His breath danced along the shell of my earlobe. “Is that why you’re tenser than a Warrior being called into questioning by Forest?” Onyx’s arms tightened around my torso. “Chill. You won’t fall.”
The ceraber began to move, turning back around to head into the woods once again.
“You sure we don’t need the map from the book?”
I nodded.“Talitha said to just tell her that we were headed to the Wind Kingdom.”
“You haven’t done it, though, yet, have you?”
I stiffened again before directing my mental communication back to the Celestial bear I sat astride.“We are headed to the Wind Kingdom. I trust you know how to get there?”
The bear snorted as if to say, “Of course, you fucking idiot.”
“I’m going to go out on a wild, unstable limb and assume that you just finally informed her of where we were headed.” Onyx’s chest vibrated against my back as he spoke. Gods, I hoped this journey didn’t take longer than necessary. I wasn’t sure how long I could handle being this close to Onyx before I foolishly caved.
I didn’t respond, just focusing on gripping the ceraber with my knees and keeping my balance. Once the animal knew the direction to head in, she began to pick up her pace. My heart faltered as shebegan to run, and Onyx’s laughter in my ear only made me want to punch him in the eye.
“Relax and just go with her movement. I know it’s been a while, but remember how it felt on a bike? It’s kinda the same concept. Just lean forward on her the faster she goes.” His voice sent warm, uninvited tingles down my neck, and I fought the urge to shiver.
Before we knew it, the bear was running at her full speed, taking branches and limbs down in her path if there wasn’t already a previously made one by her. Onyx and I stayed low against her back and lower neck, doing our best to avoid the debris flying our way.
I closed my eyes. If I couldn’t see it, then I’d be fine.
About an hour into our ride, once the ceraber had slowed her pace to navigate the edge of some woods infected by the Syphon Bond, Onyx spoke. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you yet, but…it’s so good to hear your voice. It’s better than I ever imagined it to be.”
My throat constricted as my chest suddenly felt too full. I became hyperaware of every inch of the front of his body pressed against my back and each breath he took.
“I’ve missed you so damn much, Cotton. I’m sorry I left like I did. I didn’t have a choice.” Regret clung to his words. “My own father doesn’t even know that I’m alive.”
“What happened? Why’d you leave?”I asked, anger from his betrayal beginning to heat my body again.
“I was there when Chrome escaped. I helped him after he killed the guards. I was on duty at the time. Forest and Grim had tortured him for weeks until he lost it and depleted Peri. Then he snapped and killed everyone in there.” Onyx continued the horrible tale of the truth regarding Chrome’s escape all those years ago. How Forest had capitalized on the chance to turn him into a pariah by saying he was Griffin Silas, then used us to hunt him down.“But I knew if I stayed much longer, Forest would’ve had me interrogated, which could’ve put everyone at risk, including you and my dad. I couldn’t risk it, so the best thing for me to do was to leave.”
I processed Onyx’s truth, and while I was still angry with him, Icouldn’t deny that his reasons were valid. I nodded, unsure what to say. What bothered me the most was knowing how down Chrome had been back then, and how hardly any of us knew. He kept it hidden pretty well through a cool exterior. I reflected on that time in our lives, when we would hang out either on the rooftops or in the training room. We’d been good friends, never extremely close, but we’d always been the quieter ones of our friendship group, so we always sat back and observed the others with amusement.
“Well, I’m glad you’re alive after all. It’s been kinda shit without you all this time,”I finally said at last, leaving it at that as the ceraber began to pick up speed again in a race to reunite with her queen.
“Do you know what happened to my dad?” Onyx asked. He tried to hide the emotion from his voice by making it deeper.
I scanned the woods around us, noticing that the birds chirped here, and took a sip of water.“I have no idea. I know Forest had been evacuating the King’s Palace the day Chrome destroyed the veil. He sent a lot of his trusted people to distant domains. I believe that the Tempests can see the future like the Mystics. Celanea must’ve tipped him off. That’s my best guess with your dad. And even mine.”
Onyx sighed, releasing a deep breath. “I hope to find him again. So he knows I lived.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Gray
Slate and I stared in horror at the havoc the Infernals wreaked upon the Druids for several moments. “How are we supposed to fight them? We can only kill them by taking off their heads, right?” I turned to face Slate, whose eyes shifted around the room as he methodically assessed the situation—ever the warrior.
With a nod, he replied, “Yeah. Just do what you gotta do to get their heads off their bodies. They feed from your power like Endarkened, but they’re more competent and aware. Don’t let them get a second of the upper hand, or you’re done.”
“I don’t have a sword on me.” Panic climbed up my throat as I realized I didn’t really have a good way to behead them without a sword. Daggers wouldn’t do in this instance.
Or maybe they could.
I retrieved my daggers from my belt with the help of my element, then began to analyze the Druid warriors. They fought with quick, brutal efficiency, each strike landing true. They were such clean and methodical fighters, equipped with speed, precision, and most shockingly, a sheer force coming from their blows. Each assault sent Infernals soaring into the shelves or leaving smallcraters in the floor. The way that they swiftly interchanged between their physical skill and magic was something to aspire to.
But just as quick as the Druids were, the Infernals matched them in speed, strength, and agility. The first opening they had to pull from their soul, they took it. And before a Druid knew what was happening, they found themselves frozen and at the Infernal’s mercy before they dropped to the ground seconds later.
