Garnet POV
Daxius took his sweet time opening a tightly locked cabinet inside the workshop. It had at least three combination locks with colored gems instead of numbers. Daxius turned the dials on the locks until he got the correct color combinations. CLICK.
Dane watched in fascination. "This reminds me of the tower on Abandonnado Island, except the magic here doesn't make my skin crawl and my wolf whine. But there's arcane knowledge here, too."
Opening the cabinet, Daxius made banging and bumping noises, bringing the object wrapped in cloth out and into the soft twilight of the room. The obiect looked to be the size of a large globe. Daxius carried it to one of the tables and set it down.
"Is this the ultimate weapon?"
Daxius snorted at Patch's exuberant, blithe question. "Patch Cresta. Haven't you learned to treat magic with respect?"
Dane, Jiro, and Dirge muffled howls of laughter behind their hands.
Patch smelled faintly guilty—sweet and peppery at the same time. "I meant no disrespect. It's just that he has it under lock and key."
"Your brain is under lock and key," Garnet teased.
"Of course. I don't want it just wandering off," Patch said cheekily.
"Ignore him," Anneliese advised. "What is it, Daxius? And how did you redo this room so fast? Did Marieke help? Did my parents?"
"Ah, you forget I am a wizard," Daxius teased. "As for what's in the bundle ... well, uncover it and see for yourselves. But it requires a delicate touch."
Jiro nodded seriously. "I can already tell that that is special. Let's have it, Daxius."
With a smile, Daxius unwrapped the bundle, layer by layer. Dirge and Thessi pressed close to see. Garnet could see Thessi tuning into the magical essence of whatever Daxius had concealed beneath all that cloth.
The last of the layers unrolled before their eyes, leaving a golden crystal skull. Or rather, the clear crystal held golden energy that spread outward in tiny flecks of golden light that shimmered all around the artifact.
"NO. Where did you ever--" Thessi broke off, awed.
Garnet's eyes turned red, and so did Jiro's. "DAXIUS. Be careful," Jiro said in a nice quieter than normal.
"They're rare," Anneliese whispered, awed. "They store knowledge from past civilizations ... from this very world ... wisdom beyond measure. Beyond imagining. But accessing it ..." She shuddered, smelling almost intimidated. "It can flood you and overwhelm you if you're not ready for that kind of knowledge."
Daxius smiled, lopsided. "You can credit my new life, and Ravyn and Lilia, for helping me become our of heart to find this priceless artifact."
Dane's eyes glittered the same hue as the fiery sunshine glow streaming from the crystal skull. "Our legends say that the Moon Goddess had a hand in pouring wolf wisdom into these containers, if you will. Although this one shines gold rather than silver," he added with a trace of humor.
Marieke observed from the sidelines, watching the byplay. "Can you sense her energy? Any of you? You're always linked to her, aren't you?"
"Good one, Marieke," Patch rubbed her arm affectionately. "We better watch out, or you'll guess all our secrets."
The energy from the crystal made Garnet's body feel charged with lightning somehow. And she did detect a thread running from herself, and by extension Jiro, to the crystal. Maybe the goddess' presence was in the crystal?
Patch's skeptical spymaster brain took over from his childlike awe. "How does this extraordinary find help us against the Dark Goddess and her unwitting slave and puppet, Queen Ylavi? Especially if we might just find ourselves lost in all that cosmic knowledge."
Daxius smiled. "Oh, I have no doubt that highly evolved and spiritually awakened wolves, elves, and witches such as yourselves can handle the crystal skull with ease. And you'll need its gifts. With the Dark Goddess increasing in power, there must be something in this skull that can help us defeat her and drive her back ... even banish her for good."
That was enough to make Garnet Cresta feel overwhelmed with something like hope.
* * * * *
Daxius POV
Hope warred with skepticism on the faces of his family.
"Daxius ... we thought the goddess was defeated before," skeptical Jiro objected.
With a rueful expression, Daxius validated Jiro's doubts. "I know, and I haven't the foggiest whether the crystal skull will do the job. No one knows. They can enhance intuition and power, and where that leads, no one knows. It's easier to predict the wind. But," he raised a finger to emphasize his point, "you can all learn to master it."
Of that, he was sure. He could think of very few mages who drove themselves as hard to strengthen and train their powers as the Cresta mages. Even the ones who were not natural born mages, like Dane, Jiro, or Patch, acquired magical gifts through their bonds with their witch mates.
"If that's true, then we don't have a moment to lose," Dane said with urgency. "Who's first? We need to learn the basics. Garnet? Anneliese? Cyran?"
Daxius pointed at his son-in-law. "YOU."
Dane Cresta blinked, his blue eyes twirling. "Me???"
"You have magic from Lilia through the bond. You carry that with you. And Ravyn ..." Daxius swallowed, his throat dry. "Ravyn is your mother-in-law and like a mother to you. Jude is your father figure and close friend. You have the most motivation of anyone here, and THAT, my friend, means more than learning entire spellbooks."
Patch offered, "Makes sense to me."
"It would," Anneliese quipped, but her eyes were gentle.
Daxius knew his thesis was flawed. Magical strength was always preferred. But somehow, he also knew in his heart that Dane needed to step up and do this.
Resolve made Dane's eyes steely. He thrust out his chest. The mere invocation of his mate and in-laws seemed to energize him, giving him even more confidence than an Alpha normally possessed.
"What do I do?" he asked.
The tingle and hum of energy in the room told Daxius that the other mages had ensured that the space was sealed. "Be warned, Dane Cresta," he said. "This is powerful magic. The healing and insight that flow through you will change you. As they do anyone who works with the knowledge in the skull."
With a reverent air, Dane replied, "The Moon Goddess has touched that crystal, Daxius. She has changed my life since I was a tiny pup. She has guided me. I am a conduit for her power and her grace and her will. I am her servant, as is every shifter ever born and yet to be born. I fear nothing with this skull."
Jiro's and Garnet's eyes shimmered with pride. "And so say we all," Jiro declared with quiet authority. The other shifters howled agreement.
Daxius placed the crystal skull in the midst of one of his crystal grids to amplify the sacred energies. Beckoning Dane, he said, "Approach with an open heart and a question in mind. Your intentions must be clear, especially to you."
Approaching the skull, Dane prayed to the Moon Goddess. "O Selene, mother of wolves, grant me, one of your wolf children, the wisdom you have placed in this skull. In return, I pledge to honor you and your wishes in all things, and to express your will."
The others murmured prayers.
If Daxius wasn't mistaken, the golden energy emanating from the skull sharpened and became more brilliant, more pronounced, almost like a golden moon.
"Now. hold the skull in your hands," Daxius directed. "And set your intention."
"To rescue Ravyn and Jude, and free Ylavi and the faeries from the corruption of the Dark Goddess," Dane declared, placing his hands on the skull and lifting it.
Daxius and the others held their breath. What wisdom would the skull reveal?