There she was. Ariel, the elemental I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. She was stunning in a short pale blue dress that matched her eyes. Her long wheat-blond hair hung straight down to her lower back. In my eyes, no one was ever more beautiful. I grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her in the air. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
She hugged me around the neck. “I couldn’t wait to get here. What’s the big surprise?”
I put her down. “Finally, I get you both together without a looming disaster.”
“Oh, I’m part of this too?” Rowan asked, crossing his arms. “I hope this isn’t the intro to a threesome because I’m not sure how Kalin would feel about that.”
I rolled my eyes. “You had to make it weird, didn’t you?”
“What is it?” Ariel asked, with eyes rounded.
“Follow me.” I intertwined our fingers and tugged her along.
I led them back to the mess hall. All of the hounds were still there with their families, listening to Selene. When we walked in, she stopped singing.
“Is that Selene?” Ariel asked, looking both shocked and excited.
“Caught me by surprise, too,” Rowan replied.
Selene followed him with her eyes as we made our way into the room. She wore the same expression of terror that she’d had when I first brought her in front of the hounds. It’s hard to believe that someone with such great power had so much fear. Those two had a complicated relationship like no other. Although Selene never protected Rowan as a child, she did stop Valac from killing him. She cared for him, and I believed he felt the same—even if those feelings were buried deep under some serious anger and resentment.
Every head whirled around in our direction. I inhaled deeply, then let it out slowly. I didn’t want to blow the big moment. “Except for Kalin, I have everyone that means the most to me in one room.” I led Ariel to the center of the space. She glanced around nervously as all eyes were on her. I reached out to hold both of her hands. “I’ve known you for most of my life. Our relationship is about as far from simple as any could be.” Some of the hounds snickered at that. It was unheard of for a hound to be in love with an air court elemental. We mated mostly among our kind, or with the occasional mortal. “But throughout all the hardships in my life, you’ve been there for me. You’ve always believed in me and even loved me. I doubt I will ever deserve you. But by some stroke of luck, you love me back.” A few of the female hounds sighed. I bent down on one knee and held out the family heirloom that had once belonged to my mother. The ring wasn’t lavish. It was a simple platinum band with a round diamond in the middle. Ariel put her hand over her mouth as tears brimmed in her eyes. “I love you with all of my heart. Will you have me?”
“Yes,” she began to cry, holding out her hand. I slipped the ring on her finger. “For the rest of my life. Yes.”
The pack cheered as I lifted her over my head. When I released her, she reached up to kiss me. I felt her tears on my cheeks. For the first time, I was whole. The girl I’d spent most of my life dreaming about wanted to be mine forever. No matter what happened in the future, I would be okay because I had her. We had each other. It was everything I’d ever wanted, and more than I dreamed possible.
“I’m glad I got to see that.” Rowan put his hand on my shoulder. “Thanks for letting me be a part of it. I only wish Kalin could’ve been here.”
I glanced at Ariel. She stood in the middle of a group of females, showing off her ring. “I have a feeling she’ll hear all about it.”
He laughed. “No doubt.”
I raised my eyebrows. “So, what’s your answer?”
“What’s the question?”
Rowan was the closest thing I had to a brother and my best friend. I wasn’t sure I could ask him without choking up. “Will you be my best man?”
He pulled me into a hug. “It would be an honor.”
After Rowan went over his plan, I insisted on going with him. He rejected my offer. Valac seemed to be one step ahead of us at all times, which meant he had spies within each of the courts. He’d likely already known Rowan took the shield from the air court, and this castle would be where they searched first. For that reason, I had to remain here to lead the court if necessary. I positioned the hounds all over the castle and around every pathway. There was no chance of a surprise.
I said my goodbyes to Ariel, sending her back to the air court. If there was going to be a battle, I needed her to be as far away from it as possible. She had trained and was capable of handling herself. But she would be a distraction for me. There was no way I could fully function, knowing her life was in danger. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if something happened to her. My heart ached at the thought.
I had to push those feelings aside and focus on what was happening right now. I headed over to the weapons arsenal. The room was left unlocked in case of an emergency. When I flipped on the lights, I saw hundreds of iron swords hanging on the side of the wall as well as armor piled up in various sizes. These weren’t weapons for hounds. We only needed to shift into our animal form. These weapons were for the knights.
Selene surprised me when she stepped inside. “I want to help.”
“Are you sure you can?” I asked, crossing my arms. “I mean, Valac’s your brother.”
She stood still for a moment, and then she ran her fingers over a leather glove. “I’m not saying it will be easy, but I’ll do what I can to stop my brother.”
“I’d prefer it if you stayed in my room.” She opened her mouth to say something, but I held up my hand. “He will see you as a traitor for what you’ve done, and I believe he’ll kill you. I’m not sure if you’re capable of doing the same to him.”
“Why do you care if I live or die?” She asked, her eyebrows creased. “Why do you continue to be so kind to me?”
“Because you’re part of this court.” I bent down, lowering my eyes, so we were level. “You have a place here.”
