Mortal Enchantment

by Stacey O'Neale

  "Did I move it?” I whispered.

  Shaking his head, he replied, "It wobbled. That doesn't sound like much, but it was. You should have never attempted something like that. You're lucky it didn't drain you completely. A power drain could put you in a coma or kill you.”

  There wasn’t an inch of my body that wasn’t aching with pain. "I may not be in a coma, but I feel like I was run over by a herd of elephants.”

  He chuckled, releasing his hold slightly. My head settled into the crook of his arm. Tenderly, he brushed the sand off the side of my face. His dark blue eyes bore into mine with a fervor I didn’t understand. I had to remind myself to breathe. Even after the muck was removed, he continued touching me. First, he followed my jawline with the tip of his finger. Then, he slowly traced my mouth. I swallowed hard when he licked his lips. His eyelids were at half-mast as he leaned in closer. I was overwhelmed with excitement. He was finally going to kiss me. My nerves caused me to tense up for only a second, but it was enough to ignite a change in him. It was like watching someone wake up from a daydream. Before I knew it, he was moving me into a sitting position.

  Dammit!

  He was all business with his tone. "I warned you this might happen, but it seems to be impossible for you follow to my instructions.”

  "I was listening.” I barely grated out.

  "Of course you were.” He moved farther away, staring out into the distance. The rejection was like being punched in the gut. "This seems like a good time to end our practice for the day.”

  No, he couldn’t leave now. "Really, I'm fine. We should keep going.” I stood on my own. Another wave of weakness flowed through me.

  Then, everything went black again.

  Chapter Eleven

  I stood in a darkened room lit by a few candles in silver metal sconces. When I took a step forward, a few round, multi-colored poker chips scattered across the hardwood floor. My foot slipped and I glanced down. An ace of spades playing card was stuck on the bottom of my shoe. I picked it off, flicking it away. The scent of burnt ash wafted into my nostrils.

  An urgency buzzed through my limbs that I couldn't explain. I had the sense that something I desperately wanted was close.

  "Is anyone here?” I yelled.

  There was no response. Nothing about this place looked familiar. My nerves shifted into overdrive. I was about to turn around and go the other way when I heard a tiny whimper. I took a few steps forward, noticing something large crouched beneath a sliver of light. My adrenaline pumped as I went to my knees. Whoever it was had their face covered by a dirty wool blanket. Their body was curled into a ball. I reached my hand down. "I won't hurt you.”

  "Kalin?” He winced.

  The cover pulled back. My father's lilac eyes stared up at mine. His face was covered in dirt with dried blood stained across his cheek. "Dad? What happened?” I attempted to pull him up, but he only groaned. "We've got to get you out of here.”

  "There's no time. We only have moments.” He reached for my arm. His frightened expression nearly brought me to tears. "Do not trust them,” he choked out. "They aren't who they seem.”

  My mind raced along with my accelerated heartbeat. "Who, Dad? Please tell me.” The room started to change shape around us. Everything turned gray. The walls melted. I looked down at Dad who was fading away. I tightened my grip of his arm. "What's going on?”

  "They've found me.”

  I opened my eyes, screaming. "Dad!”

  "It's me.” Ariel stood beside my bed, patting a wet cloth over my brow. "You passed out while you were training. Rowan brought you here.”

  "You don't understand.” I sat up, still shaking from what I’d just seen. "I saw my father. He was weak and a prisoner somewhere.”

  "Kalin, it had to be a nightmare.” Ariel rubbed the side of my arm. "You were drained of all your power. There's no way he came to you. If he had, it would have killed you.”

  Why didn’t Ariel believe me? Panting and covered in sweat, I shifted my gaze around the room. The scent of ash had been replaced with a warm caramel. I was in my bedroom inside the air court castle. The skies outside my window were dark. Had I slept through the day? The vision seemed to only last a few seconds.

  "No, it was real,” I insisted, putting my bare feet on the cool floor. When I tried to stand, I couldn’t hold my own weight, landing back on the bed. "I have to find him. He's in danger.”

