Mortal Enchantment (5 page)

He shook his head. “That’s impossible, Princess. You must prepare for the Midwinter’s Ball. It’s only five days away. With your father missing, there’s much left to be done.”

The Ball was the way the elementals celebrated the seasonal power shift. To keep the four elements in balance, each court reigned over three months of every year. The air court was about to take power, but under the circumstances, I could not imagine Dad would have wanted me to focus on the celebration. “Can't we postpone this until Dad is found?”

Jarrod rubbed his beard stubble. “If there was a way, I would’ve done it the moment we discovered King Taron was missing. Unfortunately, we have no choice. We can't risk the elements shifting out of balance. The Ball must happen as scheduled, even if the king is not found in time.”

In all the turmoil, I had forgotten about the power display. During the seasonal power shift, the royal family ascending to power must prove they have full control of their element. During the ceremony, they are challenged by another elemental court. If they win the challenge, their elemental court will reign for the next three-month period. My neck muscles tightened as if two boulders had been placed in between my shoulder blades. “You know I haven’t been trained.”

“There is no one else, Princess.” Jarrod explained. “Each royal house has to prove they are worthy of the power they will receive.”

My hands trembled. Before anyone noticed, I shoved them in my jean pockets. Dad had performed so many power displays over the years; I wasn’t sure what was expected. “What kind of
display
?”

“The fire court is currently in power which means Liana will perform the ceremony. She will likely create a large fireball, which you must extinguish using only your air court magic.”

Oh, you mean the magic I don’t know how to use? Perfect.
“I have to put out a fireball? Like, one that’s being thrown at me?” This day had been one disaster after another. My palms sweated. “That’s not even possible.” I searched for a way out. “I know the rules, but under the circumstances, can’t you do it?”

“I cannot,” he insisted. “It must be done by a member of the House of Paralda. Otherwise, you forfeit your titles.”

This was all up to me and there was no way out. If Dad wasn’t found, I would be the one person expected to perform the power display. The uncertainty set in and I panted as if I was about to have a panic attack. “What if I can’t? What if—”

“You have to,” Rowan said. “It must be done.”

I laughed nervously. “No pressure there.”

Rowan came to stand directly in front of me. “I’ll teach you.” He smelled like the cinnamon incense I used to burn in my bedroom. I leaned closer to take in more of his scent, and then abruptly stopped.
What am I doing?

“That’s not necessary.” I was startled at the sound of Jarrod’s voice. When the hot guy fog melted away, I turned my attention back to Jarrod―who was scowling at Rowan―like at any moment he might pounce. “She will be taught by a member of
our
court.”

Even through the thick tension, Rowan’s shoulders never stiffened, his jaw never hardened. Slowly, he shifted to face Jarrod. “I’m sure you can imagine why I would be the appropriate person in this matter.”

Appropriate? What did he mean? Rowan wasn’t part of the air court, so how could he help? What was with all the hostility between them?

Jarrod paused for a long minute. I was about to say something when he broke the silence. “Very well, you can start training in the morning.”

Jarrod bowed and walked away.

Rowan’s eyes met mine, and he winked before following Jarrod. They headed down the side corridor.

I was caught in a nightmare. Dad was missing, and now I had to master a power I didn't know how to control,
in only five days
. Maybe there was a chance I could find him. As far back as I could remember, Dad appeared in my dreams. If he were in trouble, he would come to me and tell me where he was. Suddenly, sleep was exactly what I wanted to do.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder. The room had emptied except for Ariel and me. She took a quick glance around. “I imagine this is all quite overwhelming.”

Biggest understatement ever!
“Yeah, you could say that.”

She smiled. “I’m happy to help you get adjusted.”

I scratched the back of my head. “You mean you want to help with the power training, too?” The upside seemed to be that everyone was willing to jump in and help. Either that, or like me, they knew this situation was a disaster in the making.

She giggled with excitement. “Oh, there’s much more to being a princess than power.”

Ariel led me up several staircases and down a long, dimmed hallway. The winds blew out several of the candles giving the walkway a gothic hue. The only sounds were our footsteps and the occasional popping in my ears from the high elevation.

“What do you mean by,
more to being a
princess than power
?” I asked, wondering what else I would be expected to do.

She turned around and smiled. “You have a prestigious position in our court and you’ll be expected to act accordingly. Most likely you will need etiquette lessons so you can fit in.”

“
Etiquette lessons?
”

“The way you talk, walk, eat…everything has to be perfected.” I raised an eyebrow, and she continued. “Appearances are everything at court.”

Then it clicked; in the eyes of the court members, I was a homely halfling—not their equal in any way. I would have to prove myself so they would help me. I hadn’t been here for one full day and I was already sick of all the bureaucratic snobbery.

The thought of kissing their asses made me a bit nauseous and I frowned. Ariel must have noticed. “I know you’ll pick up on it very quickly,” she said confidently. “And after that’s over, we get to the really fun stuff.”

My tone soured. “Like what?”

“Well for starters, you can’t go to a ball without a gown! You’ll be so beautiful,” she gushed. “We will meet with the seamstresses and they will create your dress from scratch.”

Ariel continued talking, but my mind was on the events of the day. I wasn’t sure what my next move should be, or who I should trust. One thing was for sure, the life I imagined with Dad was nothing close to reality. If I spent any more time thinking about this my head might explode. I desperately needed a topic change. “How did you get stuck as my tour guide anyway?”

“I volunteered. It’s a great honor to work at court, and especially for you, Princess.”

I came to a complete stop.

“Okay, I get this whole princess thing and wanting to be proper, but I’d really appreciate it if you called me Kalin.”

