Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Cotton
Chandeliers glittered above me, winking from the sunlight’s rays cutting through them.
These were different from the chandeliers that hung inside the King’s Palace.
Something about these felt magical, as if they had been crafted from purity.
Every day for the past two months, I’d yearned to touch them, even if only with a brush of my fingertips.
Yet, I also feared they’d disintegrate at my touch. Nothing about me felt pure.
“Cotton?” Scarlett’s voice snapped me from the trance the dazzling fixtures put me in. “Valik needs to speak with us in the foyer.”
When Scarlett and I crossed through the portal that Chrome and Gray had created back at the King’s Palace, Valik had stood on the other side, almost as if he’d been waiting for us.
Scarlett had been unconscious, teetering on the edge of death.
Valik claimed he could help heal her faster, but I’d been skeptical.
After a day had passed and she still hadn’t awoken, I gave in to his offer, desperate not to lose my closest friend.
When Scarlett returned to consciousness, we’d wanted nothing more than to return to the King’s Palace to go help the others.
But when Valik broke the news of the Royal Domain’s fate, we realized we were stranded.
We’d insisted on going back and finding Gray; however, Valik had instructed us to remain safe at the Celestial Castle with him so we wouldn’t endanger ourselves and create more issues for Gray to resolve.
After a few weeks, Valik’s eccentricity soon won us over.
I jerked my gaze from the chandeliers and fixed Scarlett with narrowed eyes, unease stirring in my chest like a flock of ravens.
“No, nothing’s wrong. We haven’t heard anything new,” Scarlett said. “He says there’s someone you should meet.”
Relief softened my shoulders, and I offered Scarlett a nod.
I strode to her side, then trailed behind as we exited the opulent ballroom.
The castle we stayed in had once belonged to the Celestial king and queen, where they ruled over all of Arcadia’s distant lands, each one governed by its own monarchy.
Now that all of the kingdoms had fallen, this castle was deserted, save for Valik, who’d taken up squatting rights.
Of all the places abandoned within the Arcadian realm, he chose the elaborate royal castle to inhabit all on his own.
Natural light poured through the windows, giving the space a much more open and airy vibe.
I tried to envision this place in its full glory, filled with its charges.
According to Valik, Chrome and Gray were Celestials—the first Celestials in over a millennium.
Before arriving here, Scarlett and I had never heard of them, but now we knew that Celestials were Elementals and Kinetics combined into one species.
I wondered if all Celestials had been as powerful as those two.
Lush vines and shrubbery served as natural crown molding at the tops of the white, polished walls, their dashes of color bringing life to a rather extinct castle.
Valik claimed that Celestial magic once kept them alive, but since no Celestials remained, he sustained the foliage through his own power.
When pressed about what exactly he was—not a Celestial, apparently—he always skated around the topic, diverting to something else.
Scarlett’s hair stood out against the tranquil sophistication, splashing the place like blood with every step she took. The decor had probably been by design in order to let their people bring color and life to the castle with their vibrant hair, currents, golden skin, and unique eyes.
Rounding the corner into the foyer, we found Valik with his back leaning against the wall, one black Oxford crossed over the other, eyes closed.
“About time,” he mumbled.
Dressed in perfectly fitted grey dress pants that hugged his ankles and a white collared shirt with the top two buttons left undone to reveal the deep cut of his sculpted chest, he looked ready for a business meeting with the board.
I rolled my eyes.
“Where are you taking us?” Scarlett asked, skipping past the nonsense we knew he’d try to poke us with for his own amusement.
Valik grunted. “So impatient.” With a sigh, he straightened and met my eyes. “There’s someone I think you might find…beneficial, Cotton.”
I raised a brow, cautiously curious as to what he had up his sleeve.
We never knew. One time, he wanted to show us the untouched parts of Arcadia, so he took us to a wooded forest where he claimed tree sprites resided and would send sparks into the air with their little wings.
Instead, we were intercepted by a grotesque Endarkened manticore that wanted to maul us. So that was fun.
I glanced at Scarlett, asking with my brows if it was a safe idea.
“Is that a good idea?” she relayed to Valik.
