Page 9 of A Touch of Gold and Madness (Celestials of Arcadia #1)

Chapter 8

Gray

“ S peak!” Jacob Smart, my personal bully, screamed at me.

My ribs felt broken. The bruises from my father this morning only intensified the pain. It hurt to breathe, much less to speak.

After a long silence, Jacob spoke again. “Fine. I’ll make you, then.”

I braced for the next wave of pain. My eyes squeezed shut, and I tightened my hold on my ailing ribs.

Sudden agony erupted from my shin like someone slammed the hilt of a warrior’s sword into the bone. But it was merely the toe of Jacob’s boot—such a strong kick for an eight-year-old human.

A scream tore from my already raw throat.

Twice in one day. It wasn’t exactly a record, but it wasn’t common. Usually, I had time to heal between beatings. I hadn’t been so lucky that day.

Even without our magic awakened, our bodies healed faster than a human’s. However, it was slower than a Kinetic with manifested powers.

It became difficult to breathe as silent tears streamed down my dirty cheeks. All I could do was hope it wouldn’t last long.

Where were the teachers? How come they never stopped this?

I waited for the next assault to come, but the surrounding voices became fewer and quieter. I lay in the sandbox for what seemed like an eternity, humiliated. But no more blows came. I opened my eyes with apprehension.

Everyone had disappeared, including Jacob. In his place stood a boy I’d never seen before. He looked about two years older than me, perhaps a fifth grader. With short black hair and striking blue eyes, he gazed down at me with a frown. As beautiful as the blue eyes were, they didn’t feel like they belonged to him, more like they were a disguise.

“Are you okay?” asked the boy. Secrets hid behind those eyes, yet a strange familiarity resonated within me. I recognized the masked emotion: pain. Others might see rage, but me? I saw his suffering. It mirrored my own.

I took a shaky breath and nodded my head. “Yeah. Wh—where did they all go?” I swallowed, cringing as the built-up saliva took bits of sand with it, scraping my throat on the way down.

“They left. I don’t think they’ll be bothering you anymore,” the boy said as he crouched down to eye-level with me. “Next time, I’ll beat their ass.”

“She can’t stay here. He’ll never give up.” Hushed voices drifted into my frail consciousness.

I struggled to open my oppressed eyes, weighed down from exhaustion. A bright light stabbed my eyeballs through the cracks in my lids, forcing me to snap them shut again. I tested my limbs to see if movement had returned to my body. Using my remaining strength, I lifted my arm inches from the mattress, only for it to plop back onto the sheet.

My body tried to heal, but my magic reserves were detrimental, not allowing the healing to happen as it needed to. Weak and depleted, I released a pained groan as I remembered the events that led me here—wherever here was.

The memory of fire scorching my veins and organs was the first to come to mind. The blackness that engulfed me was a shade that didn’ t exist in this reality. No light could penetrate it as it seeped into my soul, tainting it with despair.

Whispers quieted at the sound of my groan.

Footsteps approached my side. “Gray?” a commanding feminine voice cut through the room.

I rolled my pounding head to face Scarlett’s direction, every fiber of my body aching.

“Shit, Gray,” Scarlett said, worry mixed with relief in her tone. “You can’t move?”

“Of course, she can’t, Kittle. Her energy was spent purging the remaining redfern from her system. She needs to replenish, but she doesn’t even have the energy to absorb on her own right now.” Hazel’s usual calming tone was clipped, but it was the mention of redfern that piqued my attention.

After several failed attempts, I opened a squinted eye. I hoped these two had the answers I needed.

“Ww…what…happened?” I asked, the deep scratchiness making my voice unrecognizable.

“Hazel,” Scarlett snapped. “I think you should start explaining a few fucking things to the princess. Now. ” She crossed her arms over her chest. Her long, vibrant curls were pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. Somehow, she still looked stunning.

