Chapter 29

TWENTY-NINE

BASTIEN

Of all the things I’d planned for these last seventy years, traveling into Second Realm was not one of them. But having Collins’ hand gripped tight in mine felt even more surreal . . . and the intensity of how such a simple act of hand holding was affecting me was terrifying. I didn’t want to think too much into it. She could have been caught up in her fear of the task ahead of us and simply forgot her hand was still in mine. I wasn’t going to remind her. I was going to hang on until she pulled away.

Because I needed something to hang onto in this moment. It’d only been a matter of days since Prince Stellan of Second Realm and their Stone Keeper Eloise had been running for their lives from my home. If only I’d been able to speak, I might have been able to tell them I was on their side. Instead, I had to play the most dangerous game of chess ever. Writing them a note would have been too risky. It would’ve been proof capable of landing in my family’s hands. I had to play my part. I had to use my magic against them, and here I was about to ask them for help.

I just prayed they’d give me a chance to even explain.

All my years of planning and scheming, of waiting, were coming to an end now.

Collins’ squeezed my hand. “I meant to ask you . . . is your curse from Cleo common knowledge? Like, is it a known fact that you can’t speak?”

I closed my eyes and sighed.

“Because I’m new here, so I don’t know. I had to tell my dad?—”

I gasped and my eyes flew open. That was your father? I mouthed with my heart suddenly lodged in my throat.

“My stepdad, but he’s been my dad since I was four . . . so, yeah.”

My stomach turned. I looked down at our joined hands. Philip’s reaction to it had been extreme and volatile. I’d sensed that in his aura easily. I exhaled in a rush and nodded.

Her cheeks flushed bright-red. “So, do people know?”

I met her beautiful turquoise gaze—and shook my head.

She pursed her lips. “Are you okay with me telling the mages?”

For a moment, I just stared at her. My chest tightened and my pulse slammed against my ribs. Never in my life had anyone asked me my opinion. My family ordered me around on a good day. I cleared my throat around the hot lump that formed. I nodded.

“Okay.” She gave me a warm smile that sent my pulse skipping. As the elevator doors opened, she frowned. “On a scale of one to ten, how much anger from the mages are we anticipating?”

“Fifteen.”

We both gasped and looked up—and found the angel Zuriel standing just outside the elevator. He stood there dressed in all black with his muscular arms crossed over his chest and those white angel wings at his back.

Zuriel. I knew the angel wanted the Stone Keepers to succeed, and he definitely wanted my mother gone—permanently—but I was fairly positive he hated me. I couldn’t blame him. My pedigree painted a vile picture.

“WHY DOES ANYONE LIKE THESE TACO IMPOSTERS?” Araqiel shouted from out of sight. “ZURIEL!”

Zuriel shook his head. He then turned his sharp blue eyes back to us. “Get her out of here. Now.”

He snapped his fingers and Cleo appeared at his feet, still wrapped in green vines.

And then Zuriel was gone.

Cleo glared up at us through strands of navy-blue hair hanging in her face. “You’ll pay for this. Mother will?—"

“Shut up,” Collins groaned and flicked her wrist. That turquoise magic of hers coiled around Cleo’s face. Thin rope-like green vines covered in wildflowers wrapped all the way around Cleo’s head, covering her mouth. “I can’t handle you right now.”

I grinned and tapped my temple and mouthed, her eyes.

“Good idea.” Collins snapped her fingers and those same flower-covered vines wrapped around her eyes, blinding her. “Let’s go find this Nickel?”

I nodded and pulled my hand out of hers—she whined and dove for my hand, taking it back in her tight grip. I froze just outside the elevator and looked down to find her blushing bright-red and gnawing on her bottom lip. A million different words flashed through my mind, but I couldn’t say them, so I simply tugged on her hand and arched one eyebrow.

“I’m just freaking out right now, okay?” she said under her breath in a rush. “Just don’t let go of me.”

With that, she sucked all of the oxygen from my lungs at once. All I could do was stare.

“Let’s go together?” she asked without looking up to me.

I couldn’t meet her eyes either. It was too much. This thing between us was too much too soon. Instead, I just gestured for her to lead the way to the portals up ahead. She started down the hall, pulling me along with her. I paused beside Cleo and gripped a handful of the vines, then lifted her off the ground just high enough to drag her down the hall but still allowing her knees to drag on the ground.

With each curse and groan from Cleo, my smile grew wider. I wanted her to suffer. I wanted her to hurt for all the things she did to me the last eighty years and for all the pain she’d inflicted on innocent humans the last five thousand years. She was as evil as my mother. She was just as sadistic and barbaric. Humans frequently believed in karma, that what goes around comes around . . . I didn’t know if karma was real, but for Cleo’s sake, I prayed it was.

We walked hand-in-hand to the bank of five portals disguised as elevators. The door to Second Realm had the symbol with the sun and crescent moon inside of it. Just as we stopped in front of the door, light flashed from within it. Every muscle in my body tensed.

