Chapter 17 #2
I was too stunned to speak. Too scared to fight back.
My power had yet to awaken, and even then, there was the chance it wouldn’t be an offensive form of magic.
Plus, it was well-known to the public what Grim’s magic did.
So it would’ve been pointless to fight back even if I were bigger and had my magic.
“You’re coming, too,” Grim said to my dad. “There are a few things the king wants you to know.”
My father stared at me, heartbroken and helpless to stop this nightmare from unfolding. “Of course. I want to be with my family. So wherever they are, so am I.”
Grim gave my shoulder a shove before grabbing hold of my wrist and dragging me out the door and into the empty hallway. When we entered the elevator, my shoulders sank in defeat when I spotted which button he pushed. The one to the underground portion of the King’s Palace. The prisons.
I looked at my dad, hoping beyond hope he would find a way to get us all out of this mess. Having never been to the prison before, I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to see my momma, make sure she was okay.
Grim led us down the frigid corridor, passing by the cells that contained moaning prisoners. The coldness felt grimy, like it was infected with an ickiness that sank beneath the bones. If only I could hold my breath so I didn’t have to breathe in the stenches.
After several minutes of marching to our fates, we arrived at a door at the end of the corridor.
Grim typed in a code, leading us into a room that housed only a metal table and chair bolted to the cement floor.
In the chair sat my mother, black streaks of mascara running down her pale, tear-blotched cheeks.
“Momma!” I cried out, trying to run to her side, but Grim quickly yanked me back.
“Oh no. We have something else for the two of you.”
I spotted two sets of chains attached to the floor and wall. My mouth, already drier than any desert wished it could be, evaporated all moisture remaining. Dad and I didn’t speak; the only sounds were my mother’s whimpers, ones that she tried to hide.
Grim soundlessly guided me to one of the sets of chains, my father following behind.
He removed the cuffs that bound my wrists in front of me, only to cuff them to the wall above my head.
Once secured, he locked the cuffs on the floor around my ankles.
I never realized tears were flowing from my eyes until the warm saltiness dripped onto my lips.
This couldn’t be happening. We’d done nothing wrong!
“It’s okay, baby,” my mother said through her sobs. “We’re all going to be okay. They just have some questions for us. That’s all.” A black mark underneath her eye and on her swollen cheekbone said otherwise.
“Daisy…” My father’s face said everything he couldn't say aloud.
He wanted to save her, protect her. The anguish pulling on his features tore at my soul.
He had never been helpless. I never thought I would see the day he was at the whims of another.
Sage Sjodin was a transmitter, powered by microwave energy.
He had the unique ability to transmit mental messages to others, but only those approved by the king.
Unassuming, he always kept his head down and was trusted by the king, as was my mother. So how did this happen?
The door opened, and King Forest strutted in. His relaxed shoulders and expression put me more on edge than when he’d been silently enraged in his kitchen. My stomach churned, burning with fear. I clasped my hands together above my head in an attempt to hide the quivering.
The king approached the table and sat across from my mother, crossing his arms. A fake expression of disappointment drew his face downward. “Remember what I told you when you took the job as my personal cook?”
My mother nodded frantically, unable to hide her sobs at this point. Her shoulders hunched forward, and strands of her straightened hair had fallen out of her ponytail, covering her face.
“I believe I said, ‘No one is ever to witness the black crystal you put in my daughter’s food.’” The king stood straighter, towering over my mother, who now resembled a broken doll.
“You not only let your son glimpse it, but my daughter caught it as well. Let’s only hope she thought it was spices; otherwise, I’ll have to have her memory wiped of the event. Do you see the problem, Daisy?”
My mother nodded, defeated. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I’m glad we understand each other. But now, I must deal with your son. He can never speak of what he witnessed today.” King Forest turned his attention to me. “I deeply regret having to do this, but it is a necessity to ensure that this secret remains between us.”
