Fragile Reign (Mortal Enchantment Book 2) (5 page)

“Shall I announce your return?” Xavier asked.

I pressed my lips together. I wasn’t sure if they would see my return as positive or negative. They had been attacked by Valac, but what did they know of me? I had spent most of my life in the mortal world. They would only know whatever my mother had told them or whatever rumors they had heard. There was a good chance that they saw me as an enemy, but what choice did I have? “Yes, let them know I will address them once we have gathered.”

“As you wish.” Xavier said, bowing. He scurried out of the room.

Marcus circled the massive room, taking a closer look at the damage. I watched the lines of worry form across his forehead. He knew this was bad, probably the worst he had ever seen. When he finally stopped, he said, “We’re screwed.”

Agreed. “Have a little faith.”

“What do you plan to do?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Save the day. Be the hero. You know, the usual stuff.”

The corner of his lip curled. “Well hero, care to fill me in on your plan?”

There was no plan. I hoped the fire elementals would return. I needed to see how many we had left. The youngest ones will remain in the mortal world. They had to keep our element under control—as best they could—while we sorted things here. But I did need to know if the other elementals would stand with me against Valac. Would they support me if I claimed the throne? None of my questions could be answered until they returned. “I’m letting the plan marinate for a while.” I tapped myself on the temple. “In the meantime, we do have something we can do.”

He crossed his arms. “And what’s that?”

“We can clean up this mess. There’s some serious stink going on around here.”

Marcus chuckled. “I didn’t know you cleaned.”

“I have many hidden talents.” I said, wiggling my eyebrows.

He waved his arms. “No need for you to continue with that train of thought. Let’s just start cleaning up this mess.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to know?” I teased. “It may come in handy the next time you’re alone with Ariel.”

“Trust me, I can handle that department on my own.”

It was nice to have a laugh with Marcus. Things had been too serious for too long. I think we both needed it. We spent the next several hours sweeping up broken marble and buried the ashes. Marcus found a cleaner for the blood stained walls and floors. These types of jobs were typically done by the hounds that weren’t chosen as guardians. I would bet the hounds left after Liana was killed. Since my mother was the only one able to control them, I was surprised they had stayed after her death.

If I had any chance of defeating Valac, I would need the support of the hounds. I imagined it will be difficult to gain their allegiance. It was my mother who made and enslaved them. Perhaps I could offer them the freedom they never had—even a spot on my new council—in exchange for their help? “Do you know where the hounds are now?”

Marcus paused from mopping. “No, but I would guess they are still within our court.”

“I doubt they will respond to Xavier’s request.” The hounds never took orders very well. After all the war and destruction, they might find a summons amusing. Who knows? They might have been the ones who did all this damage. “Will you find your father and request a meeting with him on my behalf?”

Once again, worry lines formed across his forehead. “Rowan, I’m not sure if that’s a great idea. My father hated Prisma, even more than you. I don’t know what he might say…or do to you.”

I patted him on the shoulder. “That’s a chance I have to take.”

Kalin

Beneath the air court castle there are several deep caverns. None are visible from outside the mountain. The way to reach them was through a secret portal within Dad’s chambers. According to him, the pathway could only be used by a member of our bloodline. If anyone else had attempted to enter, they would have been killed before they reached the other side. Each royal family, from the other three houses, had their own gateway to the caverns. He said each akasha also had a portal as well, but only an akasha knew how to reach the access.

As we stepped out of the portal, Dad lit the torch he had brought. Much of the caverns were kept in shadows. The entire area—which seemed at least a mile wide—was made of limestone. Stalagmite hung down like icicles while thick columns supported the vast ceilings. As Dad led me through, he lit sconces that had been attached to various walls. The wind blew cool and wet. I rubbed my bare arms, wishing I had worn something thicker than my black Ramones t-shirt. My boots came in handy since the ground was uneven with loose, broken rocks.

I scratched my head. “Where is this wind coming from? I thought you said these caverns were sealed from the outside?”