My vision cleared the longer I lay in the foreign bed. And once both eyes were fully open, I tried to place my location. I lay in a small, bare room with large windows that gazed into the pitch night. No photos or art decorated the cream walls, and only essential black furniture occupied the space. The bed I rested on was hard and felt unused, judging by the lack of sheets and the one blanket that draped over me.

“Fine,” Hazel said with a sigh. Her bronze hair was still in its updo from the revel, but she was alert and focused as she led this operation. “Let me share some of my energy with her first. She needs to be present for this, and I’m sure she’ll have a ton of questions.” She paused. “You two might want to join me. ”

My leaden body wouldn’t allow me to scan the room. I shifted my gaze to spot the third person, but whoever it was remained out of my line of sight, only increasing my curiosity.

“Okay, but hurry. We don’t have much time, Helair,” Scarlett said, failing to mask her impatience.

The edge of the bed dipped with the weight of Hazel’s delicate figure. She offered a gentle smile before wrapping her warm hands around my ice-cold ones. Energy waves emanated from her body, her black currents pulsating up her pale arms as she pushed her energy into my aura for me to absorb. Hers was the embodiment of warm comfort as it washed over my icy body.

I was ravenous, so I drew on the energy she offered and took it for my own. I couldn’t feel the effects right away, as deprived as I was. Several minutes passed before I began to feel lighter.

“That’s enough. I need to keep some for myself,” Hazel said, breathless. She cleared her throat and looked up at our ruby-haired friend. “Scarlett?”

The warmth of Hazel’s hands disappeared, and I shivered in their absence. She rose from the bed to stand nearby. Despite returning to a baseline level, I was still low enough that my healing couldn’t do what it needed. Energy-sharing would be the fastest way to replenish my magic reserves.

Scarlett dropped into Hazel’s vacated spot on the mattress, jolting my aching body. “Damnit, Scar,” I grumbled in irritation. She flashed me a smirk as she grabbed my hands in a firm grip.

The high-voltage energy of her nuclear magic electrified me. As I did with Hazel’s energy, I absorbed Scarlett’s, adding a tremendous boost to the baseline Hazel had provided me. I no longer felt trapped in quicksand, and my healing began to ease the aches plaguing my bones.

I moaned at the reprieve and gave Scarlett’s hand a slight squeeze in appreciation. She continued to share, and I continued taking. “All right, Stoney,” she said in a gentle tone. “I think that’s enough.” Scarlett released my hands. The bed shifted as she rose to join Hazel.

With my body’s functionality returned, I could better scan the room. An ash-gray carpet lined the floor. There were no lamps or curtains that gave personality to the space. My bed pressed against the far wall of the room, and a chest of drawers sat at the foot in the corner.

Although I felt much lighter, lethargy still weighed me down. Scarlett’s form of magic should’ve made me ready to run three miles, but I wasn’t anywhere near that point.

Remembering there was a third person, I snapped my head to the left, feeling the strong aura that always caught me off-guard. “Cotton?” Surprise coated my features from his presence. In all honesty, Cotton looked like he belonged on a GQ cover—back when GQ existed, at least. His short white hair remained combed to the side, and his suit didn’t have a wrinkle in sight.

The Royal Domain’s Inquisitor dipped his head in silent acknowledgment. Scarlett and Hazel flanked either side of him, exuding their unique aura in their own ways.

Scarlett stood in fierce determination; her violet dress now ripped up both sides of her legs instead of just one. On Cotton’s right stood Hazel, emitting a solemn strength that was neither physical nor visible.

“What happened?” I asked, looking at the three of them.

Hazel shook her head. “No. Absorb some of Cotton’s energy before we get into everything.”

I rolled my eyes. “I always wondered what it’d be like to have a mom.”

The faintest of smiles appeared on Cotton’s hardened expression before tilting his head. He glanced down at my hands, then arched a brow, asking for my permission to touch me. “Yeah. Hands are fine, Cotton. Thanks.”

With careful precision, Cotton wrapped his palms over mine. His yellow currents glowed on the backs of his pale hands. The energy from Cotton’s thermal-based magic warmed me to my bones. I didn’t waste time absorbing it into my aura, allowing it to top off my reserves.

