Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) (2 page)

I wouldn’t. “You can’t do this. I won’t let you.”

“It won’t come to that, Rowan,” Kalin replied. “I have no intention to wait for Valac to make a move. We’ll strike first.”

There was something different about her. Since she’d gained her akasha power, she spoke with a confidence I hadn’t heard before. Her voice tone was stronger. Even her facial features had changed. Her cheek bones were more defined, while her lips were fuller. Even her eyes had changed. They were slightly larger, and the evergreen color was sharper. If I was seeing her for the first time, I would’ve never guessed she was half mortal. It was as if her other half was gone. Perhaps it had to do with her power? Maybe it gave her some kind of upgrade? Since I’d never met another akasha, there was no way to know for sure.

I smirked. “Sounds like you have a plan.”

Orion cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “I think we all need to step back and process this before we make a move against Valac.”

I wasn’t surprised by Orion’s reluctance. He had joined with Jared and attacked the fire court, believing they had kidnapped Taron. The desperation to save his best friend allowed him to be easily deceived. In addition to the loss of elemental lives, the four elements shifted out of balance. Natural disasters continued to wreak havoc all over the mortal world. We were spread thin in an effort to keep them contained. Sadly, he could’ve avoided the devastation had he just listened to reason. It was a decision he regretted more than any other.

“What are you suggesting?” I asked.

“We need to examine what we already know.” He stood, pacing around us. “Valac has the Ring of Dispel and Excalibur. But Selene cannot be trusted. The fact that she came to us with this information makes me highly suspicious.”

“What I told you was the truth.” Selene argued, her face red with anger. “Valac wants to control all four courts. He will cut the mist if you don’t surrender.”

“Your word means nothing to me.” Orion sneered.

Although Valac was the one that had kidnapped Taron, Selene supported him. Only minutes ago, he learned his best friend had been murdered. Sebastian killed Taron, but Valac had weakened his power. In his frail condition, he was only able to use his healing power to save Kalin’s mother, Tricia. Judging by his clenched jaw and flared nostrils, Orion appeared as if he were moments away from attacking Selene.

I had to say something before this went any further. Selene was a lot of things and certainly deserved punishment, but she wasn’t to blame for any of this. None of what had happened was her idea. She’d always been weak. “You could be right, Orion. I have more reasons to distrust her than any other. But I know Valac. He desires power more than anything else. That’s why we need to focus on finding him.”

He continued to glower at Selene. “And just how are we going to do that, Rowan?”

“I can use my connection to the ring to sense its location.” I approached Orion, putting my hand on his shoulder. “We can put an end to this if we get the sacred objects back. I agree with Kalin. We need to figure out his next move and attack first.”

“You cannot defeat Valac,”
Britta announced, telepathically.

I turned around to face her. “Why not?”

Britta held up her palm, and a white light flashed in front of my eyes. When my vision returned, I stood on a flat field with miles of grass in every direction. I was no longer in the air court castle. At least, that was what I thought. It took me a couple of seconds to realize Britta had connected with my mind. She showed me a great battle. Hundreds of mortals fought all around, but no one noticed I was here. The men wore metal armor and rode horses. It looked like something out of a movie. My attention shifted to one knight emerging out of the crowd. He carried a large sword. One after another, he sliced into his opponents. The cuts he made didn’t appear very deep, but each challenger instantly fell to the ground.

They were dead within seconds.

I heard Britta’s voice in my head.
“As long as Valac wields the sword, he cannot be defeated. A small cut from its blade will kill you. Even the power of the akasha cannot save your life.”

There was another flash, and then I was back in the air court throne room. I glanced around and everyone had their eyes on Britta. She must’ve shown each of us the vision. “Valac isn’t much of a swordsman. He’s much better at giving orders. I can take him.”

Britta shook her head.
“Excalibur will increase his abilities. He will kill you, Rowan. No one will be a match for him.”

