “Enough to shatter a gem overloaded with energy from the Source. The Unforgiving Blade was wrought by dark sorcerers with help from the Underking, and it became a powerful talisman of darkness. It was hidden away for the protection of all in the Reliquary of the Wandering Stones.”
“That’s here in Titan Valley!” Merek exclaimed.
“Not nearby,” Isadore said. “Over in the southeastern steppes. Barren wilderness. You’ll never make it there before the Perennial Storm hits.”
“What if we need to make it there before the storm arrives?” Merek asked. He glanced at Basirus. “Could a dragon do it?”
Basirus laughed mirthlessly. “You are presumptuous beyond belief! I know how many dragons you and your kin have slain. What would stop me from flying as high as I could and dropping you onto the sharpest rocks I can find?”
“Have you any idea how many times I’ve died?” Merek asked. “My question was whether a