The deep warmth from his energy made me moan. It was revitalizing. I wanted to take it all as my insides tingled with small jolts of arousal in my core caused by his brand of magic.

Cotton snatched his hands from mine, severing the influx of warmth that flooded me .

“Give a girl a warning before you surprise her with feelings like that , Cotton,” I said, fanning myself. I attempted to simmer down the tingling sensation with deep breaths. “Quite the gift you have there, Inquisitor.”

Cotton winked, a knowing smirk teasing one corner of his lips. He stuck his hands into the front pockets of his trousers and rocked back on his heels. I’d never seen him look so smug.

I felt replenished, so I sat up to be present with the others.

Scarlett snorted, smacking him on the shoulder. “Gods above, Cotton. It was just an energy bump, not an orgasm. Chill.”

“If he’d let me keep going, I totally would’ve orgasmed,” I said with a shrug. “Now I’m tempted to take care of myself, with or without you all here.”

Hazel’s pale face pinked as she looked out the window into the night. I could’ve bet three diamond rings she was remembering the time she’d walked in on Slate and me. I chose not to tease her about it this time.

Scarlett chuckled, her cat eyes crinkling in the corners. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, Princess.”

My expression deadpanned. “Maybe another time, Scar,” I joked, “but I need some answers.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed to face my friends.

A weight hung from my neck down to my chest. I peered down, spotting the sentimental black stone suspended by a leather string. The large polished piece rarely ever came off me. I wasn’t able to wear it to the revel because of the haltered dress. Having once belonged to my biological mother, I hated not having it on at all times. So, how did I end up with it now?

Scarlett cut me off from asking. “Welcome back, Gray. You scared the shit out of us, dude.” She closed the distance to wrap me in a bear hug. I’d never been much of a hugger, but Scarlett couldn’t be stopped. Plus, she gave great hugs.

“Thanks,” I said, pulling away to look at each of my friends. “To all of you. I don’t know what happened or what you guys went through to help me, but I’m beyond grateful for you.” I let the weight of my appreciation settle. “So,” I said, turning to the topic I’d been most eager to get to. “What does redfern have to do with any of this?”

Hazel forced out a breath and took a seat on the bed beside me with a careful grace. She laced her fingers together in her lap, appearing to gather her thoughts.

I turned my attention to Scarlett and Cotton, who stood shoulder to shoulder in front of us. “So where am I?” I asked, looking around the empty room.

Scarlett angled her head to glance upward at Cotton. She jabbed a thumb in his direction. “His suite. This is his spare room.”

“Oh.” Surprise rang through me. I’d never been close to Cotton, so for him to freely offer his residence warmed my heart.

“We needed a place that neither the king nor Amethyst would suspect you to be. We figured it would buy us a few hours,” Scarlett explained.

I furrowed my brow, wondering why I needed to be hidden from my father and Amethyst.

Cotton placed a hand on Scarlett’s shoulder. He glanced at the door and held up one finger. Scarlett understood. “Okay, thanks,” she said, nodding before Cotton turned and exited the room, not bothering to close the door behind him.

Hazel leaned over, wrapping her arms around my shoulders in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Gray. I was so scared I was about to lose you, too.” She rested her head on my shoulder while my hand reassuringly settled on her arm.

Moments later, Cotton appeared in the doorway carrying two black leather chairs. Once he reached Scarlett’s side, he dropped them to the carpet, arranging them to face us.

Scarlett thanked the Inquisitor as they dropped onto the seats to settle in for our conversation.

Scarlett cleared her throat, “So, when we said we were going to cause a scene, Stoney, I didn’t mean for you to nearly die.”

I huffed out a laugh. Running my fingers through my hair, I searched for the pins that barely held it up. “It was a spectacle, wasn’t it?” I winced .

