“I guess I should’ve asked you first.” I tugged at her arm until she stood. With my hands clasped around her biceps, I asked, “Do you accept?”
Shaking her head, she replied, “I don’t even want to think about you dying.”
“Trust me.” It wasn’t something I wanted to think about either. “I’m going to do everything I can think of to avoid it. But in case I have to sacrifice myself, I need to know our court moves forward with the right elemental.”
She met eyes with each of the council members. I noticed a few jealous scowls as well as a few frightened faces. “I don’t know.”
“Ariel, you can do this.” She stared back at me like a deer caught in headlights. “You’re the only person I trust to do this. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, and I know you’ll be a great queen.”
“This is a formality, right?” She swallowed hard. “I mean, you don’t think Valac will succeed?”
“Yes, we’ll find a way to stop him,” I answered firmly. I wasn’t as sure as I sounded, but I believed it was possible. I had to exude confidence in front of my court. In times of war, they needed a strong leader they could follow. It was the only way we were all going to get through this.
Ariel let out a sigh of relief. “Okay then, I accept the position.”
A few unenthusiastic claps broke out. I ignored them. Now that I'd made my formal announcement, there was nothing they could do to stop it. Beaming, I pulled Ariel into a hug. “Thank you.”
As I was about to sit back down, she grabbed my arm. “Do me a favor.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What?”
She squeezed my hand. “Don’t die.”
Chapter Three
Rowan
My muscles burned in anticipation of the battle.
The portal opened about a mile away from the woodland caves. If the attack had already begun, we didn’t want them to see us coming. The faeries were likely fighting them around the exterior of the caves. It would’ve been better for us to come in from behind so that two forces were hitting them from different directions. With that strategy, we had a chance to surround them. That would’ve prevented any planned retreat, and we’d eliminate them once and for all.
But first, we had to get there.
I gripped my sword tightly as I scanned our surroundings. I wasn’t going to take the chance that we might be surprised. The vision I saw was clear. Valac stood on the edge of the woodland territory with an army of his own. We already knew he was coming for the Green Armor. According to legend, no one could defeat the person who wore the enchanted metal. An entire army could attack all at once, and it wouldn’t matter. The armor would still protect the wearer.
Orion and Marlena remained at the front of our group, surrounded by their guard. The air court knights made up the cluster in the middle. I remained in the back, giving me the best view. Twigs broke beneath our feet as we marched through the thick brush. Lush greenery surrounded us in every direction. The forest was eerily silent. That meant either nothing was happening or something had already happened, and everyone had fled. But it wasn’t like the woodland faeries to run away.
They were much too plucky for that.
Branches in the trees above our heads rustled as a strong wind current blew through. I kept my eyes on the tall, twisted tree trunks as we passed by. Valac could’ve had soldiers hidden nearby. Many elementals could fly, making an air assault a possibility. I wouldn’t put anything past him at this point. The rumor going around was that he had supporters from each of the courts. The more power he gained, the more elementals questioned the supremacy of the royal families. Fearful of the future, some had joined his side.
The unbalanced elements had wreaked havoc in the mortal world. Natural disasters at peak levels ravaged every corner of the Earth. Earthquakes in Asia. Hurricanes in the Caribbean islands. Sandstorms in the Middle East. Tornadoes in the center of North America. No place was safe. Elementals from every court continued to fight them back, but we’re spread thin. The only way to save our planet from extinction was to realign the four primary elements.
The group came to an abrupt stop, and I nearly knocked over the knight in front of me.
Above the treetops, dark, billowy clouds of smoke filled the skies. I wasn’t able to see where they were coming from, but I had an idea. A jolt of power surged through my arms, racing down into the tips of my fingers. I’d run to the top of the hill looking for Orion. He had his arm around Marlena as they watched something in the valley below. I settled next to him. To my horror, it was as I had feared.
The massive flesh-colored caves were on fire. Smoke barreled out of the cut-out doors and windows. The scent of ash burned my nostrils. Knights fought on the ground and spread into the caves. Iron weapons clashed together. The ground shook as the faeries used their magic to defend themselves. Flying fire elementals flew over top the battle, burning the small pixies as they attempted to extinguish the flames. Their bellowing screams could be heard even from this far away. Blood and corpses lay everywhere. The woodland fae certainly didn’t go down without a fight.
My first instinct was to run right through the warfare, killing every fire elemental who crossed my path. My core fire burned beneath my skin, begging to be released. But I wasn’t the king of this territory. Orion had to be the one to signal the assault. “What is your command?” I asked.
Rage had made his face blood-red. “Ready your weapons,” he ordered.
“My pleasure,” I replied, igniting a ball of fire in my palm. The knights formed two lines behind us with an iron sword in one hand and a shield in the other. They awaited his cue.
Orion’s expression hardened as he raised his hands in the air. The dirt beneath our feet rose from the ground, forming large cones that twisted in the air like tornadoes. I had to use my arm to shield my eyes. There had to be two or three dozen of them, each the size of a small car. Growling, he thrust his hands forward. One by one, the large gravel funnels knocked the fire elementals out of the sky.
