“Because my mother is our High Priestess, and I’m next in line to be High Priestess,” Saelli told them in a matter-of-fact voice.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Vokasin threw his head back and laughed. “Another princess? What perverse fate is this?”

  His harsh laugh jarred Zaena back to reality. She’d come to Iceland to investigate unusual activity and hoped she might find an Ice Elf, but she’d never expected to meet someone so highly placed in Ice Elf society. The danger of the strange cult couldn’t be ignored, but everything suggested Saelli would support and join the mission.

  Saelli’s cheeks reddened. “I’m not a princess. I’m an apprentice priestess.”

  “The meaning behind the word is more important,” Vokasin replied.

  Zaena crossed her arms and took a deep breath. She’d been worried about dealing with Vokasin, who had no high standing among his people, but Saelli’s situation introduced a different sort of complexity. This might require true diplomacy.

  “It was a delayed coup,” Zaena declared. “Strip away the beliefs, and this is nothing more than a failed attempt to stop your eventual ascension. I don’t understand why you would leave. Wouldn’t you be safer staying in the enclave under the protection of your mother?”

  “Things are unstable,” Saelli offered. “Many elves were injured or killed during their first major attempt, and many more following the High Priestess’ suppression. Many of my people blame me for that harshness.”

  “The High Priestess’ suppression?” Vokasin scoffed. “You mean your mother’s suppression.”

  Saelli bowed her head. “She is my High Priestess before she is my mother. She did what she did for the good of our people, as must I. That was why I felt it best to leave the enclave for some time.” She lifted her head. “I understand why the Knives hate me, but I believe our tribe must change in a fundamental way to survive into the future. It’s as you say, Princess Zaena; the Creeping Azure will destroy us all, so we must reach out to others and even humanity.”

  “They sound like fools,” Vokasin replied. “They must have known trying to kill you would end that way.”

  Saelli replied, “My people aren’t like yours, Desert Elf. Our beliefs run deep, along with our reverence for the symbols of the blessings of the elements. The Knives believed that killing me was part of restoring our people to what they felt was the right path. The other was to get one of the strongest symbols of the blessings, the Diamond of Protection.” She looked at Zaena. “They seek what you seek.”

  Zaena’s breath caught. “Wait. Are you saying you have the Diamond of Protection?”

  Saelli pulled off a feathered glove, revealing a bright diamond inset into a bone ring. She held it up before putting the glove back on. “The apprentice priestess who is next in line to become High Priestess always bears the holy artifact. Not all apprentice priestesses are the daughters of the High Priestess.”

  “That makes sense,” Zaena replied, “but I don’t understand. From what you’ve told us, the Knives attempted to kill you outside the enclave, not just inside. Didn’t the High Priestess already crush their sect?”

  “Most of them,” Saelli replied, “but as I said, they were secretive. She didn’t know all the members. There are enough left to be a nuisance. They know they can’t kill the High Priestess with the enclave on alert, and she doesn’t hold the diamond, so they’ve devoted their attention to me. I don’t know how many are left, but there can’t be many.”

  Zaena snorted. “I’d admire their dedication if they weren’t murderous fanatics.”

  “Aren’t you trusting us too much?” Vokasin asked, stepping forward. “You just met us, and you’re revealing all this? We could attack you right now and take the Diamond of Protection from you.”

  “You won’t do that,” Saelli replied.

  “How can you be so sure? Ice Elves have never gotten along with either of our tribes.”

  “You don’t understand. The fact that you’re here now makes me trust you. I have no choice. Do you know why I’m here?”

  “Because of the nexus?” Zaena guessed. “This is a decent place to hide with the help of the defenses.”

  “No, it’s a holy place. I came here because it was my destiny to come here, as it was my destiny to meet you. Not you, Vokasin, but Princess Zaena,” Saelli replied.

  Zaena’s brow lifted. “You think it was your destiny to meet me? I wish I could say the same.”

  She wasn’t going to complain about having someone join her mission without requiring a battle or a strange UFO test, but she’d never expected an Ice Elf to be the most willing of all the tribes.

