Page 12 of Sealed By Fire (The Nature Hunters Academy 2)

“A piece of my soul for every piece of information given,” he gritted out.

A silence fell over the room that seemed to suck out all the oxygen. Tara clamped her lips closed to keep from blurting out the questions bombarding her mind. Like, why were souls so important? What did it matter if you were missing a few pieces? What was going to happen to Alaric? Was he going to turn into an evil, soulless wraith? As the tension in the room increased, it just reaffirmed her decision to keep her trap shut, at least until she could ask Elias.

“Your soul is a high price to pay,” Dhara said. “No one can judge you for your choice because they do not know what choice they would have made if they had been in your place.”

“I am curious as to why you gave Jax the information now. What changed?” Aviur asked.

“The spell seems to be weakening,” Alaric answered. “When it was cast, I wouldn’t have been able to even open my mouth to utter a sound in answer to his questions. It would have ripped me in two. Now, I felt the tear in my soul, but the piece that was lost was small.”

“The size does not matter,” Kairi said. “Every part of your soul is precious, just as the soul in every being is precious.”

“I will bear the cost of your oath,” Dhara said, her hand still on Alaric’s shoulder.

“No,” Alaric said, shaking his head frantically. “I cannot let you do that, my queen. The cost—”

“Will be some weakness for a time on my part,” Dhara finished for him. “But not my soul.”

“Is that wise, considering your consort is missing?” Iterra asked gently. “Each of your powers is tied to your mates.”

“We have not begun to feel the effects of their absence as of yet,” Aviur offered. “That is how we know they are still alive and somewhere in the human realm.”

“I can handle the consequences,” Dhara said with a strength that Tara seriously admired. The queen appeared fearless, despite the fact that her mate was missing and she was about to absorb some nasty, evil spell into her body.

“We will protect you and yours while you endure this spell,” Nasima said.

“Are you sure, Nasima?” Dhara asked.

“It has been too long since the light elementals have worked together,” the wind elemental replied. “We only recently started hunting together, and it obviously weakened us. I don’t believe our mates could have been taken if we’d been using our powers together all along.”

“Three hundred years, to be exact,” Alaric told her. “If Dhara takes my oath, then the truth of that night will become known to her. But if she shares it with us, she will be even weaker.”

“It is a price I’m willing to pay. We cannot move forward with a positive future if we do not know our past.” Dhara looked at the three other elementals. Her green eyes were full of determination and conviction as she addressed them. “Can I count on each of you to do whatever I am unable to do for all those under my care?”

Each stepped forward.

“I give you my word by the power of my element. I will protect all that is yours,” Nasima said and bowed her head.

Aviur spoke next. “I, too, give my word by the power of my element. I will protect all that is yours.”

“I give you my word by the power of my element. I will protect all that is yours,” Kairi said and then added, “It is with one accord that we make this oath with you.” She held out her hand, and a ball of water suddenly appeared. “If we should willingly choose to disregard our oath, may we be stripped of our power.”

Aviur lifted his hand producing a flame, and Nasima opened her hand revealing a tiny tornado whirling round and round. They each held their hands out until the tips of their fingers touched and then began to chant in a language Tara had never heard. The three elements suddenly joined together creating a swirling ball of fire, wind, and water and then exploded in a shower of sparks.

“It is done,” Kairi said.

Dhara turned to Alaric and placed her hand over his heart. Her palm began to glow as she spoke softly, again in a language Tara didn’t recognize. Alaric’s features pinched as the light grew brighter and the words flowed faster from the earth queen’s mouth. Suddenly the light began to move up her arm in swirling designs. They looked to Tara as if they might be letters of some ancient language.

As soon as Dhara stopped speaking, the light dissipated and the writing on her arms vanished. She stumbled back but caught herself before anyone could steady her. “I’m okay,” she said, holding up her hand.

“I wish you would not have done that, Queen Dhara,” Alaric said in a sad voice. “I owe you a debt. I will help right this wrong.”

“You owe nothing,” Dhara said, shaking her head. “You bore this burden for centuries. I took it willingly. But your help will be needed and appreciated. Now…” She paused as she steepled her fingers under her chin. Her eyes roamed around the room as if searching for something. If she was somehow any weaker, Tara couldn’t see it. “Now it is time to see what was stolen from us.” Dhara closed her eyes and appeared to focus inward. The earth queen did not acknowledge any sound or movement from the room.

“What’s going on?” Tara whispered to Elias.

Kairi must have overheard the question. “She is reliving what happened to Alaric all those centuries ago. Once all the knowledge of that night is revealed she will share it with us. Then we will know how to proceed.”

Tara nodded. “So we wait, basically.”

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