Brita tore her hands back. The council members stared at her. I guessed she brought us all with her when she took a ride through my head. “But why does Valac need the ring? What does he plan to do with it?” I asked.
Pacing the room, she clasped her hands behind her back. “Valac possesses two of the sacred artifacts.”
Valac used the ring to block Brita’s power because he wanted something she was protecting. Tension settled between my shoulders as all of the pieces fell into place. “Does that mean—?”
Brita sat back down in her chair. “By the time I returned to the water court, I was already too late. Excalibur was gone. I called this meeting because I could not locate the sword. Now I know the ring that had impeded my visions.”
There was still something I was missing. “Then how come I can see it?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of me.
Her eyes peered into mine. “You are the chosen protector, King Rowan. Only you can sense its location.”
Orion rose to his feet. “If Valac has the ring and the sword, what is his next move? What does he want?”
“I believe I know someone who can answer your question, Your Majesty.” We all spun around to seek out the owner of the voice.
It was Marcus.
He stood with several of his hounds behind him. When Marcus moved to the side, we all took a gasp in unison. Two of his hounds held Selene by the arms. They pulled her to the center of our circle where I could get a better look. Her hair was frazzled, her red dress had mud smeared across the hem. I had never seen her this disheveled. She continued to try to release herself, but she was no match for their strength.
“Where did you find her?” I asked Marcus.
He bowed, and said, “She was heading toward your castle, King Rowan. I knew you would want her brought here for questioning.”
Marcus was always the smart one. If someone saw Selene going toward the fire court castle, they might have assumed I had joined with Valac. By bringing her here, I was just as surprised as everyone else. There would be no reason to doubt my allegiance to the high council. “Thank you, Marcus.”
I stared at my adopted sister, knowing I needed to be cautious. This could be a setup. Part of Valac’s ultimate plan. “Why were you going to the fire court castle?”
Selene continued to struggle. When it became clear she wouldn’t speak until she was released, I waved at the guards and they let her go. “Thank you,” she said, brushing off the sleeves of her dress with her hand. She behaved as if the hounds touching her made her dress dirty. Common prejudice held by prominent members of our court. Behavior I wouldn’t tolerate. When she finished fixing herself up, she said, “I’ve come with an olive branch.”
An olive branch was a symbol of peace. Surely, Valac didn’t think I would be fooled by something so ridiculous. “Peace? My adopted brother doesn’t know the meaning of the word.”
“No, he does not.” Selene straightened her back. “I have come on my own.”
I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. “You want me to believe you’ve gone against your twin brother? How stupid do you think I am?”
Her eyes bore into mine. “I have, Rowan. I can prove it to you.”
“And we’re just supposed to believe whatever you say?” Kalin asked her. “What makes you trustworthy?”
“You don’t have any reason to trust me. Valac is my brother and I’ve always been at his side. I know how this looks.” Selene lowered her head, letting out an exaggerated sigh. “I can’t change anything that’s happened, but I can help you prevent what’s coming.”
“And what’s coming?” I asked Selene, leaning on my elbows as I sat on the edge of my seat.
“The end of the world.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kalin
It was hard to believe what I was seeing.
I hadn’t spent much time with Selene, but her loyalty had been crystal clear. She supported her twin brother, Valac. He was definitely the stronger of the two, the leader. Whenever things went down, Selene was right there with him. But instead of playing an equal role, she seemed to always stand behind him without ever getting her hands dirty. And now she stood before the high council ready to lay out his secret plans.
Nothing about her presence felt right. I was immediately suspicious of her intentions.
After all the heinous crimes Valac had committed, why leave him now? I couldn’t help thinking back to the last time I saw her. Valac was ready to kill an unconscious Rowan, ending the Djin line, and clinching his ascension to the fire court crown. But instead of urging Valac on that day, she begged for Rowan’s life to be spared. It was obvious by the look of shock across his face that Valac hadn’t expected that reaction from her. Oh, and he was definitely pissed about it.
