The large cave tunnels were solid rock. The walls were covered in lava, thumping like a heartbeat. Marcus had to swat the hands of a few hounds attempting to touch it. We strode over the ash-covered ground as we continued our journey to the core of the planet. Beyond the crackling of the burning fire, and Marcus smacking curious hands, the area was silent. None of the caves had artificial light. The flames illuminated every inch of space. The closer we got to the eternal flame, the more my body radiated with power. I had the urge to stretch my wings, but I remembered I no longer had them.
For the most part, I had gotten over losing my wings. Mending my friendship with Marcus had helped me to let go of those leftover emotions. That, and seeing the leader Kalin had become. We would all be in a far worse situation if I followed through with Prisma’s order. And I hated to imagine how lonely life would be without Kalin. When I am with her, everything makes sense. I wished she were here with me now. There was just something about Sebastian I didn’t like. I couldn’t say for sure what it was, but I intended to find out as soon as I dealt with this.
As I reached the end of the final tunnel, I looked upon a massive cave held up by rock pillars. The room was as large as an NFL football field and covered in a thick layer of steam. The wet heat took my breath. It was as if we had stepped inside a sauna. I should have brought water, but I didn’t think of it until now. The hounds around me took short breaths. Because they aren’t typical fire elementals, being down here may be difficult for them. Tension began to build in my shoulders. Whatever was going to happen here had to be done quickly.
I glanced at the other end of the room, noticing a small opening. With my hand held up, I urged the hounds not to follow me. Marcus did not obey my command. He had a knack for not listening to me. But now he was a king in his own right, so what could I say? From about fifty feet away, I examined the entrance. The door was just large enough for me to enter. Twisting balls of fire shot out but lost the flame before they hit the ground. From within the blaze, I could see the fire went back a long way. It could be miles or yards. Since no one had attempted what I was about to do, there was no way to know for sure.
It was the eternal flame.
I was about to take a closer look when Marcus pulled on my arm. “What are you planning to do?”
Overprotective didn’t begin to describe Marcus at this point. When he and Kalin had rescued me, he swore never to leave my side again. He had certainly kept his promise. Maybe a bit too much. “I’m pretty sure we’ve already established the answer to that question.”
He tightened his grip. “Aren’t you going to wait for Valac to get here?”
I snatched my arm back, making Marcus scowl. “I’m only going to take a closer look, that’s all.”
“Why have you summoned me here, false king?” a voice called out.
Valac.
I turned around. All at once, the hounds shifted into their animal forms. Once they were fully changed, I heard nothing but growling. They bared their teeth with spit foaming at the corners of their lips. They watched Marcus as if they were waiting on him for a signal. It didn’t take much to get the hounds all roused up. The possibility of battle brought out their feral nature. That made them the most deadly.
If the hounds intimidated Valac, he didn’t let it show. His entire army took up most of the space within the cave. He must have felt confident about his numbers. Little did he know that the bulk of my army waited within the fire court castle. As I was about to respond to Valac, Marcus blocked my path. He shielded me as he morphed into his hound form. His protective move didn’t surprise me. Marcus made it clear he wasn’t feeling optimistic about my plan. I only hoped he would not get in my way when I attempted to enter the eternal flame.
I twisted around Marcus, making eye contact with Valac. “I’m glad you brought your entire army with you. It saves me the trouble of having to repeat myself.”
“You asked me to meet you here for a reason,” Valac said with a wicked grin. “I assume you wish to surrender.”
I spoke loud enough to address the swarm of rogue elementals. “I don’t know what Valac has told you to get you to fight by his side, but I am offering you one opportunity to change your minds.” The walls echoed with the sounds of their laughter. “I am Rowan, the last remaining member of the House Djin, and the only child of Queen Prisma. I am the rightful king of the fire court.”
