Page 311 of Cursed Evermore

"With the ring's help. You could not have done this alone, which is why you cannot break it alone. Curses take a piece of us and bend it to their will." Her gaze cut to me. "The ring hides on a temporal plane, out of step with this world."

My stomach dropped as cold understanding spread through me. We'd suspected the ring was hiding on another plane of existence, but time itself? Gods, I wasn't prepared for that.

"Time planes shift by the second, and there are countless of them." I sighed.

"Which makes it the perfect place to hide." Her eyes softened with understanding.

"No wonder I couldn't find it." The truth scraped like iron in my throat. There was never a chance of locating it on my own. Whatever this threat is, it must be dangerous if the ring sought such drastic measures to protect itself. "How can we find it safely?"

"Elariya's blood can guide you to it, but only her ability to control time will open the door. Not her blood."

"Her power?" I murmured, the truth slotting into place. "That's what we were missing."

"Yes."

"But if I've had this power all along, why didn't it work?" Elariya asked, her brows knitting in confusion.

"It has only now awakened, child. You've barely touched it. You must master the essentials. Enough control to steady the hourglass, then the door will yield. That is the key."

"My lessons have only just begun." The words left her in a whisper.

"You still have much to learn, but it can be done. You'll know when you are ready."

"What should I focus on first?"

"Your magical studies will help you, but the Nyzith strands will guide you to what matters most." The Seer's gaze drifted beyond us, as if she were speaking to the strands themselves. "They answer the ring's call and will continue to lay signs in your path. The last message drew you to the dragon caves. Because there, you will find your familiar."

Elariya gasped. "As in a soul-bonded animal?"

"Yes, my child."

"There was nothing there," I cut in. "I searched everywhere. My dragons couldn't find anything either."

The Seer's mouth curved. "Because you looked in the wrong place. It is not where. It is when."

"When?" I breathed. "It's on a temporal plane."

She nodded. "Elariya must learn to walk between the temporal planes and manipulate the elements that bind time. There she will find herdragon. Not one of the Nightblade's brood, but the one set apart for her, out of step with this age. It will call to her when it deems her ready to bond."

My scalp tightened while Elariya's smile broke wide.

"I have a dragon," she whispered, her voice filled with longing.

"My Lady, this... is a lot to take in." I held her gaze. "Dragons are vicious creatures."

"Indeed. But you have already seen how they answer her blood. A familiar will answer more deeply still, especially one bound through the threads of time."

I exhaled. "I have faith in Elariya. That's never wavered. But she's only just begun to touch her magic. Even with her... gifts, she's untested."

The Seer's gaze softened. "Your faith does you honor, Wolfe Nightblade. And she will need it. For strength and love may shield her heart, but mastery must sharpen her hand. The road ahead is perilous, and before she can claim her true power..." Her eyes darkened, the silver gleam swallowed by shadow. "...you must survive. For it was through the creature wearing Zyrra's face that your enemy learned of the power stirring within her."

The other shoe dropped. "My sister."

"That was not your sister," the Seer said gently. "It was an entity wearing her face, sent to fool the wards and weaken you. It watched Elariya and waited for the right time to strike."

The thought of thatthingwearing Zyrra's likeness to stalk us and use Elariya made me want to rip the world apart. "I can't believe I didn't sense it."

"It used its power to hide from you, but it appears to have lingered since your father's death, waiting for you to find the ring."