“Attack,” he screamed as he rushed toward the caves.
As we raced down, we caught the attention of several fire elementals. They headed toward us. I ran in front of our group with my sword above my head. One elemental broke out in front of the pack, rushing straight at me. He’d made a grave mistake. Our swords made a loud screeching sound as they scraped together. I threw a fireball into his face. A fire wouldn’t kill a member of my court, but it would distract him. As he attempted to brush the flames away, I spun around and sliced right through his middle. His blood dripped down my blade.
Air court knights used their wind magic to clear a walkway to the caves' entrance. As we fought our way through the battle, I tried to stay as close as I could to Orion. I had no idea where he kept the Green Armor. He had hundreds of rooms to choose from within these caverns. If I had any hope of getting to Valac, I had to stay with him. But Valac’s rogue elementals never let up. The rumors were true. He had members of every court fighting on his side. I couldn’t even imagine what he’d promised them.
Staying close to Orion, I lined up with a few of his guards that he'd brought with him. Most had remained with Marlena at the top of the mountain. Rather than worry about her safety, he chose to keep her away from the battle. We moved toward the main entrance of the caves. I created a circle of fire around us. The blaze kept most of the elementals away. However, members of my court sauntered right through the flames. Each time one of them stepped out of the inferno, I’d slit his throat. It reminded me of the whack-a-mole game I liked to play at the mortal arcade. After more than twenty minutes of fighting, I’d lost count of how many rogues had made friends with the sharp end of my blade.
Smears of blood covered most of my clothes by the time we reached the heavy wooden door. Orion waved his hand over the golden knob, and it slowly creaked open. We entered the main foyer with his guard. The air knights had been ordered to remain outside to prevent anyone from following us. We stepped over bodies in various stages of
decomposition. My heart ached for my friend. Seeing so many of his faeries lying dead at his feet must’ve been torturous. Had I not been betrayed by the rogue fire elementals, I imagined I’d feel the same way.
Orion remained silent as we hurried through several winding hallways, and then multiple sets of stairs. Our shoes thumped against the gold marble flooring. Gold wallpaper covered every walkway we passed. Golden sconces bejeweled with multi-colored stones illuminated our way. Even the candles were gold. But nothing surprised me. I’d always known that the woodland court was the most lavish of the four. It seemed that they reveled in the extravagant.
By the time we stopped, I had guessed we were about a quarter-mile beneath the surface. Orion placed his hand on a wall. He moved his palm as if he were drawing a symbol. When he stepped back, a shimmering golden door appeared. One of his guards reached for the knob and held the door open. Several of his knights entered, making sure it was safe for him. When they nodded, we made our way inside.
We stood inside another massive, oval-shaped cave. Golden chandeliers hung from the high ceiling. Each one held large, rectangular candles that lit the entire room. The interior matched the flesh-colored exterior of the caves. Walls lined with bookcases packed to the brim with books. There had to be thousands of them. Other areas had iron weapons displayed. Some had to be hundreds of years old. On the furthest wall, a single chair sat in the corner with a woven blanket slung over the top. Right above, hung a painted portrait of the king and queen.
Orion made his way over to a wall with gold metallic inlay. The thick metal was shaped into a huge door but didn’t appear to have any way to open it. My eyebrows snapped together as he pulled a small blade out of his side pocket and made a tiny incision on the pad of his index finger. A thin line of blood dripped into his palm. He pressed his hand into the wall. The area around the trimming cracked, and a cloud of dust cloaked the area. Fragments of the wall crumbled to the ground in large pieces. He stepped over the chunks of rubble, entering the hole he’d made.
Gasps filled the cave as Orion returned, holding a flat metal board. Resting on top were several pieces of forest green armor. As I got closer, I noticed the metal had etchings all over the exterior. Some of the markings were Celtic, while others appeared to be words from a language I didn’t recognize: something ancient, no doubt. Every elemental in the room swarmed around Orion, each eager to see what most had thought was nothing more than a legend. Only the members of the royal families knew about the sacred objects and their power. Considering what he had gone through to get the armor, I’d bet he had it in here for centuries.
“Thank you, Orion.”
I whirled around. Valac held Excalibur in his hand. Blood dripped down the blade. Four of the woodland personal guards were dead beneath his feet. Each had been sliced open at the neck. They had already begun to decompose. Heat surged through my body as I released my sword from its sheath. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Sorry, I’m late. I wasn’t exactly sure where Orion had hidden the armor.” Valac chuckled. “It was so nice of you to lead the way.”
“Valac, you can’t do this,” Orion said, positioning himself in front of me. “Cutting the mist will kill thousands, including you. You have to stop this ridiculous quest.”
“Pledge your allegiance, Orion,” Valac replied. “Turn over your court to me, and I’ll end this right now.”
“This is about control of the woodland court?” Orion asked as a line etched between his eyebrows.
“Yes,” he replied. “The woodland court … along with all of the other courts.”
“Haven’t you seen what the unbalanced elements have done to the mortal world?” Orion screamed, causing the metal armor in his arms to clink together. “The planet is being destroyed by this war. One elemental cannot rule over all four courts. There has to be an equal balance.”