Hazel sighed. “You could say that.” She sat up straight and looked at me. “Between Scarlett threatening the bartender and Cotton carrying you out, we’re lucky you’re here with us and not with the healers,” she said with a reproachful look toward Scarlett who shrugged, uncaring. “Everyone witnessed you collapse. And your screams…” She shuddered at the memory.

“I wish I could say that it’ll never happen again, but…” I said, trailing off, noticing a pattern of nearly dying beginning to form.

“But what?” Hazel asked.

“This sort of thing keeps happening to me,” I said with a shrug.

“The king poisoned you with redfern, Stoney,” Scarlett said, getting to the crux of it.

I halted the probing in my hair, freezing at her words. “He what?”

“He poisoned you. He tried to kill you.”

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. To hear that my father, adopted or not, tried to kill me, left me feeling like I’d had my feet kicked out from underneath me. The others let the truth settle before pushing onward. “I knew he would punish me, but I was expecting the usual beating or whatever. Not… death. ”

“Punish you for what?” Scarlett asked, her head cocking to the side.

Running my palms over my face, I answered, “I failed to kill Griffin.” I dropped my hands and rested my elbows on my knees. The silken gold fabric of the dress suddenly felt suffocating, the color reminding me of him. “He’d promised me that if I failed, I’d suffer ‘consequences unlike any I’ve experienced.’”

“There’s more to it than that,” Hazel said. She straightened her posture in willful determination.

I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes at her, fear seeping in at her tone.

“All right,” she started, leveling me with a serious expression. “The day before Slate left for his mission, he came to me.” Hazel’s doe eyes met mine, a sadness creeping in at the mention of her brother.

“What does Slate have to do with this?” I asked, frowning in confusion.

“Kind of—um—a lot?” she responded in an apologetic tone .

“Okay?” I prompted, glancing at Scarlett, who wouldn’t look at us.

“You know how much Slate hated the way your father treated you—well, he’d always suspected he was hiding something.” Hazel took a deep breath to press forward. “He began doing some digging behind his back every chance he got. He’d eavesdrop on conversations, sneak into Aunt Amethyst’s office, go through files, books, ledgers, drawers…anything. One day, he discovered some stuff that rocked him. I don’t know the details of what it was, but he told me they’d been up to something. It was huge, and apparently, it’d been a long time in the making. And you were at the heart of it.” Hazel paused, allowing time for me to process.

My heart beat wildly in my chest, and once again, I worked to control my breathing. “Just tell me, Hazel,” I snapped and then squeezed my eyes shut. “Please,” I added in a softer tone, to ease my unintended harshness.

Hazel nodded. “Evidently, the king and my aunt have plans that could destroy everything, but you’re needed for them. Somehow. However,” she said, biting her bottom lip in hesitation, “if you failed to prove useful , they planned to eliminate you, as they’d consider you a liability.”

My palms stung from my nails. I focused on the pain and pressed harder, distracting myself from my whirring thoughts. “Did he say what those plans were?” I asked, my voice almost as soft as a whisper. How had they kept me in the dark for so long?

Hazel shook her head. “No. Slate came to me in an awful state on the day he left. He said he’d tell me everything once he returned from the mission…” she trailed off and closed her eyes, wringing her fingers together in her lap. She took a deep breath before continuing, “Before he left, he made me promise to look out for you, to keep you as safe as possible. No matter what it took.”

“I guess my usefulness has run out, then?” I asked. “Failing to kill Griffin was my last chance.”

Hazel nodded solemnly. “Yeah, and when he nearly killed you, that sealed the deal,” she said, dropping her eyes to her lap .

“It’s still unclear what happened,” I mused. “Is it possible for Kinetic blades to affect us?” I asked, glancing back and forth at the three of them with hope.

A look of shared confusion passed between them. “What are you talking about, Stoney?”

I peered at Hazel. “You mean you didn’t know I almost died from a Kinetic blade?”

Hazel’s face paled and horror hung from her features. “No, Gray. No one told me that part.”

