Chapter 35 #2
Chill bumps rose to the surface from the colder-than-necessary temperature in the room.
I stood in the doorway with my mouth open, trying to process the sight of my cold and cunning aunt so emotionally distressed.
The two just didn’t go together. Finally, after several long seconds, I realized the open door left us exposed to anyone passing by.
I shut it softly before cautiously tiptoeing in Aunt Amethyst’s direction.
I squatted at her side, resting my palm gently on her shoulder.
Amethyst didn’t react, as if she’d discarded the steely persona that she’d crafted so carefully over the years.
Raw cries scraped up her throat and streams of tears soaked her face, ruining her perfect makeup.
She’d lost not one but both of her children yesterday.
Even if she had never been a loving parent, I couldn’t imagine what she must have been experiencing.
Leaning into her ear, I whispered, “Is he truly dead?” After my conversation with Onyx, I knew the answer, but I needed to see how she’d react.
Amethyst hiccupped on a breath at my question, sliding her hands from her face slowly. She sniffled, wiping her splotchy cheeks in a demure fashion. “What do you mean?” Amethyst’s voice sounded as if her vocal cords had been shredded.
“He’s not, is he?” My words were so soft that if I hadn’t been right beside her, I doubted she would’ve heard me, even through our heightened hearing.
Amethyst’s shoulders slumped forward, her chin against her chest. “No. But he might as well be.” Her jaw trembled, shaking her head.
“I tried…” Her voice broke, moisture filling her lids once again.
“I tried to protect him without being discovered by Forest, but…” Her sobs took over again, even as she tried to muffle them through her palms.
I angled my head, my brows wrinkling in confusion. “What do you mean?”
My aunt sat back, straightening her spine. “I tried to protect him from Forest. In secret. For all these years…” She sucked in a harsh breath. “But I failed.”
The room began to spin, and I started to feel lightheaded at what she was implying. “Aunt Amethyst, what are you talking about?”
As if she could finally reveal her truth, she exhaled a harsh breath. She rose to her feet, gesturing for me to follow her to her desk. “Sit. And by the gods, if you breathe a word of anything I’m about to tell you, I’ll kill you. Family or not.”
I nodded. “Of course. I’m good with secrets. Especially when it comes to Chrome.”
Amethyst narrowed her eyes. “What do you…”
“He’s a hybrid. I know. He’s the son of the deceased king of the Elementals and…you,” I emphasized the last word with accusation, knowing she had forced the king to impregnate her.
“How do you know that?” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
I shrugged. “I just do. But I need to know what’s going on and where Chrome is, as well as Forest’s plan now that he’s gone.”
“Forest made me do that to King Jonas, but I didn’t rape the man for fuck’s sake. Forest said…” Amethyst leaned her head back and transfixed by the ceiling. “It’s such a long story, Slate.”
“I have time.”
Amethyst bit her bottom lip before meeting my gaze again.
“Fine,” she agreed. “You must understand, I am by no means innocent in everything I’ve done.
I’ve had to play a role, and that role has required me to get my hands dirty.
But at the end of the day, all I want is for Forest to die.
It’s just not that simple,” she sighed, defeated.
Now, seeing her at this angle, her puffy, reddened eyes showed all the weight she’d been carrying on her shoulders for so many years. Alone.
“I know,” I said, still hesitant to give away too much information about the insurgency.
Amethyst needed to give me more before I divulged anything.
“Start from the beginning. I’m listening.
” I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for the details my aunt was about to reveal, but I’d do my best to appear nonjudgemental in her confession.
“Forest has the favor of the Kinetics worldwide. He’s got his hands in deep with human corporations and the US government, particularly the military-industrial complex.
He pays off congressmen and women to pass bills that will benefit him, all while spinning it publicly to appear as if it’s for the good of all Kinetics.
He’s started a war with Elementals by framing them in order to turn public opinion in his favor.
Chrome and the princess have been part of the plan since before they were born.
” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “When we kidnapped the Elemental king and queen—”
My eyes widened, and I was unable to stop myself from interrupting her. “You kidnapped them? That’s what happened to them?”
