Mortal Enchantment (3 page)

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

The corner of his mouth curled into a half smile, and my legs felt like Jello. “I’m going to try to transfer some of my energy to you. That should be enough to increase your natural healing velocity.”

Huh?

He closed his eyes and I closed mine. The wound sparked like tiny little prickles. I fought hard not to pull my hand back. A rush of pressure filled the incision as if water was running through it. Seconds later, I felt a tug and was sure the skin around the edges of the wound had closed back together. I opened my eyes. White light crept through the cracks of our overlapping hands. Rowan opened his eyes and the light faded. As he backed away, I peered down at my forearm. The cut had disappeared. All that was left was a fine pink line.

“How did you do that? Did my father teach you that?” Without answering, he started down another path. I sped up until my pace matched his and we walked side by side. “Yeah, sure. No need to answer my question.”

“Why didn't Taron allow you to visit Avalon?” he blurted, changing the subject. “I mean, it's not like he could come to you.”

No, he couldn't. Elementals were not immortal. The magical veil prevented aging as long as they remained in Avalon. The moment they left, time would gradually catch-up and they would age as they were supposed to. And since Dad was one of the oldest elementals, he surpassed his natural aging by a few centuries. Travelling into the mortal world would have killed him within weeks. “It was an arrangement he made with my mother. They wanted me to have a mortal childhood. But, he did visit with me in my dreams.”

“Clever,” he replied, but I wasn't sure if he was talking to himself or me. “What did he teach you about our world?”

Rowan certainly had a lot of questions for someone who didn't like answering them. “Surprisingly, nothing about you. Care to fill in the blanks?”

He cleared his throat. “Another time.”

The leaves rustled in a nearby shrub. Rowan put his hand out, blocking my mid-section. We stood still, watching the bush. “It's probably just a rabbit or a squirrel,” I said. Another twig snapped, tension built in my shoulders. Then I heard tiny voices. “Or, maybe not.”

He reached behind his back and a leather sheath appeared with a sword inside. I stared at him curiously. Being part of a royal family meant I could usually see through an elemental glamour. If he could hide his sword from me, he came from a strong lineage. I wondered what else he was concealing under a glamour.

“Show yourself,” he ordered, unleashing his weapon. He swung it once as if it was meant to be a warning.

Two little elves—walking garden ornaments was more like it—stepped into view. They didn’t wear pointy hats, but they did have chubby faces and little pot bellies. I covered my grin, fighting the urge to pick them up and kiss their cute faces.

I was sure the empty expression across Rowan's face meant he was not amused. He pointed his sword at them. “Why are you following us?”

One elf waved his hand. “We mean no harm. No harm here. We saw you travel the pathway. You don't look familiar.”

The other crossed his arms with his eyes squinted. “These forests belong to the woodland court after all.”

Rowan took another step toward them. “We don't owe you any―”

I placed my hand on his shoulder. He stopped mid-sentence which took me by surprise. I smiled to put the elves at ease. “I'm Kalin, daughter of King Taron. I'm looking for him. He's in a council meeting somewhere in this forest.”

Both elves nodded with delight. “Yes, yes! We know where to find the council meeting.” They pointed farther into the distance. “Stay along this pathway and you'll―”

“I know the way.” Rowan rudely announced.

The elves didn't say another word. I watched them as they disappeared into the trees.

I rolled my eyes at Rowan. “Your manners are impeccable. You must have tons of friends.”

His jaw clenched. “They were wasting our time.”

What a douchebag.
“They were only trying to help.”

He slid his sword back into its sheath, and then arched an eyebrow. “I don't remember asking for it.”

Rowan was cocky, impatient, and downright infuriating. He winked and my stomach felt like a hundred dragonflies were doing summersaults. Nope, I refused to be attracted to him.

We moved quickly as we made our way through the vast forest until we came to a stop in front of a wall of hanging green vines splayed across a large boulder.

Rowan pushed the strands out of the way to reveal another glamoured entrance. He stood there motionless for a few awkward moments. Both his hands were tightly fisted. He seemed reluctant to go in there, which only put my own nerves even more on edge.

“The council meeting should've already started,” he said, in a monotone voice. “I guess it's time to make our grand entrance.”

My whole body tensed. I was about to meet my father. I glanced at my clothes and cringed. Covered in dirt and blood, I attempted to brush off the grime. I failed. I tried one last time to run my shaking fingers through my knotted hair. There was no fixing this disaster—I was a hot mess. I’d run out of options. Nothing left to do now but suck it up and follow him. After taking a few short, panicked breaths, I stepped inside.

I can’t believe I'm walking in here like this.

The council room was a massive landing of wooden planks. Perched on top of a waterfall, the will-o'-the-wisps circled our heads like floating tea lights. Rushing water flowed beneath, and a spectacular mountain range sat in the distance. It was as if we’d stumbled into a landscape painting.

Elementals in scattered groups took up most of the space. Almost all of them had turned when we entered. They immediately ducked their heads, whispering to each other, but no one came to greet us. An uncomfortable feeling swept over me. There were so many people staring at me at one time.

My unease must have been obvious because Rowan leaned down and whispered, “Don't worry, I promise they're not staring at you.”

I shook my head with total perplexity. “How do you know that?”