  Ariel sat down next to me. "You can't go looking for him like this. Now is the time to rest. Jarrod sent out more knights to search for him.” She put an arm around my shoulders. "I have faith they will find him.”

  The vision was real. Dad was in trouble, risking everything to warn me. He said they aren’t who they seem, so there must be at least two elementals working together. Unfortunately, I had no idea who ‘they’ were. It could be any one. Ariel smiled, trying to lift my spirits. I wished I could believe so blindly, but the council had done nothing to make me feel they could help. No, I was going to have to rescue my father alone. First, I needed to check out the area where he was last seen before he was taken. There had to be clues that they missed somewhere.

  "You're right, I should just get some sleep.” I hated lying to her, but there was no other way to get her to leave.

  "Of course.” Ariel collected the wet rag and water basin. "I'll be back in the morning.” Her eyes brightened. "Tomorrow, we'll get fitted for our ball gowns.”

  I tried to muster a smile. "Can't wait.”

  She clearly wasn't fooled by my faux excitement. "I promise, I'll make it as quick and painless as possible.”

  "That's more like it.” I winked.

  She playfully rolled her eyes, closing the door behind her.

  The moment the door creaked shut, I stood. The dizziness wasn’t as bad as before. Maybe I just needed some fresh air. I got dressed into a pair of dark jeans, slipping a black t-shirt over my head. I glanced around the room. "What's a girl gotta do to get a weapon around here?”

  By some miracle, I managed to slip out of the castle without being seen. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as lucky in the artillery department. Two palace guards secured the room. There was no question that one of them would have followed me or reported me to Jarrod since he commanded the knights. I didn’t want him involved in any way. Who knows? Any of his knights could’ve been one of the elementals Dad was referring to.

  Once I reached the stone archway, the mountaintop winds whipped all around. The cool nighttime air made me shiver. Jarrod hadn’t been specific when he spoke about Dad's last known location. He did say he was meditating on the hillside of the mountain. Since most of the peak was capped with snow, he could have only meant the southern side where I’d gone after my first practice with Rowan.

  I dug my hands into my pockets, heading toward the grassy hillside. Gusts of air blew my hair in every direction. I pulled it up into a ponytail to keep it out of my face. The distance to the hillside was short, but all I had for light was the incandescent moon. With most of the landscape in shadow, why had I not thought about bringing something to illuminate my way? I rolled my eyes at myself as I kept trudging forward.

  The terrain descended the farther I went. The dizziness I had felt earlier gave me the illusion I was falling. I was running on pure adrenaline, with only the worry for Dad pushing me forward. Dark clouds surrounded the mountain, I could barely see the thick elm tree a few yards in front of me. I made my way in that direction. Every other tree on the mountain was part of the forest and at least a mile away. I guessed that the single tree existing in the middle of a barren field would be a good place to meditate.

  Once I reached the tree, I leaned against it. The sturdiness helped me regain my balance. I closed my eyes, exhaling deeply. A warm sensation came up behind me. I jolted.

  "What are you doing out here?” A stern voice asked.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rowan stood behind me with a swirling ball of hazy blue fire floating above his open palm. The flickering light boun
ced off the tight muscles of his bare chest. A pair of drawstring black cotton pants hung loosely around his hips. He ran his other hand through his scruffy hair giving him a just-rolled-out-of-bed look. I would have classified him as smexy if it weren’t for his pissed off expression.

  "How did you know I was out here?” I asked, squinting. Forget about the whole passing out mess. I was annoyed by his second almost-kiss during our last training. He was the king of mixed signals.

  He clenched his fist, diminishing the ball of fire into nothing. "Sometimes, I wonder if you have a death wish.”

  Naturally, he didn’t answer my question. Big surprise. "I have no idea what you're talking about.” Chilled air whipped between us. I wrapped my arms around my mid-section. I couldn’t help noticing the lack of goosebumps on his skin. I guess being born into the fire court meant never being cold.

