Chapter 23 #3
“Tonight is the beginning of the end for Celanea’s reign,” Talitha continued.
“We Mystics cannot fight her and her dark disciples alone. We were never meant to, for we were created from the purest souls of the original humans in Arcadia to be given gifts by the gods. These humans were deemed worthy by the gods and Angels to harness their gifts in order to aid the Celestials in their mission to bring balance to the realm that was controlled by dark magic at the time. It’s been far too long since we had our Covenant Pairs.
We need our other halves now more than ever, and I believe that time is coming soon. ”
Talitha cleared her throat, stepping up to the bowls sitting on the table before her, and glanced up at the sky.
“It is time. High Priestess of Trancers, Leonara,” she said.
“If you will, please guide us in our New Moon Ritual, to help us usher in this new era of hope in Arcadia.” With a smile and a dip of her chin, she stepped back to make room for Leonara to take her place.
Scarlett leaned over to me again. “What’s a Trancer?”
I shook my head with a shrug, having no idea myself.
Leonara took her place on the stage, pulling her dark hair off her shoulders to fall against her back.
Her round eyes gave her the look of someone who didn’t miss much of anything going on around her.
She stood still, her arms by her sides and her chin held high, her presence commanding a calm stillness.
“Greetings. If everyone will retrieve your ritual stones and place them before you, we can begin.” The rustling of everyone following her instructions had me exchanging an anxious glance with Scarlett for what would happen next.
All at once, the multitude of stones and crystals in front of the Mystics rose into the air, levitating a few feet from the ground.
Leonara began speaking in a foreign language, reciting what I believed to be an incantation, based on its repetition. The stones and crystals began to glow, emanating various colors across the Solace Grotto, casting an ethereal, rippling light off the waterfall.
The incantation continued, the rest of the Mystics joining in, their hands propped on their knees, palms facing upward. Without warning, their stones all beamed brighter, shooting a stream of colorful light through the opening of the Grotto.
The energy that hummed following the light show vibrated my bones. It was similar, but more powerful than the strong energy I’d felt in Nell’s office earlier that day.
Scarlett startled beside me, whispering, “Do you feel that?”
“I believe it’s the energy they're harnessing from the new moon. Breathe deep and try to clear your mind.” I wondered if it would have the same effect as when I was learning to open a telepathic link.
As I focused on my breaths and cleared my mind, I felt the energy absorb into my aura.
As if someone had rinsed away the heaviness on my chest with cool water, tears flooded my eyes without control.
Relief. As the energy flowed through my body, I felt myself grow lighter and lighter, purging the bleak emotions that had been weighing me down for so long.
When I opened my eyes, I glanced beside me.
Scarlett leaned back on her hands, tilting her head back and inhaling deeply, a soft grin peeking on the edges of her face.
We didn’t even have our stones or crystals—the incredible feeling was just from riding the wave of the energy in the cave.
After several moments, the energy remained, but the Mystics surrounding us began to murmur among themselves as they finished their cleansing.
One by one, they began to rise to their feet, smiling and linking their arms with one another.
Talitha returned to the front stage. “Now, let’s celebrate! Food and elixirs are present. Happy New Moon! Enjoy!”
Scarlett and I stood up and glanced around as the Solace Grotto came to life with the Mystics.
Talitha rushed over to us, grinning widely. “I’m so happy to see that you two made it! What did you think?”
“That was…” Scarlett began. “Wow. That was powerful.”
Talitha dipped her head. “Yes. It’s one of our favorite rituals here. Now, it’s time to have fun. Let’s introduce you to some people, shall we?” Talitha didn’t wait for our response and made her way back to her previous spot on the stone stage. Scarlett and I followed, not seeing the harm in it.
Leonara stood there, seeming even more perceptive up close. “Leonara,” Talitha said. “I’d like you to meet Scarlett and Cotton, Kinetics from Terraguard.”
