Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) (23 page)

Once she released her mother, she made her way over to Orion and Marlene. She hugged each of them. “Thank you for being such a good friend to my father, and to our court.”

Orion wiped a tear from his eye. “Thank you for being so brave. Your father would be proud.”

Marcus glanced away as she stood in front of him. It was as if it were painful for him to see her face. “Don’t let this consume you. Ariel would’ve never wanted that. She’d want you to move on, no matter how difficult it may seem right now.” She tilted his chin, turning his face to make eye contact with her. “I need you to promise me that you will help Rowan through this.”

“I promise,” he whimpered, pulling her into a hug.

The world moved in slow motion as she strode toward me. I wasn’t even sure if I was still breathing. She clasped her hands on my cheeks, and I wrapped my arms around her waist. Pushing up onto her tiptoes, she kissed my lips. “I’m not sure how to say goodbye to you.”

My chest ached. “I don’t think I can.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “No matter what happens after this, I will always be with you. Every time you feel a cool breeze against your cheek, know that it will be me.”

I kissed her again, not caring that everyone watched. I just needed to feel her. Needed to take in her scent. Needed to taste her one last time. “I love you, Kalin.”

She pulled back, wiping cheeks. “I love you, too.” Glancing around, she said, “I love you all.”

A lump swelled in my throat as she strode toward the mist. The crack was several yards deep now, and sparkles of magic dripped from the hole. Just as my father had, she stepped toward the shimmering mist. Unease crept through me. This was the moment I’d been dreading. But I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t, even though I knew it was right. There had to be another way. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not to her. Not after everything she’d overcome. All the trials and what she’d lost. Life had never been fair, but this was torture. In an instant, I was ready to give up everything to save her. Nothing else mattered. Not even my court that I’d fought to protect. Not the lives of my friends that I knew would perish.

I sheathed my sword. “I can’t do this.”

“Rowan, no,” Kalin replied, putting up her hand. “Please don’t.”

“I’m sorry, Kalin.” I came to stand in between her and the mist. “I’ve failed my court, and even myself, but I don’t care anymore. I won’t let you kill yourself.”

Marcus came to stand at my side. Growling, he said, “Rowan, please don’t make me do this.”

“There’s nothing you can do to stop me.” I held up my palm. Using my power, I thrust him backwards. He fought for control of his body, trying to shift into his animal form. I resisted him.

A wall of water formed, separating Kalin from me. A second later, the liquid froze. I sneered at Britta.
“I won’t let you kill us all, Rowan.”

Still fighting off Marcus, I placed my other hand on the wall of ice. Fire burned from my fingertips. As the ice melted, more formed. Britta fought with all her power.

All of these attacks at once rapidly drained my power. I weakened by the second, but I had to hold on. I wouldn’t lose her. I refused to let her die.

“I’m sorry, Rowan,” Orion said, spinning two large sand tornadoes above his head. His hands thrust forward, and pushed me backwards.

I hit the ground with a thump, landing on my back. Pain radiated from my spine. As I got to my knees, Kalin strode into the mist. For a few seconds, I saw her shadow.

Then she was gone.

“No!” I screamed, running toward the mist.

“She’s gone, Rowan. I’m sorry.” Marcus said, grabbing hold of me. I squirmed in his grasp, but he wouldn’t let go. “It’s done.”

The entire mist glowed a radiant white with a rainbow of glittering lights moving throughout. The gaping hole shimmered as it sealed back together. The incision disappeared completely, and the mist returned to its translucent tint.

Marcus released me, and I fell to my knees with my hands over my face. Soft, warm arms embraced me. It was Kalin’s mother. I shifted, pulling her into an embrace. Besides Marcus, she was the only other person that shared my ache. A tear ran down my cheek, and I buried my face in the crook of her neck. Agony rippled through me in waves. The pain was so unbearable I had to fight to take a breath. “She’s gone. I can’t believe it. She’s really gone.”

“It was the only way, Rowan,”
Britta said, telepathically.

