“As our High Priestess of Trancers, Leonara is the most skilled at meditation and rituals,” Talitha explained. “She’s able to tap into energy as easily as breathing and can work with it on a spiritual level that is extremely rare. She teaches our young and helps our adults continue to expand in their enlightenment. While everyone here was gifted an affinity to an element by the gods, those who grow in their spiritual enlightenment gain other metaphysical abilities gifted by the Angels.”
“That’s fascinating,” Scarlett answered for both of us, her eyes wide. “I noticed there aren’t many men here. Is there a reason for that?”
“While we have men amongst our kind, they aren’t as common as women,” Leonara said. “Long ago, we shared a bond with Celestials called the Covenant Bond, where we’d find a Kindred soul amongst them, and we’d pair up for our lifetime.”
Scarlett narrowed her eyes, angling her head to the side. “So, you mean like soulmates?”
Leonara smiled, an easy one that softened her sharp features. “In a way, yes, though, it never had to be romantic, nor was it intended to be. It was a bond where we Mystics were meant to act as guides to Celestials. We’d protect and fight for one another, while also acting as their healers, tending to their energies, and teaching them how to work with it themselves. Once you found your Covenant Pair, you’d know it. They were either best friends for life—closer than siblings—or they could be romantic partners.”
“I presume romantic partners happened more often than not,” Scarlett said with a knowing grin.
Talitha chuckled, grabbing two crystal goblets off the table on the stage and handing them to both of us. “Yes, the Celestial men and Mystic women tended to have a strong spiritual pull to one another. They always struck the perfect balance. So imagine the pain many of us felt when Celanea ejected them from our world. We don’t reproduceon the level that we did when the Celestials lived among us. We’ve been trying to maintain our population and what’s left of this world ever since.”
Sadness crept into my heart for these people, who seemed to all be nothing but kind and peaceful. I didn’t know what to say. But Scarlett and I would help them in whatever way we could. It appeared their goals aligned with ours. We just needed to get Gray here first, then we could go from there.
“Anyway, you two mingle and enjoy your evening. Relax, eat, and drink some elixir. From what Valik told me, you guys deserve it.” Talitha winked, grabbing a goblet of her own, toasting it in our direction before striding away.
“Once again, it’s been a pleasure. Enjoy your evening.” Leonara took a goblet from the table, then left us alone on the stage.
“I’m starving,” Scarlett said, taking a sip from her cup. “Let’s go eat and see how these Mystics party.”
I smiled, drinking from my own cup. The elixir was sweet, reminding me of champagne but without a bitter aftertaste. It fizzled on the back of my tongue and down my throat, immediately making me feel lighter.“Yes. Let’s eat first, though. I feel like we’re gonna need it with this elixir.”
Scarlett laughed, hooking my elbow with her arm before turning around and making a beeline for a table filled with food. We piled our plates with vegetables, meats, and carbs. My stomach grumbled at the hearty aromas, and I couldn’t wait any longer before we dove in.
We didn’t speak during our meal. We were too busy filling our stomachs. But once we finished, we met each other’s eyes with knowing grins, tapping our goblets together before downing the elixirs. Moments later, we were both giddy and light, laughing and feeling free. As we looked around, we spotted the other Mystics taking part in their cultural dances, which exhibited freedom and love of movement. Without hesitation, we joined in, swaying under the Solace Grotto’s aperture in the ceiling, the new moon directly above us, and danced to the language of our souls.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cotton
The next morning, I expected to wake up feeling hungover, but I didn’t.
I remembered all the information about the Mystics and Celestials we’d learned last night, and things began to make a bit more sense as to why the Mystics seemed invested in bringing Gray here to safety.
I walked through the floral courtyard near the Learning Sanctum. A breeze drifted down my loose white tunic and trousers, bringing with it the relaxing scent of lavender. After I got out of the bath that morning, I found the soft clothing manifested from nowhere on the end of my mattress, just like the night before. Never had I worn clothes so comfortable in my life. I’d grown accustomed to fitted suits and gear. This thin material felt like wearing a silk blanket in comparison.
In addition to the clothing, I’d found a hot cup of coffee waiting for me on the table in the small kitchen, along with a kind, handwritten note from Nell wishing me the best during my stay.
Scarlett made her presence known in the courtyard before shecame into view. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Valik. You slipped a tree sprite in my tunic! It could’ve set me on fire!”
I could only assume that Valik was staring off into the trees as Scarlett laid into him. “You see, I don’t understand why the Mystics just can’t come live at the castle,” he randomly pondered aloud as they came into view, leaving Scarlett gaping at him for the sudden turn of conversation. “Imagine the parties I could throw there.”
“Fuck. Off. Valik,” Scarlett growled, her eyes searching around the courtyard until her gaze landed on me. She flashed a look that shone with relief, no doubt so that I could spare her Valik’s bizarre antics.
“Thank the gods,” she muttered as she reached me. “I can’t handle another fucking second of his madness.”
I chuckled.“I feel like you’ve dealt with worse. Cardinal used to drive you insane.”
“Yeah, but he was my brother. Therefore, I couldn’t kill him. Valik is not my brother, so I could technically kill him, but he’s one of the few allies we have at the moment.”
I analyzed Valik and his powerful, energetic aura from a distance. He gazed at a stunning maze of hedges and flower combinations, before bending down until he was nose to nose with a flower the color of the sun, which he simply stared at for an eerily long time.
“You ever think that someone so mentally unstable should not hold such a vast amount of power?”
“Relentlessly.” Scarlett and I both shared looks of confused bewilderment as we attempted to figure out whether Valik was trying to speak telepathically with the flower or studying it. Either way—odd.
I shook myself from my trance, turning to face Scarlett.