Valac clenched his fists at his sides. Reminding him that he was not a member of my family probably hit a sore spot. I was sure he saw himself as Prisma’s child and heir, certainly above me. “You may be the only remaining member of your house, but that says nothing of your leadership. You abandoned this court in favor of the air court. You went to war against us, standing alongside the air and woodland courts. Many members of this court died at the end of your blade. You are no leader for us.”
The crowd shouted in approval.
“It’s time to set the record straight. Every one of my actions had the best interest of my court in mind.” I pointed at Valac. “It was you who started the war between the courts by kidnapping King Taron. You used his lead knight, your biological father, to make the high council believe Queen Liana was behind the crime. The attacks against this court were the result of your actions. All because you want to rule. Because you want to wear the crown you don’t deserve.”
Whispers broke out among his army.
Valac’s face turned blood red with anger. He took several steps toward me. As he moved, the gabriel hounds encircled me, daring him to try to get past them. “You’re a liar. You will say anything to try to sway them. You have no proof of any of this.”
King Taron was my proof, but I could not prove anything in his absence. “I have all the proof I need.”
“Really? And what is that exactly?”
“The true king of the fire elementals can stand within the eternal flame, as Prisma did centuries ago when she created the first gabriel hounds.” I pointed to the doorway leading to the eternal flame. “If you are the true king, I challenge you to step inside that door and prove it to your army.”
“Do you take me for a fool?” Valac screamed. “No elemental, fire or otherwise, can step inside the eternal flame. Attempting such a feat would be suicide.”
I laughed. “You are a fool, Valac. You just proved my point. You refuse to enter the flames because you know you’re not the rightful king.”
Valac unsheathed a sword. “Fight me on the battlefield. The one left standing will be the true king.”
He had no intention of fighting me. That was a battle he’d lose without much effort from me. No, he planned to cower behind his rogue army and pray that they were enough to take me out. If I weren’t opposed to the bloodshed, I would end him right here. But that would most certainly ignite this war, and we’d lost enough fire elementals already. “Not only do you refuse to enter the fire, but now you wish to hide behind your army. Is that why you’ve campaigned so hard for support? Are you hoping they will win the crown for you?” I shouted directly to his army. “Is this the leader you want?”
Valac let out a frustrated growl. “You are nothing, Rowan. Your mother despised you. She sent you to the mortal world, wishing for your death. She would never want you to succeed her.”
If he was trying to hurt me with his words, he was out of luck. There would be no response from me, no shattered heart, or pained remorse. I was well aware of my mother’s feelings for me or lack thereof. I never felt any love for her, nor she for me. It took me a long time, but I’d let go of those feelings. Kalin was the one who’d brought me back. She’d shown me how to open up again to share part of myself. “Prisma’s feelings toward me have nothing to do with your ability to lead this court. You are no warrior. If you were, you would have challenged me for the throne. But we both know how that would end, don’t we?”
“I’ve had enough of your lies.” Valac pointed his blade in my direction. “I am giving you one last chance to surrender. Otherwise, I will order my ar
my to attack and leave no one alive. We will create a new, better court. You’re nothing more than a pebble in my shoe. A burden my mother was forced to tolerate.”
“You will order no such attack. Even now, I question whether your army will stand by you.” I spoke as loud as I could. “I will prove to you that I am the true king. I will stand in the eternal flame, and when I return unscathed, you will give me your allegiance.”
“By all means, Rowan.” Valac waved his hands, urging me toward the doorway. “I will be happy to watch you die.”
Prisma had told Valac the same story she told me. He knew the flame could unmake a fire elemental. That was the only way to explain his confidence. It didn’t matter to me either way. There was something about the inferno urging me forward. It was as if it somehow sensed my presence. There wasn’t much known about its power. The history books told us very little. The eldest members of our court decided the information was best kept a secret, even from our kind. I started to make my way over to the door when Marcus stepped in my path. He was still in his hound form, but the worry in his eyes told the story for him.
I put my hand on top of his furry head. “You have to let me do this.”
He whimpered, lowering his head.
