Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) by Stacey O'Neale Page B
Authors: Stacey O'Neale
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was wild and unable to be controlled, much like the essence of my court.
I stepped through the entryway. A rush of heat as hot as the sun blew against my face. Pools of smoking red lava covered the ground. Fireballs shot up into the air like comets. There was a large flat stone in the center of the room with smaller rocks all around. I leapfrogged my way toward the surface, ducking a few times as I avoided the never-ending firestorms. I couldn’t be burned by the blaze. But I couldn’t say the same for my favorite leather jacket. A raging wall of fire rose up all around me. Sparks of yellow and orange burning light radiated all around me.
Voices faintly whispered in my head. They only spoke to me telepathically. Each time, they repeated my name. I wondered what I was supposed to call them. I bent down on one knee. “Spirits of the eternal flame, do you have a name?”
“We are all that has come before you, young prince. The life-force of the fire court. Long ago, we were once called the First Ones.”
“I came today with questions, First Ones. But I think you already know that.”
“The fire elemental known to you as Merlin still remains in a state of living.”
Merlin was a fire elemental. That I didn’t know. Throughout history he’d been known in the mortal world as some kind of magical wizard. Perhaps the mortals only knew part of his story. He must’ve been a halfling like Kalin. If he’d survived the recent centuries, he’d remained within the protection of the mist along with all the older elementals. “What do you mean by state of living?”
“He is alive. In a state of slumber.”
I just got a weird vision of Sleeping Beauty in my head. “Please don’t tell me he’s waiting for true love's kiss to wake him up.”
“He was forced into slumber by your mother and the current queen of the water court, Britta.”
Of course my mother was involved. My body tensed. I should’ve guessed. I was starting to think she had her hand in pretty much every crappy thing that happened in Avalon. This also explained why Britta left the council meeting. She probably had a premonition that involved his release. “Let me guess. Only Britta can free him.”
“You have the power to free him, young king. Your mothers’ gifts were bestowed onto you at the time of your ascension. You have much left to learn.”
This would’ve been a bad time for a Star Wars reference. But it was sitting on the tip of my tongue. “Can you tell me why I can no longer sense the Ring of Dispel?”
“The ring remains in flux within a portal.”
Valac had found a way to store the ring within a portal. That explained a lot. Within a portal, there were pathways to thousands of places. As long as he kept the sacred artifact inside, I’d never be able to locate him. Very smart move. Now I had no way of knowing when he’d come for the air court shield. This wasn’t what I was hoping for. The situation just got even more dangerous now that he had the element of surprise. “Thank you, First Ones.”
“We are always here for your council, young king. Should you ever need us.”
I left the First Ones and searched for Marcus.
First, I headed for his quarters. They were empty. Next, the throne room. The scent of hound was strong in the area. There’d definitely been activity in here, but it was currently vacant. The last place I looked was the most obvious. It was also where I found him. Marcus was in the mess hall. I should’ve checked here first. He ate more than anyone else I’d ever known in my life, and that included other hounds.
As I came down the hallway, I heard the bustle of many hounds. Roars of cheer followed by applause. Was there some kind of performance? Fighting perhaps? I didn’t rush to find out. Marcus had control over his pack. If there was a problem, I had no doubt he’d handle it. Instead, I took my time. Whatever was going on seemed to make them happy. They’d quieted down. Then, I heard it for
I stepped through the entryway. A rush of heat as hot as the sun blew against my face. Pools of smoking red lava covered the ground. Fireballs shot up into the air like comets. There was a large flat stone in the center of the room with smaller rocks all around. I leapfrogged my way toward the surface, ducking a few times as I avoided the never-ending firestorms. I couldn’t be burned by the blaze. But I couldn’t say the same for my favorite leather jacket. A raging wall of fire rose up all around me. Sparks of yellow and orange burning light radiated all around me.
Voices faintly whispered in my head. They only spoke to me telepathically. Each time, they repeated my name. I wondered what I was supposed to call them. I bent down on one knee. “Spirits of the eternal flame, do you have a name?”
“We are all that has come before you, young prince. The life-force of the fire court. Long ago, we were once called the First Ones.”
“I came today with questions, First Ones. But I think you already know that.”
“The fire elemental known to you as Merlin still remains in a state of living.”
Merlin was a fire elemental. That I didn’t know. Throughout history he’d been known in the mortal world as some kind of magical wizard. Perhaps the mortals only knew part of his story. He must’ve been a halfling like Kalin. If he’d survived the recent centuries, he’d remained within the protection of the mist along with all the older elementals. “What do you mean by state of living?”
“He is alive. In a state of slumber.”
I just got a weird vision of Sleeping Beauty in my head. “Please don’t tell me he’s waiting for true love's kiss to wake him up.”
“He was forced into slumber by your mother and the current queen of the water court, Britta.”
Of course my mother was involved. My body tensed. I should’ve guessed. I was starting to think she had her hand in pretty much every crappy thing that happened in Avalon. This also explained why Britta left the council meeting. She probably had a premonition that involved his release. “Let me guess. Only Britta can free him.”
“You have the power to free him, young king. Your mothers’ gifts were bestowed onto you at the time of your ascension. You have much left to learn.”
This would’ve been a bad time for a Star Wars reference. But it was sitting on the tip of my tongue. “Can you tell me why I can no longer sense the Ring of Dispel?”
“The ring remains in flux within a portal.”
Valac had found a way to store the ring within a portal. That explained a lot. Within a portal, there were pathways to thousands of places. As long as he kept the sacred artifact inside, I’d never be able to locate him. Very smart move. Now I had no way of knowing when he’d come for the air court shield. This wasn’t what I was hoping for. The situation just got even more dangerous now that he had the element of surprise. “Thank you, First Ones.”
“We are always here for your council, young king. Should you ever need us.”
I left the First Ones and searched for Marcus.
First, I headed for his quarters. They were empty. Next, the throne room. The scent of hound was strong in the area. There’d definitely been activity in here, but it was currently vacant. The last place I looked was the most obvious. It was also where I found him. Marcus was in the mess hall. I should’ve checked here first. He ate more than anyone else I’d ever known in my life, and that included other hounds.
As I came down the hallway, I heard the bustle of many hounds. Roars of cheer followed by applause. Was there some kind of performance? Fighting perhaps? I didn’t rush to find out. Marcus had control over his pack. If there was a problem, I had no doubt he’d handle it. Instead, I took my time. Whatever was going on seemed to make them happy. They’d quieted down. Then, I heard it for
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