“Did you know this would happen?” I asked her, as I tried to hold myself together.

“After Merlin was released, I received a new thread of possibility,”
she replied.
“I came here to see that it came to fruition.”

I looked at each person that stood around me. How had they all known exactly where we’d be and when? The woodland territory went on for miles and miles. Orion hadn’t known about the fight with Valac in his territory. If he had, he would’ve come to our aid. But he somehow knew we’d be here now. Marcus had left hours ago without asking where we’d be. What about Kalin’s mother? How had she known?

There was something they weren’t telling me. “Did you summon them all here?”

“I sent for the leaders of the other courts.”
She briefly glanced at Marcus.
“The hound came on his own.”

I stood, crossing my arms. “Why?”

Her pupils disappeared, and her eyes went white. She was having a vision.
“There is a chance we can bring her back.”

My brief moment of happiness was quickly replaced by anger and resentment. Britta let Kalin believe there was no other alternative. She’d fought against me as I tried to keep her from entering the mist without ever revealing there was a way to save her. I scanned the faces of everyone around me. Had they all known? They each appeared as surprised as I was. I sensed she’d kept this from us all. I clenched my fists. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I had to let the vision play out exactly as I had seen it,” s
he replied, firmly. I had no doubt she wasn’t pleased by my reaction.
“If I altered even the smallest piece, it might have changed the outcome.”

Britta was right. Every choice we made had the ability to alter our future. I released the tension in my shoulders. In a calmer tone, I asked, “What did you see in your vision?”

“Kalin has made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Her eyes returned to their normal icy blue.
“Once the mist absorbs her power, she will be given a choice. If she returns, it will take all of us to make her whole.”

I stepped toward her. “What do we have to do?”

Kalin

As I entered the mist, everything around me glowed white.

I couldn’t move. It felt as if I was floating on air. Something took control over my body. I tried to move, but I was frozen in place. My body shook like I was having a seizure. Long scratches appeared all over my arms and legs. As the wounds tore open, I screamed from the pain. Blood poured out, and was quickly absorbed by the mist. My vision hazed. As the crimson fluid drained from my body, I became lightheaded. My limbs sagged.

And then everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, I stood in the caverns below the air court castle. Above my head, a massive gust of wind twisted. Within the airstream, warm yellow shadows shifted around. One particular silhouette grew larger as it floated out of the wind, appearing to come toward me. The shape stood next to me, and materialized into a solid form.

It was my father.

“Dad,” I screamed, running toward him. He stood with his arms opened wide. I hugged tightly around his waist. “I missed you so much.”

“I’m so proud of you, Kalin.” He kissed the top of my head. “You saved the world.”

Gazing up at him, I asked, “Am I dead?”

“No.” He pulled away, pointing into the distance. The scenery changed. We now stood on a dark flat surface surrounded by nothing but blackness. “This is the inbetween. A reality that exists between the world of the living and the dead. Mortals refer to it as purgatory.”

Had I done something wrong? I thought purgatory was a place mortals went to when they hadn’t been accepted into heaven. I reached out to touch the darkness, and felt nothing. “Why am I here?”

Once again, everything around me changed. I stood in a country-styled kitchen that looked similar to the one we had in my mother’s house in the mortal world. A moment later, I jolted when I saw myself enter the room and sit down at a long wooden table. Several textbooks and a spiral notebook rested on the table. I appeared to be doing homework. Mom came into the room, sipping tea, and sat next to me. “What is this?”

“What you see can be your reality,” he replied, with excitement in his tone.

I waved my hand in front of their faces, but neither responded. They hadn’t seen me or heard us. My eyebrows furrowed as I turned to face my father. “What do you mean?”

“The mist absorbed the elemental-half of you to heal itself, but your mortal half lives on.” He smiled. “Now you must decide which future you’d like to have.”

“Which
future
?” This was hard for me to understand. I was told I would die. That there were no other options for me. How was any of this possible?