  Vokasin snorted. “Destiny is a farce. We choose our actions, and they bring their own consequences.”

  “Believe what you want,” Saelli replied, “and I’ll believe what I want.”

  “Why do you think it was your destiny to meet me?” Zaena asked, genuinely curious.

  Saelli squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. It was the greatest display of confidence she’d shown since the start of the conversation. “Because I am a prophetess.”

  Zaena’s jaw dropped. She was prepared for many things, but this level of delusion from an elf bearing an artifact wasn’t among them.

  “There’s no such thing as prophecy,” she insisted. “Thousands upon thousands of years of elven magic, and there’s never been a single elf proven to be capable of anything beyond understanding the normal patterns of nature. I don’t doubt you believe you’re a prophetess, but that doesn’t make it true.”

  Vokasin looked amused. He stepped back and kept quiet.

  “I am a prophetess,” Saelli insisted. She was calm. “I can’t speak for the other tribes, but I’m the first true prophetess of the Ice Elves. That blessing from the elements is another reason the Knives targeted me. My prophecies speak to a future they don’t want.” She motioned at the statue. “That’s why I’m here now. I understand I need to leave the enclave until the prophecy is complete, and this is the start of that.”

  Zaena took a deep breath and remained quiet, trying to decide how to handle things. Her pride wanted her to reject the idea that prophecy had developed in another tribe, but her experience in the Mojave proved there were types of magic and abilities the Royal Elves might never use. Prophecy might not be as impossible as she wanted to believe.

  “How does this gift work?” she asked. “Can I ask you questions about particular things?”

  Saelli shook her head. “They come to me in my dreams, and they are rare. I’ve had fewer than ten in my life.”

  Zaena stared at her with a knitted brow. “You can’t be older than two hundred fifty.”

  “I’m two hundred twenty-seven,” Saelli corrected. “I didn’t have my first prophetic dream until I was fifty-two. Most of the ones I’ve had were not of major importance, but they were enough for the High Priestess to take note of them. My first prophetic dream revealed my immunity to me.”

  “You tested your immunity based on a prophetic dream?” Vokasin asked with a chuckle. “Seer, you risked your life. Elves have died instantly at the touch of the Azure.”

  Saelli gave a shallow nod. “I believed in it. I knew in my soul that the elements had blessed me and chosen me to have this ability. A prophecy I had last year changed everything.”

  “What does this prophecy have to do with you being here right now?” Zaena asked.

  Saelli locked eyes with her and lowered her voice.

  “The beginning of the end will come with the death of the first human you meet almost forty years after you leave. She will die for your pride.

  “With her end comes a fatal choice when you meet with the Unplanned and Unnecessary Princess at the High Priestess who lives alone. She will choose the fate of elves for good or for ill.

  “Past sins will be unearthed. The last of the great beasts will awaken, and the world will be forever changed when the ghosts of a dead race try to rise again.”

  “That’s rather specific in some ways and non-specific in others,” Zaena muttered in a shaking voice.

  “It’s specific enough.” Saelli sighed. “I couldn’t always be around Helga, but when I came to the surface, I did my best to protect her. You’re right to question the prophecy. There was much left to interpretation. I went years at a time without seeing Helga, and she survived. When the Knives attacked me, I was worried they would go after her, but I ended up leading them to her. I couldn’t let her die in vain. I can’t escape destiny, so I choose to face it instead. Now I’ve met you, and I refuse to believe your plan to save our people will doom us.”

  Vokasin watched her warily. “How do you know you didn’t make the wrong choice by coming here and waiting for Zaena? That could be the fatal choice.”

  “It’s not!” Zaena sputtered. “It’s hard to ignore some of the prophecy.”

  “You believe in it, Fourth Born?” Vokasin asked.

  “I don’t know what to believe. There are many specific details that are hard to reject about both her and me, but I don’t know if it changes anything.”

  Zaena injected all her confidence into her voice. She was shaken, but she refused to let it show in her hands or on her face.

