Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) (15 page)

My muscles begged to pounce on him. Valac was Prisma’s adopted son. He was never a member of her house. That right belonged to Rowan alone.

“Honor can never be restored,” Rowan shouted, loud enough for all the rogues to hear. “You have to earn it by making selfless choices.”

“I’ve made my choice, false king,” he replied, with disdain in his tone. “Attack.”

Rogue elementals swarmed us with weapons raised. Valac disappeared within the crowd. We fought against elementals we’d once considered our allies, tearing into their flesh with our teeth. Rowan was right in the middle of the violence. He slashed through any stragglers that managed to fight their way through our line. Knights from the other courts had also entered the fray. Swords clashed against one another. Pained screams were heard all around.

In no time at all, the ground was littered with bodies from both sides.

Although we’d made a dent, they had much greater numbers. A few had managed to slip past us. Rowan repositioned himself closer to the castle. Any elemental that got through now had to take him on. As far as I could tell, none had reached the entrance. Blood stained his sword and clothing. I was no better. Streaks of red coated my face, teeth, and paws. Everywhere I looked, elementals fought to the death.

No matter how many we killed, more kept coming. Bodies had already begun to decompose, converting into ash. The hounds were ferocious with their attack, taking on twenty or more at one time. I’d been stabbed a few times, though none were deep. My skin was difficult to pierce in my animal form, even with iron weapons. Immense sadness rippled through me. Out of the corner of my eye, fifty or so rogues had killed one of my young hounds. He’d taken most of them with him, but that didn’t lesson the pain of his loss.

It also created a hole for them to breach.

Rowan used his power to build a wall of fire around the entire perimeter. This wouldn’t stop them, but it slowed the flow of elementals. The remaining hounds killed the rogues as they passed through the flames. Valac remained out of sight. Even with all the sacred objects, he let his rogues do the killing. It was a smart, yet sickening strategy. He’d sacrifice every one of their lives just to wear us down. Once we were weakened from the attack, he’d likely go after the shield.

And so far, his plan seemed to be working.

Rowan wasn’t going to be able to hold them off much longer. He’d dropped to his knees. I had to get him out of here. As I loaded him on my back, spinning funnels of sand flew over our heads. Each cone picked up bundles of rogues at a time, and dropped them off the side of the mountain. Mini-tornadoes plucked them off the ground like pieces of corn. They were coming in from all over. That’s when I saw Orion with his hands reaching up to the skies. Other woodland elementals merged their power with his to strengthen the counterattack.

“You have to take me back,” Rowan urged. “They’ll need our help.”

I ignored his request. He needed time to recharge. Which would prove difficult this far away from the eternal flame. I pushed my way through the crowd until I found Kalin. She ran over once she realized what I was carrying.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, as panic filled her eyes.

“I used too much power,” Rowan replied, weakly. He sat down on the floor. “I can still fight.”

“Not like this.” She cupped her hands on his cheeks. “I won’t risk your life.”

Orion and the other woodland elementals wouldn’t be able to hold them off for long. An ache formed in my chest. Was this the end for all of us? How long would we be able to hold on?

“Help has arrived,” Kalin announced to the crowd, pointing toward the window. “Look.”

Streams of reinforcements from every court had joined the battle. They pushed the rogues back. I let out a sigh of relief as I glanced over at my friends. With Rowan safe, I’d look for Ariel and her family. I searched the entire ballroom. She must’ve hidden away like I asked. Comforted that she was protected, I rejoined the other hounds. I was overjoyed to see my entire pack holding the barrier. Some of the winged fire elementals flew over the battlefield, attempting to enter the castle. Britta, along with a horde of her elementals, shot them out of the skies using her water magic.

With the blockade in place and the additional knights, we’d successfully turned the tide.

“We can’t let them escape,”
I told the other hounds. As rogues attempted to retreat into the forest, we went after them. One by one, we chased them through the thick forest. The ground shook as we went full speed for miles. They tried to outmaneuver us by zig-zagging through the trees. That didn’t work. We’re stealthy for our enormous size. Each time, we took them down. Ripping out their throats as they begged for mercy. We had no interest in prisoners.

