Mortal Enchantment Complete Box Set

by Stacey O'Neale

  I glared at him with eyes wide. “How do you know that?”

  He didn’t respond.

  I stood on my tippy-toes to see over the crowd. At the far side of the enormous landing, four strategically placed marble chairs were in a half-moon formation. The top of each chair bore an etched circular symbol of the different courts: three blue circles for water, three yellow flowing waves for air, burning red flames for fire, and a green tree with roots for the woodland court. I had read all about the council meetings. The elementals sitting in those chairs were the elders of each court.

  Dad wasn’t among them. My eyebrows knit together when I noticed Jarrod sitting in his chair. His lead knight had been sent many times to bring me books, birthday presents, and other assorted gifts. But why was he here? Jarrod bowed his head, and then he noticed Rowan. His entire body stiffened. At first, his reaction seemed odd. Then I watched as each of the council members seemed to let out a united gasp. Every elemental who wasn’t already staring at us turned around. A hush came over the crowd. It was as if everyone stopped breathing, and all I could manage was an awkward smile.

  A female rose from the fire court chair. Her blond hair hung loose down her back. She wore the ceremonial council robes I recognized from one of my books. I had no doubt she was the fire queen, Liana. She glared at three body-builder-looking elementals in black suits standing on the adjacent side of the room. They strode toward her. Once they were by her side, she pointed her finger at Rowan, and her entire hand ignited in flame. “Escort the deserter out of these proceedings immediately!”

  That was what the assassin called him. But what did it mean?

  He reached behind his head, releasing his blade from the leather sheath. The blade seemed to glow under the moonlight. A few elementals backed away from us, screaming as smoke rose from the skin on their forearms. I put my hand over my mouth. A group of five or so ran into a nearby portal and disappeared.

  Rowan pointed the curved blade at the fire queen. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  The three buff elementals surrounding Liana bent down on all fours. They howled, and the wooden planks shook. My heart pounded like a drum. Were we all about to take a nosedive down the waterfall? All the panicked cries made me realize I wasn’t the only one contemplating this potential outcome. I scrambled to find something steady in case this went south.

  When the shaking stopped, I realized they were gabriel hounds.

  The rips from their clothing filled the air as the clothes tore right off their backs. Black fur covered their skin while muscles bubbled from their backs and shoulders. Each one doubled in size. Thick, black claws replaced their fingers, and their faces morphed into something close to a panther. Fire burned in their ruby-colored eyes.

  When their transformations finished, they each glared at Rowan.

  My stomach twisted like a pretzel. Rowan shifted closer, his body now directly in front of mine. With his free hand, he waved them on as if welcoming the challenge. I froze. Rowan was either the bravest person I had ever met or the epitome of stupidity.

  Jarrod positioned himself in between them and us. With his hands extended on each side, he stared at the fire queen and shouted, “Enough of this! Call them off, Liana.”

  She smiled. Jarrod’s command didn't threaten her. He extended his arm toward the skies with his fingers spread, summoning the air element. Gusts of air whipped all around us, blowing my hair into my face. A swirling wind, the size of a basketball appeared above his palm. The hounds backed up. Rowan waited for Jarrod to calm the storm before he pointed his blade toward the ground.

  Everyone who remained took a collective exhale.

  Jarrod sat back down in the chair, but Liana remained standing in defiance. I stood in the same spot completely dumbfounded as I tried to make sense of everything that had happened. My list of questions grew with each passing moment. There was one question that lingered above all. One question they would answer now.

  “Where is my father?”

  Chapter Four

  Kalin

  They each looked in my direction but remained silent.

  Instead of answering, their attention shifted back to Liana. She sneered at Rowan like she was about to chew his face off. Her fists ignited into flames. “You dare come here and make accusations against me?”

  Rowan stepped closer, yanking Malin’s necklace from his pocket. With the medallion raised high for everyone to see, he faced the crowd. “The fire court ordered an attack on the daughter of the air court king. This necklace is all that’s left of the queen’s assassin.” Whispers spread over the remaining group. Rowan turned, throwing the jewelry at the feet of the council members. “I demand that Liana answer for her crimes against the air court.”

  Jarrod picked the necklace up off the floor. The other two air court council members joined as he examined the evidence. Once they finished, Jarrod said, “It cannot be a coincidence that this crime took place at the same time as Taron’s disappearance.”

  I reeled back, stung by his words. “Wait. What? Did you say my father is missing?” Again, utterly ignored. It was as if none of them heard my voice. Filled with anger, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs.

  Liana glared at Jarrod with even more fierceness. “This is nothing more than a smear campaign against my court. The assassin in question is the captain of my guard, and she is very much alive.” As she spoke, a ball of fire ignited next to her. The flame grew larger, molding into the shape of the female who attacked me. I gasped. Liana snatched the necklace from Malin’s neck and held it out to the air court council members. “Here’s your proof.”

  Jarrod compared the two necklaces. “They are identical.”

  “As I said, Malin was never sent to attack the halfling.” Liana narrowed her gaze at Rowan and me. “They have been deceived by a glamour.”