This had gone on long enough. My biggest regret was that I didn’t let Taron put him to death when he had our mother executed. At the time, I thought mercy was the best way to go. Give him a chance to redeem himself. But how many lives had been lost because of my sympathy? And now, it was Kalin’s life in danger. It was time to end this. “He may have the sword, but I am the king of the fire court. The element is strongest in me. I will not lose.”

“This is exactly as I had foreseen,”
Britta responded as she signaled something to the other water elementals. They nodded their heads, and made their ways toward the exit.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

With her palm facing me, she replied,
“I will play no further part in this.”

She turned away, and headed for the balcony.

“Where are you going?” I followed her.

“Back to my realm beneath the sea.”
She made her way toward the stone railing. The wind caught her hair, swaying her black waves like a flag.
“If this is to be our end, I will die defending my court.”

As she leapt from the edge, her body liquefied into water. She landed on the ground with a splash. She headed right into a stream that ran down the side of the mountain. I no longer sensed her in my head.

Britta was gone.

I ran back into the room where everyone stood seemingly astounded by what they had witnessed. “Well, that was a dramatic exit.”

“Has she abandoned the council?” Orion asked.

“There’s really nothing left of the council.” I shrugged. “I had hoped we’d reform it, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.”

Kalin came to stand in between me and Orion. “We’ll find a way to bring her back, but for now we need to focus on Valac.”

The water queen’s exit was a concern. What had she seen in her vision? She spoke as if she had to prepare her court for war. Questions swirled in my head, but I had to push them aside for now. Kalin was right. Finding Valac was the top priority.

“Rowan, can you sense the Ring of Dispel?” Orion asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Last time I tried, I needed Kalin and Britta’s joined powers to find the ring. The three of us were successful, but it took a lot out of me. Without Britta, it would be even more difficult. My head still ached from the migraine. “It’s not a constant connection.” I said, massaging my temples. “I have to use my core energy to search for it.”

“If you can tell us which territory he’s in,” Kalin added, “we should be able to anticipate his next move.”

“I’ll try.” Closing my eyes, I focused on the image of the ring. Within my mind, a dark tunnel pulled me forward. Slowing, something came into focus. Greenery. I saw massive tree trunks, wild bushes, and flat walkway. Like a trail of some sort. I headed toward an object I couldn’t make out. Pain radiated from the back of my head, slowly spreading into my shoulders. My energy was fading. A hand slipped into mine, interlocking our fingers. It was Kalin. Within moments, our power merged together and I felt an urgent jolt of incredible strength. Everything moved rapidly. It was as if someone had pressed the fast forward button in my head.

The location in the distance came into focus.

“He’s at the edge of the woodland court,” I shouted as I fell to my knees, exhausted from the power I’d used to find the ring. I locked eyes with Orion. “I’d guess he’s heading for your castle.”

“Valac sent you here to distract us.” Orion went straight for Selene. “He knew we’d all been summoned.”

“Marcus brought me against my will.” Selene shrieked, trying to hide behind one of the hounds. “I had no control over that.”

Marcus stood in front of Selene, blocking Orion. “Stay back,” he ordered with a sharp tone in his voice. “This isn’t the way to go.”

“Marcus is right.” I rushed in front of Orion before he could reach Marcus. His face was blood red. “You need to return to your court.”

As my warning sunk in, terror flashed in Orion’s eyes. “We have to stop him before he gets the Green Armor.”

Britta’s exit had sidetracked us. We should’ve anticipated he had spies everywhere. Someone had told him we were all here, leaving the woodland court open for the taking. I didn’t want to leave Kalin. She was powerful, but she needed to learn to control it. Unfortunately, time was the one thing we never seemed to have. An ache settled in the pit of my stomach. As much as I hated it, I had no other choice. “I’m going with Orion. He’s going to need all the help we can give him.”

“I’ll prepare my guard,” Orion announced.

“You’re not going alone,” Kalin said, signaling to one of her knights. “Go wake up your captain. I want no less than fifty knights to meet me at the woodland pathway in twenty minutes.”

“Yes, my queen.” The knight bowed and left.

“Thank you, Kalin,” Orion said, as he took Queen Marlena’s hand and led her toward a side door.