Shaking her head, she replied, “I don’t deserve it.”
“Everyone deserves a second chance.” The corner of my mouth quirked up. “One day, I think Rowan will see that too.”
Her jaw went slack. “Not likely.”
“You don’t know him like I do.” I pulled several swords off the wall and began stacking them on the table in front of me. “He’ll come around.”
She sniffled. “I owe you an apology.”
“No, you don’t,” I replied firmly.
She wiped the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand. “After watching you propose to Ariel, I realized what an idiot I’ve been. The hounds aren’t animals. They’re fire elementals, like me. You’re my equal in every way. Maybe even better. I shouldn’t have listened to my family. I should’ve been stronger.”
I’d always thought that Selene was different from her brother. There was a kindness in her that she hid. And now that she was away from her brother's influence, she saw clearly for the first time. She was braver than she knew. “If that’s how you feel, then treat today as the first day of your new life. You can be anything you want to be. And I’d be proud to call you friend.”
She ran over and threw her arms around my neck. “In my whole life, I don’t think I’ve ever had a real friend.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist. “You do now.”
Chapter Eight
Rowan
There was no welcoming party when I arrived at the water court.
Britta had knights waiting only a few feet away from the portal. That premonition thing was a fun little trick to have. Unfortunately, it was power only she possessed. The knights escorted me inside the castle. As we strolled over the white sand beach, I saw all types of water elementals. Mermaids, sirens, and selkies each studied me as they sauntered past in their naked mortal forms. Once they passed through the mist that protected the water territory, they shifted into their creature forms.
I hadn’t been down here much over the years. For the most part, Britta kept the members
of her court in seclusion. Although they could travel all over Avalon, they remained in the water. Out of all the courts, hers was the most mysterious. Many believed they could only speak through telepathy, but I knew otherwise. During one of the rare times Prisma invited me to visit her, I overheard two water elementals speaking to one another. Their voices were soft, and they sang their words. I never told anyone about that day. I assumed Britta had a reason she kept them quiet.
The knights led me through various winding hallways filled with paintings. The entire history of the elementals was on display. Each one featured portrayals of the different creatures of her court throughout the centuries. Oddly, I noticed several portraits of a male mortal. The first paintings were of her with a mortal child. He aged in each one I passed, all the way up to the young adult years. By the style of his clothes, I’d guessed he lived around the twelfth century. It was obvious that this mortal had been very important to her.
I stood in front of the entrance to Britta’s throne room. Upon entering, the scent of salt flooded my nostrils. We strode across white sand flooring. Dark green seaweed covered the walls. Steps made of large seashells led to her throne, but the actual chair she sat on reminded me of a massive salmon-colored clamshell. No one was here. Pillars made of multi-colored coral were in every corner of the room. The only thing missing was water, which was kept out by the separate magical mist that surrounded her territory like a dome.
I jolted when I heard her voice in my head. “Why have you come, young king?”
Turning around, I saw that she stood only a few yards behind me. Her jet-black hair was twisted into a bun and held up by starfish. Her midnight blue, floor-length gown dragged behind her several feet. The deep color of her dress against her pale skin made her look even more ethereal than usual. I bowed my head to show her respect. “Don’t you already know?”
Britta smiled briefly. “Yes.”
She already knew my intentions, so there was no point in wasting any more time. “I need you to release Merlin. He might be the only elemental who can save us.”
She ambled toward the window with such elegance that it seemed as if she were floating. “Kalin can save us.”
Yes, by sacrificing her life. That wasn’t an option I was willing to accept. I shook my head. “I won’t let that happen.”
Britta continued to stare out the window with her arms clasped loosely behind her back. From this height, she could see for miles in every direction. “Do you know the cause of Merlin’s imprisonment?”
“No.” Prisma never told me anything, especially if it was something that could’ve gotten her in trouble with the high council. I wouldn’t be surprised if no one knew what they’d done. Not to mention, I didn’t know Merlin existed until Kalin told me.
As I turned away from the window, her eyes met mine. White nothingness replaced the color in her irises. Even the tattoos on the sides of her face were glowing. “Eighteen years ago, you were brought here as an infant. I had foreseen your destiny. That you would be the end to us all.”
Hearing those words was like taking a bullet to the chest. Before she abruptly left the high council meeting, she mentioned the events were happening as she had previously foreseen, and the end of our world was near. The part she left out was that I was to blame. “Why me? What did I do?”
As she held out her palm, a premonition flashed in my head. It was moving pictures of skyscrapers crumbling to the ground, and mortals running for their lives. Another showed a massive tidal wave that destroyed a large island. Fires burned. Cries of pain echoed in my head. All of their anguish and fear whipped through me like a tornado. I fell to my knees with my hands over my ears and screamed.
Then it all stopped, and I heard her voice once more. “That is our future if you prevent the akasha from sealing the mist. Once we are exposed, thousands of our kind will die within hours. With the elders gone, the courts will fall, and the unbalanced elements will destroy this world.”