“This is a very special gift. Because of your sacrifice, you’ve been given the opportunity to return to the mortal world as a full human with no memory of the elementals. Your mother may join you. Her memory would be wiped as well.”

But I’d never know my father. Never know my friends. Never fall in love with Rowan. “Why would I want to do that?”

“You can have the simple life you craved.” He squeezed my shoulders, leveling our eyes. “You can go to college. Get married. Have a child. Whatever you wish. All the sadness and burdens you’ve experienced would be gone.”

There were so many times I wished for that kind of life. To be able to choose my own future and make my own decisions. He was offering me more than a life. He was offering me a freedom I’d never known. “What’s the other option?”

“You can return to Avalon as you are.” He replied in a lackluster tone. It was clear which path he preferred I choose. “But this option is much riskier.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Avalon is a magical realm. In order for you to return, your elemental-half must be restored.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “In your weakened state, there is no guarantee you will survive the process.”

Tension built in my shoulders. “So, I could choose Avalon and still die?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

This was an impossible decision to make. But it wasn’t just about me. I had others I had to think about. “What will happen to my friends if I don’t return? What about Rowan?”

“There will be a period of mourning.” He shrugged. “Some longer than others. But each has responsibilities within their courts. They will eventually move forward with their lives.”

Rowan had fought so hard for me. I thought of the last time I saw him. The look of desperation on his face. “Will they be happy?”

“You can’t make this decision based on others,” he said, slightly agitated. The scenery washed away. All that surrounded us now were moving clouds. Even the surface I stood on was gone, which made me a little woozy. “This is a personal choice.”

I cocked my head to the side. “It’s not that simple and you know it.”

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “The most important decisions are rarely simple.”

I’d never been so conflicted. All my life, I’d known where I’d be and what I was supposed to do. Now I stood at a crossroads. I had a chance at total freedom. To live without the pain of Dad or Ariel’s loss. To make my own choices. Or, I could return to Avalon. To the life I’d been destined to live. To the ones I loved. “I don’t know what to do.”

“We’ve run out of time.” He took my hand in his. “What do you want to do?”

I’d given up everything to save Avalon. I’d gained and lost so much. Dad was right. For the first time, I had to think for myself. I had to decide what was best for me. The choice was clear. I just had to be brave enough to follow it. “I’ve made my decision.”

Rowan

“Be patient, young king,”
Britta said, telepathically.

Relief rushed through my veins, and I released the tension in my chest. Kalin was alive. That was all I needed to know. As we waited, I tried to understand what Britta had told us about her premonition. Kalin had to believe she would die. Her sacrifice had to be pure so that she’d be given this gift. And now she had to make a choice about her future. But what were her choices? “You said she might come back. What was her other option?”

“To return to the world as a mortal with no memory of the elementals,”
Britta replied, as she moved toward a small stream that ran through the area.

Without the burdens of her court, it would be a fresh start for Kalin. She’d never know the pain of Taron's and Ariel’s deaths. The memories of our war would be expunged from her memory. She’d be free.

I glanced over at Kalin’s mother. “What about Tricia?”

Tricia stared at Britta.
“If Kalin chooses a mortal life, her mother will return with her.”

“Would I have any memories of Avalon?” Tricia asked, eyes rounded.

Britta glanced at her.
“No, you would believe that Kalin’s father was a soldier who died at war.”

Her eyes welled with tears. “I don’t want to forget about Taron. I loved him.”

Britta waved her hand.
“If you wish to return with your daughter, that is the cost.”

My heart ached for her. That was a terrible price to pay. If I had the choice, I wouldn’t want to lose the memories of the one I loved. But Tricia would ultimately follow Kalin wherever she chose to go. That much I knew was true. They had been best friends since her birth. Nothing but death would keep them apart.

But what would Kalin want?

As a mortal, Kalin would design her own life. Nothing would be decided for her. Selfishly, I wanted her here. When I'd pictured eternity, I’d always hoped she’d be with me. That we’d protect our courts together. But I understood if she chose to create a new future for herself. If that made her happy, I hoped she’d choose it.