He didn't respond…again.

I stood on my tippy-toes to see over the crowd. At the far side of the enormous balcony, four marble chairs were strategically placed in a half moon formation. The top of each bore an etched circular symbol of the different courts: three blue circles for water, three entwined yellow twisting balls 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.

My eyebrows knit together when I didn’t see Dad among them. I did make eye contact with Jarrod―his lead knight―who was sitting in the air court seat. He had been sent many times to bring me books, birthday presents, and other assorted gifts. But, why was he in Dad’s place? Jarrod smiled when he noticed me. A second later, he nearly jolted out of the chair when he saw Rowan. His reaction seemed really odd. Then I watched each of the council member’s eyes shifting from me to Rowan.

A united gasp from the council caused every elemental who wasn't already staring at us to turn around. The noise was sucked out of the room as if everyone stopped breathing. All I could manage was an awkward smile and a weird wave of my hand. Imagining how
stupid
I must look made my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

A woman 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 nodded, heading toward her. Once they were by her side, she pointed her finger at Rowan. 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. As the crowd backed up, smoke rose from the skin on their forearms. The room filled with screams. One elemental caught fire. Many ran for the exit. Dad told me the weaker elementals couldn’t withstand the presence of iron, but I had no idea they would actually burn.

Rowan pointed the curved blade at the fire queen. “You will answer for your crimes before this court.”

The three muscular fire court elementals surrounding Liana bent down on all fours. They howled, and the wooden planks shook. My heart pounded like a drum. They were the same unmistakable cries as the ones we’d heard in the forest right before we entered the pathway.

Gabriel Hounds.

The rips from their clothing filled the air, tearing 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. I clasped my hand over my mouth as their faces morphed into something close to a panther. Fire burned in their ruby colored eyes. When the transformations were complete, they 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.

Rowan was either the bravest person I had ever met or the most stupid.

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

Liana smiled, eyes wild with excitement. Clearly, she was hoping for a bloody battle. Jarrod extended his arm toward the skies with his fingers spread, summoning the air element. Gusts of air whipped all around us. My hair flew into my face. Lightning sizzled in the skies while a swirling wind the size of a basketball appeared above his palm. A second later, the hounds backed up behind Liana. Rowan waited for Jarrod to calm the storm before he pointed his blade toward the ground.

Everyone who remained―especially me― took a collective exhale.

Jarrod sat back down in the chair, but Liana remained standing in defiance. I stood in the same spot, totally dumbfounded, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but 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?

Everyone looked in my direction, but no one answered my question.

Instead, their attention returned to Liana who sneered at Rowan as if she was about to chew his face off. Her fists ignited into flames as she said, “You dare come here and make accusations against me?”

Rowan stepped closer, yanking the necklace from his pocket. With the medallion raised above his head, he faced the crowd. “The fire court ordered an attack on the daughter of the air court king. This necklace belonged to 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 were done, Jarrod said, “It cannot be coincidence that this crime took place around the same time as Taron’s disappearance.”

I reeled back, stung by his words. “Wait, what? Did you say my father has disappeared?” Again, utterly ignored. It was as if I was the only one who heard my voice. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. I had never been so angry in my entire life.

Liana glared at Jarrod with even more fierceness. “This is nothing more than a smear campaign against my court. The assassin in question who wears that necklace 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 woman who attacked me. Liana extinguished the flame coming from her hands before she reached for the necklace around the woman’s neck. She removed it and flashed the medallion around the room. The charm was an exact match to the other medallion that Jarrod held. “As you can see, Malin was never sent to attack the halfling.” She narrowed her gaze at Rowan and me. “They have been deceived by a glamour.”

The council members and Rowan shouted. The arguments were so loud that birds flew out of nearby trees to escape what I assumed they thought was a threat. All that the council members cared about was who to blame. My arms trembled, wanting to strangle each one of them. Instead, I shook my head with disgust. I’d had enough. “Stop!” I shouted. “Your bickering isn’t going to resolve anything.” They were silent. “Now that I finally have your attention, I want to know what happened to my father!”

Rowan ran his fingers through his hair. Under his breath, he said, “I warned Taron that something like this would happen. He should’ve listened to me.”

“You knew my father was missing and you didn’t tell me?” He opened his mouth, but I held up my hand. Every confusing thing he had said now made sense. “That’s why you didn’t want to bring me here!”

Rowan rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “No, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t know he was missing.”

All the anger was suddenly replaced with overwhelming fear. I didn’t know who I could trust. I was alone. I was in danger. Dad was gone, maybe even dead. I crossed my arms, drawing them tightly into my ribs. I tried to pull myself together while my life shattered in front of me. My throat tightened. I couldn't breathe. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of my lungs. At the same time, my mind flooded with questions. What was I supposed to do? I wouldn't even know where to start looking. Was my father attacked? What if he was hurt? “This can’t be happening! I have to get out of here.” My voice cracked as I willed the tears not to release. I pushed my way through the crowd and out the glamoured door. Jarrod yelled something, but I refused to stop. I ran through the forest aimlessly for what felt like miles until I collapsed near a patch of berry bushes. I pulled my knees into my chest and buried my face in my folded arms. I had never felt so alone. I wish Mom was here to help me through this.