My voice turned stern. “You need to make me a promise. No matter what happens, you do not go in there after me. I want you to swear on my life.” The hounds had been breathing heavily from the moment they set foot in this cave. The closer Marcus got to the flame, the more he fought to breathe. If he went in after me, I doubted he would survive. I needed to know he’d be okay before I could step in there.
Tears welled in his eyes as he nodded. A second later, he moved to let me pass by.
There was nothing left to do except enter the eternal flame.
With each step I took, the temperature increased. If I had to guess, I would say it was about as hot as the surface of the sun. A rush of heat blew against my face. Although it didn’t bother me, I still sensed its presence. Hot steam pressed against my skin. The inferno pulsated with energy. Fireballs spat out from the doorway, hissing as they flew by. I had to duck a few times, or else one would have smacked me right in the face.
When I reached the rock doorway, I glanced inside. Fire filled every crevice of the room that seemed to go on for miles. Round, flat-surfaced rocks made a pathway between the pools of smoking lava. I had no idea where the path led, but there were no other options. I stepped onto the first rock. I didn’t sink, which was a relief. I sprung onto each of the remaining rocks like I was a frog leaping on lily pads. I unsheathed my sword, preparing to throw it out of the room before it melted. To my surprise, the handle was cool. The eternal flame was more than just the core fire element.
It was something more, something magical.
The rock pathway led to a massive flat surface in the middle of pools of lava. I leaped onto it and circled, taking in everything around me. There were no caves. The only sound I heard was the crackling of the flames. Endless walls of fire surrounded me. Minus the ocean of lava, the inferno was everywhere. The yellow and orange burning light increased as if someone had added fuel to the flames. It got so intense I had to cover my eyes with the back of my hand. Something seemed to be happening. Everything around me pulsated like a heartbeat.
It felt alive.
A voice whispered in my mind. At first, I only heard my name repeated. Each time the voice was louder, clearer. Britta spoke to me the same way using telepathy. Were the spirits within the flame trying to communicate with me? I rubbed the back of my neck. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. There was no script for this. I decided the voice was waiting for me to answer back. I bent on one knee. “Hello,” I said out loud. “I am Rowan, son of Prisma from the House Djin. I came here—”
A deep voice answered back from within my head. “We know who you are, son of Prisma, the first queen.”
I kept looking around, expecting someone to come out of the fire. “Do you know why I am here?”
“You have come to be remade.”
I suddenly had visions of myself as a piece of Play-Doh. “No, I think I’m good.” I waved my palms out in front of me. “No complaints here.”
“We have watched you for some time, Prince Rowan of House Djin. We know of your struggles, the pain you endured to save another, the risks you took to secure the safety of our court. You have exhibited strength, knowledge, and selflessness. Are these not the characteristics of a worthy leader? Rise, young king, and accept our gift.”
I stood.
Before I could guess the meaning of the words, stinging pain shot through my entire body, unlike anything I had ever experienced. Torture far worse than having Marcus tear my wings from my body. Not the gift I wanted. “What are you doing to me?” I cried out. My teeth clenched, my eyes squeezed shut. The throbbing ache shifted almost entirely to my back. The scars felt as if they were opening while the skin stretched. Bones in my back shifted, relocating into different positions.
Was I being remade into a gabriel hound?
My knees buckled, and I hit the ground with a hard thump. Something tugged at my wrists as a brisk wind whipped around me. When I opened my eyes, I realized it was my shirt. Whatever was happening to my back had ripped my shirt in half. It felt similar to a knife slicing down my spine. I screamed out, unable to hold back. My back bowed. A moment later, I fell forward with blood dripping out of my nose. My face hit the hard ground.
I took turns panting and wailing from the sheer agony. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck. When I reached the point where I thought I could take no more, the pain ended. The sudden change took me by surprise. I continued to lie on the hard surface for another minute. I needed to make sure the pain wouldn’t return before I attempted to stand again. After a while, I managed to get onto all fours. But something was different. There was a heavy weight putting pressure on my back. I reached behind, and my fingers landed on something soft.
