River cut her sharp glare toward me. “Well, given the absolute shitshow we exist in, at least the one positive thing that came out of it is the fact that Kinetics are gonna have a hard time finding us due to the fucked-up landscape. Considering you know, we have two godsdamn worlds in one. So, thanks for that mistake. It might actually save our asses in comparison to all the others you’ve cost us.”
I angled my head, letting my eyes drift over her perfectly put-together exterior, ignoring Slate across from me, tensing and clenching his fists. “You might wanna simmer down a bit before your temper costs us in a way that we can’t return from. How embarrassing would that be?”
I considered it personal growth that I hadn’t automatically reacted with my fists. There was so much more I craved to say to River based on old defense mechanisms. But I reminded myself that she was grieving, and it was easy to blame someone else for your pain. Been there before. And the shock of learning the whole truth was enough to make me want to crawl into a hole for a decade, but if I hadn’t had the anger, I wouldn’t have kept going. So, I let River have her rage and point her fingers. If it was what kept her moving forward, then who was I to interfere with her healing process?
Honestly, I had no room to talk. My anger for Chrome was my driving force. I thought my vengeance against my father was strong before, but that was nothing compared to what I felt now. The only difference now was that I had Chrome’s training, and I had learned to hone it like a weapon. I was in control of it, not the other way around like before.
River’s nostrils flared, her violet eyes narrowed as she straightened her spine. “I swear to the gods?—”
“River,” Void cut in, pressing his palm to the top of her hand. “Breathe.”
With a nod, River took a deep breath and forced out a harsh exhale.
I pivoted my attention to Slate. “Any idea yet where Cotton and Scarlett could’ve ended up? If the chances of them being alive are even a possibility?” It was difficult to keep the crisp edge from my voice when I spoke to him, but I needed answers in regards to those two.
“As I’ve said before, Gray, without actually traveling there myself or having any means of contact there…” Slate whispered. “I have no way of finding them on my own to see for myself.”
I huffed, bracing my elbows on the table and gripping the roots of my hair in my fingers. “What do you know then?”
Slate swallowed. “Celanea wants the Seraphite Stone. The stone that Forest was after that led him to drive Chrome to destroy the veil. It’s the key to controlling aether in Arcadia. If Celanea gets hold of it, it will shift the magical energy to be aligned with dark magic so that she doesn’t need to use Syphon Bonds in order to fuel her power. It will inherently nurture her sorcery.”
“Great,” I said flatly. “Thanks for the good news.”
Onyx cleared his throat. “That’s an issue we can handle later. For now, we have other pressing issues to deal with.”
The room grew quiet, a somber current settling over the room.
“I’ll keep in contact with our sources. Until then,” Orion sighed, bringing back my attention, “meeting adjourned. Stay vigilant.”
Everyone pushed to their feet, leaving the room in hushed conversations. With Slate on one side of me and Onyx on the other, I worked hard to avoid their pointed stares as I rounded the table. Just when I thought I was in the clear, a hand latched onto my wrist.
I spun around, finding Onyx’s orange currents racing up his hand with Slate standing at his side. My gaze darted between the two men, who I learned had been close before Onyx’s disappearance from the King’s Palace. “What? I’m hungry.”
“Something’s off with you.” Onyx cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “More so than usual.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine. Go be with your long-lost bestie and master of secrets. I’m sure you two still have tons of catching up to do,” I snapped, still feeling so betrayed by literally everyone. Even Onyx knew of Slate’s faked death. He knew all of Chrome’s secrets.
But there seemed to be one secret I knew that no one else did—there was still hope for Chrome. I couldn’t bring myself to mention my mother’s letter yet. It wasn’t enough evidence for others to believe me. They’d probably think I was delusionally grasping at straws in the hope that there was some good left in him.
Onyx smirked. “I sense some jealousy, Princess.”
I scoffed, rolling my eyes and snatching my hand back. “Ew, no. Please don’t…”
“We all adored you. Your father kinda made it difficult for us to actually be your friends,” Onyx explained, his voice softening to be more serious.
A heavy silence wafted between the three of us. I searched Slate’s deep hazel eyes, wondering what else he hid from me. “Well,” I said, clearing my throat, “doesn’t matter now. The only thing that matters is getting Chrome back so we can figure out how to get this fucking veil put back in place.”
Slate ran a hand through his dark, stony strands before cupping the back of his neck. “I may know someone who can help us. Although he might be considered a bit eccentric.”
Chapter Four
Chrome
The dark corridor echoed with each thud of my boots. Celanea’s summoning snatched me from the menial task of sharpening my blades, an old habit from my previous life. Stalking down the hallway, I ground my teeth, a sneer pulling at the edge of my upper lip.
The sooner I killed Celanea, the sooner I could get on with my plans.
Despite hating the fact that I was forced to serve her here, I really enjoyed the ambience of this abandoned castle in the forgotten Goshen Kingdom within Arcadia. Gothic and Baroque architecture had been distinct depictions of their culture. It matched my mood. Having an unhinged immortal dark sorceress running the place now, light wasn’t needed so much, with the exception of small amber flames that floated above my head, creating an ominous glow around me.