  Rowan let out a growl, pressing his fists into the tree at my shoulders. I was locked into an immovable position. There was no squeezing out of this one. With my arms pressing against my sides, he leaned in. Our faces were so close, his breath tickled my cheek. "Have you forgotten I've saved you once already? There are dangerous creatures out here. What was so important that you came here alone and in the middle of the night?”

  Suddenly, the stupidly of what I’d done registered in my head. This was exactly how Dad was captured. And his power surpassed mine a thousand times over. I would be defenseless.

  My cheeks burned from embarrassment. Luckily, the shadows hid my reaction. Rowan was right, of course, but I couldn’t let him know. "I can handle myself or have you forgotten you have been training me?”

  His stare poured into me as if he was searching for the right words. Somehow, in the silence, I sensed there was something he was trying to hide. It wasn’t until he pulled away, I realized I’d stopped breathing.

  "You still haven't answered my question,” he said.

  I raised my eyebrows. "Neither have you.”

  Rowan paced like a caged animal. "You're infuriating.”

  "Oh. My. God.” I threw my hands up in the air. "You've got to be kidding me. You're the king of avoidance.”

  After several awkward moments without a response, he relaxed his shoulders. "I couldn't sleep. I was walking down the hall when I saw you slip outside and I followed you to see where you were going.” He raised his pierced eyebrow. "Happy now?”

  Not really. I was too shocked that he answered one of my questions to enjoy the small victory. "I came out here looking for clues that the knights might've missed.” I rubbed my hand across the bark, swallowing hard. "This is where I believe Dad disappeared.”

  "Oh, I get it.” He leaned against the tree trunk. "Still, come get me the next time you decide to play investigator.”

  Smartass. "Whatevs.”

  "It's pretty spectacular up here,” he announced, totally out of nowhere. Then, he sat down and crossed his legs in front of him as he leaned back on his hands. "I can see why Taron likes it so much.”

  Was Rowan initiating a casual conversation? After my initial shock settled in, I took the cue and sat beside him. "This place feels the most familiar to me. I mean, I guess I feel like this is where I'm meant to be, you know?”

  "Don't you miss your Mom?” His voice was soft, almost comforting.

  I pulled my knees up into my chest. "I miss her a lot, but it's complicated.” I missed my friends and the life I’d built there. I missed Mom most of all. But with everything going on, I was glad she wasn’t here. Avalon was not the peaceful place I had imagined it to be. And since she was mortal, she was safer where she was. "What about you? Where are your parents?”

  He picked up a rock, casually throwing it into the cloudy abyss. "Dead.”

  Great call, Kalin. He's sure to go running any minute now. I was about to put my hand on his shoulder, but I pulled it back at the last second. "I'm sorry.”

  Instead of making eye contact, he continued tossing rocks. "It's fine. I’ve made peace with it.”

  I had to keep going while he was being so open. "What were they like? Your parents.”

  "I never knew my Dad. He died around the time I was born.”

  Rowan’s jaw clenched and unclenched before he answered each question. He was obviously uncomfortable, but this could be my only opportunity to get to know him. I had to keep pushing. "What about your Mom?”

  He looked at me, surprised. "You really don't know, do you?”

  My lack of knowledge seemed boundless at this point. "I guess not.”

  "My mother was powerful and feared. She wasn't much of a parent to us.” He took a long pause. "It's not something I like to talk about.”

  "By us, you must mean—?”

  The corner of his mouth twitched. "I had two adopted siblings, but both are dead.”

  His whole family was dead? Okay, he had some serious family drama. It certainly explained why he was a solitary, but not why he turned down Dad’s offer to be part of the air court. What was his deal? "How did they die?”

  He turned to face me, smirking. "It's complicated.”

  I couldn't rebut after I had said the same thing. "Aren't all families?”

  "Some more than others.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  I didn’t sleep much that night. Instead, I leaned against the windowsill watching the sun rise with my bed comforter wrapped around my shoulders. My body was exhausted from the power surge, yet each time I closed my eyes, I saw one image; Dad lying bloody and beaten on a cold floor. An icy chink settled in my chest. I tightened my grip of the blanket.