“You’re not going without me,” Marcus added, shifting my attention to him.

I shook my head. “I need you to return home. You’re the only one I trust to lead our court in my absence. The eternal flame must be protected.”

Marcus let out an exaggerated breath, then nodded. He clearly didn’t like my decision, but we both knew it was the right one. He tilted his head toward Selene. “What do you want me to do with her?”

“Take her with you.” I leaned in, lowering my voice. “I get the feeling that she knows more than she’s letting on. Maybe you can talk to her.”

“You can’t be serious.” He snorted. “What makes you think she’ll talk?”

I shrugged. “You always managed to get through to me.”

“She’s not going to listen to me, Rowan.” He glanced over at her. “You see the way she treats us. To her, we’re nothing more than servants.”

Marcus watched Selene fiddle with her skirts. She had a lot of nervous energy. Which only made me more suspicious. “All I’m asking you to do is try.”

A low growl of frustration escaped his throat. “Don’t do anything reckless.”

“Me? Reckless?” I smirked. “Never.”

He signaled to the other hounds. They grabbed Selene by the arms. She struggled as they exited out the same door as Orion. Once they were gone, I spun back around to face Kalin. We were alone once more. Her arms were crossed. I’d seen that look before. She had some kind of plan.

“I can’t go with you,” she said, with regret in her eyes. “If this is all some kind of trick …. If Valac comes here instead—”

“You have to protect your court.” I ran my thumb over her cheek. She leaned into my touch. “I get it.”

With determination in her tone, she said, “I want to make him suffer for what he’s done.”

I pulled her close, slipping my arms around her waist. “You’re pretty hot when you get all riled up.”

As she glanced up at me, I saw the worry in her eyes. She tried to hide it by looking away. I wasn’t fooled. “Don’t leave Orion’s side,” she said. “I can’t lose anyone else.”

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you all right?”

Lowering her head, she replied, “I’m not sure I’ll ever be right again.”

Kalin had been through so much over the past few months. She'd left her mother and the life she’d built in the mortal world only to discover her father was missing. She was thrust into power when he never fully recovered, then deceived by someone she trusted. She finally gained the power of the akasha, but too late to save Taron. It was more than what most could bear. She was the strongest person I’d ever known. It was one of the many reasons I’d fallen in love with her.

“We’re going to get through this.” I cupped her face in my hands. “Together.”

“I know.” A cool breeze flowed through the room, rustling the ends of her red hair. She faked a smile. “We’d better get going. Orion has to prepare his court.”

I took her hand in mine, and led her outside. The sun was at its highest. For most, the day had just begun. Morning dew had settled on each blade of grass like tiny emeralds. Only a few of the air court elementals roamed the courtyard. At this elevation, the mountain air was crisp and cool. The clouds floated all around us. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve been a beautiful day to fly.

But things were about as far from normal as they could get.

When we arrived at the pathway, Orion and Marlena were deep in discussion. Air court knights were everywhere. Kalin left to find their captain. When Orion noticed me, he nodded. I watched as he signaled to one of his knights. With their swords drawn, the royal guard encircled the king and queen. They formed a barrier around them. Once they were inside the pathway, clusters of air court knights followed.

When the last of them were gone, Kalin stood alone by the swirling entryway. “Promise you’ll come back to me. I need to hear the words.”

“I promise.” I said, wrapping my arms around her waist. I lowered my mouth and our lips brushed together. It started off soft, but it quickly escalated. All the worry over losing her morphed into uncontrollable need. I pulled her closer, curling my fingers around the belt loops of her jeans. For a minute, I was lost in the kiss. Lost in the sensation of her.

I loved her. More than anything. More than myself. If we didn’t succeed, I’d lose her. As the only akasha in over a hundred years, she was the one elemental who had the power to stop Valac once the mist was punctured. Her blood sealed the hole. All of her blood. Her life. The ultimate sacrifice. No, I wouldn’t let that happen. I abruptly released her from my hold, and she gasped in surprise.

Putting space between us, I unsheathed my sword. “This ends today.”