Feathers.
I rose to my feet. Black feathers stretched out on either side of my body. I ran my hand over them, still not believing what I was seeing. The feathers were exactly how I remembered them: soft on the edges and coarse at the tip. The cartilage and bones connecting them to me expanded. They were part of me, attached to my spine. I shook my head in total astonishment as happiness overwhelmed me. It was like Christmas, birthdays, and Disney World, all wrapped into one. I had never dared to dream I might know this feeling again.
Wings.
The eternal flame had returned my wings.
I fell to my knees, tears bursting from my eyes. My heart was beating a million miles a minute, yet it didn’t feel real. “Thank you,” I said out loud.
I didn’t wait for a response. There was a certain elemental on a power trip I needed to find. I backed up on the flat surface, giving myself some running room. I took off, hitting full speed after about five seconds. Leaping up, I spread my wings as far as they would expand. Air rushed between the individual feathers, tickling me. The hot wind whipped against my face. I was going fast, allowing my power to flow through my new wings. Soon I had the doorway in sight. I shot through it like a rocket.
The cave was crawling with fire elementals that emerged in war. Bloodied bodies lined the floor. The hounds were taking on multiple rogues at a time. Valac was likely responsible for this. He must have assumed I was dead. I truly had no idea how long I was in there. The pain made it seem like an eternity. I swooped down, clutching my sword in my hand. I twisted in between the clusters of fighting elementals.
I needed to get their attention.
“Enough,” I shouted. “Put down your weapons.”
I flew only a few feet above the fighting. Using my sword, I sliced in between the warriors to interrupt their attacks on one another. Slowly, the battle came to an end. Most stood with their mouths open with an expression of total shock. I was going for a big entrance. Judging by their astonishment, I succeeded. I landed on top of a broken pillar. From this height, I could
see them all. Marcus appeared from out of the crowd, and relief spilled over my shoulders. Blood dripped down from his mouth, but otherwise, he appeared to be okay.
I sheathed my sword. With my fists on my hips and wings flared at my sides, I said, “Now you have the proof you need. Swear your allegiance to me. This opportunity is your last chance.”
The gabriel hounds were the first to bow, lowering their massive heads. Rogue elementals lowered their weapons, letting them clank against the hard ground one at a time. Each of the remaining elementals bent on one knee. After all this time, I had finally done it. I united the fire court. Only one thing left on my to-do list: find Valac in the crowd and rip his throat out. “Where is Valac?” I asked. “Show yourself, coward.”
A bogie stepped forward, covered in blood. I wasn’t surprised to see bogies involved in the skirmish. They were well-known for their love of a good brawl. The creatures were half the size of a full-grown mortal, but extremely dangerous. They had a distinctive look. Coarse hair covered their bodies, except for their faces. Their large noses and pointy ears allowed them to hear and smell their prey from miles away. “I saw Valac leave some time ago,” he said. “A few elementals followed him.”
I don’t know why I was surprised. Valac did what I said he would do. There was never a plan for him to fight his own battle. He expected his army to do the dirty work. I would bet money he left when the fighting began. Little did he know that his luck was about to run out. “Now that I am king, I command that Valac be found and made to stand trial. He will be accountable for his crimes.”
I would end him and finally bring peace to the court of fire.
Chapter Eighteen
Kalin
I reached the pinnacle of frustration.
I couldn’t summon my power. Nothing. Not even the slightest glow of my aura. Zero. I put my hands over my face, screaming into my palms. There couldn’t be a worse time for all of this to happen. Too much was at stake. I’d reached a point where I was checking in on Dad every few hours, probably driving him nuts. He hadn’t made any improvement. His power was there, which was more than I could say for myself, but it was weak. Mom worried. I could tell by the creases across her forehead. As always, she kept her feelings to herself. She never wanted to burden me.
Mortal Enchantment Complete Box Set Page 41