When Rowan later found out about what had happened, he couldn’t understand why she would do that. He said that they had an okay relationship, but she had never once crossed Valac. Looking at her now, she wore a mix of emotions. Her muscles were flexed in her legs and arms. I would guess she was trying to hold her composure. She didn’t want to appear weak. But her eyes gave her away. They were wild and filled with fear. I couldn’t blame her. There were plenty of elementals in the room who wouldn’t mind killing her, regardless of how small a part she played in recent events.
I was one of them.
“The end of the world.” I repeated. “That’s a pretty broad statement. Care to elaborate, Selene?”
Selene stared at Rowan. “Valac has always known you would take the throne. He resented you for that. And I think, somewhere in the middle of all this, he figured out he would never be able to take that from you.”
Rowan shook his head. “That wasn’t the message I got, especially when he showed up at my front door with an army.”
“The army was only meant to be a distraction. He wanted to get to the Ring of Dispel.” Selene turned to face Brita. “It was the only way to cloud your visions.”
“Yeah, we know.” Rowan stood. “Valac also wanted to get to Excalibur. What we don’t know is why.”
“He wants all four of the sacred objects from each court. He―”
Rowan drew his sword, pointing the tip of the blade into her neck. She screamed when her skin sizzled. “Is that why you’re here, Selene? Are you a distraction so Valac can collect the other two?”
Orion nearly jumped up from his chair. He peered at Selene as if he were about to attack her. I put my hand on his chest just as he was about to pounce. “Easy now everyone. I don’t believe Valac would sacrifice his own twin sister to get his hands on the other two artifacts.” I glanced at Rowan, hoping he would put down his blade. He didn’t. No surprise there. “We haven’t heard what she came here to say.”
Rowan pressed his blade farther into her neck. She winced as tears ran down her cheeks. “Okay, Selene. Tell us the rest of the story.”
“Valac knows all about the powers that each object possesses.” Selene answered, whimpering. “He plans to use their combined powers to overthrow each court.”
Orion put his hand over the top of mine and smiled. He had himself under control so I released him, letting my hand fall to my side. He stepped forward, and said, “The sacred artifacts are powerful for certain. But not enough to conquer each court.”
Brita came to stand in front of Selene, placing her hands on her temples. She closed her eyes. When she opened them a second later, her face was filled with horror. “Valac does not intend to start a war with the sacred weapons, he plans to use them all at once.”
Rowan scratched the top of his head. “I don’t get it. What happens when he uses them all together?”
Brita’s lips pressed into a thin line. “If we do not surrender all four courts to him, he will use the weapons to cut the veil protecting Avalon. We will no longer be shielded.”
Without the veil, the isle would become visible to the mortals. But how could Valac use that to his advantage? There was no benefit for him. I had to be missing something
. Then, it hit me like a smack to the back of the head. “If the veil falls, the time suspension will be gone. Half of the elementals will die within weeks.” I glanced from Orion to Brita. They were the last of the four original elementals. “Some of the oldest may die within days.”
“But Valac would die with them. Why would he sacrifice himself?” Rowan asked, but I wasn’t sure if he was talking to us or to himself.
“He doesn’t believe we’ll call his bluff.” Orion answered. “He thinks we will give him whatever he wants to save ourselves.”
The room silenced.
Rowan was the first to speak. “Okay, worst case scenario. What happens if Valac does slice open the veil? Can the veil be restored?”
All eyes turned to me.
I tried to search my mind. When my akasha powers kicked on, I received the information from the journals all at once. I was still trying to process what was jumbled in my head, but I thought I remembered something about the veil. Something that stuck out. “There was something in the journals. It had to do with blood. It was―”
I cut myself off when I realized what I remembered. I wasn’t sure I could say it. I didn’t want to think about it, or even worse, have to go through with it.
Rowan grabbed both of my hands. “What did it say about the blood?”
There was no getting around it. I just had to say it. “If the veil is cut, it can only be sealed with the blood of the akasha.”
Orion let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s nothing to be worried about. Letting go of a little bit of blood will be nothing compared to what you’ve already gone through.”
