Eternal Fire (15 page)

“
I’m Immortal. Maybe you can find a dictionary and look that up,” I joked.

“
We can still die, if there’s unstable energy or we get poisoned by the Guardians’ deadly saliva or we get our heads chopped off!”

“
Well, none of that has happened yet.”

She let out a long breath. “I’m going to talk to some people and see what I can do. I’m worried, and you shouldn’t take this lightly. This has happened before, and…”

Her voice trailed off, but I knew what she was getting at. The recorded cases documented stated that the person had a 50/50 chance of dying within a year. The power eventually came in completely, but death ensued.

“
I know,” I said, “but I don’t wanna talk about this. We need to find that book.”

She nodded, and we spent the next several hours hunting for the book we needed.

* * *

Liz slid a book back into the shelf. “It’s not here,” she said, frustrated.

“
Let’s concentrate on finding Victor,” I said. “He’ll know what Ethano wants me for, since everyone else can only guess and speculate.”

She shrugged. “I guess, but where do we start? It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“
I know. They could have him stashed away anywhere,” I said, “and you know Ethano would have hidden him away in a place where he thinks we’ll never find him.”

“
I’ve got a better idea,” she said, her voice echoing in the huge library.

“
What?” I asked.

“
An old lady named Helena lives just outside the city, in a cottage on the south side of the cliffs. It’s said that she can see the future. I personally know people who claim they received great knowledge from her.”

I clenched my hands, wondering if there was any truth to it. “Are you suggesting we see a fortune-teller?”

“
That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She blew out a breath. “I want to ask her about Charles too.”

I bit my lip, pondering. “It’s risky to leave the castle at night. Maybe some of the soldiers could bring her in.”

“
You do that, and she won’t tell you anything. Apparently, she’s quite stubborn and likes to keep to herself. She never leaves home.”

“
All right. In that case, maybe we better take her some gifts…uh, some food, silk blankets, gold—especially if we’re paying her such a late-night visit.”

“
You don’t wanna wait till morning?” Liz asked. “It’d be far safer.”

I shook my head. “No. I won’t be able to sleep.”

She smiled. “Me neither. Charles is all I can think about, and I can’t wait another second to find out where he is. Let’s go.”

“
I’ll gather some troops,” I said. “I can’t have Ethano breaking my connection entirely.”

Liz grabbed my arm. “No, don’t bring any soldiers. They’ll only spook her. I know it’s risky, but if we want answers, we have to go alone.”

I nodded. “Okay. I know a few ways we can get there while staying off the radar.”

“
In that case, let’s go!”

Chapter 9

The moon shone brightly as we traveled on a dusty path up the cliffs where Liz said the woman lived. We’d packed bags with precious things that I hoped she’d delight in; I hoped she’d help us in return. Traveling at night was indeed risky business, but we had to find our men. My heart beat faster in anticipation of possibly seeing Victor again. I only hoped it wasn’t a trap set by Ethano to get me out of the castle.

“
I don’t know if this is a chance you should be taking,” I said, pulling the reins to the left as the path twisted in the darkness, casting eerie shadows along the trees.

“
Why not?” Liz asked.

“
If something happens to you, I’d never be able to live with myself.”

She laughed. “Nothing’s gonna happen to me. I’ve survived this long, haven’t I?”

“
Right. You’re a survivor.”

“
This is my mission just as much as it is yours,” she said. “I need answers too. I need to find my prince just as much as you need to find your king.” She let out a breath. “Charles rescued me when I was about to be executed for supposed witchcraft back when I first entered through the portal, and now I’m going to rescue him.”

I smiled. “But you already rescued him once before, when William and Victor were at war and Charles left the castle to fight a battle and you found out it—”

“
That it was all a trap,” she cut in. “Charles knew he wasn’t supposed to leave the castle, but he wanted to storm Victor’s. Of course, the info that had been fed to him was bogus, though none of us knew that at the time.”

“
He gave up his hidden identity,” I said.

“
Yeah, when he fought a soldier who recognized him. The soldier got away, and Charles was sure he’d run his mouth to Victor.”

“
He did. Victor was asking me why my brother was alive. I didn’t understand what he was talking about then, but I get it now. He wanted me to tell him why Charles was alive, because he was assumed dead when the Immortals killed his mate. Of course, back then, I was clueless to everything.”

“
Sarah, when I found out it was a trap, I had to warn Charles. William told me not to, but Victor’s men would have killed him. Isn’t it funny the lengths we’ll go to to save a loved one?”

“
Yeah,” I said, “like going to a crazy old fortune-teller in the middle of the night.”

Liz laughed. “Luckily, I got to Charles and his men just in the nick of time. They hadn’t made it to the spot where Victor and most of his men waited. As we tried to escape, we ran into a few scouts. There was a battle, and I was thrown off a horse. Charles and I were split up, and I was captured, but I didn’t care, as long as Charles was safe. The soldiers were furious that he’d escaped, but I’d never been happier.”

