I swallowed, daunted by the possibility of having such a hefty responsibility placed on my shoulders. I didn’t like it. Being a hero had never been something I’d sought after.
“Okay, cool. Angels are real and shit, too. Got it,” Onyxmurmured. It was clear from his dubious expression that he didn't quite believe it.
“They very much are, young halfling,” Brecken retorted, offended. “Angels are responsible for this realm. Celestials are derived from the essence of Archangels.”
Remembering what Valik had told me back in the abandoned Celestial Castle, I asked,“I thought the gods were responsible for Arcadia?”
“The gods are responsible for crafting the world and for the magic in Arcadia. They each represent an element. But the Angels created the Celestials, which, at one time, brought a harmonic and balanced world, despite their arrogance. The gods created Druids and Dryads first. Even non-magical humans once existed here as well. And the Mystics? They were once humans chosen by the gods and Angels alike. Humans who possessed the purest of souls were gifted an element to help the Celestials maintain the light magic in Arcadia.”
“So where do the Tempests come into play?”
“The Tempests are an example of what happens when Angels fuck up. In fact, the state of Arcadia is a glaring example of that,” Brecken said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway…” He redirected the conversation and shifted his attention to me.
“So what am I supposed to do with the stone once you give it to me?”I asked him, a sense of dread beginning to climb up my throat.
“While Celanea is absent from the Goshen Kingdom during her attack on us with the sole purpose of getting the stone, you are to go directly there, where the true queen and her Guardian are being held captive. Moonset is nigh, and she will be here upon us shortly. My brothers are keeping me informed of the preparations as we speak. We will remain here to protect our home.”
“Why don’t you just flee?” Onyx asked. “It sounds like this is pretty much a suicide mission if you stay. You barely survived the first ambush, fromthe sounds of it.”
Brecken’s eyes hardened, and his nostrils flared. “We are warriors. Every single one of us. This is our home and has been for the past six thousand cycles. We do not cower. We protect. If we die, we die with honor and our virtues. We stay and fight, or we stand for nothing.”
I couldn’t help but see how rigid their belief systems were. Thinking back to the conversation we’d had previously in his chamber, I reflected on their purist views. While I understood their deep-rooted fear of the unknown, given their mandate, I strongly disagreed with their law of no interbreeding. That was no different than back home before Devolution Day, where there was still the bullshit debate where laws dictated who humans could love.
“Okay, that’s a bit hardcore, but I can respect that,” Onyx said. “So what do we need to do?”
“The Seraphite Stone isn’t the only weapon we were entrusted to possess from the Angel Realm. They both serve different purposes but can have grave consequences if they fall into the wrong hands.”
“And what is the other one?”
Brecken chewed on his bottom lip, like it pained him to share this information with us. “It’s our best-kept secret. No one—not even the Celestials—knew about this. It is the Eternal Sword. It can kill Celanea and will destroy anyone else who is not authorized to wield it. I trust that you know how to wield a sword, Cotton?” He looked at me pointedly.
“Of course, I know how to wield a sword,”I scoffed, my turn to be offended.
Relief wiped away the tenseness in his expression. “Thank the gods. Because aside from my people and the Celestial High Queen and King, you are the only other person able to wield it.”
“If you guys possess the only weapon capable of killing Celanea, then why haven’t you done so already?” Onyx pointed out, raising a very valid question.
Brecken swallowed. “It is a weapon of immense power. In Arcadia, it’s only been wielded once. It was stolen long ago by anArchangel for selfish purposes. What resulted was Arcadia’s first darkness. And ever since, the realm has been in flux, trying to find the balance again because of one selfish decision. Due to the Druid’s warrior mindset and our quest for knowledge, we were given the mandate to protect it and maintain its secrecy, despite many believing it to be a destroyed artifact from a long time ago. We don’t leave our home out of duty. We aren’t meant to wield this sword as a weapon, merely protect it from those who would seek to use it for their own gain. The only ones meant to physically wield it are the True Queen and King of Arcadia, and that is Gray and Chrome. However, if you find yourself in a position where you are left with no choice but to wield the sword, young one,” Brecken said to me, “then wield it. But only as a last resort, or else risk it ending up in the hands of the enemy.”
“So we’re supposed to just ambush them with only Onyx and me with nothing but the Seraphite Stone and Eternal Sword that I’m technically not supposed to use? I’m sorry, but I’m not that powerful, High Mage,”I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
Brecken tilted his head with a deadpan expression, wielding much more sass than I anticipated from the ancient Druid. “No, I’ve already reached out for help from the Mystics. You won’t be alone, but you need to get moving. Celanea’s ambush will be at any moment. I can’t risk her getting hold of either of these relics.”
“And how are we getting there exactly?” Onyx narrowed his eyes. “Are we expected to ride till dawn on the ceraber’s back?”
“I’ll travel you there by wind in the same way that I brought you down from the top of the cliff,” he said with a shrug. “But be warned, I’ll be dropping you right into the heart of the castle. The Mystics have removed any protections for me. But it’ll only hold for so long before they notice and prepare for the attack.”
I swallowed, not anticipating this evening to turn so godsdamn drastically.
“When you arrive, find Queen Gray and herGuardian. If I know any better, they’ll be held in the prison that’s located in the keep. Your help should have arrived to provide you with the distraction needed to get them out. Once you get to her, immediately leave. Take her outside the gates. The ceraber will be waiting to take her to safety.”
“Okay, so this is a rescue mission then? Why do I need to have the stone and sword?”
“It is.” He left my final question unanswered.
Onyx and I met each other’s eyes, dread in both of our stares. His thick, dark lashes brushed against the top of his cheekbone as he broke my gaze to look at the floor.
We’d just found each other again, and who knew if we would survive this mission long enough to see where this thing between us led.