  “If it were a glamour, most of us would be able to see right through it,” Rowan argued. “This necklace belongs to someone else within your guard.”

  Arguments broke out in every direction. Liana screamed at Rowan, while members of the air court council yelled at both of them. The sound of their combined voices rippled through the trees. Nearby animals scurried away as if they sensed the danger. This situation was going nowhere. All they seemed to care about was who to blame.

  All the while, my father was missing. He could be hurt or worse, and I couldn’t get an answer out of any of them. My hands trembled. “Stop,” I shouted over the top of them. “Your bickering isn’t going to resolve anything.” The room silenced. “Now that I finally have your attention, I demand to know what happened to my father.”

  “Demand,” Liana chuckled. “You’re in no position to demand anything from this council.”

  “I’m the princess of the air court and sole heir of my house. That gives me the right to demand anything I want from this high council.”

  “You are a halfling who’s lived your entire life among mortals,” Liana countered, dismissing me with her hand. “I’m not sure you’re even half elemental.”

  “That’s enough, Liana.” I turned my head. As he stepped into my line of vision, I recognized him immediately. It was Orion, king of the woodland court and best friend of my father. “Kalin may have a mortal mother, but she is the daughter of a king. She has every right to ask about her father.”

  I bowed to him. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  Orion took my hands and kissed them. “I’ve heard so much about you that I feel like I’ve known you all your life.”

  I felt the same toward him. Dad had spoken about his closest friend on many occasions. Our courts had supported each other for centuries. “Can you tell me what happened to my father?”

  “I only heard about his disappearance moments before your arrival.” His eyes peered into mine with intensity. “I can’t tell you what happened, but I will use all of my resources to find him. I swear it.”

  “And what shall we do in the meantime?” Liana asked. “The court cannot remain i
n limbo. The elements are unbalanced. I’m sure you all feel it as I do. The court of air must have a leader.”

  “I will be the leader,” I announced. Snickers broke out from the crowd, but I kept my head held high. “I am the sole heir of my court.”

  Elementals from the air court stood in a circle. They weren’t members of the high court, but they were likely part of the air court council. Jarrod was one of them, but I didn’t know the others. An older female with a long, white-blond braid approached. “Queen Liana is correct. We will have to convene with the rest of our council before we elect a new king.”

  “Didn’t you hear what I said?” I shouted, immediately regretting the emotional display. In a stronger tone, I said, “I will lead our court until my father returns.”

  The older air elemental glared back at me. “All of the knights assigned to protect your father are dead, and there has been no ransom message. What hope is there that your father is alive?”

  Her words burned me like a branding iron. Was there no hope? “If he doesn’t return, I will lead our court.”

  The elder female held up her palm as if to silence me. “You know nothing of our world. You have no training. You are little more than a child.”

  Jarrod came forward. “There will be no election. We are capable of controlling our element until our king returns. There is no need to panic at this time.”

  At this time? How much time before they decided we needed a new royal family? “We need to focus our energy on finding my father. King Orion has already offered his help. Can we count on the other courts to assist?” I turned my attention to Britta, the water queen. She remained silent, but she did nod her head in agreement. As far as I knew, she never spoke.

  Liana narrowed her eyes at me. “We will follow the commands of the high court.”

  “That doesn’t sound like an agreement to me.” Rowan interrupted.

  A fire ignited in Liana’s hand. “I couldn’t care less how you feel, shadow prince.”

  A heap of leaves swirled around Liana like a tornado. As she swatted them away, her fire extinguished. “How dare you,” she shouted at Orion.

  Orion fisted his hand and thrust his arm to the side. The leaves returned to the tree. “Rowan is the rightful heir to the court of fire,” he snarled. “In my presence, you will show him respect.”

  My mouth fell open as I tried to digest his words. Rowan wasn’t just a powerful elemental or high born. He was the fire court prince. I turned to face him, but his eyes focused on Liana. I knew the answer, but for some reason, I needed to hear it from him. “You’re a prince?”

  Rowan spoke through clenched teeth. “Not anymore.”

  That’s why he was so mysterious. All the pieces were coming together. “You were in the woods during my attack.” I put some distance between us. “You were with them.”

  “No, I wasn’t.” Rowan slid his sword back in its sheath. “Kalin—”

  I shook my head. “Why should I trust you?”

  “You shouldn’t,” Liana added.

  “Enough,” Orion ordered.

  Why was Orion taking up for Rowan? Shouldn’t he ask why Rowan was in the forest when someone tried to murder me? It made no sense. None of this did. I tried to wrap my mind around everything. The high council was too busy bickering with one another to get anything done. Dad was gone. Rowan lied to me. I was alone in this new world, and I didn’t know who I could trust. How could I ever hope to find him? I had no clue where to even begin. It all seemed hopeless.

  A lump swelled in my throat, and I swallowed hard. I wanted to go home. Back to my old life where everything made sense, but I couldn’t. I would never abandon my father. However impossible it seemed, I’d find him myself. What I needed was time to clear my head. “I have to get out of here.”

