Chapter 37 #2
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Amethyst. Wearing a floor-length, figure-hugging dress, she wept, wiping her nose and dabbing her eyes with a matching handkerchief.
It was the silver trim on the dress and the Warrior insignia stitched into her gown that gave me pause.
Before her confession, I might’ve thought she was doing it for attention or to appear like she actually gave a shit about her son.
Now, I saw the raw grief that lay bare for our world to see.
As the solemn song continued, reaching the crescendo of our silent goodbye, the emotion became too much. I hadn’t had a moment to process my own grief and loss. My eyes burned with a moisture that forced its way free down my face.
I ached for the families who’d lost a Warrior to Chrome’s hands. No one ever stood a chance against him, but no one ever expected him to turn on us.
And Peri. Gods, I still couldn’t even go there yet.
The string melody wound down, and everyone present dropped their heads in respect until it came to a complete stop. All light evaporated from the room, dropping us into total darkness. Shuffling occurred, signaling those to remove any clothing covering their arms, including myself.
At once, all the pyres lit and began to burn. That was our cue to raise our arms and let our currents flow freely. Multitudes of colors for each energetic source electrified the room as we honored and thanked them for their service to our people while their bodies burned.
The crowd grew raucous and deafening as they cheered on the passing souls, congratulating them on reaching the other side.
The various colors from our currents swayed and pumped the air, illuminating the room in an ominous glow while the flames licked higher and higher around the bodies.
It reminded me of what a magical and darkly archaic rave would’ve looked like.
“Let’s revel!” King Forest’s baritone voice boomed above the chants.
A chorus of “Aye!” rippled across the crowd. The somberness was passed; time to party for the dead.
The alcohol bars at the edges of the space began to fill with drinks as the crowd dispersed. Keeping our currents alight, everyone drank and danced in the dark, using only our currents and the pyre flames as the light.
I hadn’t moved from my spot, unsure if I really wanted to.
Reveling wasn’t exactly my vibe tonight.
Not with grief and guilt seizing me in a chokehold.
I scoped the darkness, seeking just a hint of the princess.
Due to circumstances, her bracelet was removed for the night, so I could see her unglamoured.
Well, partially, at least.
As my gaze swiveled through the sea of bodies, I knew she’d probably be relegated to the dais near her father. I hoped I’d catch a glimpse of her from the glow of someone’s currents.
And I did.
Her arms were ignited by electric blue currents that zipped up and down her arms and neck. My breath caught as I studied her, wishing we were in the training room so I could be free with her.
My pocket buzzed. Startled, I reached my hand inside and pulled out my phone. An unknown number appeared on the lit-up screen.
Unknown
Make her happy and safe. That’s all I ask.
My heart sank, and I pushed down a thick lump in my throat before shoving my phone back into my pocket.
I needed air.
Suddenly, I grew suffocated, like the walls of the Land of the Lost were going to crumble and bury me alive. My lungs spasmed as I just couldn’t bring enough air to them while my head felt too light.
Too much. Too many emotions were crashing into me at once. But I had to keep it together. I was the level-headed one, the reasonable one.
I bolted from the dais, heading toward one of the bars. I fidgeted and bounced on my toes impatiently as I waited for my drink, never having felt so trapped before.
Finally, the bartender handed me the glass of whiskey, and I didn’t waste any time tossing it back.
Not to get drunk. My excessively high tolerance made that nearly impossible.
Knowing what I’d recently learned, I began to form an understanding as to why.
At the very least, I hoped the alcohol would calm my nerves and mind.
Pushing through the throngs of dancing bodies, I gasped for breath. My heart thundered against my chest bone, and I worried I was going to become the first Kinetic to die from a heart attack. All I wanted was to lie down and hide away from the world.
At last, I reached the door and slammed it open, the fresh night air blasting me in the face. I gulped it down, stumbling away from the building and further into the trees lining the King’s Palace grounds.
Holding my drink, I let my shoulder catch me against a tree before I lowered myself to the ground. My muscles felt spent, like wet noodles.
The sun had set, and the crickets and cicadas sang their spring songs into the night. The tree canopies bathed me in shadows, and I exhaled, finally finding a moment of solitude and peace where I could just think.
Leaning my head back against the bark, I let out a deep, relieving sigh as if I had been holding my breath for far too long.
My lungs felt as if they’d opened up at last, pulling oxygen in to revive them.
The drink burned with the strong sweetness of whiskey as it slid down my throat, blazing away the anxiety.
I closed my eyes, letting the rhythm of the cicadas and crickets guide my breaths and heart rate.
Footsteps crunched in the leaves behind me, shattering my peace.
Irritation flared in my chest at the lack of privacy.
It made me think of Chrome and how he’d rarely been granted a moment of solitude.
As much as I missed him, I was glad he was finally free from the stranglehold the palace had on him here.
I sat forward, ready to face whoever had joined me. “I just need a minute alone. Do you mind?” I snapped. It wasn’t like me, but for fuck’s sake, was it too much to ask?
“Sorry, but no.”
I whipped around, rising to my feet at the deep voice. “Valik,” I said as his silhouette closed in on me. “What are you doing here?”