  “Ghosts of a dead race,” she intoned. “Taking the prophecy at face value, that would suggest trouble in the Night Elf enclave. That might also explain whatever great beast they’re talking about.” She lifted her chin. “We needed to go there anyway, so the prophecy changes nothing. If it brings Saelli onto our side with the Diamond of Protection, so be it. We can worry about Ice Elf politics after we cure the Creeping Azure.”

  A ghost of a smirk teased Vokasin’s face. “What if you’re leading us all to our doom?”

  “Consider it royal arrogance, but I refuse to entertain that possibility.” Zaena nodded at Saelli. “I admit I still don’t know what to think of your prophecy, but I’d be honored if you’d aid our cause.”

  “I don’t know if all the Knives have been defeated,” she replied. “They will come for me again.”

  “Then I will deliver justice to them.”

  Vokasin grinned. “I’d love to demonstrate the superiority of freedom to those fools.”

  Saelli bowed her head. “Then I choose to lend you my power, Princess Zaena. You should know I’ve been blessed in other ways. I can use both water and earth magic.”

  “Really? It’s good to have another ally who can use two types of magic, and we’ve been needing an elf with earth magic.” Zaena smiled. “You’re a runaway princess with control over a land of snow? You’re a regular Elsa.”

  “Elsa?” Saelli furrowed her brow. “Elsa who?”

  Vokasin looked just as confused.

  “You’ll find that more amusing once you study American movies. For now, let it go.” Zaena smiled. “Some humans have been aiding us, but I think it’s best to let me speak to them when we meet them. You’re not what we expected, and I can make them understand that.”

  “My fate now follows yours, Princess Zaena,” Saelli replied. “For good or for ill.”

  “Then let’s get going. We have a time limit today your prophecy didn’t mention.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Zaena’s troubled heart kept her from talking as they walked back up the stairs and through the tunnels. She still had trouble accepting the idea of Saelli being a prophetess, but she couldn’t get the Ice Elf’s words out of her mind.

  Their greatest challenges might lie ahead. The great magical beasts had left the world with the elves. Some had perhaps survived in hibernation, but she couldn’t imagine them posing a major threat.

  Dragons were impressive, but she’d seen two Navy jet fighters destroy a ship weighing thousands of tons in an instant.

  Her stomach tightened. Heavy military forces weren’t available everywhere for instant defense. A dragon attack on a city could kill thousands of people before it was taken down. A Kraken could sink a cargo ship or an oil tanker as easily as the Navy planes had.

  Focusing on what she could accomplish remained her strategy. The only alternative was risking having the great mission fail, but it might be the only chance for her race. Saelli’s prophecy suggested as much.

  They passed into the sentry chamber. Her walls remained. The chill of the cavern kept them in place.

  No one felt like talking as they continued. They unlocked the front door again before crawling up to the top of the crevasse and the illusion hiding the shrine.

  Zaena frowned and sealed her helmet. She could sense concentrations of magic spread out in front of her. That wouldn’t have worried her if she hadn’t seen the twisted air that marked elven camouflage.

  Armored plates covered Vokasin’s face, and he growled, “It’s a trap.”

  Saelli held up her hand. A shimmering dome of green, blue, and white surrounded the three elves. “They can’t harm us beneath this dome. It’s too powerful for them, even without the magic of the nexus.”

  Six Ice Elves in bird costumes appeared. Zaena hadn’t seen that many elves in one place since leaving the kingdom.

  “A Forest Elf bearing the royal armor and a Desert Elf,” called one of the Ice Elves. “This is a tribal matter, outsiders.” He ripped off his helmet, revealing a face half-covered in blue crystal. “Know our commitment. We of the Azure Knives give even our bodies to the cause.” He pointed at Saelli. “You will kill her as payment for your trespass, but the rest of this isn’t your affair. You may leave after that.”

  Zaena scoffed. “I am Princess Zaena vel Tarilan, First Princess and fourth in line for the throne of the Royal Elven Kingdom. Apprentice Priestess Saelli has pledged her service to my cause. That makes her life my concern.”

