All her movements were careful, like she feared she’d make a mistake. Like someone was watching and judging her every move. For once in her life, I wanted her to relax. “Well, you’re one of us now, so you can cancel all that proper shit.”
“Okay.” She laughed. “How am I supposed to eat?”
“Like this.” I tore a big hunk of bread off the loaf and stuffed it in my mouth. “You try.”
Her eyebrows raised. “I can’t do that.”
I took a cue from her. Using her knife, I delicately cut the rest of the loaf into even slices. Each portion was half the size of what I’d stuffed in my mouth. When I was finished playfully mocking her, I smeared cheese on a section and held it out in front of her. “Open wide.”
With a broad smile on her face, she shook her head. “No way.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why? You don’t trust me?”
She pointed her finger at me. “I’m only taking a bite.”
“Okay,” I assured her.
As soon as she opened her mouth, I stuffed the whole piece inside. Her eyes widened with surprise, and I couldn’t help laughing.
She playfully smacked my arm as she tried to chew.
Ethan ran into the kitchen with a frantic look on his face. As soon as I saw him, I stood. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“We’re under attack,” he replied, with wild eyes. “Rogues have entered the castle. I’m not sure how many, but I’ve gotten reports from three different locations.”
Valac. He was badly injured during our fight. With every other court searching for him, he had nowhere else to go. No other elemental would offer him any healing herbs or ointments. He had to return to the eternal flame. And there was only one way in. “Send reinforcements to every location. I’m heading down to the portal.”
Ethan’s eyebrows knit together. “You’re not going to join the counterattack?”
“This is a diversion.” Valac didn’t care about the rogues. He’d sent them into battle knowing most wouldn’t survive. There was no question in my mind. He’d sacrifice every last one of them to heal himself. “He’s heading for the eternal flame.”
“Only the king of the fire court can enter the flame,” Ethan insisted, with a look of confusion on his face.
Rowan had once challenged Valac to enter, but he refused. If he entered the flames they’d likely destroy him for what he’d done, but he could heal if he managed to get close enough to the caverns just outside of the entrance. The power should be enough to repair him or at least get him to the point where he started to self-heal. “He doesn’t have to go inside. He just needs to get close.”
“I’ll go with you,” Ethan replied as fire flashed in his eyes.
“We’ll all go,” Selene added.
The moment I’d waited for had finally come to fruition. Killing him wouldn’t bring Ariel back or heal the aching hole her loss had left in my heart, but it would end his war against the courts. That was enough for me. “No, he’s mine.”
Ethan and Selene continued to offer their assistance while I shifted into my hound form. I didn't hear a word either said. I was too focused on my mission. I had to get to him fast. The closer he got to the flames, the harder it would be for me to breathe. That gave him an advantage. He would also get stronger as he healed. Along with the shield and armor, that wasn’t going to be easy. I had to be smart about every move I made. I couldn’t risk Ethan’s lack of experience or Selene’s love for her brother.
I rushed through hallways and down stairs until I reached the pathway. The hound I’d stationed down here was dead in a pool of his own blood. At least ten rogues in various pieces were all around him. I wanted to stay and grieve but I had no time. Valac had gotten through the portal. I leapt inside and hurried through the tunnel of fire until I reached the other side. It was hard to imagine that all of this was beneath the surface. There were hundreds of caves going in every direction.
Even this far away, I felt the eternal flame.
The muscles that had ached from battle were mended. My power grew with each step I took. The flames would have the same effect on him, and kick-start his healing. But the injury to his arm required more than a rejuvenation of strength. He’d have to enter the external cavern to repair his broken bones. And since he’d gone hours without any tonics or herbal medicines, there was a chance the wound was already diseased.
I increased my pace.
By the time I’d gotten halfway down the passageway, I was already in distress. My lungs felt as if they were collapsing, and I could only manage short breaths. Steamy air filled the tunnel, making it difficult to see. In the distance, I saw a moving shadow and I headed for it. I couldn’t run. My breathing wouldn’t allow it. As I approached the hazy silhouette, I discovered it was Valac. He moved slowly, limping on one leg. The hound he’d killed at the portal must’ve injured him further.
