I angled my head in confusion, glancing at Scarlett to maybe provide some answer for Talitha. Because I sure as hell didn’t have anything.
“We just learned that we originated from Celestials. Is that what you’re referring to?” Scarlett asked.
Talitha’s eyes narrowed, and she shook her head. “Hm…Very odd.”
Valik, who had been unusually quiet during our short trek with Talitha, piped in. “Glad I’m not the only one who sensed that.”
I spun around, spearing Valik with an accusing glare. What the fuck did he mean he noticed it, too? Why the hell hadn’t he said anything about that until now?
Valik raised his hands in surrender as he had with Talitha upon our arrival. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I wasn’t sure if my power was short-circuiting due to the Syphon Bond that the Tempests have been casting on the land. Didn’t wanna say anything prematurely.”
“What are you sensing?” Scarlett demanded, seeming uneasy as she cut me a glance from the corner of her eyes.
“Not sure yet. But I’m sure it’ll come to light soon enough,” Valik stated with a shrug before turning his attention to Talitha again. “Shall we find Nell? I’m sure she’ll barely be able to contain her excitement to see me again.”
Talitha rolled her eyes. “You’ll be lucky if you leave the Hive with your toes intact, you fucking twat.”
Talitha managedto convince Valik to stay behind so as not to agitate Nell, which I greatly appreciated before she began doing…whatever it was she planned to do to me. Scarlett reluctantly agreed to stay behind with Valik, complaining she would have to babysit him.
Talitha scoffed. “No amount of babysitting that ancient man-child would stop him from causing mass destruction. But thank you for having respect for our home,” she said before glaring at Valik again. “Unlike some fuckbirds around here.”
Valik clutched his chest in mock offense. “Oh, my heart…”
Talitha rubbed her brow with her forefinger and thumb as she gestured to me to enter Nell’s office with her other hand, ignoring Valik as we filtered inside.
“Since you aren’t gifted with any elements, Nell and I believe it’s sensible to bring you right to her instead of one of the healing floors,” Talitha said in a hushed tone as she gripped the doorknob to Nell’s office. “Just do your best to relax your mind. Nell means you no harm.”
Anytime those words had been spoken to me, they were soonfollowed by some form of harm, so my guard immediately went up as I hesitantly followed Talitha inside.
As we entered, I gasped at the stunning space. Nell’s “office” was huge, filled with each of the elements in literal form. There was a small waterfall against the wall that crashed onto large stones, where the water collected into a small pool. Large flames brought warm light from glass chandeliers up above, while natural light filtered in through the south-facing window. I imagined that at night, it offered a beautiful view of the night sky where the stars were prominent. A miniature oak tree sat in the back corner opposite the waterfall, about the size of a houseplant.
And once again, the peculiar calm energy seeped beneath my skin, relaxing me. It felt more potent here than anywhere else I’d visited in Arcadia. What was it?
In the center of the room perched a wooden desk, unpolished but smooth, with several different shades of wood grain on display. Behind it sat a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties, her pitch-black hair pulled halfway up, leaving her soft features exposed.
“This is Nell, our High Healer,” Talitha said as she took a seat on the opposite side of the desk, pointing to the chair beside her for me to take. “Nell, meet Cotton, a Kinetic from Terraguard.”
Nell offered a warm smile, her stunning green eyes beaming against her light brown skin.
A gentle, feminine voice spoke in my mind.“It’s my honor. Having you and your companion here brings us one step closer to defeating Celanea, which we cannot do without Queen Gray. We hope we can get her here soon.”
I jumped in my seat, then looked at Talitha, who chuckled at my reaction. “She’s a telepath. One of the benefits of her secondary gift,” she explained.
Nell chuckled. “No need to fear. Unfortunately, since your tongue has been severed for quite some time now, there is no way to regrow an organ that has been permanently damaged. Our previous guestinformed us that your kind is able to self-heal through your magic. Am I correct?”
I nodded.
“That’s what I thought. However, there are ways to prevent healing?”
I nodded again.
“Is that what happened to you?”
Another nod.
“Bless your soul,”she said, shaking her head to herself. Suddenly, I felt a warmth within my chest, much like being wrapped in a blanket. It began to radiate throughout me, bringing a sense of comfort to my body that I hadn’t felt since my mom lived.
“That’s Tali’s ability. She’s an empath.”
