White Hart (30 page)

The priest incants in the Ancient language. The words are like a swirl of power, and a light breeze whips up the hair from the back of my neck. Confused at the sudden gust of wind, I glance around at the people in the basement. None of them have noticed the breeze, and I don’t see anyone’s hair moving. It’s just me. I close my eyes, and the priest goes on, his voice droning, low and powerful. Heat flares in my chest, a burning that makes me gasp and clutch my heart. A few eyes move to me, and I bow my head. This must be some sort of side effect to the ritual. The sacred soil is calling to me, and it is showing me my powers.

When the fresh scent of the woods enters my nostrils I’m awash with contentment. It is only marred by my imagination thinking it can see the amber eyes of Allerton looking out from the crowd. But quick as a flash it is gone.

Next comes water. The sound of gushing waves fills my ears. The world is drowned out, apart from the sound of rushing rivers. Then silence. The priest has finished, and he holds out the ceremonial knife to Ellen.

“You must make the sacrifice yourself,” he says.

She is clever as she pretends to make the cut, angling her fist in such a way that no one would be able to tell she tips the vial instead. I watch her chest rise and fall as she lifts her fist over the soil, letting my blood seep through her closed fingers.

Now my heart stops. There is complete silence in the palace as the first few drops fall onto the soil. Cas stares at his future wife in awe. The glow of the candles reminds me of the first night we talked, when the sunset highlighted his features.

This has to work
.

Three more drops hit the soil, and nothing happens. The crowd begin to look around them at the machines. They should be moving by now. The magic should have brought them back to life and brought the realm back with it. The king clenches his fist and leans forward with his teeth bared like a wild animal. Feet shuffle around me as people realise how awkward this moment has become. Ellen glances towards me with her mouth hanging open in desperation.

This has to work
.

Another drop hits the soil. My dreams flash before my eyes, the ones where I become entwined with the soil. I am part of the nature and it is part of me.

This has to work.

There’s a noise. Someone gasps, and a light flickers on. Engines begin to rattle, and Beardsley taps his cane on the stone floor in glee. The king drops to his knees and lifts his hands up in prayer, a strange gesture for a man of his character, but I don’t care, because it has worked, and my heart soars. Cas pulls Ellen into an embrace and kisses her on the cheek. It’s only I who notices her slip the bottle back into her skirt. The crowd cheers, and the castle springs to life in front of my eyes.

I let out a long sigh of relief that it is over. I have made my choice and now all I have to do is stick to it. All I have to do is watch the way Cas’s face lights up when he sees Ellen, and I know that it is all worth it.

Cyne is on its way to being mended, and magic has returned to the realm, so I back away from the crowd and begin to walk away. I’ve played my part in this, now all I want is to be alone so I can pack away my things for the journey. Anta is waiting in the stables, and I long to ride him away from here. Who knows where I will go? Perhaps to the Haedalands, after all. To see the Anadi Sands... What an adventure that would be!

But then I hear a thud, followed by another thud. The cranking of the machines grinds to a dramatic halt. I turn back to the crowd as more thuds occur. Almost half of the people have collapsed to the floor, with the other half falling on top of them. Without hesitation I run to Cas, managing to catch him as he falls. His eyes are closed, and his skin pales as I lift him carefully onto my knees. They are all pale.

Pale as the dead.

In complete horror, I can do nothing but watch every member of the court, including Ellen, collapse to the ground with cobwebs spreading over their bodies, as though time is speeding at an uncontrollable rate and they are sleeping through it.

“No,” I whisper. “No.”

Something happened when I ignited the magic into Aegunlund. My blood triggered whatever has caused the people around me to fall to the floor in slumber. I place Cas on the floor, being sure to rest him against the soft skirt of Ellen’s dress, and back away from them shaking my head. This can’t be happening. This isn’t how it was supposed to end. It should have been a happy ending, with Cas and Ellen together, and me on an adventure. Instead, I can only watch as layers of dust coat their sleeping bodies. What am I going to do?

~ A Note from the Author ~

A huge thank you for your support by buying this book. I’m still working on the sequel right now, but if you would like to be one of the VERY FIRST people to find out about the release of RED PALACE (book two in the White Hart series) and hear about awesome freebies first, then sign up for new release
mail alerts
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It would be fantastic if you could leave a review on the site you bought the book. I loved writing this book, and love hearing what you thought.

Best,

Sarah Dalton

http://sarahdaltonbooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sarahdaltonbooks

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About the Author:

Sarah grew up in the middle of nowhere in the countryside of Derbyshire and as a result has an over-active imagination. She has been an avid reader for most of her life, taking inspiration from the stories she read as a child, and the novels she devoured as an adult.

Sarah mainly writes speculative fiction for a Young Adult audience and has had pieces of short fiction published in the Medulla Literary Review, Apex Magazine, PANK magazine and the British Fantasy Society publication Dark Horizons. Her short story ‘Vampires Wear Chanel’ is featured in the Wyvern Publication Fangtales available from Amazon.

Keep in touch for more information!

http://sarahdaltonbooks.com/

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