I growled and he turned around.
There was a panicked expression on his face at first. But when he noticed how I struggled for every breath, he smiled. “You seem to be having some troubles, hound. Is the thin air down here not enough for you?”
His words enraged me and I bared my teeth. A second later, he took off toward the end of the passageway. I sprung forward, and tackled him to the ground. My paws were on his chest as he thrashed beneath me. When I bent my head toward his neck, he pulled out a small iron knife. I wasn’t fast enough. He thrust the sharp edge into my ribs, and I winced from the pain. Thanks to my thicker hound skin, the blade hadn’t gone deep. It was the location of the incision that caused the problem. He’d managed to cut through my ribs, and my lung fully collapsed.
I curled into a ball, and he escaped.
He glanced over his shoulder, smirking right before he entered the exterior cave that led to the eternal flame entryway. I pushed the knife out with my paw. The skin tore a little more and I whimpered. The weapon clanged as it hit the rock flooring. I glanced down to assess the damage. The flame had already begun to heal the wound, but the lung took longer to repair. But, I didn’t have time to wait. I managed to get on all fours and pushed myself forward. It was only a matter of time before he was fully restored.
I had no choice.
Against my better judgment, I entered the massive external cavern. On the far end, I saw Valac crouched only a few feet away from the eternal flame’s entrance. He screamed as he removed the piece of armor that had lodged into his wrist. Although I had all my strength, the limited amount of oxygen took a toll on me. As I strode toward him, I felt as if I was moving at half my normal speed. My paws were heavier and I was dizzy. When he saw me coming for him, he stood. The shield protected his injured arm. He held an iron sword in the other. Sweat dripped down my face. I normally wasn’t affected by temperatures, but it had to be at least one hundred and fifty degrees in here.
Valac swung his sword, narrowly missing my face by inches. “You may be strong, hound. But you can’t win. Not down here.”
Even without Excalibur, he had some skill with the blade. We circled each other. His eyes were fixed on mine as he tried to anticipate my next move. Fire crackled all around us, while rolling balls of inferno flew out the eternal flame’s entrance. I had to duck as one came right at me. Several others flew over Valac’s head, briefly turning his attention away from me. This was my chance. Without hesitation, I pounced on him. I had him on the ground once again, but the shield protected him.
He drove his sword into my side. This time, the slice was deep. “Nice try, Marcus. But you’re too late.”
When he removed the blade, blood flowed out of the puncture like a river. I tried to ignore the pain as I attempted to wrestle the shield out of his hand. I was weakening rapidly, and we both knew it. I was hurt badly and my body couldn’t recover fast enough. I only had a few more seconds before he overpowered me. Ariel appeared in front of me, and I gasped. She was barely visible, wearing a white flowing dress. Like some kind of ghostly apparition. I stared at her, not believing my own eyes. She
waved at me, urging me to keep fighting.
The essence she’d given me at our wedding. Had the wedding vow exchange kept her with me? It didn’t matter. Knowing I still had a piece of her invigorated me. I fought back with every ounce of strength I could muster. His grip on the shield loosened, and I stripped it away from him. It scraped across the rock flooring as it slid, eventually resting against a stone pillar. He’d removed pieces of the armor while he healed. I went after the exposed skin. Blood smeared across my face as I dug my teeth into flesh and bone. I tore off the hand that wore the Ring of Dispel. His screams of agony echoed throughout the caves. The eternal flame had the power to return his hand. But the First Ones would destroy him if he tried to enter the flames. He had no other choice but to suffer the pain.
It was his turn to die.