The light grew brighter. Everything was in slow motion. I squinted my eyes but didn’t take my gaze off the door. I held Collins’ in one hand and Cleo in the other. My mind filled with dark, intrusive thoughts, all of which centered around the mages we were going to see.

When the light vanished, a young female stood in front of us. The golden wings at her back left no question of who or what she was. She was Nephilim, a daughter of an angel. And the purple tips on those feathers said that her other parent was a mage. My thoughts went to Jada and guilt assaulted me, but I had to shake that off.

“You must be Nickel?” Collins asked with a soft yet firm voice.

She nodded once. There was no smile on her face, no friendly light in her hazel-green eyes. She had glorious dark skin and black, elegantly-styled hair. Nickel was tall and lean but with chiseled muscles. The two-tone body armor reminded me of Venus and Helena’s wardrobes from their youth among humans.

“Stone Keeper,” Nickel said with a velvety voice and a nod. But then those hazel-green eyes slid over to me and my stomach tightened. “Prince Bastien. Ballsy of you to come to us.”

I opened my mouth as if I could defend myself, but Nickel raised her hand.

“Save it for Queen Savina. Come with me.” She pointed to Cleo at my feet. “So help me God, if she pulls anything?—”

“She won’t. I’ve got her under control.” Collins wiggled her fingers and the vines around my sister tightened.

Cleo hissed.

Nickel grinned and pressed her hand to the portal and the doorway filled with light. “Come on.”

I looked down to Collins and squeezed her hand. Three, I mouthed.

She smiled and nodded. “Two.”

One.

We walked into the light of the portal. A split second later, we stepped out—and slid to a stop. My breath left me in a rush. Collins cursed. Her balance faltered and her legs swept out from under her. I tightened my grip and yanked her back upright.

Six people stood in a straight line in front of us.

And they were furious.

None of them spoke. They just stood there.

On the far right there were two guys I’d never seen before, but the matching, purple-tipped golden wings told the only story I needed to know— Nephilim. They looked related. Both had dark hair and blue eyes and just looked similar. The taller one held a longsword with rich, sage green magic swirling around his hand. The other one tossed a dagger to himself over and over with soft powder-blue magic. Both sets of blue eyes aimed lasers at us—at me.

Nickel walked around us and stopped beside a male I knew instantly. Prince Stellan Wentworth. If there was anyone in this realm who might’ve understood what I went through, it was him. We were both princes born to horrendous families. But given what my family put him and his soulmate through, I didn’t blame him for the blatant animosity shining from his green eyes. He looked official, regal, and immensely powerful in his fancy double-breasted coat. His aura sparkled as bright and silver as the silver magic coiling halfway up his arms.

Beside him was a girl with jet-black hair and purple eyes who actually glowed like a full moon. She wore a long-sleeved black body suit under a black cloak. I recognized her in a second. Eloise Sutton. Stone Keeper. The purple aura around her pulsed and crackled with power. She lifted one hand and a bright, neon-purple lightning bolt shot out of the sky directly to her finger. I looked up to meet her eyes, but she only arched one black eyebrow.

And then I saw the woman beside Eloise and my heart stopped.

Queen Savina Wentworth was a legend across the realms and a force of nature in front of me. Her black gown was made of some transparent material, which showed off tall combat boots and some kind of leather pants. Most of her upper body was covered in silver metal body armor that looked more like scales. Red mist swirled around her entire body. The red rubies in her crown pulsed with power.

The last person in the lineup clung to Savina’s side. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and a kind face . . . and the two swords strapped to her back looked kind too, as did the wand in her hand. It didn’t matter that she wore a pale-lavender gown, the warrior in this woman was palpable. Going by the tiara she wore and the close proximity to the Queen, I suspected this was Queen Consort, the Queen’s wife.

No one had spoken a word yet. I glanced left and right and back again. All six of them were ready to explode, ready to kill if we breathed the wrong way. I swallowed roughly and tried to focus on my breathing. Stay calm, stay cool. You need to keep your emotions in check here.

The room around us was made entirely of glass. Massive hedges as tall as the glass walls and covered in colorful flowers blocked the view of everything outside of this room. The floor was made of white marble that reminded me of home and did not help with the ball of nerves inside me. The ceiling was midnight-black speckled with twinkling dots. It seemed to be bewitched to look like the night sky. All of this I registered in the back of my mind in a split second. I knew it was beautiful.

But I knew there were six powerful mages lined up like a firing squad. I knew they were furious with what happened to Eloise and Stellan in Third Realm and did not trust me, but I also felt their discomfort in their energies.

And then all seven pairs of eyes looked down to Cleo. They snarled and their magic all flared. After a long second, they turned their eyes back to me and I panicked. I held both hands up and made peace signs—something I’d seen in First Realm. Not being able to speak really got in the way. It was the only thing I could think of to try and convey my intentions.