“Trust me, I don’t want to be here,” Valik retorted, “but there’s something we gotta do now that Chrome has completely fucked the plan.”
I frowned, trying to see through the shadows covering him. “And what’s that?”
Valik sighed. “Remember what I told you?”
I nodded. “How could I forget?”
“Have you told anyone?” he asked.
I snorted. “Are you insane? Of course, I haven’t. That would be fucking suicide.”
“Good.” Valik walked forward until he stood inches away. “This is our last-ditch effort to save everything. And in a surprising turn of events, that hangs on you.”
“How?” I couldn’t hide the skepticism oozing from my voice.
Valik paused, assessing me with his chin raised. “Are you willing to do anything to protect the princess and Chrome?”
I answered without hesitation. “Absolutely.”
“That’s what I thought.” Valik’s voice held no humor, no bravado. If anything, he sounded tired. “I’ll train you in your new manifesting abilities. Because they’re about to come through even more…”
“Why?” I fisted my palms, attempting to suppress my anxiety.
“Because you’re about to take a Soul Oath of Fealty. Once you do that, your powers are going to start blasting through like never before. Even if you’re not full-blooded, the fraction of magic you possess is more powerful than you can imagine. You’ll need help learning to control and master it.”
I clenched my jaw, nodding in concession. “Thanks for the heads-up. I’ve just now managed to control the glamour.” Holding my palms up, I released the glamour masking the steel glow emanating from my hands as the buzzing sensation ebbed and flowed at the nape of my neck.
“That’s a start, but it’s going to require much more than a simple glamour to keep this hidden from everyone. Especially the king,” Valik explained. “Now, kneel.”
I inhaled one last deep breath, wondering if I was making a huge mistake. Doubt seeped in at whether I was even strong enough to keep this power concealed when there were eyes everywhere. Was I even worthy of this?
My stomach knotted at the risk factor. “You sure I can’t think on this for a few days and get back to you? I don’t want to make this decision impulsively.”
Valik shook his head. “I wish we had that kind of time, but we don’t. You either want to protect them or not. If not, I’m afraid we don’t stand much more of a chance to succeed.”
Blowing out a harsh breath, I lowered myself to my knees, setting my forgotten drink off to the side. “Fine.”
Valik’s hands began to glow a pure white-blinding light. “Hold out your right arm,” he instructed as he offered his left.
I did as he asked as his glowing hand clasped firmly around my forearm. Returning the hold, I felt my newfound magic begin to stir, the silver glow intermingling with his.
Valik’s voice took on a multi-range vibrato, as if multiple voices spoke through him at once. “Do you, Slate Helair, descendent of Archangel Gabriel, pledge your soulful allegiance to protect the True Queen of Arcadia at all costs?”
“I do,” I answered, feeling sure in my statement. Valik’s grip tightened. It felt like threads within me began to wiggle, weaving through my essence.
“Do you understand that by activating the awakened Guardian Bond that exists between your souls, you are now her humble warrior for protection?”
“I do.” The threads began to stitch themselves into a pattern in my soul.
“Do you understand that by bonding your soul to protect the True Queen of Arcadia, you are to protect the True King, as well? If one perishes, the other shall fall into a pit of madness as their souls are eternally intertwined.”
The Twin Soul Bond. Valik had explained that to me, too, the night I faced the Elementals. “I do.”
Valik’s fingers dug into my skin, our angelic powers glowing brighter from our hands. Thankfully, his glamours were next level, so I didn’t worry about Kinetics nearby witnessing.
“Now, repeat after me.” The threads continued to weave and stitch, locking my soul into a bond I would forever be a servant to. “I, Slate Helair…”
“I, Slate Helair,” I repeated, jumping from the burn that began to singe my arm.
“Accept my Guardian Bond to the True Queen of Arcadia and, by default, her Twin Soul.”
I repeated the line, the stitches cinching tight while the rest continued to weave into place.
“I will do everything in my soulful power to protect them, no matter the means necessary,” Valik stated.
The words grew harder to speak, as if my mouth was full of lead, but I forced them out. My heart rate picked up from the burn on my arm, the heat more penetrating than the brands I received. “I will do everything in my soulful power to protect them, no matter the means necessary.”
“And, so it is,” the intoned voices coming from Valik said. “You are bonded.”
Valik didn’t let go of my arm as the buzzing at the nape of my neck morphed into a full-blown vibration running the length of my spine. The steel glow from my hands spread to my shoulder and then my entire body, encasing me in my angelic power.
Everything hurt. My essence felt like it had been undone and sewn back together while my arm scorched with a white-hot agony that was pure at its core.
I cried out, trying to jerk it back from Valik’s grasp.
“No. You must let the process complete. It’s nearly done,” Valik ordered, squeezing my arm even tighter.
That would bruise.
After what felt like hours of being cocooned in my light, it dimmed, receding back into my body. Valik loosened his hold on me as the burn started to cool, soothing itself, while the pain in my essence began to wane.
Exhaustion claimed me as I slumped forward, my body shaking from the soulful transformation. “Now what?” I asked, breathless.
Valik squatted down until he sat eye-level with me. “Now, we train you. In more ways than one.”