  I pushed my way through the crowd and headed toward the glamoured door as tears welled in my eyes. I wouldn’t let them see me cry. Jarrod yelled something, but I kept going. Once I came out the other side, I ran through the forest aimlessly for what felt like miles. I finally collapsed near a patch of berry bushes, pulled my knees into my chest, and buried my face in my folded arms. I had never felt so alone. I wished Mom were here to help me through this.

  Leaves crunched under the thump of fast-paced footsteps, and I tensed. The noise ceased, and I scanned the area. Rowan appeared and leaned against a nearby tree with his arms crossed. “Am I always going to have to chase you through the forest?”

  “Leave me alone.”

  “I can’t,” he insisted in a monotone voice.

  “You lied to me,” I yelled, not caring how childish I sounded.

  He waved his hands in front of him. “Not telling you and lying are two very different things.”

  I rolled my eyes. “They’re not that different.”

  “When you meet someone new, do you immediately tell them your life story?”

  When he said it like that it did make sense, why would he tell me anything? We were strangers up until today. “No, but you had plenty of other chances.”

  His hands fisted at his sides.

  “I won’t leave you out here alone. It’s not safe.” He let out a long sigh, then continued. “No matter what you think of me, I will remain by your side until your father returns.”

  He made it clear he wasn’t budging. I still didn’t trust him. Maybe I never would, but I had to admit I felt safest with him. I rubbed my swollen eyes. Even though my life seemed to be crumbling all around me, I wouldn’t allow myself to fall apart again. My parents raised me to be a leader. I had to find the strength to get through this and search for my father. “This is a nightmare.”

  He stared blankly into the distance. “There are worse things.”

  “Thanks for the pep talk.” I rubbed my hoodie sleeve across my tear-stained cheeks. “Was that meant to be comforting? If so, epic fail.”

  There was a long silence. It was as if he were contemplating what he was about to say. After what seemed like forever, he bent down and gently placed a hand on top of my forearm. Little goosebumps formed around the area where our skin touched. Why did he have this effect on me, even now, at quite possibly the worst moment of my life? I wanted to smack myself.

  “I can’t change what happened, but I will help you find your father.” He pointed over his shoulder. “Let’s start by returning to the council meeting.”

  “Go back to the council?” I questioned. “Even the fire court doesn’t trust you.”

  “Your father trusted me.” He rose and then held out his hand. “That probably doesn’t mean much to you, but it meant everything to me. Trust that I want to find him as much as you do.”

  I stood without his assistance.

  He put his hands in his pockets. When our eyes locked, I felt the genuine warmth in his stare. I was probably crazy, and without question desperate, but I believed him. “Why do we need the council?”

  “I don’t trust the fire court, but I still have faith in the high council.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “If you plan to rescue Taron, you’re going to need allies.”

  Did my father need to be rescued? Like the council, Rowan seemed to believe something bad had happened to him. My worst fears crept to the surface, making my chest ache. In the back of my mind, I had hoped this was all a mistake. That was naïve, I suppose. Maybe the best thing I could do was take his advice. If he felt the council could help me, then I should return to the meeting and see what they suggest.

  I nodded. “Okay, I get it. Let’s go back.”

  We returned through the portal and discovered that the high council was gone. Only Jarrod stayed behind. The rushing water underneath the wooden planks echoed through the surrounding trees. Jarrod leaned against the armrest of Dad’s chair. Beyond the scar running down the side of his cheek, he looked like a politician in his yellow council robe. The tiny wrinkles on the corners of his eyes made him appear a bit older than most, but thanks to the magical veil surrounding Avalon that stopped aging, it was imp
ossible to tell how old anyone was.

  Beyond the scar, his only distinguishable trait was his short, white-blond beard. Most elementals couldn’t grow them because they remained in Avalon after they reached physical maturity. Dad told me Jarrod had visited the mortal world many times, which was why he appeared older than most. I imagined it must be hard to have to remain in Avalon when there was a huge world outside.

  He bowed. “I’m pleased to see you, Princess. My apologies for the treatment you received when you first arrived. Even after all these centuries, some in the council still look down upon halflings, even the ones with royal blood.”

  I wasn’t surprised—the council made their disapproval known when they spoke to me. I added them to my growing list of problems. “I’ll have to worry about that later. Right now, I needed to know what happened. Where were you when my father disappeared?”

  “I was sent to check on the preparations for your arrival. Before I left, your father said he wanted some time by himself to meditate on the mountainside. When I returned, all the other guards were dead, and he was gone. I sent out a large search party, nearly every knight in the castle, but there were no traces of him anywhere.”

  My eyebrows furrowed. “How could you leave my father alone?”

  Jarrod’s tone intensified. “We follow the orders of our king. There was no reason for us to expect an attack.”

  I instantly regretted my behavior. Jarrod had been by my father’s side my whole life. He was probably hurting as much as I was. “I’m sorry I came at you with accusations. You’ve been a great friend to my father, and it’s wrong to assume—”

  Rowan let out a low growl, stepping in front of me. He was right up in Jarrod’s face. “No reason to expect an attack? I can think of plenty of reasons.”

  Jarrod stood, unmoving. He was not easily intimidated. “We follow the orders of our king. That’s what you do when you’re loyal to your court. But I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”