A sinking feeling burned in the pit of my stomach. But I refused to accept that this was the only option. There had to be another way. In every situation, there were always possibilities. I had to make the right choice. “There’s still a chance Merlin can save us.”
There was a pained smile when she replied, “If he knew of any other way, he wouldn’t have agreed to sacrifice your life.”
I paused as I pieced her words together in my head. “Wait. Are you saying Merlin wanted to kill me? That’s why he remains imprisoned?”
“Yes,” she replied firmly.
Okay, I wasn’t expecting that to be her answer. All along, I thought this was about Kalin. But now it seemed I was wrong. I needed to know more because I couldn’t make sense of it all. “And my mother helped you?”
She touched the side of my cheek with the tips of her fingers, and another vision flashed. This one was different than the other. It was a memory. I saw Prisma as she raced through a portal that was collapsing all around her. I sensed her rush to find me and her desperation. And then something I’d never experienced before—I felt her love for me. It was so strong that I nearly broke out into tears.
“Your mother had come to save you.” She dropped her hand to her side, and the vision disappeared. “She convinced me that she could stop you.”
This scenario wasn’t possible. It was a trick to justify Prisma’s actions. She would’ve never risked her life for me. She hated me and forced me into exile for most of my life because she never wanted me around. All the things she’d done and said over the years didn’t match up to what I saw. I took a few steps backward as I waved my hand in the air. The images she’d shown me burned in my head, giving me an intense migraine. I had to ask to be sure I wasn’t losing my mind. “Prisma came here to save me?”
As if she knew what was happening, she rubbed cream on my temples. My headache instantly disappeared. “Your mother was not perfect. She made many terrible mistakes during her reign. But she was not all that you believe her to be, young king. It was her love for you that brought her here. She was prepared to die to protect you.”
No, that wasn’t true. She wouldn’t die for me. There had to be another reason—an ulterior motive for rescuing me. I had to push those feelings aside. I couldn’t deal with all of this right now. Once I cleared my head, I asked, “How did she convince you to help her?”
She hesitated.
“Please,” I begged. “I need to know.”
A single tear ran down her cheek. “I discovered an abandoned mortal baby, and I named him Lancelot. I wanted to raise him in Avalon as my son. However, the mist would have prevented him from aging. Prisma gave him the Ring of Dispel, which protected him from magic, and he aged as a mortal. Those were the best years of my life. Because of her kindness, I owed her a life debt. That is why I spared you.”
What Britta said seemed to tie together, but how? How was I supposed to believe any of this after the way Prisma treated me? None of this made any sense. I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck. All of this was too much. I had to get back to the reason I’d come. The mission was about saving Kalin, not my never-ending family drama. I unsheathed my sword, pointing the blade at her chest. “Where is Merlin now?”
“This is where he rests.” She pointed out the window to the highest tower of her castle. “He is frozen inside a casket made of the purest iron.”
That was too easy, which made me wonder. “Will you help me free Merlin?”
“No.” She kept her eyes on the tower. “I made a vow to your mother that I would never free him as long as you lived. I will uphold my oath.”
There had to be something special about that ice. Magic must protect it. Otherwise, the iron casket wouldn’t be enough to hold him. The First Ones said that there was a way I could open it. I slid my sword back in its sheath to appear less threatening. “If I open it, you are still keeping your promise to her. Can you tell me how?”
I silently waited as she considered my offer. After a few uncomfortable minutes, she re
plied, “The sword you carry can break the ice so long as core fire coated the blade.”
When Orion gave me the blade, I’d known it was special. The metal didn’t melt within the eternal flame. But could I ignite the blade with my core fire? I’d never even considered it. I bent down on one knee. “Thank you, Queen Britta.”
I stood.
Before I exited the room, she said, “Heed my warning, young king. Being a leader comes with great responsibility. We are often forced to perform our duties despite our desires.”
It crushed me to hear her words because she was right. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Remember the prophecy I told you long ago. Every decision you make ends with blood on your hands. You must decide if the blood you shed will be from one or all.”
Chapter Nine
Kalin
I had to take a break.
My eyes burned. I’d been reading the akasha journals for so long that I had no idea how much time had passed. And I wasn’t getting anywhere. There’d been no other mention of Merlin or the creation of the mist since Rowan left for the fire court. I started to feel like I was wasting my time on a dead end. Leaning on my elbow, I rubbed my palm over my forehead. As frustrating as this had been, I still believed the answers were somewhere in these books. All I had to do was find them.
I flipped to the next page.
As I read the first paragraph, I straightened my back. There was a way I could contact the deceased akasha's. According to this journal, there were seven planes of existence. All living creatures inhabited the physical plane until we died. The astral plane was our subconscious—filled with every emotion that we each experience within our lifetime—a place where all of our memories were stored. I had the power to access that realm and also communicate. I raced through the next few chapters, making notes as I went.
Mortal Enchantment Complete Box Set Page 53