They betrayed our court.

They died without honor.

As I snapped the neck of the last rogue, I heard cheers coming from the castle. The knights had claimed victory. The other hounds turned to me, and I shook my head. I had an unsettling feeling deep in my bones. This wasn’t over. I was sure of it.
“Stay on guard,”
I told my pack.

Throughout the battle, Valac was nowhere to be found. There had to be more to his plan. He’d risked too much already. I was sure he wasn’t through yet. When no rogues were left standing, we made our way back through the forest. The scent of death lingered in the air. When I saw what was left of the battlefield, my stomach soured. The area surrounding the castle was peppered with bodies in various stages of decay. This wasn’t a victory. It was a massacre. Everywhere I looked, all I saw was death.

Elementals from every court searched through the carnage for their loved ones. I passed by a family that cried over the carcass of a young male air knight. The mother brushed the hair away from her son's face as tears ran down her cheeks. As I continued through the slaughter, I tried to find my friends. Marlene rushed by me in a panic. Moments later, she found Orion. He’d survived the attack, but his left arm hung limp and was covered in blood. Britta seemed to be unscathed. She blessed each of her fallen elementals as their bodies liquefied into water.

But still no sign of Valac.

Then I heard a scream that froze my blood.

Rowan

I had to get out of here.

The ballroom was filled to capacity with injured elementals from every court. Bodies had been laid on top of the tables. Blood dripped from silk lavender linens onto the floor. Pained wails were heard throughout. Woodland faeries raced around, mending as many as they could with the salve they’d brought. A few had been sent back to their court to retrieve more. Although they tried many times, they weren’t able to help me. My power had been wiped out when I created the massive fire barrier. This far away from the eternal flame, I had to heal on my own. I wasn’t helpless though. I still had a sword and I could swing it.

Reinforcements had arrived from every court. It was the first time I’d ever seen all of us working together against a common enemy. They fought hard, but the battle raged on. I needed to be out there fighting, not sitting on my ass. I stared at Kalin. As she bandaged up the wounded, she watched the war from the window. She ached to be out there too. All the other leaders fought alongside their elementals. She had the power of all four elements, and knew we needed her help, but she had to stay with the shield. I wasn’t strong enough to defend the final sacred object if Valac found his way inside.

And as hard as it was to watch her own elementals perish, she couldn’t risk it.

I fought to stand, wobbling as I struggled to hold my own weight. I stood on my feet for only a moment before my knees began to buckle. I let out a frustrated growl. It was useless. I had nothing left. I sat down in the closest chair, slamming my fist onto the tabletop. Heads turned in my direction and I shooed them away. How many elementals had Valac recruited? If I had to guess, there were close to a thousand. I leaned on my elbows with my face in my hands. This was my fault. As much as I wanted to see my friends happy, I should’ve stopped the wedding. I should’ve known he’d strike while we were off-guard. Why hadn’t I seen it coming? At the time, the risk of an attack seemed slim. All the other raids happened while the leaders had been pulled away from their courts. The remaining elementals were outnumbered and overrun quickly. But this assault had lost the element of surprise. We were ready, and had our most powerful royal members in attendance. It was a bold move on his part. One that cost the lives of much of his force.

“Rowan, they’re pushing them back,” Kalin said, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Some of them are retreating into the forest. The hounds are chasing them.”

The tension in my shoulders relaxed.

Marcus wouldn’t stop until he killed every last one of them. We’d discussed our intentions before we left for the fire court. I had no interest in prisoners. The rogues had fought against their own kin. If I had my way, none would survive the night. “Have you seen Valac?”

“No,” she replied. “Not once.”

He hadn’t abandoned them. I still felt the presence of the ring. If I had any strength left, I’d be able to identify his specific location. Aggravation overwhelmed me once more. This had to end tonight. Valac couldn’t be allowed to rebuild his army. We’d already endured too many losses.

“What’s going on?” Ariel asked, holding handfuls of fresh bandages and ointment she retrieved from the supply closets in the infirmary. “Is Marcus all right?”