“No, you don’t understand. My blood won’t mend the cut.” Rowan tensed as if preparing for the rest of my words. “The veil can only be healed by the blood of the akasha. All of the blood. My blood.”
Rowan shook his head. In barely as whisper, he asked, “You can’t mean―?”
A knot swelled in my throat. I tried to push it down with a hard swallow. The knowledge from the journals continued to race through my mind giving me a migraine. I focused through the pain, searching for another solution. But there was only one answer flashing in my head. One way I could save the ones I loved. “I will have to sacrifice myself to save Avalon.”
Acknowledgments
There have been so many people who have helped me throughout my journey. The first in a long line are my parents, Russell and Brenda Howell. I really cannot say enough about them. They’ve always supported and encouraged me to follow my dreams. None of this is possible without them. I want to send out a special thank you to my husband, Christopher. Every book I’ve written has come with some kind of drama. You have kept my life going during the process. Thank you for dealing with me and all my crazy. You’re full of awesome! Big hugs and kisses to my daughter, Madison. You’ll never know how much I love you. Having you has been the greatest joy of my life. A big thank you to Courtney Koschel for all your editing magic. You make everything I write ten times better. Jen Halligan, my publicist and rock star, has to be mentioned. You take so much pressure off my shoulders. I can’t say thank you enough. Najla Qamber certainly deserves a big hug for the beautiful book covers she’s created. You blow my mind every time. Amy Eye is another person who deserves a nod. She does all the formatting work on my ebooks and prints. My novels would look a mess without you! I can’t go without mentioning my family and friends who have been pimping this series. You know who you are. I want you to know I really appreciate your support. Thank you to all the bloggers who have read and reviewed my books. Whether you liked them or not, you picked my books out of thousands and I thank you! You’ve been a huge part of my success and I cannot tell you how much that means to me. I heart you so much! Last, but not least, I want to thank you—the reader. Your reviews, tweets, and emails continue to touch my heart and sometimes even bring me to tears. Thank you for choosing my series. These books have been a labor of love and I truly appreciate your support. Big, awkward virtual hug coming your way. ;-)
About the Author
Award-winning author Stacey O'Neale lives in Annapolis, Maryland. When she's not writing, she spends her time fangirling over books, blogging, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Baltimore Ravens, and hanging out with her husband and daughter.
Her career in publishing started as a blogger-turned-publicist for two successful small publishers. Stacey writes young adult paranormal romance and adult science fiction romance. Her books always include swoon-worthy heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing.
Stacey loves hearing from readers. Follow her on Twitter @StaceyONeale, look for her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads. You can also visit her blog at http://staceyoneale.com/.
ISBN-13: 9780991451
FRAGILE REIGN Copyright © 2014 by Stacey O'Neale
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of the e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission from the publisher, Phoenix Reign Publishing P.O. Box 857, Arnold, MD 21012.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Summary
It’s been a week since all hell broke loose…
Rumors of King Taron’s weakened powers have left the air court vulnerable. Kalin is desperate to awaken her akasha powers, except she doesn’t know how. Tension within the court is at an all-time high. Pressure is mounting for her to ascend to the throne, but a halfling has never ruled over any court. To solidify her position, the council has advised her to marry Sebastian—a high ranking air elemental she’s never met and her betrothed.
Will Kalin sacrifice her relationship with Rowan to strengthen her court?
Rowan and Marcus return to a fire court in turmoil. Liana’s death has fueled the fire elementals’ distrust against the air and woodland courts. The unbalanced elements have set off natural disasters all over the mortal world. Rowan takes the throne to restore balance, promising to unite the fire court. But not all elementals are happy with his leadership. Many are secretly loyal to Valac, which means Rowan needs to find allies for his cause.
Can Rowan unify the court of fire before the elements destroy the world?
Cover Designer: Najla Qamber Designs
Editor: Courtney Koschel
Copy Editor: Brenda Howell
Formatting: Amy Eye
Fragile Reign (Mortal Enchantment Book 2) Page 20
