“QUIET.”
The crowd shifts uneasily.
“Anyone who does not remain respectful during this trial shall be escorted out of the courtyard or into the dungeons by my guards. Is that clear?”
Murmurs of agreement fill the air.
“The Council shall listen to proof before assigning judgment,” Father says. “Who will speak first?”
“I will.”
“It’s the witch,” Daniel says.
I would know her voice anywhere. My heart skips a beat. I force memories away.
“State your name for all to hear,” Ryz-IL says.
“Laruna, Priestess of Kepyr.”
“You have proof against the accused?”
“I birthed her. Did not know she was Enchantress until she breathed light. See this?”
The crowd murmurs in unease.
I shiver as her hatred strikes me like a snake.
Daniel whispers. “Is that a lock of your hair?”
“We thought mother and baby dead. Along with my son, a mighty warrior. I see Enchantress in dream. Vow revenge. Demand the right to cut off her hair.”
Cheers erupt from the crowd.
Daniel’s horror shoots through me. “She’s kidding, right?”
Bryntar whispers, “Savages.”
“Does anyone else want to speak?” Father asks.
“I speak for the warriors who track the Enchantress. She kills with light from her hands.”
I recognize the voice of the Kepyr warrior who helped capture us.
Shouts and agreements rise from the Kepyrs.
“Will anyone speak on behalf of the accused?” my father asks.
The courtyard is silent.
“Then I should like to speak as representative for the girl. We have no knowledge of her intent to harm the island or its inhabitants.” He gently pulls me to my feet.
“First, I have valuable information.”
Chills streak through me when I recognize Jyrr’s voice. He stomps down the platform.
There is surprise in my father’s voice. “What do you know?”
“She has violet eyes, the result of an Ice Lord and Kepyr mating. She does not breathe air. I, myself, have seen her submerged in water for longer than any can hold their breath.”
Sick horror shudders through me, realizing he watched while I bathed. It is the sense of superiority and hatred coming from him that frightens me the most.
“I know one other thing,” Jyrr says. “It causes me great sorrow and pain to expose a traitor among us.”
Blood slithers to my toes. I sway and would fall but for my father’s steadying hand. Chills of dread course up and down my spine, striking into my very soul.
“My people, our great leader Ryz-IL, broke the law of the land and mated with a Kepyr sixteen seasons ago. He is the father of this Enchantress. Seize him!”
Chapter Forty-One: The Judging
The uproar of men shouting, women screaming and children crying engulfs the air.
“Jeez, we’re dead.”
“You must believe in the Enchantress, Daniel,” Bryntar says.
It is almost impossible to think or breathe with the din around me. I am thankful for the covering on my head. The darkness helps me concentrate and repel the hatred.
Laruna shrieks, “Kill. Kill. Kill.”
The crowd takes up the chant. “Kill, kill, kill.”
“Silence, my people,” Jyrr yells over the noise.
They quiet almost instantly and I shiver with dread. His mother is right. He does have support for his succession to the throne. I focus on the leather straps around my wrists as I carefully burn through them.
“Let Ryz-IL condemn himself if he honors the truth,” Jyrr says.
“Jyrr speaks the truth,” my father says.
A howl of voices sweeps over me like a vicious wind.
“Let him speak,” Jyrr yells. “They will be his last words.”
Shouts change to murmurs.
“Most of you know I have always tried to change the law,” my father says.
“To save yourself!”
“Death to the traitor!”
“Kill him!”
“I had a vision,” my father says.
Nervous whispers flitter through the crowd.
He continues. “The most disturbing vision showed this island being destroyed. The power, greed and selfishness of the people created Aru. That is why I broke the law. To give the island an Enchantress to save us.”
Jeers and cries of fear sweep through the crowd.
“Do you ever wonder why there is a law that forbids the creating of an Enchantress?” my father asks.
Mutters of disbelief filter through the crowd.
