SECRET IN THE STONE

Tension among the Guilds has never been higher as each Guild believes the other to be responsible for the missing unicorn artifacts. And not only that, the wraiths seem more active than usual...It’s in this uneasy atmosphere that Sophie and Claire attempt to travel through the kingdom unnoticed so that they can speak to the Spinner Sisters, an isolated convent of famed weavers who are said to have ancient knowledge hidden in their tapestries, including, possibly, the information needed to hatch the moonstones properly so that unicorns can once again roam the fields of Arden.

The journey to the convent is fraught with tension. Not only has Sophie been plagued with strange dreams of the Unicorn Massacre, but she is also convinced that someone is following them—and she’s right! Sena and Nett, both fugitives, track the sisters and join with them. When the children arrive at the convent, they are almost turned away until a Sister, looking at Sophie, invites them in. In the convent, Sophie discovers she’s a Spinner. Though thrilled that she, too, has magic, it’s frustrating because it doesn’t come as easily as it does to Claire. Eventually, however, Sophie manages to decode the tapestry and she learns the ritual needed to begin the hatching. But when the sisters attempt the ritual, nothing happens. The ritual has failed, and the moonstones remain cold. Seeking answers, the children go to the capitol city to try to access the library, but first, they must clear their names with the Guild elders. While they had journeyed to the convent, Anvil convinced the heads of the Guilds to meet with the children in secret. However, when Claire and Sophie finally do meet them, the Guild leaders devise a test to see if Sophie really is the crown princess. When Sophie fails the test, Claire, Nett, Sena, Sophie, and Anvil are all are thrown into prison. But that night, Estelle, her Royalists, and her wraiths attack the capitol. When the queen corners the Martin sisters, they see that she has changed. Her arms are strangely elongated and she has a new hiss to her speech. They learn that Estelle has been seeking the girls—the enchantment has not worked and she is still transforming into a wraith! She believes that this is because a drop of blood is not enough—she needs Sophie’s whole heart, and Claire’s as well, just as a precaution. But before she can kill them, Nicholas performs an unexpected magic and disarms Estelle for just a moment. In fury, the Queen kills Nicholas, but the distraction is enough for the capitol to get their defenses in line. The Queen retreats. With his dying breath, Nicholas tells the girls that Sophie is not the crown princess, and that’s why they haven’t been able to hatch the moonstones and why Estelle is still transforming into a wraith. He says that he has hidden the crown princess some place safe in Arden, but before he can tell them, the light goes out in his eye. Claire is confused and asks Sophie who the crown princess could be, but Sophie is pretty sure she knows: Great Aunt Diana.