Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) (7 page)

As I reached the end of the final tunnel, I looked upon a massive cave held up by rock pillars. The cavern was as large as a college campus and inundated by a thick layer of steam. It was like walking into a sauna. The dry heat made me thirsty. Orbs of fire shot out from an opening on the opposite side of the room. That was the entrance to the eternal flame. It was smaller than the average door, but I was able to easily fit inside. I rushed through the cavern, dodging flames as I went. The spirits weren’t attacking me.

The inferno was wild and unable to be controlled, much like the essence of my court.

I stepped through the entryway. A rush of heat as hot as the sun blew against my face. Pools of smoking red lava covered the ground. Fireballs shot up into the air like comets. There was a large flat stone in the center of the room with smaller rocks all around. I leapfrogged my way toward the surface, ducking a few times as I avoided the never-ending firestorms. I couldn’t be burned by the blaze. But I couldn’t say the same for my favorite leather jacket. A raging wall of fire rose up all around me. Sparks of yellow and orange burning light radiated all around me.

Voices faintly whispered in my head. They only spoke to me telepathically. Each time, they repeated my name. I wondered what I was supposed to call them. I bent down on one knee. “Spirits of the eternal flame, do you have a name?”

“We are all that has come before you, young prince. The life-force of the fire court. Long ago, we were once called the First Ones.”

“I came today with questions, First Ones. But I think you already know that.”

“The fire elemental known to you as Merlin still remains in a state of living.”

Merlin was a fire elemental. That I didn’t know. Throughout history he’d been known in the mortal world as some kind of magical wizard. Perhaps the mortals only knew part of his story. He must’ve been a halfling like Kalin. If he’d survived the recent centuries, he’d remained within the protection of the mist along with all the older elementals. “What do you mean by state of living?”

“He is alive. In a state of slumber.”

I just got a weird vision of Sleeping Beauty in my head. “Please don’t tell me he’s waiting for true love's kiss to wake him up.”

“He was forced into slumber by your mother and the current queen of the water court, Britta.”

Of course my mother was involved. My body tensed. I should’ve guessed. I was starting to think she had her hand in pretty much every crappy thing that happened in Avalon. This also explained why Britta left the council meeting. She probably had a premonition that involved his release. “Let me guess. Only Britta can free him.”

“You have the power to free him, young king. Your mothers’ gifts were bestowed onto you at the time of your ascension. You have much left to learn.”

This would’ve been a bad time for a Star Wars reference. But it was sitting on the tip of my tongue. “Can you tell me why I can no longer sense the Ring of Dispel?”

“The ring remains in flux within a portal.”

Valac had found a way to store the ring within a portal. That explained a lot. Within a portal, there were pathways to thousands of places. As long as he kept the sacred artifact inside, I’d never be able to locate him. Very smart move. Now I had no way of knowing when he’d come for the air court shield. This wasn’t what I was hoping for. The situation just got even more dangerous now that he had the element of surprise. “Thank you, First Ones.”

“We are always here for your council, young king. Should you ever need us.”

I left the First Ones and searched for Marcus.

First, I headed for his quarters. They were empty. Next, the throne room. The scent of hound was strong in the area. There’d definitely been activity in here, but it was currently vacant. The last place I looked was the most obvious. It was also where I found him. Marcus was in the mess hall. I should’ve checked here first. He ate more than anyone else I’d ever known in my life, and that included other hounds.

As I came down the hallway, I heard the bustle of many hounds. Roars of cheer followed by applause. Was there some kind of performance? Fighting perhaps? I didn’t rush to find out. Marcus had control over his pack. If there was a problem, I had no doubt he’d handle it. Instead, I took my time. Whatever was going on seemed to make them happy. They’d quieted down. Then, I heard it for myself. It was a female singer. Her voice was beautiful. She sang like she was the instrument itself.

Calm washed over me in waves.

It was familiar like I’d heard her before. Now I was very curious. I hurried down to see for myself. Standing at the entrance, I froze. It was Selene. As a banshee, she had the power to destroy. But few knew they could also use their voices to heal. Mother always pushed her to train as a weapon. Valac would’ve been well suited for that, but only the female banshees had that special power. And now, she sang to the hounds as they ate. The entire pack was here. Why was she wearing servants' clothing? Was she forced? No, she was smiling. This was the happiest I’d seen her. Ever.

I leaned against the frame of the entrance door, watching with amazement. She sat on top of one of the tables singing a song about lost love. Each of the gargantuan hounds was totally entranced. I’d never seen them so relaxed. She must’ve used her healing power as a means to keep them peaceful. Which explained the calming sensation I’d felt. But what surprised me more than anything else was her reaction. She’d never treated the hounds as any more than servants or guardians. Now she was entertaining them. It was the oddest thing. When she finished her song, they each stood up and applauded. Many begged for another song.

Marcus finally noticed me. I tilted my head to the side, and he followed me out. I scratched my head. “What did I just walk into?” I asked.

“It’s pretty shocking to me, too,” he replied, looking genuinely surprised. “After we had a pack meeting, I sent for her. She wasn’t hungry, but she came anyway. Some of the children wanted to meet her, and she mentioned she could sing.” He shrugged. “You saw the rest.”

I tried to appreciate what I saw, but I had my suspicions. I couldn’t forget that she was Valac’s sister. “Don’t let your guard down, Marcus. Never forget she’s played a part in all of this.”

“I think there’s a lot more to her than you know.” He cupped his hand around my shoulder. “You should give her a chance.”

“You’re actually taking up for her?” Smiling, I shook my head. “Every time I think I can no longer be surprised, something incredible happens that changes my mind.”

I spent the next several minutes explaining everything that had happened. Marcus was most excited about the shield. Like most elementals, he had no idea the sacred artifacts were real. The last few weeks had been an eye-opening experience for us all.

His eyebrows rose. “Does it really increase your power?”

I hesitated, sensing what he wanted. Just when I was sure he was about to start salivating, I asked, “Do you want to hold it?”

“Hell yeah, I do.” It was like watching a child with a new toy. Marcus slid his arm through the handles, and his whole body twitched. “Wow, this is no joke. This makes me feel like I do after I’ve transformed.”

I massaged the back of my neck. “It’s intense.”

He ran his palm across the three red bands. “And you’re going to use this to defeat Valac?”

“Yup.” I nodded. “Valac will come for it. It’s the missing piece he needs to cut the mist.”

Stepping back, he shifted into a fight stance and practiced maneuvering with it. “Don’t get cocky with this, Rowan. The shield can protect you to a certain extent, but there’s lot of exposed skin. Don’t forget that Valac will be stronger with Excalibur.”

I hadn’t forgotten. My attack had to be smart. Otherwise, there was a good chance that I’d be killed. “I won’t underestimate him. This time I have a plan, which means I’m going to need your help.”

Marcus

“When you’re ready, the pack will be by your side.”

“I have no doubts, brother,” Rowan replied, pulling me in for a hand shake, hug combo.

“You guys look like you’re about to make out,” Ariel said, playfully. “I can come back later.”

There she was. The one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She was stunning in a short lavender 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 some kind of disaster.”

“Oh, I’m part of this too?” Rowan asked, crossing his arms. “I hope this isn’t the intro to a three-way 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 said. 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. This was a big moment, and I didn’t want to blow it. “With the exception of 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. They mated mostly among their own kind, which was why they all looked so much alike. “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 ever wanted and more than I thought I’d ever receive.

“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?”

This was almost as tough as asking Ariel to marry me. Rowan was a brother to me. 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.”