Leonara offered a smile, not overly friendly but not cold either. She just seemed to be someone who remained in absolute control of her thoughts and emotions at all times. “Pleasure to meet the pair of you,” she greeted, bowing slightly with respect. “It’s an honor.”
“Thank you for welcoming us into your home and practices. You have a beautiful thing going on here,” Scarlett said to the pair of women.
“Truly, we’re grateful because your presence here means the barriers separating Celestials from Mystics have been broken, which can only mean positive transformation from here,” Leonara said.
“As our High Priestess of Trancers, Leonara is the most skilled at meditation and rituals,” Talitha explained.
“She’s able to tap into energy as easily as breathing and can work with it on a spiritual level that is extremely rare.
She teaches our young and helps our adults continue to expand in their enlightenment.
While everyone here was gifted an affinity to an element by the gods, those who grow in their spiritual enlightenment gain other metaphysical abilities gifted by the Angels. ”
“That’s fascinating,” Scarlett answered for both of us, her eyes wide. “I noticed there aren’t many men here. Is there a reason for that?”
“While we have men amongst our kind, they aren’t as common as women,” Leonara said. “Long ago, we shared a bond with Celestials called the Covenant Bond, where we’d find a Kindred soul amongst them, and we’d pair up for our lifetime.”
Scarlett narrowed her eyes, angling her head to the side. “So, you mean like soulmates?”
Leonara smiled, an easy one that softened her sharp features.
“In a way, yes, though, it never had to be romantic, nor was it intended to be. It was a bond where we Mystics were meant to act as guides to Celestials. We’d protect and fight for one another, while also acting as their healers, tending to their energies, and teaching them how to work with it themselves.
Once you found your Covenant Pair, you’d know it.
They were either best friends for life—closer than siblings—or they could be romantic partners. ”
“I presume romantic partners happened more often than not,” Scarlett said with a knowing grin.
Talitha chuckled, grabbing two crystal goblets off the table on the stage and handing them to both of us.
“Yes, the Celestial men and Mystic women tended to have a strong spiritual pull to one another. They always struck the perfect balance. So imagine the pain many of us felt when Celanea ejected them from our world. We don’t reproduce on the level that we did when the Celestials lived among us.
We’ve been trying to maintain our population and what’s left of this world ever since. ”
Sadness crept into my heart for these people, who seemed to all be nothing but kind and peaceful. I didn’t know what to say. But Scarlett and I would help them in whatever way we could. It appeared their goals aligned with ours. We just needed to get Gray here first, then we could go from there.
“Anyway, you two mingle and enjoy your evening. Relax, eat, and drink some elixir. From what Valik told me, you guys deserve it.” Talitha winked, grabbing a goblet of her own, toasting it in our direction before striding away.
“Once again, it’s been a pleasure. Enjoy your evening.” Leonara took a goblet from the table, then left us alone on the stage.
“I’m starving,” Scarlett said, taking a sip from her cup. “Let’s go eat and see how these Mystics party.”
I smiled, drinking from my own cup. The elixir was sweet, reminding me of champagne but without a bitter aftertaste. It fizzled on the back of my tongue and down my throat, immediately making me feel lighter. “Yes. Let’s eat first, though. I feel like we’re gonna need it with this elixir.”
Scarlett laughed, hooking my elbow with her arm before turning around and making a beeline for a table filled with food. We piled our plates with vegetables, meats, and carbs. My stomach grumbled at the hearty aromas, and I couldn’t wait any longer before we dove in.
We didn’t speak during our meal. We were too busy filling our stomachs.
But once we finished, we met each other’s eyes with knowing grins, tapping our goblets together before downing the elixirs.
Moments later, we were both giddy and light, laughing and feeling free.
As we looked around, we spotted the other Mystics taking part in their cultural dances, which exhibited freedom and love of movement.
Without hesitation, we joined in, swaying under the Solace Grotto’s aperture in the ceiling, the new moon directly above us, and danced to the language of our souls.