Five (Elemental Enmity Series Book I) (40 page)

The three of them skulked behind me. I was soon too overwhelmed with what I was seeing to pay any attention to them. I lowered my shades. I wasn’t ready. I blinked back tears and replaced them. Shimmering crystal towers jutted above three story golden gates.

Who were they trying to keep out? King Kong?

We had to be at least a mile away from the enormous castle. Pastures of swaying tall grass flanked the road. Cute little cottages were nestled against the enormous redwood tree-line. People flowed out of the houses, coming toward me. Luke stepped to my left, Zach to my right. I could feel Jett’s solid steps dogging mine.

I looked into the faces of the hopeful. Why were they staring at me like that? They were beautiful people, but there wasn’t one single child among them.

What a sad existence. Children were the gift of God.

I grimaced. Oh, yeah. These people didn’t have one of those. I felt sorry for them.

Every person bowed as I passed then dropped to a knee. I was not royalty, and I didn’t want people treating me like that. I was no better than they were. So what if I had mystical power. They did too.

A black blur flew above us as if scouting for trouble. I wished he wasn’t so close. That thing scared the heck out of me.

The gates to the city swung wide as if in greeting. I braced myself for something spectacular.

It was. Just not what I expected.

I stared at a medieval village. The people within were dressed in their finery: shimmering silks and satins, rich velvets, impressive brocades. I felt completely underdressed.

Then I realized I wasn’t. Somewhere along the way, I had been draped in a glowing white ball-gown. Yeah. That looked good with my sun glasses. I didn’t know why I cared what these people thought about me, but it might have something to do with the expectations in their eyes.

The road wound upward to the castle. A grin spread along my lips. I was actually going to see a real one. And this one was cool. It was made entirely of crystal.

I could feel the multitude following us. Their emotions swirled around me, mingling with my own. Did they do this for every single Elemental?

The brightly colored buildings rose high above us. The one on the right gleamed as though built with ruby bricks. It couldn’t be, but that’s what it looked like. The next one shimmered iridescent in the bright sun-like opal.

I leaned over to Zach. “Are these made out of what I think they are?”

He smiled down on me, seemingly pleased I had asked him. “They are.”

I closed my gaping jaw. “But I didn’t think gems came that big.”

He chuckled. “We do not hide our wealth underground or in vaults. We keep it in the open for all to enjoy.”

I felt a pang of frustration having grown up in a relatively poor family, and there were so many people in my world way worse off than we had been. One sculpted brick could have provided for my entire town for the next hundred years.

The street narrowed as we drew closer to the castle. I looked behind me. A sea of people followed us.

We came to a grove of trees. The leaves were a brilliant orange, like the new bloom of a poppy. There was no breeze to speak of, but they swayed together as if dancing. I watched them as I passed under the glowing archway.

Gasping, I stopped to take in my first real view of the castle. My fingers flew to my mouth. Luke and Zach laughed, each placing an arm around me. I could feel them swatting at each other, but I didn’t care. I was looking at the most beautiful scene I could ever imagine.

A waterfall rushed from the top of the fairytale castle into a cloudy mist at the base, making the entire structure seem as if it was floating. The cool spray prickled my skin. Colorful birds flew overhead, singing an enchanting melody. The fragrance of the air became more intense with every breath. My head felt funny. I tried not to sway on my feet, but the experience was overwhelming.

The castle was enormous. The iridescent spires were capped in gold. The glowing blocks of stone were almost transparent, sort of like a shoji screen. I squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of the inside. Rushing forward, I picked up my skirts and skipped down the path enjoying this entirely too much. I couldn’t keep from smiling in wonder. I twisted and turned to see the source of every new sound. There was so much to take in. Weakness drained my body, but I didn’t want to miss anything at all.

The image before me swam. I blinked, but everything was skewed. When excruciating pain shot through my skull, I clutched my head then fell to the glowing earth.

Dove gray eyes gazed into mine, searching.

Too close.

Shocking white hair piled into a messy array. The scent of jasmine floated over me. A wild giggle, a prodding of skin.

Hungry blackness.

I lay in a bed cocooned in soft cloth, my muscles abnormally stiff. Downy pillows rested under my neck. Sensations came slowly. Soothing sounds of birdsong. The scent of leather and sandalwood. I blinked a few times just to make sure I was actually seeing this.

Luke and Zach were playing a game of chess over in the corner like old friends. The alabaster and jet board mimicked the differences between the two men. I tried to keep quiet. They laughed softly. I smiled fractionally.

They were the two most stunning men I had ever seen. I could feel the weight of a decision I didn’t want to make looming over me. How was I supposed to choose one of them? If I picked one, I would hurt the other. I didn’t want to care, but it was too late for that. I turned away.

If I couldn’t escape, maybe I should let that feral looking woman do it for me? She had been here recently. Her scent lingered beneath the others.