“You’re an old fool, Orion.” Valac shook his head. “The courts can be balanced under one ruler. That’s the only way to be sure the balance remains.”
Valac’s rogue elementals entered the room one by one until they lined the walls. Most of them were fire court, but there were plenty from the other courts. The color had drained from Orion’s face as he recognized the members of his court that had betrayed him. We were outnumbered five to one. Anger churned in my stomach. I snarled at Valac. “Why don’t you fight me for the armor?” I said, pointing the tip of my sword at him. “Show your followers what kind of a leader you truly are.”
“Gladly,” he replied, sneering at me. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”
I waved him over. “Take your shot.”
The crowd of rogues cheered as we circled each other like two lions fighting over control of their pride. I had to fight the urge to charge him. Excalibur made him much too dangerous for that. No, I had to take him down with my sword. Valac and I had sparred when I was a child. Even then, he wasn’t much of a challenge. I flexed my shoulders as if I were about to lunge. He jolted in response. He might’ve had a powerful weapon, but he still feared me.
“No,” Orion interrupted, turning both our heads to his direction.
“What are you doing?” I barked, heading toward him.
“You can take it, Valac.” Orion handed the armor to one of the rogue elementals. He ran it over to Valac, who seemed stunned by his surrender. “Please, leave.”
“You surprise me, Orion,” Valac said, examining each piece of the armor. When he was satisfied, he signaled to his followers. They headed out the door behind him. A smile danced on his lips. “See you around.”
I stood still, dumbfounded. What happened? Had Orion declared defeat? Did he think he was saving the remaining members of his court? When I attempted to chase after Valac, a muscular arm pulled me back. It was Orion. “What are you doing?” I asked, attempting to release my arm from his grip. “I’m not going to let him have it. You know what this means.”
“I had to let him go, Rowan.” He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “All he needed to do was cut you with Excalibur, and you’re dead. I wasn’t going to stand here and watch that happen.”
I crossed my arms. “Valac would be dead before he got the chance.”
Shaking his head, he replied, “I wasn’t willing to risk your life.”
“I had a plan,” I argued.
He raised an eyebrow. “Really? What was your plan?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it. Was he right? I paused. My entire focus had been on killing Valac. But I was in such a rush to get over here I’d never actually planned anything out. Orion was right. Had he not stopped me, I’d likely be dead. “What are we going to do now?”
“The armor was our only hope.” He strode over to the chair and sat down. His elbows were balanced on his knees while his head rested in his hands. “The armor was strong enough to withstand a blow from Excalibur, giving us a chance to get the sword away from him. Now, I’m not sure what we can do.”
A vision of Kalin floated into my head along with an idea. “What about the shield?”
He glanced up at me. “The shield is protected by strong magic. It has enough power to equal Excalibur. But the armor protects the entire body. Only the most skilled warrior could use that shield against the sword.”
“I’ll carry the shield.” It made perfect sense. I finally had a way to keep Kalin safe. If I had the shield, he’d have no reason to attack the air court. My belly filled with anticipation. I clenched my fists at my sides. “Let him come for me.”
Orion paused for several moments. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”
Until we found a way to stop Valac, I had no other choice. “It’s our best option.”
“If this is your plan, the woodland court is with you.” He stood firm. “What do you need from me?”
“I must return to the air court. Kalin needs an update.” I wasn’t sure if she’d go along with my plan, but I had to make her see this was the best way. I refused to sit around, waiting for anoth
er attack. We had to make a stand. “In the meantime, we’re going to need iron weapons and as many knights as you can spare.”
“Give me two days.” He nodded and held his arm out. We shook hands. “You’ll have everything you need.”
Chapter Four
Kalin
Several hours had passed since Rowan left.
After the funeral for Dad, and the meeting with the council, I needed a little time by myself. Too much had happened, and I still didn’t feel like I’d wrapped my head around it all. I wanted to go somewhere quiet. Somewhere outside of the castle. I headed down to the spot where the woodland portal had opened. It stood on a flat surface on the side of the mountain. I sat down and ran my hand across the moss green silky strands. Grass on Avalon was so soft it almost felt fake.
A sound like thunder jolted me to my feet. Winds collected, swirling together like a tornado. I stepped backward. Someone was about to come through the pathway. A bunch of leaves and branches blew out of the portal. Then Rowan burst out. A moment of relief quickly dissipated once I got a good look at him. His shirt was torn in several spots and scorched with burn marks. A spray of dried blood covered most of his cheek and the hair above his ear. I ran to him and locked my arms around his neck. All I could smell was the scent of charred ash. “I was so worried. Are you all right?”
He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “I’m okay. I swear.”
“I’m having a hard time believing you.” I released him from my embrace, needing to examine him further. He looked like he stepped out of the final scene in a horror movie. “Were you able to stop Valac?”
“How did you know I’d be here?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“I didn’t.” Scanning his body, I searched for injuries. “What happened to you?”
“Valac has the armor.” He ran his fingers through his tousled hair. “But we have a plan. I need you to take me to the shield.”
Mortal Enchantment Complete Box Set Page 50