“Oh, peace, eh?” Prince Stellan nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. All that silver magic coiled around him. “Is that what you bloody called flying us down the stairs?”

Queen Savina took a single step forward. Her red magic slithered like snakes, and I wondered if that was intentional for Cleo. She arched one eyebrow. Those green eyes blazed with rage. “Plead your case. Explain why you’re here and why we shouldn’t kill you, fae.”

“And why you brought her ,” Prince Stellan growled and pointed at Cleo.

“Yeah, Prince Starlord.” Eloise wiggled her fingers and little purple flames danced over her arms. “Speak.”

Prince Starlord? I don’t know what that means.

All eyes turned to me.

“ Speak, ” Queen Savina growled.

I opened my mouth?—

“He can’t,” Collins said in a rush. “And in short, that’s actually why we’re here.”

Eloise cocked her head to the side. “And are you who I think you are?”

She gave them a timid, adorable little smile. “My name is Collins Elliott. I’m the Stone Keeper for Third Realm.”

Some of the animosity simmered, but they turned to glare at me again.

Collins cleared her throat and squeezed my hand tighter. “Listen, I obviously wasn’t here and don’t know what happened between you, but we need your help. His eldest sister, Cleo, who I’ve hog-tied and gagged, cursed Bastien sixty years ago and took his voice. So, he can’t speak.”

To my surprise, they all looked at Cleo with disgust.

“Which is what brings us here now.” Collins gave a little awkward chuckle. “In order to reverse the spell she placed on him, Cleo needs the stone that your Stone Keeper stole from her chest. We’re here to beg for your assistance.”

Eloise cursed and looked to Stellan, who only glared harder at my sister.

Queen Savina pursed her lips. “Forgive us our hesitation to trust you after you attacked Ellie and Stellan a few days ago. Not to mention your mother is a monster.”

That’s an insult to monsters, I mouthed.

Savina smirked. “Well, that’s true.”

“But still . . .” Stellan scratched his jaw. “I was there. You helped them try to stop us. You threw us down stairs.”

Collins turned her wide turquoise gaze on me, but then she frowned and looked back to the firing squad. “I’m new here, but do y’all understand what his powers are? It’s sensory deprivation. He could blind you, literally. He could steal all of your senses in the blink of an eye, and yet he didn’t. So, obviously, if you got away, it’s because he let you.”

Eloise and Stellan’s eyes both widened. They turned to me with shocked expressions.

I shrugged and mouthed, it’s true.

Eloise nodded a bunch of times. “That makes a lot of sense, actually.”

“And just so you know, he cut Helena’s head off before we came here.”

Everyone gasped.

“You cut her head off?” Savina gave me a sideways smirk.

At that, I grinned and nodded. I held up all five fingers, then put one down. The two Nephilim guys chuckled.

Collins took a step forward but didn’t pull her hand out of mine. “Listen, I get it. I was still on the fence too. But he can’t speak to defend himself or make some kind magical oath of loyalty?—”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Eloise muttered.

“But he needs his voice.” Collins pointed to Cleo. “We don’t care if she lives or dies. We just need her alive while we try to reverse the spell. Well, I suppose that’s not true. We want her dead but after the spell. But we can leave the moment it’s done and never darken your doorstep again. We just need your help first.”

Savina marched up to me and stopped about two inches away. She was shorter than me but terrifying. “Let me make something clear, I don’t need my senses to kill you.”

I grinned. I couldn’t stop myself.

Savina chuckled. “All right then. We want to trust you both. Collins made an excellent point about his interactions with them before. Once you have a voice, Bastien, I expect a full rundown of everything you know.”

I nodded.

“I may require an oath spell once your voice returns.”

I nodded.

“The realms are all dying. It’s important all the Stone Keepers play nice together.” Savina turned to Collins. “Would you agree?”

“Absolutely. I could use all the help I can get.”

Eloise stepped forward. “We have a problem.” She pulled her sleeve up and showed us her hand. There was a mark on her skin, like maybe there used to be something there—like a sapphire crystal.

Except the stone was gone.

Collins and I both leaned forward to inspect her hand.

“I had to use Cleo’s stone to make the new Astral Stone.” Eloise grimaced. “Her stone is now a part of our Stone. As in, it was liquidated and reformed.”

My heart sank.

Collins narrowed her eyes. “Just to clarify all my jumbled thoughts…the Astral Stone is your equivalent to our Chaos Stone?”

Ellie nodded. “They are both Origin Stones. In Second Realm here we have the Astral Stone, but you have the Chaos Stone.”

Collins exhaled roughly. “Right. So, Cleo’s sapphire stone is inside of the Astral Stone?”

“Logically speaking, yes. Her stone is still in there. It should still work.”

“Because a crystal is a crystal.” Collins tapped her nail on her chin. “Right? I mean, from what I know of crystals.”

“Exactly. It absorbed hers so the properties will remain, at least it felt that way when I made it.” Eloise grinned. “As Stone Keeper, I’ll work with that. I say let’s try it.”