“No previous king wanted anyone to live who could threaten his rule. To keep our races separate, it was necessary to create fear and doubt.”
“Liar!” Laruna shouts.
My father yells above the dissention. “I have deciphered the ancient records.”
“Impossible!” yells one of the Council members.
“No!” my father yells. “Not for someone who cares enough about the fate of this island. In the ancient records, our Ice Lord ancestors knew we would need an Enchantress or Enchanter every thousand years to erase the influences of the evil inherent in our natures.”
Jyrr screams above the rage of the crowd. “This man disrespects our heritage. Members of the Council, do you agree our mighty ruler is a traitor?”
Daniel cannot keep his voice from shaking. “They agree with him.”
“Be ready with your knife,” I whisper, “and do not wait for me. Promise.”
“Done.”
Jyrr’s satisfaction sickens me. “Tie his hands.”
A cheer rings in the courtyard.
My mind shifts to holding the severed leather ties around my wrists.
“Since I am heir to the throne,” Jyrr says, “I will officiate over the executions if that is the will of the Council and the people.”
An uproar saturates the courtyard. “Jyrr! Jyrr! Jyrr!”
I can almost feel his smile. “By unanimous vote, let the executions begin.”
His body brushes against mine as he moves forward. “This boy is a stranger to our island. He will be burned first, then the woman who raised the Enchantress. Tie them to the stakes.”
I whisper to Daniel. “Do not worry.”
Bryntar warns, “Do not take too long.”
I want to scream, but have little breath left.
Jyrr resumes speaking. “Normally, a former ruler would be granted leniency and be pierced through the heart for an instant death. Ryz-IL has broken the greatest law of the land. He should suffer and be burned at the stake with the others. Is the decision unanimous?”
The crowd shouts, “Burn, burn, burn. Destroy the traitor!”
“I am sorry, Elandra,” my father says.
I feel many footsteps dragging him away. The only thing keeping me from screaming is that Daniel and Father have knives to cut themselves free. I calm down and concentrate on complete control.
Jyrr removes the cover from my head.
I blink in the brightness. My heart lurches to see my family tied to the stake. I breathe in volumes of light and my hair shimmers.
“Oooh.”
“Aahh.”
“She is only a child.”
I gaze at the woman who spoke and say loudly, “I was a few hours old when your tribe tried to kill me.”
She lowers her eyes in shame and for the first time I understand that not all Kepyrs agree with their laws.
“The Enchantress shall watch our enemies die,” Jyrr says. “Light the fire.”
The crowd cheers.
Jyrr whispers in my ear. “You should have accepted my offer.”
“Arrogance will be your downfall.”
He laughs. “I admire your resolve. It will not save you.”
One guard lights a torch and touches it to the fire. Anger burns inside me, but I control it
as the flames burst over the dry wood. I am relieved to see Uncle sneak toward the fire.
Laruna hobbles toward me with a knife. “I kill Enchantress.”
“No, old woman,” Jyrr says. “It is my right.”
They stare at each other and her eyes lower first. Hatred vibrates through her, but she steps aside.
Jyrr pulls out a curved knife and yanks on a chunk of my hair. He whispers in my ear. “With each stroke, remember you could have been my queen.”
I smile at him as leather slides from my wrists. “You shall be lucky to live.”
He raises his knife.
I trail a finger down his arm. He screeches. I touch his chest lightly and a thin streak of light throws him against a column of rock.
The crowd gasps.
One woman shies away. “She has the power of light.”
“You killed my son!”
I whirl to see the Lady Ryz-IL hurl a spear at me. I disintegrate it in a flash. She screeches and runs toward me with a dagger. I knock her out with one jolt.
I twist around when I feel the heat of the fire. Relief surges through me when Uncle leaps through the flames to cut Bryntar and my father free. Daniel frees himself and jumps after them.
Kepyr warriors and guards rush them, weapons drawn.
I flash bolt after bolt of lightning at their feet. “Stop!”