  His warning echoed in my head. Who were the people he mentioned? He said they weren’t as they seemed, so I must have already met them. At least one of them had to be in the air court. There was no way he could have been captured without help from someone on the inside. Someone who would pretend to be my ally. I rested my head on top of my folded arms. Dad could have also meant Rowan. As much as I didn’t want to consider it, I had to. He had secrets, was a former member of the fire court, and all of his family was mysteriously dead. No matter what Liana said at the council meeting, a member of the fire court had attacked me the day Dad was kidnapped.

  No, it couldn’t be Rowan.

  He was the one who saved me, bringing me to Avalon safely. He offered to train me—and even though I was sucking at it—I would be lost without him. But why was he so guarded? And, who gave him the scars on his back? Why did Liana seem to hate him so much? Too many questions left unanswered. The guy was the definition of complicated and secretive.

  I rubbed the crusties from the corners of my eyes, longing to stay in my room all day. A hard knock shook me from my thoughts. I turned my head as Ariel entered my room carrying a cup of orange juice and some kind of pastry. Her white-blond curls bounced as she made her way to me.

  She gave me the once over, then her smile dropped. "What happened? You look like death. Not that death is a person, but if it was, it would be you right now.”

  I wanted to tell her the truth, but what could I say? She didn’t believe my vision was real. And, as much as I hated to admit it, she was also a suspect. Dad said someone I knew couldn’t be trusted. I trusted Ariel, but I would be a fool if I didn’t at least consider the possibility. “Nothing happened. I didn't sleep, that's all.” I yawned.

  "Sleep later.” She sat the food down on the nearby table. Next thing I knew, she’d tucked her forearms inside mine and was helping me stand. "We've got to be to the seamstress in ten minutes.”

  Oh, no. I’d forgotten all about the dress fitting. With everything going on, this was the last thing I wanted to do. I may have let out a little whimper. However, Ariel wasn’t having any of it. She meant business this morning, dragging me around the room like a ragdoll. I didn’t fight her when she scooted me into the bathroom to brush my teeth or when she tugged me toward my closet to pick out clothes, but I reached my limit when she tried to get me undressed. Finally, I shooed her away, and she gave me some space.

  Yup, I wa
s going with her whether I wanted to or not.

  Ariel led us to a room with walls lined with spools of fabric piled on top of one another. A large rectangular table sat in the middle of the room filled with sewing machines, needles, threads of every color, and multiple pairs of scissors.

  Five seamstresses greeted us. I had to blink twice before I could believe what I was seeing. Their skin appeared to be made of tree bark with hair made of thin green vines hanging wavy down their backs like dreadlocks. All wore matching white silky tops and skirts made of long woven flower stems. Like soldiers, they stood silent in a straight line, staring forward. Each held a sewing kit and spare pieces of cloth tucked under their arms.

  Ariel stepped onto one of the two tree stumps in the corner of the room, instructing the glam squad. "I expect something exceptional. For the princess, a one shoulder or strapless gown would be best. Something with an A-line shape would look nice on her.” She played with a loose curl in her hair. "My gown should be strapless and have a matching shawl. I prefer an empire waist. Has the fabric arrived?”

  They bowed in unison while the one standing the farthest away reached down, picking up an enormous amount of cloth wrapped around a long spool. I made my way over to her, running my fingers across the material. It was the softest silk I’d ever touched. Never had I seen the shade of shimmering yellow that Ariel had chosen for me. The small piece of ‘girlie’ I had inside of me giggled.

  "It's amazing, isn't it? It took the manufacturers in Paris six months to make. It's one-of-a-kind.” Ariel sighed, filled with pleasure. "It's perfect for the Ball.” She held out her hand, helping me onto the stump next to the one she stood on.

  “What about your dress?” I asked.

  Ariel pointed to a spool of sparkly lavender fabric. “Purple is my favorite color.”