Sophie shook her head, and for a moment, Claire thought it seemed she’d shaken a mane. “It’s hard to explain. It’s definitely spectacular, but even then, that doesn’t cover it. Maybe if there was a word for something that was strange and perfect and strong and gentle, that could be a start.”

Sophie looked at Claire, and for a second Claire thought Sophie might be about to cry from the wonder of it all, but then she realized that the glitter in her eyes wasn’t due to tears. No, Sophie’s eyes, which had always been as warm and brown as maple syrup, now held the thinnest ring of moonlight silver around her pupils. It was faint, but it was there. Cold bloomed in the pit of Claire’s stomach. What did it mean? How much longer did they have? And what if—?

But before she could finish that thought, she heard loud stomps as Scythe and Thorn burst back into the room.

“What is it?” Sophie asked, shooting to her feet and overturning her tin mug. A few drops of purple tea spotted the tablecloth. From above, Gryphin gave a startled “Purr-kaaa!” and flapped down to land heavily on Sena’s shoulder.

“The Forger guild has agreed to a temporary truce,” Scythe said, ignoring the tiny commotion around the chimera. “War is stopped for now, and the armies won’t attack Stonehaven just yet, but they might decide to give Estelle the Hammer Tine after all. They’ll hold off on their final decision until Starfell! And worse—I just saw a regiment led by Grandmaster Bolt and General Scorcha gallop out of the gates. The Hammer Tine is already on its way to her.”

The pit in Claire’s stomach was now so big, she thought it would swallow her whole.

Estelle had done it.

At Starfell, she would have all four tines. She would have the complete Crown of Arden and become so powerful that there would be no possibility of ever stealing it from her to crown Nadia. Estelle would win. And Sophie …

“Why?” Claire cried out, forgetting to keep quiet. “What changed the Forgers’ minds?”

“Estelle got her proof,” Thorn said. Ash seemed to have settled under his cheeks. “She has the unicorn.”

“Did you know this?” Sophie asked, whirling on Thorn and speaking to him for the first time.

He shook his head, blond hair flying. “No,” he croaked out. “I swear I didn’t!”

“I believe him, Sophie,” Claire said. She remembered how sickened he looked when he told her of the queen’s plan to carve out the unicorn’s heart. Now she felt sick. After the queen used the unicorn to convince the Forgers to give her their tine, Estelle would have no need for a living unicorn anymore …