His only defense left was the armor. As he writhed beneath me, I scratched my claws into the chest piece. It didn’t even nick the metal. Last time I tried, I’d only been able to bend it. If the metal was impenetrable, I was wasting my time. There had to be a way to get it off. I had to break each section apart. Maybe if I wedged something between them, the magic protecting the armor might weaken. But I couldn’t do it in my hound form. Valac was on his side, clutching his severed arm. I shifted back into my mortal form. I picked up his sword and lodged the iron between two connected parts of the breastplate. Using all my strength, I pressed the blade deeper. It wasn’t working. I needed something more. We were too close to the eternal flame. Each short breath I took was harder than the last one.
I heard voices and I swirled around. It was Selene with Ethan in his hound form. She bypassed me as she rushed to her brother’s side. She went to her knees, and tore off a long piece of her shirt. He moaned as she tightly tied the cloth around his wound, stopping the blood. Once her tourniquet was finished, she turned him onto his back. With his head in her lap, she said, “Take off the helmet so I can see your face.”
“No.” Valac reached out for her hands. “He’ll kill me.”
This was dangerous. Even in his weakened state, Valac could hurt her. I was about to get involved when a strange feeling came over me. A wave of heat whipped through the caves. It was as if the wind were whispering in my ear, telling me not to interrupt her. The voice was calm and soothing. I hoped it was Ariel’s spirit. I wanted to believe the pain from the stab wound hadn’t made me hallucinate. That I’d really seen her appear moments ago. That she’d always be with me.
“You abandoned me,” Valac said to Selene. “You turned against me.”
“I abandoned your mission,” she replied, taking his hand in hers. “I’d never abandon you.”
“Did you come to rescue me?” he whimpered.
“I came to die alongside you.” A tear ran down Selene’s cheek. “I can feel my body aging even as we speak.”
Had she heard from Rowan and Kalin? I couldn’t ask Ethan because he was in his animal form. Was it all over? Guilt rushed through me. I should’ve stayed with them. Helped in some way. But when I saw the sword hanging from the mist, I was overwhelmed with the agony of Ariel’s loss. I couldn’t see past my own pain.
“The akasha will save us,” Valac tried to assure her. “Mother told me her blood is the key.”
“By the time Kalin tried, the cut was too deep.” She sniffled. “The mist has fallen.”
Valac lowered his hands, and she removed his helmet. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. We were going to rule the courts together. It was meant to be you and me, just like Mother would’ve wanted.”
“I never wanted any of this, Valac.” Selene ran her hand over his cheek as blood dripped from his mouth. “I just wanted to return to Avalon. I wanted to be free.”
Now it all made sense. Selene and Valac were banished from Avalon when they tried to rescue Prisma from her sentence. They were supposed to go to the mortal world and live out the remainder of their lives. But they were so old that they would’ve been dead within days. For Selene, this was all about earning her freedom. For Valac, it was something more. He pursued the fire court throne because he thought that was what Prisma had wanted. It was all about pleasing his mother.
Valac stared up at her as if he were stunned by her admission. Selene moved around his body, removing each section of the Green Armor. He didn’t resist or say another word. When she was done, he wore only a pair of dark pants and a matching short-sleeved shirt. She came over to me, reaching for my hand. “He deserves to die for what he took from you, but you’re right. I can’t watch him suffer. I will allow you to end his life if I can ease his pain.”
He ruined my life, turned elementals against their own courts, caused natural disasters all over the world, and killed thousands. But for me, this was personal. I wanted him to know the unbearable ache I felt. The misery of her loss that was with me in every breath I took. I deserved retribution. He owed me nothing less. “He doesn’t deserve any mercy.”
“If you truly feel that way, you are no better than him,” Selene replied. We watched Valac curl his body into a ball, whimpering and mumbling about his discomfort. “When we forgive those who harm us, we are released from the pain. Forgiveness is the only path to peace.”
The only peace I’d ever see was death. There was no going back for me. After this was over, my life no longer had purpose. But how was I supposed to make Valac pay when he was already hurting? It would be like beating a dead horse. There was no relief if he was unable to fight back. It was obvious I’d already won. I reached down and picked up the iron knife he’d used to stab me. “I’ll never forgive him for what he’s done. But I won’t stop you. Not for his benefit. Only for yours.”
