“Or what? You’ll torture me?”
“I won’t. Celanea will,” he threatened.
“Must suck to be castrated after being in control of everyone and everything for so long. How does it feel not to be the one calling the shots anymore?”
A glaze went over Forest’s eyes. “I love Celanea. She is my queen. And I’ll forever serve her as long as she sees fit.” The monotone in his voice would’ve been unsettlingif I cared.
“Whatever.” I shook my head, shoving past him.
“Where are you going?” he demanded.
I paused, refusing to turn and look at him. “To rest. I’m tired.”
Without waiting for a response, I continued to my chambers, already concocting ways to get Gray back from the Wind Kingdom.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Gray
Old paper, perhaps parchment, rustled in my ears, and dust tickled the back of my throat. Timelessness mixed with earthy richness tinged the air with ancient power. I’d never felt so small just standing in a place before.
Slate squeezed my hand at my side as I glanced around us. We stood in a soaring stone room that stretched as high as a skyscraper. Rows and rows of books lined the walls on wooden shelves, wrapping around us in an almost protective shield. Something about the sheer mass of these books seemed to radiate power and strength, or maybe it was the contents they contained.
“Welcome to the Wind Kingdom,” Brecken said as he waited for Slate and me to finish taking in our surroundings.
“Care to explain to me what the Wind Kingdom is?” I asked, glancing at the strange man that Chrome had abruptly dumped me onto.
Brecken huffed. At nearly seven feet tall, he towered over us. He lowered his bearded chin and shook his head in a disappointed manner. His blond hair was pulled into a knot at the back of his head, displaying his pointed ears. Thick beige robes draped over hisbroad shoulders, but black ink marked his neck with sigils. “Such a shame. However, it is what we wanted, after all.”
I arched a brow in Slate’s direction, wondering what the hell we’d gotten ourselves into. Slate offered me a half-smile. “We’re safe. I promise.”
“No one can even see our home unless granted permission by our magic.” Brecken looked down at us. The energy radiating from his aura imposed his ancient authority. Like this library, he felt timeless. “No one can enter without my approval.”
“Ah, so like a glamour, then?” I asked.
“Partially,” Brecken said. “Your glamours are built from your specific energetic sources, correct?” When I nodded, he continued, “So only certain wielders, either Elemental and Kinetics, have the ability to construct shields and glamours dependent on the magic source?”
“Yes,” Slate and I both said simultaneously.
“We Druids draw our magic from the elements, but not in the same way your Elementals do. Our powers are granted to us by the gods—specifically, the gods that created Arcadia. While we have an affinity for one element over the others, we aren’t relegated to one specific element like Elementals. We hold the ability to let the elemental energy flow through us as its conduit. We have to ask for permission, and if granted, we are able to wield the gods’ energy at will.”
The way that Brecken explained it made it seem like they had contracts laid out with these incorporeal gods. I doubted that was the case, but I had questions.
“Out of curiosity,” I asked, “why are Druids granted so much power? What makes Druids more special than Celestials?”
“We are not more powerful than any other being in Arcadia. However, our role is to protect the magic of the realm. We are to ensure that the light and dark aether remains balanced so all may flourish in our world.” Brecken adjusted his feet to stand shoulder-width apart, holding his wrists behind his back. “Each being withinArcadia serves a purpose. Without one, the realm cannot withstand. I may not be fond of Celestials, but without them, Arcadia will permanently fall to the power of the Tempests.”
“Are there any Celestials still in existence?” I knew the answer, but I needed additional confirmation.
“There are—two. Well, technically, just one. And I’m looking at her now.” Brecken’s gaze didn’t waver from me, his eyes holding centuries of wisdom far beyond my comprehension.
“And the otherwasChrome.” I swallowed. My heart stung at the use of the past tense. “Is there a way to restore him?” I hadn’t heard my voice sound so fragile since I was a teenager, with hope cracking in my words.
“No. He is forever gone, until his next lifetime. But in this one? He cannot be spared,” the Druid said with finality.
I wanted to argue, to deny it, but I pushed the urge down, refusing to appear petulant to such an ancient being.
“It’s beautiful here,” Slate said, sparing me from having to respond. “I’ve spent time at the Celestial Castle for the past few years and have learned a lot about the realm, but with the Syphon Bond affecting the land, I didn’t want to risk exploring too much.”
