Page 145 of A Touch of Gold and Madness

“Princess Gray Monroe,” Kodiak finished for her. “Thought you two needed to meet. Meet my mother, Katia.”

“It’s just Gray. No need for the formalities, ma’am.”

Tears welled in Katia’s eyes, and her bottom lip trembled before she jolted forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and tugging me flush against her chest. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to find your way home, my dear.” The embrace was something I always imagined a mother’s would feel like. It was something I’d never experienced, making me long for more of it while squirming on the inside simultaneously. She pulled back and held me at arm’s length. “Thank you for being here,” she whispered as her eyes roamed over my face. “You look just like her. So beautiful.”

Heat crept up my neck and cheeks. I ducked my head down to try and hide my reaction. “Thank you,” I said, clearing my throat. Uncomfortable from the attention, I added, “So, I hear you’re responsible for the fantastic food around here. In my opinion, you deserve to run this place. I’m sure Chrome doesn’t hold a candle to your delegation skills.”

Katia swatted away my compliment. “Oh, stop it. My son must’ve put you up to that. I only do what I can to contribute around here.”

“Not at all,” I assured her, chuckling. “The food is much tastier than at the King’s Palace. Theirs is good but lacks flavor.”

Katia’s chest puffed out. “Well, of course, dear,” she said, trying to stifle her pride. “They lack any semblance of a heart.”

I grinned. “Those were my exact thoughts when I had my first meal here.”

Katia squinted at me, slight wrinkles forming on her forehead. “How are you replenishing, dear?”

Taken aback by the subject change, I stuttered and looked to Kodiak.

“It’s a learning process for her, but she’s taking it easy,” the Warrior General provided.

His mother nodded as if it confirmed whatever suspicions she had and dug in the front pockets of her loose pants. “Take this, Princess. Come to me whenever you get low.”

A small tin can pressed into my palm. Its round shape clutched easily in my fist. “What is it?”

“Mushweed,” Katia said. “It’s an herb that helps replenish you when you’re unable to do it from an aura. We all know the risks of going too far, so we hold onto Mushweed as a security blanket to avoid depleting if we get too low on our reserves.”

I stared at the tin can, amazed and relieved that this existed, wondering why no one has mentioned this to me until now. “Is this a new development?”

“Oh, gods no. This has been a well-kept secret for millennia, going back as far as when we lived in villages and little clans.”

“Do the Kinetics know this exists?”

“No. And we’d like to keep it that way. It’s a minor advantage we hold in the grand scheme of the war.” Katia’s tone took on a hint of warning.

I nodded. “Understood.”

The double doors we’d entered through swung open and slammed hard into the wall. Kodiak and I spun to find River’s rigid posture with twin Elemental blades in her fists. “The Hollow is under attack. Forest found us. ”Kodiak was moving before she finished, brushing past her. “Let’s go.” Gone was the quiet teddy bear; in his place stood the Elemental Warrior General, ready to protect his home.

I moved to follow him but remembered Katia. I turned to find her right on our heels.

“I’m coming,” Katia insisted, her kind demeanor wiped clean as fierce determination glinted in her eyes. “My son and daughter fight, so I fight with them. A mother protects her own.”

A tightness welled up in my throat, and I simply nodded again.

“Come.” Katia grabbed my arm, and River joined us in our hurried rush from the dining hall.

On the other side of the wall window, a battle raged on between Kinetics and Elementals. Magic and weapons flared to life in the dying sun. I ached to join, but River and Katia were going in the opposite direction toward the front of the lodge. “Where are we going? We need to be out there!”

“Weapons! Extra weapons. It was a surprise attack, so some weren’t prepared and will be depleted on their reserves if they don’t get weapons in time. We need to grab some extra antidotes, too, just in case,” River rushed out as we weaved through the lodge and made it through the front doors.

The battle raged out front, too. The Kinetic Warrior Guild had us surrounded. I raised my hand to launch an air attack, but River snatched it down. “Not yet. Save it.”

My hand itched to let something fly—anything.

We sprinted to the training facility and stocked up on various blades and syringes of antidotes. It wouldn’t be enough for everyone, but these extra supplies could spare a few lives.

Fury lit an inferno in my chest. As long as my father was alive, he’d never let me live in peace. He wanted the Elementals gone for the sole purpose that he knew they were the only ones who could stop him in his quest for power. So many innocent people had died because of him. The asshole had an entire race of people brainwashed to do his bidding.

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