He gazed above his head, proudly smiling. “What you’re feeling is the source of our power—the first wind. Each of us will transform into our element after death. Every air elemental will find their way back here, uniting with the first wind.”

I had read about the first wind so many times, but to feel it against my face was something else entirely. All of the deceased air elementals were here in this cavern. Although I could not see them, I felt their presence—their power—resonating from within me.

After about fifteen minutes, we reached a silver door that looked more like a vault. Dad pressed his hand against the seal. A rumbling filled the silence, and then the door slowly creaked open. Inside was a room the size of my high school library. Rows of dark wood shelves lined the walls with hundreds of books bound in leather. One small marble table with four chairs sat in the middle of the massive room. At the far end, I noticed a glass octagon-shaped display case. Without saying a word, I made my way over until I stood in front of it.

“What is this?” I asked.

The display only held one item: a white shield with three diagonal red bands. I opened the case and ran my hand over the smooth surface. The longer my hand touched the metal, I felt infused with power. My muscles vibrated as if they were getting stronger. I pulled my hand back, closing the case.

“It’s known as the Shield of Lancelot.” Dad said, appearing next to me. “It has the power to triple the strength of anyone who carries it.”

None of the elemental history books I read ever mentioned Lancelot or this shield. The only time I ever heard that name was during a mythology class I took freshman year. Lancelot was the most famous knight in King Arthur’s army. According to legend, he lived in Camelot and had a saucy affair with the king’s wife, Guinevere. There were hundreds of stories written about them. I didn’t think any were actually true.

My head flooded with questions. “Why do we have this shield?”

“It’s one of four sacred artifacts. To keep the courts balanced in power, each house protects one. This shield is ours to safeguard. It has remained in this cave for thousands of years.”

“Why is it named after Lancelot?”

Dad ran his finger down the side of the glass case. “Because he was the only mortal who carried it.”

Shock didn’t begin to describe how I felt hearing his words. How could those stories be true? They were fairytales. Fables told to little kids to teach them life lessons. What did that say about mythology as a whole? Were all of those poems and songs actually based on facts? I shook my head in total disbelief. Then I chuckled. After all I had seen over the last few weeks, why did anything surprise me anymore? I needed to know more. “Okay, let me get this straight. Lancelot and King Arthur and all that Camelot stuff was…real?”

Dad shrugged. “For the most part, yes.”

“How did Lancelot end up with the shield?”

Dad headed over to one of the bookcases, pulling a thick leather-bound book off the shelf. “Lancelot was a favorite of Queen Brita. She had watched over him from the time he was a small child.” I followed him over to the table. He sat down, searching the worn pages. He settled on a chapter aptly titled, Lancelot. “When Lancelot was old enough, Brita brought him to her castle beneath the sea. She became a surrogate mother to him. Once he reached adulthood, he left her to join the Knights of the Round Table.” Dad pointed to a faded drawing of the shield. “Brita couldn’t bear the idea that he may be killed, so she created the shield for him.”

I sat down next to him as I remembered the stories I once read. Then something I had never considered floated into my head. “Are you telling me that Brita is the Lady of the Lake?”

Dad smiled, seemingly amused by my question. “She is the queen of the water court, and yes, she was known for a time as the Lady of the Lake.”

I put my hand over my mouth, totally astonished by what I was learning. More questions swirled in my head. “What are the other three sacred artifacts?”

He flipped through more pages, settling on a picture of a thick gold ring with a round red gem embedded inside. “This is the Ring of Dispel, which shields the wearer from magic. The ring is protected by the fire court.”

I was about to ask him a question, then he continued, “Should Rowan ascend to the throne of fire, he will learn the hidden location of the ring.”

I had the sudden urge to quote Lord of the Rings—one ring to rule them all—but decided against it. “And the other two artifacts?”

His eyes lit up. I guessed that he was pleased by my interest. Turning to a different section, he read right from the text. “Hidden within the forests of the woodland faeries, Orion protects the Green Armor. The suit has the ability to adjust to the size of the wearer. Once encased, the person is protected from any kind of injury.”