I would prefer to make a friend than have a personal assistant. In my old life, I couldn’t tell anyone I was a half-mortal, half-elemental princess, destined to rule the air court of Avalon. No one knew this huge part of my impending future. It was as if I was living a secret life. No matter how close I got to friends or boyfriends, I could never tell them the truth. I spent so much of my life feeling alone. I wish I could’ve known other elemental children. Maybe then it wouldn’t have been so bad. But both my parents thought having elemental friends would make it impossible to live as a mortal.

“I can’t, Princess.” Ariel's eyes widened as if shocked by my request.

I shrugged. “Of course you can. I’m asking you to.” She pressed her lips together. “Think of it as a royal command or whatever.”

She bowed. “If that’s what you prefer, Prin—”

“Kalin.”

She smiled. “Of course…Kalin.”

We continued down the hallway until we came to a stop in front of a wooden door. Bouquets of flowers were engraved into the door in an intricate design. Ariel turned the knob, the door opened and I gasped.

It was like walking into Barbie's dream house. The walls were adorned with hanging vines of multi-colored flowers. A king-sized bed with an island of pillows sat in the center of the room.

A large limestone fountain caught my eye. I made my way over to it and ran my fingers through the tepid water stream. I cupped my hands, leaned in, and let the water rush over my face.

When I opened my eyes, Ariel was standing next to me with a hand towel draped over her forearm. The fabric smelled of citrus. Next to the fountain, I discovered a wooden tray with a bowl of mixed tropical fruit, a glass pitcher of orange liquid, and a single glass cup.

My stomach rumbled. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. I reached for an apple and happily bit into it. I had never tasted fruit so ripe. The sweetness tingled in my mouth. It must have just been picked off the tree and brought directly here. While I ate, Ariel watched with her hands clasped together. It was weird. I ate a second piece of fruit, leaving the cores on the tray.

Ariel strolled across the room, she opened another door to an adjacent room. White marble covered the walls and floors. She stepped inside and ran the water in the Jacuzzi bathtub.

I examined my bloodstained clothes. A deep soak was exactly what I needed. Ariel poured a purple liquid inside the tub along with a handful of white rose petals. The water turned into a riot of bubbly goodness. I inhaled the sweet lavender aroma.

Ariel reached for the bottom of my shirt and I said, “I’ve got it from here, thanks.” It was a nice gesture, but there’s no way I was letting anyone undress me. That’s something you do for children or really old people who can’t do it for themselves.

She bowed and walked out. When the door shut behind her, I shimmied the rest of my clothes off, and then lowered myself into the heavenly fizz. While the scented steam wafted around me, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to forget about my worries for just a few precious moments.

Completely refreshed, I wrapped a cotton towel around myself and opened the bathroom door. I jumped when I realized Ariel had waited for me. “There’s one last thing I wanted to show you,” she said, leading me toward a huge bi-fold door. As she opened it, she squealed. The entire closet was filled with clothes and shoes.

“Where did all this come from?” I asked.

“Your father had everything brought here for you.”

I rummaged through the hanging items first. Everything I picked was a designer cut twenty-eight which translated to a size six—my size. A closet designed for me? This didn’t fit with the typical air court themes; they were all about simplicity and moderation. “He didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

“King Taron wanted you to be comfortable. These are all the best mortal fashions,” she said, pointing to the tags. “Made by all the top designers: Prada, Gucci, Burberry, Calvin Klein, and even Versace. He’s been planning for your arrival for months.”

I bit my lip to hold back the tears. The design of this room with all of these beautiful things was how he saw Avalon—how he wanted me to see it. Dad tried so hard to make everything perfect for my arrival. If only things had turned out as he had planned. Pushing down the lump in my throat, I promised myself I would be brave and do whatever it took to find my father.

The next day I awoke to utter disappointment. Dad had not come into my dreams. Of course, he didn’t have much of a chance. I doubt that I got more than two hours of sleep. Most of my night was spent tossing and turning, fearing the worst. I had run through every possible scenario that would explain his absence. Unfortunately, most of them led to conclusions I didn’t think I could bear. Imagining life without my Dad made my soul ache.

I really needed a distraction before I drove myself crazy.

Outside of my window, I heard what sounded like someone sharpening kitchen knives. I leaped out of bed, poking my head out of the windowsill. Rowan was doing some serious Jackie Chan moves with a sword. A bright light flashed with each slice of his blade. He slowed long enough for me to notice the weapon had a curve at the center. The knights Dad assigned to watch over me always carried swords, but Rowan’s was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Every twist of his body made me even more aware of just how dangerous he really is.

He pressed the blade of his sword into the ground. As he pulled his arm over his head for a stretch, a bead of sweat trickled down his neck and over a row of muscles on his stomach. I swallowed hard. The window’s edge dug into my skin but I refused to move an inch. The tiny droplet disappeared into the waistband of his shorts. I had seen plenty of guys in gym class with their shirts off, but none of them looked like…that. He was physical perfection—a living work of art. I sat on my knees with my chin relaxed on my crossed arms, unable to look away.

“Enjoying the view?” he said, eyes suddenly on me. His chiseled face wore an overly confident grin. Clearly, he was used to being admired.

My cheeks burned.

I stood, pretending to check out the scenery. “Not much to see.”

He raised an eyebrow, letting me know that he knew I was full of crap. I waited for him to call me on it, but he went right back into his workout. I took one last quick glance at his lean, defined arms, then curled around until my back was pressed up against the wall.
Snap out of it!
This shouldn’t be a big deal. I need to keep focused on finding Dad.
Besides, Rowan wasn’t interested in me. There were no signals coming from him, so why was I even thinking about him?