The man waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, please. They’re nearby. It’ll be fine.” He turned to face the door that led to the outside world, then opened it with a dramatic swing, flaring his arms wide as the barren courtyard awaited us. “Follow me.”
Scarlett bit her bottom lip, eyes pinched into slits, but she pulled a Kinetic sword from the sheath on her back before trailing behind our guide.
I did the same, retrieving my own sword from my waist to step back out in the unknown world of Arcadia.
We’d been here for two months, and the only other person we’d spoken to had been Valik.
I was beginning to think that no one else existed here besides Endarkened creatures and our enigmatic host. The sun shone straight above us, insinuating it was around noon.
For it to be the dead of summer, it wasn’t nearly as hot or humid as it would’ve been back home in Georgia.
It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t suffocating me either. Thank the gods.
Valik, who walked at a brisk and excited pace a few feet ahead, called over his shoulder, “It’s not far!”
We cut through the abandoned city to reach the gates, the city’s stone walls towering above us, casting a shadow.
Like our deserted cities back home, it remained suspended in time, but instead of skyscrapers and decaying asphalt, we were surrounded by medieval architecture that I’d only ever seen in movies.
Stone buildings formed houses that lined a narrow, cobbled street, while hand-painted signs hung from businesses.
Unlike home, everything here still appeared new, as if all the structures were still being maintained to prevent deterioration.
Once we passed through the massive city gates, we were out in the open.
The grass in Arcadia was a shade of blue I’d never known existed.
We stayed clear of the forest and cut across a hilly field.
When we crested the top of the final hill, a sprawling town, nestled in the valley below, came into view.
Mouth parting in awe, I took in the town beneath us, filled with small, rounded stone structures with thatched rooftops.
In the center, a domed building towered over the rest, where a vibrant courtyard garden trailed from behind to other odd structures.
Surrounding the town’s perimeter were beautiful waterfalls, large rolling hills, and farmland.
When I peered at Scarlett beside me, she held the same expression, wonder glimmering in her sharp blue eyes.
“Come along.” Valik pushed forward, descending the hill.
My feet carried me forward as I followed, entranced by the sight ahead of us.
It wasn’t simply the ancientness of the village; it exuded an energy unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
It was magical, but not in the way of our magic.
Neither Kinetic nor Elemental. More like Valik’s magic, but different. It felt pure.
Valik nodded a greeting to a passing woman with long dark tresses, wearing a casual white dress that reached her ankles. She offered him a small smile in return before looking at us in apprehension. “Here, you’ll meet the Mystics.”
“Mystics?” Scarlett asked.
“Yes,” he answered quickly. “They used to work in tandem with Celestials. Very pure magic. Very disciplined. Their magic is vastly different from yours, and they have close connections with Angels and the gods.”
“Angels? And what gods?”
“The gods that you lot are swearing about? The ones that got wiped from your history,” Valik retorted, ignoring the bit about Angels.
Scarlett’s face blanched. “We…” She shook her head. “We believed them to be more like a folktale.”
“Right. Because all folktales are simply fiction?” Valik scoffed. “Celanea did a great job of making sure you all never wanted to question your origins.”
My heart sank at the knowledge we had long-forgotten ancestors from this world who had probably fought to their dying breaths to protect their kind, only to fail and be forgotten by future generations.
Since we had been one and the same long ago, by being at war with the Elementals all this time, we were essentially at war with ourselves.
“Ya know, I can see why you and Gray are such good friends. Both smart, but so blind to everything around you at the same time,” Valik said with a casual air in his voice. “It’s kinda adorable, really.”
Scarlett stormed over to walk by Valik’s side. “I thought you didn’t know Gray personally?” she demanded.
“Met her once…maybe twice, in passing. But I can see the commonality between you.” He shrugged, leaving Scarlett reeling with her mouth agape.
Valik cut through the narrow spaces between the Mystics’ small homes, weaving in and out until we reached a circular opening like a town center.
A massive and elaborate fountain stood in the middle, with a wooden and marble altar standing proud and strong beyond it.
Valik kept walking, striding to the glass building directly behind it.