They halt.
I stalk toward the Council who are rushing into the Palace. I strike the stone floor next to their feet with a stream of light. “Resume your seats.”
Although there is fear in their eyes, they raise their chins and stride back to their chairs.
A tremor abruptly shakes the Palace and grounds.
Aru has found me.
Chapter Forty-Two: The Reckoning
Thousands of people scream as the ground ripples, tossing them like so many leaves. Terrified, they scramble up and trample each other to get free. My family battles to reach me without success.
“Stop! You will hurt each other!” my father yells.
His voice is lost as huge cracks split the land. The gap widens outside the Palace walls. With a horrible grinding, hissing and rumbling of rock, the ground swallows hundreds of screaming natives.
I knew this day would come. The first moment Aru yearned for my soul. Of all the Enchanters and Enchantresses that have gone before, why am I the one to try and save the island? I look at the confusion around me: the fear, the ignorance, the loss of life. My sorrow changes into understanding. This is a chance to master my own destiny.
Daniel and Bryntar reach my side and pull me away from hundreds swarming to enter the safety of the Palace. A crystal pillar topples, blocking the entrance.
Jyrr and his mother crouch beside a column embedded in the rock.
Others outside the palace walls leap away from the expanding hole and flee in horror. Cracks and crevices shoot after them like hungry vines, consuming those too slow to run away in time. The wide gap imprisons those inside the courtyard.
Kepyrs kneel in supplication, chanting, crying or stone-faced in shock.
Ice Lords turn to their Council members, staring in disbelief.
Steam hisses from the rifts. Fountains of fire burst into the sky with belching rolls of angry, black clouds. A huge mass of thick, liquid rock and molten lava writhes in the center, as wide as it is tall. Red sparks flash like piercing eyes. Aru twists and bellows in fury, spitting rocks that burn anything they hit. Shrieks and wails pierce the air.
A Kepyr mother crawls near me with a child covered in burns. I kneel next to her. She cringes. I caress the child with my fingertips and he stops crying. She watches the healing, tears pouring down her face. “Thank you,” she whispers.
Booms and explosions of yellow gases foul the air. Kepyr and Ice Lord scream and cower with no place to hide or escape.
I turn to a furious, hovering Aru. Lava expands into a bigger molten cloud, hissing, thrashing, howling. Suffering.
I step down into the courtyard, having no idea how I can win this battle.
Daniel grabs my arm. “What are you doing?”
I move the lock of hair from his face. “What I was born to do.”
“You cannot face that monster!”
I smile. “You lectured me about sacrifice.”
“I should never have said anything.” Desolation crosses his face and hits me in the pit of my stomach. “I don’t want you to die.”
“We will all die if I do not try to defeat Aru.”
His jaw clenches. “I’m really sorry.”
“I will always love you, Daniel.”
His green eyes stare into my soul. He yanks me into his arms and kisses me with such fierceness that our hearts beat as one once again. “Beat the friggin’ monster.”
I turn away, heavy with regret.
Bryntar enfolds me in her arms. “You can do this, my Elandra. Never waiver in your belief.” All of her love sweeps into me.
Barely able to speak, I choke out the words. “Goodbye, Mother.” There is so much I want to say. I have waited too long. “Thank you for my life.”
Tears slide down her face and into my heart. She clings to me, not wanting to let go.
Uncle kneels before me. “I never thought I would see someone braver than your mother. Until now.”
I scowl and yank him up. “Hope that I master my destiny.”
He encloses me in his arms. “I do not want to lose you. You are my only family.”
I whisper in his ear. “My death will devastate Bryntar. She will blame herself. Please take care of her.”
He nods solemnly. “My life is hers.”
I turn away from the churning emotions.
My father hurries through the terrified crowd to join me. Guilt and remorse etch his face. “Your mother and I did not have the right to create you for this.”
“Perhaps it was your destinies, Father.”