“Yes. Forest wanted to knock out two birds with one stone. Destabilize their monarchy while cross-breeding with them to produce hybrids with the most powerful of both races.”
“For what reason?” I asked.
Amethyst puckered her lips, staring at an empty spot on the wall.
“There is another realm, Arcadia, where other beings and magic exist. Right now, its magic is being drained by a dark species. However, there is an ancient object that is protected and hidden within that determines whether light or dark magic rules the realm. Forest was promised this object, but he’d need a way to open a portal.
Apparently, only royal hybrids can do that. ”
Valik.
Clearly, he was a being from another world. I remembered Chrome telling me about his ability to slip between the two. I kept that information close to my chest, working to keep a straight face while waiting for Amethyst to continue.
“In order for him to obtain the object, he has to uphold his part of the deal he made. The woman from Arcadia wants Endarkened. As many as possible. She’s never elaborated as to why, but Forest has been catching them to hold in the prisons.
” Amethyst then snorted, shaking her head.
“Of course, Forest saw the opportunity to exploit the Endarkened by setting them loose in populated human areas knowing that they’d deplete someone. ”
I schooled my features, relieved to finally have this theory proven right.
“Anyways,” my aunt continued, “Forest was also expected to create these specific hybrids to open the portal, to which then he must complete a very time-sensitive ritual. It’s so fucking clear he’s being manipulated, but Forest is too egotistical to see it, despite my protests.
The moment he accomplishes all the tasks, he’s dead… or worse.”
My mind spun, untangling Amethyst’s bits of information and what I already knew to form the closest thing to the truth. The Endarkened that were being held deep within the prisons—Forest’s bait to kick off a Kinetic-Elemental war—were also serving as his payment for his ultimate prize.
“But if Forest is holding a bunch of Endarkened, he’s breaking the accords, rendering him a traitor. Surely, that’s enough to bring forth to the Lords of the other domains?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Amethyst sighed. “I’ve thought of that. I have the evidence to prove it. But then what? Who will lead the Kinetic monarchy, then? There is no heir ready to step in.”
My face contorted in confusion. “Uh, the princess?”
“That the king has deliberately isolated and turned the population against? Imagine the uproar if he was taken from the throne and replaced by a fourteen-year-old that most people can’t stand, Slate.
” Amethyst’s eagle-like stare speared through me.
“We would destroy ourselves. Then, humans would inevitably discover our existence. And you see how they freak out about the conspiracies of aliens, right? Imagine the warfare if they learned of us. Not only do we have the humans to worry about, Elementals would most likely seize the opportunity to attack…” Amethyst sighed, her exhaustion sinking her further into her chair.
“Let’s not forget about Arcadia. There’s a dark force there waiting for her payment.
Who knows what hell she’d wreak here if it was snatched from underneath her nose by removing Forest from power. ”
My aunt had her points. Valid concerns. At least right now, we could buy the time to figure out a long-term solution. “So, what about you? What’s been your role? You’ve been very convincing in your loyalty to the king,” I said, trying and failing to keep the accusation from my tone.
“That’s true. I was loyal to him a long time ago.
Until he forced me to get pregnant by King Jonas.
When Chrome was conceived, Forest wanted to sculpt him to become the ultimate weapon to strike fear into every Elemental and potential future foe.
But he despised Chrome at the same time because he was half-Elemental.
” Amethyst clenched her jaw, and her lip curled at the edges before she went on.
“Regardless of his lineage, he was my child. I loved him. The moment he was born, I hugged him to my chest and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Forest had been present in the room to ensure his ‘viability,’” she spat.
“He snatched Chrome from my chest, passing him off to a healer. Then, he backhanded me across my face, his metal rings gashing me deep, and said, ‘He’s an experiment. Don’t even think about getting attached.
Otherwise, you’re considered compromised, and the child will be terminated.
Then I’ll be forced to start over with someone else a little less emotional. ’”
My eyebrows lifted to my hairline. “Fuck…”