“
And you eventually got away,” I said.

“
Yes, by shamelessly flirting with one of his men and taking his sword. A fight ensued, and I won the upper hand. I ran back home and found Charles and the rest of the family there. We were all so relieved, but then the weirdest thing happened. Victor told William that he’d captured me, and we all laughed.”

“
He had
me
,” I said, “but he thought I was you.”

“
Sorry about that, sis.”

“
Don’t be. It was destiny that brought me to Victor, and the important thing now is finding him.”

“
We will,” Liz assured me. “We just have to keep up the faith.”

As we reached the top of a mountainous hill, I met the gaze of an elderly woman with deep wrinkles. Her green eyes sparkled, and her black hair was pulled into a loose bun. She was sitting in a clearing by a roaring fire, as if she’d been expecting us.

“
Is that her?” I asked Liz in a whisper.

She squinted. “Yep. That’s Helena.”

I smiled, longing to hear news about Victor’s fate. I dismounted from my horse and tied him to a nearby tree.

“
Hello,” the woman said.

“
Hello,” I said, walking toward her. “It’s so nice to meet you. We have brought you some gifts.”

The old lady stood and clutched her brown cloak as the wind whipped around us. I handed her the two bags, and her eyes lit up as she went through the furs, silk, blankets, and clothes. Her mouth gaped at all the gold coins I had stuffed in the bag. “I am Helena,” she introduced.

“
It is nice to meet you. We are here to—”

She held up her hand to stop me. “I know what you’ve come for,” she said.

“
Then you know I am looking for answers.” I stepped closer. “I heard you can predict the future.”

Flashes of light started to flood my vision. I rubbed my temples and tried to blink it away, angry that the attack was bothering me then, of all times. They seemed to be getting more frequent, though I didn’t tell Liz because I didn’t want to frighten her. In any case, talking to Helena was of the utmost importance, and I didn’t have time to be sick.

Unfortunately, the old woman noticed my disorientation and touched my back in concern. “Are you okay?”

“
I just need a minute,” I whispered. “I’m sorry. This isn’t the impression I wanted to give.”

“
She’s sick,” Liz said.

“
I’ve seen all the healers,” I said. “They tell me it’s just something I have to work through.”

“
The gift is too much for your body to handle,” Helena said. “There is a very powerful power waiting to emerge.” She then touched my forehead with her cold hand. “Your power is unstable, but I can see the gift that is being bestowed upon you.”

I’d been dying to know what it was, so I asked eagerly, “What is it, Helena?”

“
The gift of sight.”

My mouth gaped. “You mean I’ll be able to see the future, like you?”

She nodded. “Yes, but the power will have to grow and develop. You’ll begin seeing tiny glimpses of the future, and in time, you’ll see more.”

“
It’s great to finally know what power is coming,” I said. “It’s…amazing.”

The woman gazed into my eyes. “The gift you were given is even greater than Victor’s.”

“
It’s all a little overwhelming,” I said.

“
You said it’s too much for her body to handle,” Liz said in concern. “Will she…die?”

“
I do not know. I am blessed by the gift of sight, but I don’t always have the answers.”

“
So the power has a mind of its own?” I asked. “It gives me answers and shows me what it wants, when it feels like it?”

She nodded as I pondered. “You’re confused,” Helena said.

I toyed with the ring on my finger, turning it over and over; my fingers had thinned out a bit since I’d been unable to eat in my grief. “It’s been over a year, and I’m still struggling to understand this entire Immortal thing. I think this new gift is slowly killing me.”

“
The gift is quite powerful, and it is hard on your body,” Helena said.

I looked at Liz in shock. The lady knew quite a bit, and she’d never met me.

“
Your heart is pure and true,” she said. “Because of that, I will help you, Queen Fesque.”

“
You
know
me?” I asked, shocked.

“
I know of your kindness and your quest to feed the hungry and help the poor.” She held out her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet such a legendary woman.”

I laughed. “I’m no legend.”

“
I would beg to differ, my dear. There is a legend about a woman who would come through the portal and help the poor and stop a major war that has been raging for years. Her love, so passionate and pure, would even tame a tyrant and turn him into the person he was supposed to be. It is in all the prophecies, and you are, indeed, a woman of legend.”

I was dumbfounded by her words. “Um, that all just kind of happened by accident.”

“
There are no accidents. There is only fate and destiny—a destiny that was written hundreds of years before you got here. Victor had always wondered if that prophecy was about him. He knew it couldn’t have been William, because he had Della. When Victor discovered your identity, he knew it was you. He knew he had to change and win your heart and become the better man.”

“
I-I didn’t realize that,” I stuttered, floored by her words.
Could destiny have placed us together? Was it fate for us to meet?
We’d shared a love so beautiful and tender. Again I wondered why, if fate had brought us together, why it had also insisted on ripping us apart.
Why did fate only give me one year with my beloved?