Pride shines in his eyes. “I will never forgive myself if you die.”
“Do not live with guilt. If the island survives, it is worth the sacrifice.”
His eyes shine. “I have never been so proud.”
I cannot speak when he embraces me. How I long to know more about him. I turn away and do not look back at those I leave behind.
Kepyr and Ice Lord alike lower their heads as I pass, unable to consider my eyes.
I reach the palace gates. Laruna jumps in front of me with a knife, eyes crazed with madness. “Die, Enchantress!”
I leap aside, but not before she slices off a tip of my hair. She yells when the light burns her skin and drops the knife.
I wince with the stabbing pain. Grab the severed end with my fingertips and close the wound.
Laruna screams. She bows to the molten cloud. “Mighty Aru. Grant me my revenge.”
A streak of hot lava reaches out and twists around her. She shrieks before disintegrating into ash.
My body shakes uncontrollably. Will I die as easily?
I slip around the gaping hole in the ground trying to gain control of my feelings. Aru bellows and expands to blacken the entire sky.
I do not need the sun. I think of my mother, Taroc and Bryntar, Daniel, Uncle and Father. Love throbs with an inner light so bright it cannot be contained. It flashes around me in a huge, bright circle. Even so, I cannot ignore the pounding of my heart. I inhale. Shining silver hair swirls around my face.
I can do this. I have to do this.
I step forward. A gaping maw of smoke sucks me into twisting chaos, snatching away breath and thought. Balls of fire, flying rocks and deafening yowls batter me from every direction. I cover my ears, close my eyes and hold onto the light.
I do not waiver. Nothing can stop my determination to save my family and this beautiful island.
The whirling stops. Intense pressure squeezes, trying to crack through my barrier. Explosions of lava cover my protection of light like a burning blanket. Screams and tormented pain claw into my mind. And grief. So much grief and pain and revulsi
on. I reel, not knowing how long I can hold on.
Do not panic. Do not give in.
Doubt creeps like a worm into my mind, twisting, burrowing deeper into hope.
I fight to ignore it by thinking about my love for Daniel: his arms, his kisses, his promise of unspoken words. Light thickens and draws closer to my body.
I scream at Aru. “What do you want?”
A sea of red, sticky muck surrounds me. Contorted, murky shapes rise around me. They snatch at the light. Scream when it erodes their bodies. Anger, despair, agony and hatred attack the very center of my soul. I sob uncontrollably in the face of the atrocities and weaken.
“Oh, Taroc, I do not know what to do.”
His words filter through my suffering and sorrow. You have everything you need within your heart.
I strain against the suffocation of evil. Suddenly I know there is only one way to survive. To let go of everything. To accept who I am. To surrender to the light within. I merge with the power. Become one with it. Blinding light streaks out through my hair, eyes, hands, all parts of my body. Thunder shakes the red muck.
Aru shrieks.
Love steadies my thumping heart.
The melody so long quiet in my heart awakens, warm and pure and beautiful. At last I understand what must be done to save the island. I know what Aru is.
I begin to sing. In my mind, I hear many voices blending with mine, Enchanters and Enchantresses who have gone before. Their melodies weave through mine. Taroc appears, smiles and vanishes.
Aru moans.
And still I sing, radiating the pureness of light. I add words to the melody and glow brighter. “Release your pain. Remember the beginning.”
Aru wails, writhes. The sea of murk thins to choppy waves. Black tears of misery rain onto the surface and disappear.
“I am sorry. Please forgive them. Forgive me.”
I open my heart to enclose the dead and tortured, the unclean sea, the cruelty, the whole of the beast.
Aru stills.
“I love you,” I say to Aru.
A melody apart from my own arises, halting, growing . . . sounds of wind ruffling rivers, surging seas, grasses and leaves. Racing hooves and songs of birds. Painted skies, purrs and infant cries. All that is the island. Gradually, the red water turns crystal clear.
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