“They’ve started to retreat,” I told her. “Marcus and the other hounds went after them.”

Ariel handed the supplies over to a group of woodland faeries. “Does that mean it’s over?”

Kalin glanced over to me. Without words, we each knew what the other was thinking. This wasn’t over until Valac was found. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all some kind of diversion. But would he sacrifice the lives of most of his rogues to make a play for the shield? If he failed, he’d surely die. With all of our leaders in one place, there was a chance we could overpower him. The move was risky.

Unless he had someone on the inside helping him.

“Guard the shield, Kalin,” I urged her. “Call your knights back here.”

My words sent out an alarm throughout the ballroom. Elementals that were able grabbed their weapons. I forced myself to stand, ignoring the weakness that threatened to collapse me to the ground. My sword felt like a five-hundred-pound weight in my hand, but I held it anyway. I refused to be helpless. Even if it cost me my life, I’d defend Kalin and the shield.

A horde of rogue elementals rushed into the room from a side door.

I was right.

They had to have someone from the air court helping them. Someone who’d remained hidden until just now. That was the only way to explain how they’d come through the castle without anyone alerting us. Fear rippled through me. Woodland faeries raced outside to call for help, while the rest of us raised our swords. Kalin held her palm up. Wind rushed to the door, preventing the remaining invaders from coming inside. With her other hand she pointed to a group of rogues. They were sucked into a large tornado-like sand storm, the same one Orion had created outside. Glass shattered as she thrust them through the window.

Mayhem broke out in every direction.

Rogue elementals from my court lit several woodland faeries on fire. Kalin propelled a stream of water at them, diminishing the flames. Then she used another tornado to eject them out the window. But she’d used too much magic in too many different directions. The rogues she’d held at the door managed to get inside. They filed in, surrounding the perimeter of the room. Screams of pain echoed all around as we fought back. One of the rogues lunged at me. I had enough strength to slice into his midsection. It wasn’t enough to kill him, but he was mortally injured at the very least.

The ground shook as a hound stepped inside the room. I couldn’t recognize who it was, but he definitely wasn’t on our side. Water elementals tried to force him back, but he just pushed right through their water attack. He leapt, crushing their chests when he landed on top of them. They were dead in an instant. Knights threw iron knives at him, which only bounced off his thick skin. I wasn’t sure there was anyone here who was strong enough to stop him. Then Kalin appeared behind him, jumping on his broad back. She ignited the sword in her hand, engulfing the blade in flames. She plunged the weapon into his neck, severing his spine.

Only a few yards away, Valac stood beneath the door frame. He wore the Green Armor. Excalibur was in his hand, while the ring gleamed on his finger. His eyes were fixated on her. She was so focused on the hound as she rode his back, she didn’t see what was right behind her. Valac raised the sword, preparing to slice into her. Fury took over me, and I moved as fast as I could. My legs were stiff with pain, making my pace even slower. I screamed her name over and over as I tried to warn her. There was too much commotion all around us. She didn’t hear me.

I’d reached the middle of the room and watched in horror as it happened.

Ariel thrust herself at Valac, blocking Kalin from his attack. The blade cut into her side, and she let out a wailing scream as she collapsed to the ground. Blood puddled around the incision, turning a section of her wedding dress crimson-red. Kalin turned around at the sound, and placed her hands over her mouth. She crawled over to her, placing her head in her lap. The rest of the room stood still at the sight of them. Kalin wiped her hair away from her face as tears ran down her cheeks. It all had happened so fast. Even Valac seemed to be stunned by what had transpired.

Only a short time ago, Ariel stood beneath a floral archway and said her vows. Now she was dying on the floor of her wedding reception.

That was when Marcus ran into the room. In an instant, he was next to her. Ariel placed her blood-stained hand on his cheek. He whimpered, nuzzling his massive head into the crook of her neck. An overwhelming ache radiated from within me. But it wasn’t my hurt. It was Marcus. I sensed him once more. But this time, the sensation was much stronger. I felt his grief as if it were my own. I held my hand to my chest as his heart shattered. I’d never known agony like this before. It was such intense emotional anguish that it had become actual physical pain.