Before we reached the door, a woman with chestnut hair wearing a white tunic and loose pants exited with a fierce scowl on her face, all aimed at Valik. “Didn’t I tell you to fuck off?”
Valik skidded to a stop, hands up in surrender. He chuckled. “We both know you didn’t really mean it. Right, Tali?”
“Talitha, asshole,” the woman snapped. Gods, she was strikingly beautiful with bold, feminine features. Her cheekbones could slice steel, while her eyes seemed to penetrate the most fortified defenses. “You can’t call me that.”
“It was a simple misunderstanding, Tali.” Valik shook his head, his deep brown hair bouncing with the movement.
“You nearly annihilated the wards that keep the Tempests from breaching us!” Talitha closed in on Valik, keeping a few inches between them as she glared at him. “If you fuck up my wards, I swear—”
Scarlett clutched her sword’s hilt tighter, and I took a small step back, unsure of the threat we faced if this went sideways.
Instead of backing off, like any rational-minded person would do, Valik stepped closer to Talitha. “Your wards are nearly impenetrable. And yes, I mean that in more ways than one.”
A loud crack echoed through the town center. Valik’s head jerked to the side by the force of her slap, but his grin simply grew. “Oh, how I’ve missed you, Tali.” He massaged his cheek but stepped back.
Talitha’s jaw rippled at the nickname that he insisted on calling her, forced her glare off our companion, and locked her ferocity on Scarlett and me before her eyes widened. “You brought visitors.”
“Glad you finally caught on, love,” Valik said. “This is Cotton and Scarlett. I assume you can piece together for yourself which one is which.”
“Fuck off, Valik,” Talitha said, shoving his chest, making him stumble back a few steps. “You’re Kinetics, right?”
I dipped my head to my chest in affirmation and a show of respect. Whoever she was, she felt powerful. The energy coming from her intense aura was nearly suffocating.
“You know about us?” Scarlett asked, surprise in her tone. She shot an accusatory glare at Valik. “Why have you kept us locked up in that castle for so long if others were here who knew of our existence?”
Valik rolled his head around and winced. “It never came up…”
Talitha pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just ignore him. Eventually, he’ll shut up and wander off.”
“Valik mentioned there was someone here for Cotton?” Scarlett questioned, seeming unsure. She sheathed her Kinetic sword at her back while I kept mine firmly gripped in my hand, not wanting to take any chances, regardless of how pure these Mystics felt.
Upon hearing his name, Valik stepped up to Scarlett’s side. “Yes. See, Cotton here is verbally impaired. And their king refused to help him in the communication department back at home. Then I remembered…”
“Nell.”
I shifted my gaze back and forth between Talitha and Valik as they seemed to finally come to a mutual understanding.
After several awkward seconds had passed, Talitha settled her gaze on me, and her green eyes softened.
“I hate to ask, but it is only for my understanding, so I can better assist you if you wish. Feel free to reject my help if it isn’t something you’re comfortable with.
” She reached out, gently grabbing my free hand to cup within her own.
I looked down, watching the yellow currents that flowed from my fingers disappear in the sleeve of my jacket as I thought over what she was asking. Was there really a way to fix my inability to speak? Would that even be possible at this point?
I remembered the last words I’d ever spoken. I had only been nine. Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced the memory to rise to the surface. I inhaled, nodding my head for Talitha to ask me what she needed. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I supposed there was no harm in trying, right?
Talitha offered a comforting grin, not pity, which made gratitude warm my heart. “I must ask, Cotton. Are you unable to speak due to magic prohibiting you?”
I shook my head. No, what prevented me from speaking was far more sinister than any magic.
Talitha nodded in understanding. “Is it due to a mental blockage of any sort?”
I shook my head, no.
“Is it because you physically cannot speak?” Talitha asked, her voice softening.
Scarlett stood frozen beside me. Not even she knew why I couldn’t speak, so I understood she was dying for answers to something that had been considered my greatest mystery.
Before now, if anyone had discovered the truth, it would’ve endangered their lives.
But presently, it seemed like a moot point.
I nodded to Talitha, then, bracing myself, opened my mouth to reveal my severed tongue.