That didn’t make any sense. Why wasn’t Orion wearing the armor? The fire court was attacking woodland faeries all over the mortal world. He could have protected himself or someone else from any type of injury. “Why wasn’t he wearing the armor when he and Jarrod attacked the fire court?”

Dad pressed his lips together and I immediately regretted saying Jarrod’s name. I could see he was still suffering from the sting of his betrayal. “When we created the decrees, we decided these artifacts were too powerful to end up in the wrong hands. We felt it was safer for all to keep them hidden.”

Although I thought these artifacts were pretty cool, I agreed they should be kept hidden. No doubt they could be used for good or evil. It made sense to keep them protected. I thought more about the legends of Camelot—all the stories of King Arthur and the knights. Then I felt a ping of excitement in my belly. “The sword, Excalibur. Is that the last sacred item?”

“Very good.” He nodded. “The sword is protected by Brita. Or, the Lady of the Lake if you’d prefer.” He focused on a drawing of the sword. The steel blade and brass hilt were engraved with Celtic knots. The design on the pommel looked like a lion’s head. “This sword is incredibly powerful. Not only can it prevent the death of the carrier, but it can also lift the veil that protects Avalon.”

I was overwhelmed with all of this new knowledge. I couldn’t believe these objects and people really existed. I mean, it wasn’t that surprising when I remembered that Avalon was part of many of these myths. None of my mortal friends would have believed me if I had told them about elementals. I couldn’t imagine telling them about all of this. If I had, they would’ve called the closest mental hospital to come and get me.

All I wanted to do was grab the book out of his hands and read every single page. The sacred artifacts were interesting for sure, but I also wanted to learn more about the veil protecting Avalon. No one had ever explained how it came to be. If I had to guess, I would say the answers are probably in this book somewhere. When I had more time, I promised myself I would search this entire library thoroughly. But now, I had to refocus and remember I came here to learn about my akasha power.

I glanced around the room. “Where are the akasha journals?”

Dad pointed to the only sealed bookcase in the library. I sauntered over there, not trying to appear as eager as I really was. The front of the case was covered entirely with dust. Apparently no one had opened the bookcase in a very long time. But that made sense. The books were written in a language only an akasha could read. If I were able to read the texts, it would confirm that I really was the next akasha. My chest tightened as I slowly opened the glass door. A strong scent of leather resonated all around me. I picked up the first journal on top of the pile.

“Here goes nothing,” I said, opening the book. My shoulders sunk. The words written looked like hieroglyphics. I flipped a few pages. They all appeared the same. Feeling hopeless, I leaned against the nearest wall, slowly descending to the floor. As my butt hit the surface, I let out a disappointed sigh. “I can’t read a word of this, Dad. I’m not the next akasha.”

Dad’s eyes widened with surprise. “That’s impossible. I know you’re the next akasha.”

“I’m sorry, but you’re wrong.” Tears welled in my eyes but I refused to let them loose. This was my only chance to save Dad, to balance the elements, to defeat Valac. Now what was I going to do? Everyone was counting on me. Just as I was about to close the book, I noticed the words in the text moving. “Wait one second.” I said, as they shifted into different formations. “The symbols are changing position, but I still can’t read them.”

“Let me see.” Dad moved quickly across the room, settling next to me.

I blinked twice, just to make sure I hadn’t imagined it. “It doesn’t make sense. Why are they moving?” I searched through every section, each more confusing than the last.

“I don’t see any movement.” Dad said, smacking his hand against his knee. “This is a sign, Kalin. It’s you. You are the akasha.”

“I can’t be, Dad. You said I should be able to read them, but I can’t.” Disappointment didn’t begin to explain how I felt. Everything I had feared was coming to fruition. I didn’t have the power to balance the elements or heal my father. All of my life, I had been hidden away from the elementals because my parents believed I was the akasha. I never once got to visit Avalon. I was lonely, always feeling like a huge part of me was missing. And now, I learned it was all for nothing. “I need to get out of here.”