Pulling a Kinetic dagger from inside his blazer, he rounded the table.
The blue sigils ignited on the blade, and I’d never been more grateful that we could heal from these weapons.
But Forest wasn’t aiming to simply harm my momma to teach her a lesson.
I could see it in the malicious glint in his dark eyes.
I began to fight against my chains, trying and failing to get free to help my mom. Logic told me it was useless. Even if I were able to break free, there was no way I could take on Forest and Grim. I didn’t care. I had to get to her. “Momma!”
My mother’s bottom lip quivered as her eyes darted between my father and me. “I love you both. I’m so sorry.”
“Mommy! Don’t hurt her!” I shouted until my throat hurt. “Don’t fucking touch her!” I’d never sworn before. I didn’t even know where that had come from, but I was frantic, bad words falling from my lips as I thrashed against my chains.
A pair of hands pushed against my shoulders, pinning my back against the wall. “This is what happens when you defy your king. It’s better to learn at a young age, boy.”
I tried to fight against Grim’s strength, but it was no use.
“I love you, Momma.” When I watched the Kinetic blade slice my mother’s throat, I screamed—and screamed.
All I could hear was my high-pitched shriek echoing off the concrete walls, not realizing it would be one of the last times I’d ever hear my own voice.
My father cried beside me, his head angled away from the macabre scene before us. Deep ruby-red liquid poured down my momma’s front as she gurgled. She wasn’t dead, and ordinarily, she would heal. But of course, the king wouldn’t allow that.
He took the dagger, shoving it into the open wound. I looked away, my stomach unable to hold any of my dinner. I retched off to the side, my vomit splattering off Grim’s shoes. My body heaved until it was empty.
My momma.
I looked at the king, rage and hatred burrowing deep inside my heart.
I never knew one person could bear so many of those emotions.
But as I stared at my lifeless mom with a dagger protruding from her throat, I knew I was permanently altered.
My mother was my favorite person in the world.
She’d done nothing wrong, only followed his orders.
And he’d taken her from me, forcing me and my father to watch.
“Now,” King Forest said, leaving the dagger planted in my mother’s throat as he turned around to face us. “I need to be sure that you won’t talk, Cotton. Can’t have you running around the Palace telling everyone all that you’ve witnessed today.”
I clenched my jaw, glaring at the king, refusing to give him a response. Forest had just stripped me of my innocence, completely transforming me in the blink of an eye. I would never let this go.
My father, on the other hand, somehow had the strength to speak up on my behalf. “Don’t. He won’t say anything, Your Majesty. I assure you. I think you’ve traumatized him enough tonight to ensure that.”
Forest pretended to contemplate my dad’s words, but it was apparent his mind was already made up on what he had planned.
“Can’t take any chances, Sage.” He dipped his head in Grim’s direction, giving him the signal to proceed.
“I could always have his memories wiped of the incident, of course, but I need to ensure that he understands the severity of the situation. The importance of silence.”
I was sure he was going to kill me, just like my momma. At that moment, I didn’t care. At least I wouldn’t have to live long without her. But my father’s protests snapped me from my resignation.
“You can’t! He’s just a child! Your Majesty, please!
Take me instead!” Sweat drenched my dad’s forehead, plastering his hair to his skin.
Hearing my father beg cracked something else inside of me.
I needed to be strong for him. He’d just watched the love of his life be murdered; now he had to watch his child be taken from him, too. I didn’t need to make it worse for him.
“I love you, Dad.” I made sure my voice was even, steady, just as a pair of icy fingers latched onto my chin and jaw. Grim pried my mouth open and pulled my tongue free.
My eyes widened, and no matter how strong I tried to be, it wasn’t enough when Grim stretched my tongue from my mouth with one hand and wielded a shiny knife in the other.
I thrashed in the small hope of escaping him. My shoulder must’ve come out of the socket, but in my panic, I didn’t take notice.
