Chapter Seventeen (part b)

"I have the source stone," said Rachael proudly and she took her stone out.

"Holy!" gasped Jamie when he saw it.

"It's changed!" exclaimed Jennifer.

"Oh no!" cried Rachael. "It doesn't even glow anymore!"

It was absolutely true, Rachael's new-moon stone didn't sparkle at all. It was still very fine, but now it looked just like any other stone you might find on the ground.

"But how can that be?" cried Rachael.

Jamie reached into his pocket and brought out his new-moon stone. Sure enough it had lost its glow too, although it still looked quite quiet and clear and calm.

"His doesn't glow anymore either," said Rachael.

"Why not?" asked Jamie.

"I don't know," admitted Moffat. "But the new-moon stone we borrowed from the sprite didn't glow, so I expect that's the way it is. Perhaps the glow fades when the moon disappears."

"But the source stone is the strongest of all," said Rachael. "Its glow should last longest."

"You're right," said Moffat. "The source stone should get brighter as time goes by, all the glow from the other new-moon stones has to go somewhere."

"Yeah, well you're wrong, it doesn't!" said Rachael and she held up her new-moon stone for Moffat to see.

"Are you sure that's the source stone?" he asked.

"It has to be!" said Rachael. "We all said so."

'Well, you all could be wrong," said Moffat. "Isn't the source stone supposed to have the most power of all?"

"So?"

"Have you felt that power?" asked Moffat.

"No," admitted Rachael.

"But she has," said Jamie and he pointed to Jennifer.

"Her?" said Rachael. "Get serious!"

"I am!" said Jamie. "She saved me from the dwarves, didn't she? And she knew the way home across the field!"

"Yeah?" said Rachael. "Well let's see her stone then."

Jennifer reached down deep into her pocket. Her stone felt warm as she closed her fingers around it, and when she brought it out of her pocket she thought she could feel it moving a bit. She opened her hand. It was the source stone all right, there was no doubt about it. It shone like a star and it glowed like the moon.

"I can't believe it," whispered Jennifer happily.