I relayed the events that occurred between Griffin and me, explaining how close I came to death on the train and then awoke healed in my bed.

“Black crystal and Kinetic-infused magic should not affect you like that. There has to be more to this than we’re seeing,” Hazel said, her brows pinched low as she thought out loud.

Despite the new information that Hazel passed along, I was left with more questions than answers. What were my father and Amethyst up to? And where did I fit into this? Why did Slate not warn me when he was alive? And where the fuck were the king and Amethyst now? Surely, they were searching for me.

It didn’t entirely surprise me to learn the king wanted me dead. Another part, the part of me who had always sought her father’s affection and approval, felt betrayed…and angry.

That part was the loudest.

“How did the king poison me with redfern at the revel without affecting others?” I asked.

“Mills,” Scarlett scoffed, her own form of betrayal coloring her stark features. She shook her head in disappointment. “It’s so sad because I had such high hopes for him.” Her expression then shifted to something akin to approval. “Although, I didn’t think he had it in him to pull something like that off. Peculiar little guy, huh?”

Hazel, Cotton, and I leveled her with flat expressions. Hazel rolled her eyes at our friend’s overactive sex drive. “I overheard the king inform Amethyst that ‘the boy’ would lace your drinks, as he predicted you’d rebel and get drunk tonight.”

The pieces clicked together. All the signs had been there the entire time. Amethyst had been all too eager this morning to allow me a good time at my revel. I knew there’d been ulterior motives, but murder wasn’t on my list.

“I assume you swiped a dose of the antidote?” I asked, my brows raised.

Hazel nodded, looking pretty happy with herself. “Yeah, I stole a syringe of blended nickel from my aunt’s office. I saw it on her desk this morning, which I found odd.”

“I forgot how brutal it is to watch the nickel work the redfern from your body. We had to restrain you to keep you from hurting yourself,” Scarlett said, a haunted expression on her face.

Cotton sat in his usual stiff silence, his jaw flexing.

I nodded and thanked them, realizing where my hoarse voice came from.

“If people spotted you and Cotton carrying me from the ballroom,” I said, looking at Scarlett, “then, won’t my father and Amethyst know you two are involved?”

“Not necessarily,” Hazel answered. “They left just before you collapsed. That’s how I was freed up to join y’all. It was chaos. But of course, there were a few people who took notice.”

A heavy silence fell over the four of us, while my anger rose with each beat of my heart.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” I said. I stared at the gray carpet, mentally praising Cotton for how clean it was, despite my growing anger. “And that psychopathic bitch, too.”

“I’m pretty sure I don’t need to list all the reasons why that’s a terrible idea,” Scarlett said.

I stood up, unable to contain the sea of emotions raging within my body. “And I’m pretty sure you know why I don’t give a shit.” I returned my hands to the back of my head and snatched the remaining pins loose. My marbled hair fell in matted waves down my shoulders. “I’m done, Scarlett. And I’m done falling in line. I don’t have to anymore. He needs to die, if only to protect others from whatever insane plans he has for the world. He has done nothing but put me through hell my entire life. But now, I can fight back. And I’m fucking done playing his games.”

“We understand, Gray,” Hazel consoled, moving to stand beside me. She placed a gentle hand on my forearm. “And you have every right to be upset right now. I can’t imagine what you must be feeling, but you shouldn’t act rashly here. It could play right into his hands.”

“So, what are you saying? I’m supposed to walk around here and pretend my father didn’t just try to kill me? That he’s probably pissed I survived this attempt? Am I supposed to just sit around and wait for him to try again?” My voice rose with each question, my breaths coming in harsh. The longer I remained in this room, the more trapped I felt.

“Absolutely not,” Hazel said, looking at Scarlett then Cotton. A silent communication transpired before me as they spoke through their eyes and facial expressions.

I watched the odd scene unfold. After enough time had passed, I cleared my throat to garner their attention. “Well?”

Hazel quirked the corner of her lip and a single eyebrow. “We’re getting you the fuck out of here.”