Page 167 of A Touch of Gold and Madness

Gray

The pieces of my shredded heart drifted to the ground with the ash that rained upon me. The landscape was a barren wasteland. What had been a deserted and ruined city was now reduced to rubble. It was difficult to see through the thick cloud of dark debris blanketing the sky, but I could see enough to know the city blocks were gone. The abandoned skyscrapers were gone. And all that remained was my wrecked body and tattered soul.

I couldn’t breathe as I remained glued to the spot Chrome had left me, watching his silhouette disappear into the early morning rays of dawn. My jaw trembled, and the ringing in my ear wouldn’t relent. Gasping for air, I clutched my chest, wishing I could reach inside and snatch it out. I’d do anything to make the pain stop.

I refused to accept what had happened. I couldn’t. I couldn’t accept that he was now Endarkened, even though dark gray veins protruded from his warm, golden skin.

Even more, was the fact he sacrificed himself…to save me. And I really wished he hadn’t. This was exponentially worse than when I lost Slate.

The memory of how he looked at me just before the kiss, so much love and regret shone in his metallic eyes. Yet, he couldn’t hide his shame or hisbroken heart from me, no matter how strong he tried to portray in those final moments.

The explosion was nothing like I’d ever known was possible for a single person to be capable of. The depths of his power were terrifying. I wasn’t even sure how far the blast reached, but there was nothing for miles.

Unable to withstand the weight of my agony, my legs collapsed, my knees catching me in the pile of rubble. I felt cleaved in two. But I couldn’t give up on him. I wouldn’t.

Something rustled in the debris. Snapping my head to attention, I scanned the shaded area, the falling ash and dust blocking out the morning sun. I didn’t have much left in me. I was beyond exhausted. I wasn’t even sure how I’d get back to the Hollow. I was almost drained, but I had enough of my magic reserve, thanks to the antidote Chrome gave me to fight off a threat if needed.

Rising to my feet, I crunched across what, minutes ago, had been the interrogation room. Since it had been underground, the blast had leveled the ground to give a new elevation for miles to see.

I felt lightheaded, and my entire body ached, but nothing compared to the anguish in my soul. I shut down, numbing myself in order to seek out the threat. Wiping the wetness from my face, I noticed my hand came away with black liquid smeared on it.

My poisoned blood from Forest’s sword.

Chrome saved me. He sacrificed himselfand the worldto fucking saveme.

My heart twisted into a tight knot as I struggled to swallow the onslaught of my devastation.

A muffled cough rang out nearby in the rubble, snagging my focus. I stumbled to the source. A flash of green clashed against the graying landscape. Unrepented wrath replaced any sense of shock and grief.

“You’re too late,” Forest coughed out, trying to rise to his feet. How the fuck did he survive that blast? The only reason I did was because of my shield that Chrome managed to reinforce with his power. “Once again, you failed.”

“How are you still alive after that?” I approached him, determined to make him give me answers before I killed him…slowly.

“That book has so many wonderful secrets forgotten in Arcadia. One of which included creating a shield composed of the magic weaved into the veil between our world and Arcadia. That shield could only have been broken by a magic powerful enough to destroy the veil. And because the shield was part of the veil, it, in turn, destroyed the veil.” Forest laughed, wheezing as he straightened his spine. Covered in gray soot and ash, he looked comical. Had it been any other situation, I would’ve laughed.

The world spun to stop, registering what he’d said. “What does that mean?”

Brushing off his sleeve, Forest smiled, blood trickling down his temples. “Arcadia is here, merged with our world.”

“Why?” I whispered, unsure of what that meant. Dread sank further and further into my gut the more he spoke. I almost decided to kill him already so I wouldn’t have to hear anymore. But something told me there was more I needed to know.

“Why else, Daughter? Power. There’s an ancient object of great power in Arcadia, and I want it.” Forest shrugged. “The only way for me to get to Arcadia was for me to destroy the veil altogether.”

The stone?

In my silence, he continued, clearly proud of himself. “My end of the bargain is complete. With you two now bound to Arcadia and Terragard, nothing can stop me.” He puffed his chest out and ruffled his hair, looking far too happy with himself.

I scrunched my face in confusion. “What the fuck is Terragard?”

Forest rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Our world. It’s the name of our realm.”

“How are we bound to the different realms?”

“Your questions are getting on my nerves. I feel like I’ve given you more than your insolence deserves,” Forest drawled, bored.

I was weaponless. With the blast, there was no way of me even having a slither of hope of finding one. As I processed all the information he’d just told me, everything clicked into place.

“You orchestrated everything that just happened? You wanted him to become Endarkened so that he’d be powerful enough to blast through the veil. And you knew you had to make him snap in order for him to…” My head began to spin at the level of cunning in my father. Even I underestimated him. He couldn’t have played us more perfectly if he’d tried. All the way down to the attack on the Hollow and sending in Cardinal, who had a familial bond with Scarlett. He'd lured me in with the threats on my friends, knowing Chrome would follow.

---