I heard the scrape of a chair against stone. Zach’s beautiful face hovered above me. Luke’s golden one not far from Zach’s.

I groaned, trying to sit up. Why was I so weak? I felt as though I was coming out of a deadly fever.

“Let me help you,” Zach said softly. He leaned into me and lifted me upright.

My pulse raced as always at his nearness. I breathed in deeply, hoping it would help. It didn’t.

Luke propped the pillows up behind me. His arm brushed mine. My heart couldn’t take this. I needed some space. I shifted away from them both.

To my surprise, neither one seemed offended. Zach offered me a drink.

I downed it greedily. “How long have I been out?” My voice cracked as though I hadn’t used it in a decade.

Luke sat on the bed. Zach moved to the other side. I didn’t get the look that passed between them. Had it been that long?

Luke grasped my fingers lightly. “We were beginning to worry you would never recover.”

“What happened to me?”

Zack spoke up first. “You do not have the protection of a solid connection. We tried to get Tabitha to choose one of us to complete the process, but she refused. She wasn’t sure which of us you belonged to.”

That made two of us. Maybe she wasn’t as crazy as she had seemed.

Luke grimaced, “Nothing like this has ever happened.”

I smiled weakly at them. “There’s a first time for everything.”

My words didn’t have the effect I expected. They both glared at me. Again, my fault.

Giggling women rushed into the room. They pushed at Luke and Zach, as if they could budge a statue.

Zach smiled down at me. My heart fluttered. I felt ridiculous.

“Time to leave. They’ll sick the royal guard on us if we don’t,” said Zach, smiling.

Luke brushed my fingers. “Just go with it. They won’t hurt you. This is an honor for them.”

A bit of my happiness left when they did. One of the women came to my side. She handed me a plate of food, smiling kindly.

“Thank you,” I said. I nibbled at the delicacies feeling too nervous to really eat.

The woman brought a hot pink melon to my lips. “You need your strength. Please, mistress, eat this.”

I obliged, but my stomach rebelled a little. I found I didn’t have the strength to refuse her. I finished everything on the plate and downed the drink she had given me. Hopefully it wouldn’t make a return journey.

The other two women pulled my covers away. I shivered.

“Are you cold?” one of them asked.

Wasn’t it obvious? I nodded anyway. She closed her eyes and warmth caressed my skin. I smiled at her.

“My name is Grindell.” She pointed to the woman standing next to her. “This is Elise.”

“I am Shaerie,” the woman that had given me the food said.

They would be hard to tell apart. They all were tall with flowing blond hair, golden satin skin, and blue eyes like Luke. Were they his sisters?

“We need to get started. You will come with us.” Her words held a subtle but undeniable command.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. “What are you going to do?”

“Prepare you for the ritual,” Grindell said as though stunned I didn’t already know what was going to happen.

The cool glowing tiles chilled my bare toes. The lovely pink satin nightgown I was in didn’t do much to take away the chill.
Might as well get it over with
. When I stood, I swayed a little.

Shaerie placed a hand at my elbow. “This way, miss.”

She led me down the hall to a large bathroom. A Romanesque steaming pool rested in the middle of the room. We had to be up pretty high. Blue sky shone through the Grecian columns. There were no outside walls or windows.

I felt my clothing disappear and swallowed hard. Thankfully, the women didn’t look at me as we proceeded into the water. I dipped underneath, the warmth spreading through me.

This wasn’t ordinary water. My insides sizzled with something intangible yet frightening. Would I even recognize myself when this was done? My scar prickled with sensations, not alarming, but strange none the less. I had expected it to vanish, but it was still there when I stood up. Oh well. I sighed as the women washed my body and hair. We emerged from the pool completely dry. They rubbed oil all over me.

In another instant, a new gown caressed my skin, white and weightless as a cumulous cloud. I ran my fingers along the shining fabric. It was sort of like silk, but I wasn’t sure.

“The fibers are collected from the nest of the alspeca spider,” Grindell said as if reading my mind.

I cringed. “This is made from a spider web?”

“Not so different than wearing the cocoon of the silkworm, I think.”

Eww. I didn’t want to know this. Even so, the fabric was light as chiffon. I shifted some through my fingers. It caught the light, reflecting a prism on the wall. Beautiful.

Elise led me to a bench overlooking the green valley. She guided me down when I stood rigidly in terror. I didn’t like being so close to the edge.

Her gaze slid over the picturesque scene. It was stunning. I didn’t want to think about how high we were, or the fact that nothing shielded me from the open air. One shove and I would plummet into the mist below.

“There is no place in your realm that compares to this, don’t you think?” Grindell said from over my shoulder.

“I wouldn’t know,” I said sadly. “I didn’t exactly get out much.”

They laughed. The sound was comforting. Maybe these people weren’t so different than humans. From their perspective, I wasn’t even human.