Onyx didn’t turn around to answer me, keeping vigilant, but he said, “It’s a long story, but the Mystics and those from our Hollow are here while Cotton and I save you and Slate.”
“So this is a rescue mission for me? How did you even know this was where we were? I don’t even know where the hell we are,” I said, looking up at the domed stone ceiling. “And who are the Mystics?”
“Again, it’s a long story. But for now, just follow us. We’ll get you to safety.”
Given recent events, I hated secrets. So, frustration gnawed at me, but I pushed it aside for the moment.
Slate leaned forward into my ear. “I’ll explain who the Mystics are once we’re out of here. But right now, we can’t afford any distractions. Otherwise, we might face Infernal mind manipulation as you did back at the Wind Kingdom,” he said.
Hooks of dread latched onto my heart and sank it deep into the pits of my stomach. I hadn’t fully recovered from the trauma I’d awoken to, nor was I okay. In a way, living in a state of denial that anything was wrong was a pure survival tactic. I couldn’t allow myself to let my walls drop, or the darkness would creep back in. If there were ever a time for me to ward off my darkness, now was it. Because if I slipped for a single moment, I’d offer myself willingly to an Infernal to kill me. And while that was the easiest way to deal with all of the pain, I knew it wasn’t the answer. I couldn’t leave Slate—who’d sacrificed his happiness for me—nor could I leave my people behind like that in such a fucked-up world.
The four of us followed Cotton and Onyx through a corridor of cells. Most were empty, but eventually, we crossed into a section of occupied cells.
While Slate and I had been kept in a specially enclosed cell with a solid door, the rest of the prisoners seemed to be imprisoned in classic ones containing bars. Peeking inside, I spotted the telltale signs of a ghastly Endarkened. As I passed, it did as the others had back in the King’s Palace, kneeling for me with its forehead pressed to its knees.
The more cells we passed, the more it clicked. These must be the Endarkened from the Royal Domain. Forest must’ve had them transferred here before Chrome and I arrived. But what use did they serve in Arcadia for Celanea and him?
I grabbed Slate’s hand. “Don’t let me give up.”
“Never,” he whispered in my ear, then pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “But if you go, I go.”
The corridor we’d traversed ended at an ancient stairwell. We followed Onyx and Cotton up several flights, feeling my energy flee with each step.
It didn’t take long before I was winded, and my legs threatened to collapse. My stomach still ached from the dark magic cast upon it.
No, Gray. Don’t think about it. Not yet.
Slate slid an arm around my waist, helping me to ascend. I hated to admit it, but I was grateful, because I genuinely didn’t have the strength to keep going on my own this time. My magic hadn’t fully replenished yet, and while I healed some, it was too slow.
At last, we reached a landing, and Onyx unsheathed a Kinetic sword. Chaos unfolded ahead, magic blasts—invisible and Elemental alike—clashed through the desolate castle. Orange blades flashed through the dimly lit space. Infernals flitted around in a blur, moving at speeds that surpassed Kinetics or Elementals. So many people, and so much violence.
My heart clenched at the sight of those I’d grown to love over the past year fighting against beings whose power and strength outmatched their own. The first familiar face I saw belonged to River, who fought more viciously than I’d ever seen before. She unleashed her rage upon the Infernal she faced off against, who fought like the stoic, mind-controlled freak that it was.
All I wanted to do was run to her, pull her into a hug, and apologize for the last words I’d said to her back in the woods. I wanted to help her in her fight, but Slate grabbed my hand, pulling me along with him as he watched for any potential ambushes.
Void fought a few feet away from her, using his element and sword with his senses. Vines clinging to the stone and mortar ripped from their host to lash tightly around Infernals’ throats, wrists, and ankles. In a blink, they were snatched up by the vines and tossed high above the melee to hang motionless. I wasn’t sure how long they would last there, but hopefully, it gave everyone a reprieve.
White, loose clothing flashed among the fight with swift and deadly force. One woman in particular, though, stood still, never having to lift a sword or her fists. Instead, she just clapped, and a ripple of power ejected from her body to encapsulate the Infernals surrounding her. Once touched by her power, they fell to the ground unconscious.
I watched in awe at her strength. Who was she? I didn’t recall her from the Druids’ kingdom, but I hadn’t stayed long enough to meet anyone else besides Brecken.
“Come on, we need to get to the castle gates,” Onyx said, already moving. “We have at least another six minutes before we reach it if we hurry.”
I struggled with each step as Slate helped me hobble along to our escape. In my periphery, a dark shadow rushed toward me. Panicking, I froze, my mind immediately jumping to Chrome. But when a man’s back jostled into my shoulder, Slate held me steady against him. With his free hand, he released a fiery silver sphere from his palm. It slammed into an Infernal, and I watched in shock as metallic flames swallowed him whole.
The man who’d bumped into me swiveled around, quickly taking note of me, then Slate. Shadow nodded and muttered his hasty thanks before launching back into the battle.
Somehow, we managed to pass through the rest of the battle around us unseen. I’d honestly been expecting a fight of some sort that would halt us from our destination.
Once we passed through the kitchens, Cotton and Onyx seemed to relax. The fight had been contained to the interior of the castle.
“Almost there, just gotta get through the courtyard and then the gate,” Onyx said. “Then we should be safe.”
The kitchens were abandoned, containing only relics of the past. I wondered if Tempests and Infernals didn’t need to eat to stay alive, or if it was purely dark magic and souls that kept them going?
“How many kitchens are there?” I asked, breathless. I hatedfeeling this unfit. Being physically weak wasn’t something I’d experienced since before I began training when I was fourteen.
“Just two more,” Onyx replied quietly, but his voice still echoed.
