“A Druid?” Scarlett leaned back, squinting.
I nodded.“I’m sorry I left like I did.”
Scarlett and I sat on the sofa for hours while I explained my desperate need to communicate and my reasoning for having a cottage to myself. Of course, she understood without complaint. We chatted about the unicorn situation, the Mystics, the cottage, Valik, and Gray. I told her about the day we fled the King’s Palace, with more specific details about everything that happened. I told her how seeing Chrome alive had been like seeing a ghost, which then led me to explain how when we’d been friends that I had been a part of the insurgency to overthrow King Forest. There were so many secrets I had to tell her now that I could actually vocalize them, much less without the fear of the king finding out and killing me and Scarlett by default.
“Cotton.” Scarlett yawned. “I don’t blame you for holding onto these secrets, but gods, I feel awful for you, carrying all of this alone for so long.”
I shrugged, staring at the flowering vine climbing the wall.“The last thing I ever wanted was to endanger anyone else just from my own knowledge of something.”
Scarlett’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
I explained to her the abbreviated version of what happened to my tongue, just hitting the highlights for now. Scarlett’s face paled, tears brimming her eyes.“I’ll explain it more to you soon,”I said telepathically, taking her hand in mine, “but for now, I don’t want to getbogged down in the heaviness of that memory. Nell invited us to their new moon ritual tonight. You wanna go?”
Scarlett perked up, a devious grin playing on her lips. The twinkle in her eyes returned for the first time since we got ourselves imprisoned in the King’s Palace. “What does this ritual entail?”
I shrugged.“Honestly, I have no idea, but Talitha mentioned earlier that she had to make preparations for it. The Mystics intrigue me. Could potentially be a celebration afterward.”
“I like Talitha—nothing like a strong and powerful woman. Plus, the way she hands Valik his ass is something to be commended. I’m down.” Scarlett shrugged. “What do we wear?”
I had no clue, but I presumed that the attire that had materialized for me earlier would suffice. At the thought, two pairs of folded clothes appeared on the coffee table before each of us. The pair in front of me was white with sprinkles of red thread thinly woven into the fabric, giving it an iridescent look. Gold trim lined the collar and sleeves of the tunic, as well as the matching trousers. Clearly, this was their more formal attire.
Scarlett’s outfit was similar to mine, but splashed with purple instead of red and lined with the same gold trim. I wondered if these were their ceremonial colors. On top of her folded pile was a set of neatly placed jewelry.
“Shall we?” Scarlett asked, running her fingertips over her outfit with a satisfied smile and a sparkle in her eye. The Mystics’ style of clothing was vastly different from what Scarlett was used to wearing, but it suited her all the same.
I nodded, grinning at her from the side before we both rose to change in separate bedrooms.
After dressing, I stepped back out to the living room and didn’t have to wait long before Scarlett joined me.
Clad in her ceremonial attire, her deep red waves cascaded down to her ribcage and were accentuated by the purple in her jewelry and outfit. The trousers were loose-fitting, very unlike Scarlett, but they brought an air of ease and softness that really suited her. Her tuniccut low, and naturally, she’d left the top strings undone to show off a small bit of cleavage. An amethyst stone hung loosely around her neck, complementing the purple threading woven through her outfit, while a matching pair of earrings dangled from her ears.
“At least we won’t be relegated to the castle anymore, as beautiful as it is. It seems the Mystics have strong wards here that keep them safe,” she remarked as she strode for the front door.
I nodded in agreement as we left the little house.“Why were you and Valik so late getting here, by the way?”I asked, realizing how much time must’ve passed during my nap.
Scarlett adjusted her hair, blocking my view of her face momentarily, but not before I barely glimpsed the guilt in her eyes. “Valik had to recover his magic reserves.”
I hugged my oldest friend, feeling lighter than I had since I was a child. Since my mother was alive. Having the ability to communicate with those around me in a way that didn’t make me feel trapped or limited offered me a sense of freedom that I didn’t think I’d ever have again. For the first time, I felt truly free. And now, I felt as if I could fully enjoy the world around me.
Night had already fallenby the time we arrived at the ceremony inside the Solace Grotto, located off a pathway from the gardens and courtyard. The Grotto was an oasis—the most peaceful spot I’d ever set foot on. Carved out of a large stone hill, moss blanketed its surface, blending in with the rolling hills of the landscape. Colorful floral vines draped in front of the opening while tree sprites flitted between them.
Scarlett and I gasped as we stepped further into the structure, taking in the massive waterfall that gushed from the top, spanning at least ten stories high. It crashed into a steaming wading pool, which filled the Grotto with a relaxing aroma that touched my soul. Green vines and climbing plants covered the walls, creeping up to thedomed ceiling, which was draped with white and pastel-colored flowers. As I looked closer, I noticed small, orb-shaped flames illuminating the dimly lit space. Mystics entered the Solace Grotto, buzzing with an aura of excitement. Most dipped their chins in welcome as they passed by Scarlett and me. Like I had noticed upon our initial arrival to the Mystics’ territory in the town center, there was a noticeable disparity in the ratio of men to women here for the ceremony.
Scarlett leaned into my ear and said, “Well, looks like this isn’t gonna be one of Forest’s pompous parties.”
I huffed out a laugh but continued to take in our surroundings as we moved forward, unsure what to do. People were greeting one another before taking a wooden bowl from a table on a raised platform at the front of the cave before finding seats on the floor.
“Welcome, Cotton,” Nell’s soft-spoken voice said at my other side, causing me to jump at her sudden appearance. She giggled at my reaction before turning her attention beside me. “Scarlett, it’s lovely to meet you.” She dipped her chin, a radiant smile adding to her natural glow.
She pointed to the ceiling, directing our focus to the hole cut out at the peak of the Grotto, showcasing the glittering stars blanketing the sky above us. “When the moon hits the pinnacle of its phase, we’ll feel its energy. It’s so potent that it cannot be missed by those in Arcadia who possess magic. Once at its zenith, it’ll align perfectly with the aperture, and the energy emitting from it will be channeled into here, where we’ll harness it through a ritual ceremony involving crystals and stones. It’s nothing extravagant.” At our confused expressions, Nell rushed to add, “There’s no pressure to participate; just observe if you’d like.”
We both thanked her for the offer and moved forward, finding a spot on the mossy floor in the back and taking a seat with our legs crossed. The Solace Grotto’s calming energy seeped beneath my muscles, soothing the tension in my body, yet anticipation kept me slightly on edge. Glancing to my left, Scarlett’s knees bounced intheir crisscrossed position, her hands fidgeting in her lap. I smirked at the childlike gesture, reminding me of when we were kids.
After several minutes of hushed conversation among the gathered Mystics, Talitha stepped up onto a stone platform framed with wooden columns at the corners. She stood several feet behind the table containing the bowls. She wore clothing similar to Scarlett’s and mine, though the threads woven throughout hers glimmered silver under the floating flames, rather than red and purple like ours. Though I was too far away to see clearly, I thought I spotted a marking on the inside of her forearm as she raised her arms to the sky, tilting her head back with them.
The soft chatter was silenced, and everyone focused their attention on their High Priestess.
“Welcome,” she said, her voice strong yet gentle. “We gather tonight in celebration of another moon phase. One of our favorites. The New Moon cleanses our energy from anything negative, or any dark magic that might’ve trickled through our wards from the Tempests.”