“Sit still, or worse could happen, boy,” the king demanded.
Tears streamed down my cheeks, burning my skin against the frigidity in the room.
My breaths came out in pants as I frantically searched around for help that I knew wasn’t coming. The knife inched closer to my tongue, and I froze, watching in horror.
“No!” my father screamed out, unable to do anything to help me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, learning from the mistake I’d made in watching my mom die.
Grim pressed the knife against my tongue—
“This is enough. Let’s go, Cotton.” Nell’s voice jolted me, reminding me that I was merely in a memory as she snatched me from that god awful day.
Nell and I soared out of the memory, flying upward to return to the present.
I couldn’t see her, but I could sense her presence all the same.
Once the surreal movement stopped, and I felt the vast difference between the cold, hard floor of the King’s Prisons in comparison to the soft, cushioned chair in Nell’s office, I opened my eyes.
Nell sniffled, cupping her mouth with her hands, distraught. “I’m so sorry. You poor child.”
I swallowed, the lack of tongue in my mouth a permanent reminder of the past. “Don’t be,” I said into her mind.
Nell’s eyes widened, a slow grin spreading upward as she dropped her hands.
“You did it,” she whispered. “You opened the link. By allowing me to witness that experience, your barrier is now removed. The mere act of showing me the memory dissolved the power that event has held over you for so long. You’re finally free from those shackles, my dear. ”
“So does that mean—” I started, afraid to hope that my lonely existence inside my head could be coming to an end.
Nell dabbed at the corners of her eyes, pushing up from her seat.
“Yes. You released the block. You relived an absolutely torturous memory that has shaped you, Cotton. This is something that has held you back from getting closer to others. Now that you’ve let someone in, experienced it again from an adult’s perspective, maybe you’ll release the guilt that I know you must’ve been carrying around with you for so long.
And in case you didn’t already know, you are not responsible for your mother’s death.
That lies with King Forest alone. He is a monster. ”
I swallowed, dropping my gaze to watch the yellow currents dance on the back of my hand. “I know that now. I just…if I hadn’t gone into the King’s Suite that day, none of that would’ve happened.”
Nell nodded her head in understanding. “This is true. But, Cotton, if that had never happened, who knows where you would be today? You are now on a path to true self-discovery. Every choice and action you’ve made since that day has led you here.
It’s absolutely heartbreaking knowing what you went through.
Sadly, we can’t change it. No Mystic or Druid has the ability to go back in time and change things.
But maybe, with a shift in your perspective, you won’t let that day define you anymore.
Instead, you can control your future. You no longer serve that dark tyrant.
You’re free. Free to be you and live your purpose. ”
A weight that had been pressing heavily on my chest for so many years lifted.
She was right. I no longer answered to Forest, and now, I had no fear keeping me from sharing this truth with those I wished to.
“Thank you, Nell. I’m sorry you had to see that.
” I lowered my head in shame, hating that I’d subjected someone so kind and wise to something so atrocious.
“There is nothing for you to apologize for, Cotton. And right now, you can speak easily with me telepathically because we have forged a strong link. But we’ll continue practicing until you’re able to establish one with anyone of your choosing seamlessly.”
“Just being able to speak like this relieves so much frustration. I still want to learn sign language in the event I’m rendered powerless.”
“I understand, and that will most certainly be arranged, my dear. Now, I would love for you to stay here. You’re safe, protected, and won’t have to worry about crossing any more Endarkened creatures during your treks back to the castle.”
I nodded, but the thought of Scarlett panicking over my absence quickly made my heart sink. “I can’t leave Scarlett to worry about me.”
“Oh, don’t worry. We’ll send word to Valik. She’ll be welcome to stay as well if she chooses, if that is okay with you?” Nell raised her perfectly trimmed eyebrows, waiting for my response.
I nodded. “Of course. I’d love to have her here. Thank you, again, Nell.”
“It is my honor, Cotton.”