She positioned her body next to his on the rock flooring, and sang a melody in his ear. Her voice was so soft I couldn’t make out the song. Valac closed his eyes and smiled. He was the happiest I’d ever seen him. Ethan came to stand by my side, seemingly protecting me in case of a surprise. I went down to my knees, raising the knife high above my head. Then I plunged the iron deep in Valac's chest. His back arched, but he didn’t make a sound. I pulled the blade out. The space around the incision burned and turned black. His skin slowly turned gray. Selene moved away as his body ignited into fire.
Within minutes, Valac was gone.
Selene’s eyes welled with tears as she stared at the pile of ash. I should’ve walked away, given her time to grieve. But I had to know. “Everything you said back there about Kalin. Was it true?”
“No,” she whimpered. “He had to believe the fight was over. Otherwise, he’d still be in that armor.”
“Thank you.” I wasn’t sure it was appropriate, but it was all I could think of to say.
“What should we do now?” Valac’s death had already taken its toll on her. The dark circles under her eyes made her look as if she’d aged ten years.
“Try to get some rest.” If everything was going as planned, Kalin would sacrifice herself to mend the mist. Rowan might need me during those final moments. After she was gone, I’d do everything I could to help him move forward. “I’m going to find Rowan.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kalin
“I want to fly,” I told Rowan.
His glare was curious. “You want to what?”
These last few weeks had left us very little time to ourselves. It seemed we were always needed at a council meeting or having to deal with the latest crisis in our courts. And now, we were running out of time. Soon, it would be goodbye. With that in mind, I wanted to make the most out of the time we had left together. I needed to forget about what had happened for a while. “You’ve never taken me flying.” I ran my hand over the tip of his shoulder. “I’d like to do that now.”
He smirked. “Where do you want to go?”
I wanted to go everywhere. There was so much I hadn’t done. So many places I wanted to visit. People I wanted to be with. But that wasn’t meant to be. “Somewhere quiet where we won’t be interrupted.”
Black-feathered wings shot out on eith
er side of him. They were so large it made me wonder how he didn’t fall over. He reached out for my hands, placing them around his neck. His arm went around my waist, pressing my body into his. Heat rose from the ground, collecting around my ankles. There was a tingle on the bottom of my feet. I’d read it had something to do with the magic needed to take flight. With his knees bent, he leapt up.
We were in the skies around Avalon. Wind rushed against my face and through my hair. I tightened my grip on his neck, and he chuckled. It was my first time being this high. I’d never even been in a plane. I tried not to focus on my dangling feet. Or the fact that he could drop me and I’d plunge back to the Earth like a missile. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on the sensations all around me. It was a cloudless day. The sun warmed my skin. This high in the air, the temperatures were a lot cooler. Almost like being in the mountains around the air court castle.
“Are you all right?” Rowan asked.
“I’m getting there.” That was the most honest answer I could’ve given him. It was unnerving up here, but I was safe with Rowan.
I opened my eyes, and took in the scenery as he flew us over the woodland territory. I was surprised to see just how tall those trees were. They grew higher than the ones in the mortal world. Some of them were a dozen stories high, like mini-skyscrapers. Curious pixie faeries flew up to greet us. Their wings reminded me of butterflies as they fluttered around us. One of them tried to land on Rowan’s shoulder, but he flicked him off with his finger.
As we glided over the ocean, he dipped low enough for me to reach out and touch the cool water. It was so clear that I was able to see down into the sea. A second before he took us higher, a mermaid rose out of the water and kissed my cheek. “This is amazing,” I said, resting my head against his chest.
“We’re here,” he replied, just as we landed on white sand.
It was a small patch of beach, surrounded by evergreen-forest-covered mountains. About a quarter mile away, I saw an entrance to a cave no more than ten feet wide. “Where are we?”
Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) Page 16