  Vokasin smirked. “You’re all infected, aren’t you?”

  “We believe in our cause,” the Ice Elf replied. “It’s a blessing to die in service to the elements.”

  “No, you don’t understand,” Vokasin replied. “You being infected is convenient for me. It means I don’t have to clean up after myself. The Azure will take care of your bodies.”

  “What are you talking about, Desert Elf?” snarled the leader.

  “You can’t pierce this dome,” Saelli insisted. “You can’t stand up to the Diamond of Protection. Leave now. You’ve caused enough trouble and hurt enough innocent people. You should be ashamed.”

  The leader sneered. “Half of us bear water magic. We can bury you and these outsiders so deeply you’ll run out of magic before you free yourselves. We can dig up the diamond later.”

  “You’d risk war with the Desert Elves and the Royal Elves?” Zaena asked, shocked.

  “Why not?” He bared his teeth with a wild-eyed look. “We fought you before when you threw your lot in with those damned humans. We’ll be happy to avenge our ancestors with your corpses.”

  “Zealotry doesn’t make up for strength.” Vokasin’s cloak faded into his now-armored skin. His elven form disappeared, replaced by a seven-foot armored reptile with a spiked tail. He growled.

  “So be it.” Zaena raised her sword. “Saelli, tighten the dome around you. Let me and Vokasin deal with these fanatics.”

  “You’re a fool, Forest Elf Princess,” the Ice Elf leader shouted, his voice echoing, “and you’re also impure, aren’t you? You’re immune to the Creeping Azure. It’ll be a service to the elements to kill you. We’ll destroy you all and drag your bodies back to the enclave as proof of the righteousness of our cause.”

  Ice and rock spears formed all around the Ice Elves, joined by fireballs. Two elves rose into the air with sneers.

  “You people murdered innocent humans,” Zaena replied. “That alone is enough for me to deliver justice. Your threats don’t intimidate me. They only make me pity you for your arrogance.” She inclined her head toward Saelli. “We will protect you.”

  Saelli frowned. “No. I’ve tied my fate to you.” She raised her arm. “I have an idea. We will fight together, but we should hold back and attack when the time is right. You’ll know what I mean. It’s destiny.”

  Could Zaena trust a woman she’d just met, a woman far too trusting of forces outside her control?

  Vokasin snarled and smacked his tail against the snow. Zaena pointed her sword at the leader but didn’t move. The dome disappeared.

  “Kill them,” screamed the leader.

  Chapter Forty

  The Ice Elves conjured array of projectiles and fireballs zoomed forward. A thin, wavering forcefield marked with the blue, white, and green of the dome shot up in front of them. The spells shattered and exploded against the powerful shield, and the combined blasts blinded the assassination squad. The elves near the front, including the leader, groaned and stumbled backward as ice and rock showered on them.

  Zaena shot into the air. Two Ice Elves flew after her. They quickly rose above Saelli’s modified forcefield. Vokasin rushed forward.

  Saelli waited until the Desert Elf was inches away from the field to drop it. He bowled into the staggered Ice Elves, knocking the leader down, then whipped around his spiked tail and stabbed another elf in the leg. His huge jaws tightened on the shoulder of a third with a sickening crunch.

  Zaena spun and fired an air blade into one of her pursuers. He dodged the attack, but she was already falling toward him, her blade pointing down.

  His eyes widened as her sword pierced his mask and head and came out the back, then she yanked out her blade. The resulting splatter of blood turned into viscous rain.

  She twisted. Two slashes sent tight air blades toward the other aerial Ice Elf. He cut through the air with his feathered gloved-covered arm to disrupt one, then grunted, but there was no deep cut from her second attack.

  It must have been an air shield, but maintaining that kind of spell while flying and dealing with the Armor of Tarilan meant it was only a matter of time before she won. The flier seemed to grasp that since he shot toward the ground and skimmed over the snow. Zaena hurried after him.