Eternal Flame - Book 6 (The Ruby Ring Saga) Read online

  Jackson turned to look at me. “So this must be where you come in. Remember when I said your fingerprints are like keys to unlock the mystery?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Please place your hands on the door and let the stone feel your energy.”

  It sounded simple enough. Crazy, but simple. I didn’t understand how I could do anything when men much stronger than me couldn’t do a thing to get the door open. How would I be any different?

  I placed my hands on the cold stone. After a minute or two of closing my eyes and concentrating for the door to move, smoke spiraled ominously from around my hands. The stone didn’t feel hot to the touch and there was no odd smell from the weird smoke.

  “It’s doing something,” Victor said.

  I heard the sound of stone moving as the door slowly swung open.

  Jackson smiled.

  We walked into the room of an ancient temple with stone walls, huge pillars, and towering ceilings. I had the eerie feeling we were being watched. I heard footsteps in the shadows and a chill shot down my spine.

  “Something’s in here with us,” I said.

  Victor glanced around. “I can sense it too.”

  Hooded beings with skull faces and glowing red eyes approached. I knew this wasn’t going to be as easy as Jackson made it out to be. As they lurched forward and attacked, gunfire rang out. Jackson and his team fired into the creatures but it seemed to do little good. They would fly back when shot at close range, but then get right back up. One of Jackson’s men pushed me behind a pillar as if to protect me. Victor slammed into one of the creatures and fought it bravely. I watched Jackson shoot one directly in the forehead. I was stunned to see the creature not fazed by it. Our team kept fighting and I wanted to help Victor, but the immortal would not let me move from my spot.

  When I looked for Victor, I didn’t see him anywhere.

  “Where are you?” I asked Victor in my mind.

  “I’m behind the pillar on the eastern side of the room.”

  Screams and shouts echoed all around me as the battle raged on.

  “What are you doing?” I asked him in my mind.

  “I’m reading the ancient text carved into this wall.”

  “It’s not like you not to be out there fighting,” I said.

  I knew how much he loved the thrill of the fight.

  “We can’t win against magical beings,” Victor answered. “But there’s another way.”

  “What does the inscription say?”

  “Since you wear the Mark of Lanera, you need to be the one to kneel to their leader and state your case. He’s the black-cloaked entity on the northern wall, it’s the one watching the battle. Show him in your mind what we want and why. It’s the only chance we have. Or the creatures will slaughter us all!”

  Without question, I tried to leave but my bodyguard wouldn’t have any part of that.

  “No!” he said, pulling me back.

  In a flash, Victor tackled him to the ground as I darted into the battle. I zigzagged around the creatures and brave warriors, running directly to the being Victor told me about. Its eyes glowed fiercely and I wondered if this cryptic creature would kill me right there with the huge sword that glittered in the dim light. It wore a black hooded robe and nodded at me with its closed mouth. I had to be crazy to go up to this thing but I trusted Victor. However, what if it wouldn’t grant me my request? Would it kill me? Would it kill all of us?

  I knelt down and showed the creature why we wanted the Box of Shadain. His bony fingers touched the top of my head and I closed my eyes, showing him how we wished to restore peace to our land between the immortals and mortals. This was a peace mission and not a conquest.

  The leader spoke in an ancient tongue I didn’t understand, but it almost sounded like Latin. I couldn’t deny how creepy the voice sounded, but the skull-face creatures instantly retreated and disappeared into thin air. Jackson and his team were stunned. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The hooded leader then placed a black box that was about two feet by two feet into my hands. It was covered in glittery silver symbols that I’d never seen before. I could make out a few symbols like the sun, birds, and an ankh.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  It disappeared in a burst of fiery-red light.

  “You did it!” Jackson said.

  “We did it,” I replied. “This was a team effort. But I’d like to give my husband a big thank you. He was able to decipher how to obtain the box, and how to save our lives.”

  I smiled, then gave him a big hug.

  Without wasting another single moment, we ran out of there like a bat out of hell. When climbed back to the top, we had a big surprise waiting for us. And it wasn’t a good one at all.

  Warriors with dark skin and painted faces surrounded us with spears.

  “Should we take them out?” a woman asked.

  “No,” I said. “They’re only humans.”

  “Pointing spears at us. And a few of us in this group are human.”

  Our human guide spoke to them in their language, in their native tongue.

  “What did they say?” Jackson asked.

  “That they’re going to kill you for treading on sacred ground and taking a box that’s not meant to be found.”

  “Tell them we were given the box by the guardians.”

  The man nodded and told the warriors our story. They replied back and by the cold looks on their faces, it didn’t look so good.

  “They’re not buying it,” the guide said.

  “Then we kill them,” a guy next to me said.

  “No!” Victor said. “This is their land and we have to respect that.”

  “And I won’t lose this box,” Jackson said.

  Victor sighed. “I have another way.” He looked at the guide. “Tell them that I am a rain god.”

  The guide looked stumped but did as he was told. The natives looked at Victor and pondered his words.

  Victor lifted his hands to the sky and the wind began to howl, blowing my hair all over the place. Dark, ominous clouds poured in. Dazzling streaks of lightning crisscrossed the gloomy sky. A clap of thunder made me jump. Victor really laid it on thick with flash after flash of lightning, illuminating the sky. The thunder roared and I suddenly felt droplets on my skin.

  The natives looked at each other in stunned disbelief and ran off into the towering vegetation.

  “You did it, baby,” I said.

  “And we didn’t have to hurt the natives.”

  I hugged him. We were able to get out of there without having to resort to murder or violence like the others had suggested.

  I wiped the rain out of my eyes and smiled. Victor’s lips pressed against mine in a fantastic kiss. Step one was done. We now had the Box of Shadain. Now all we had to do was find the key so we could open the ancient artifact.

  I smiled. We were one step closer to getting home.

  Chapter 18

  Days passed and Jackson put the artifact in a safe place. He planned our next leg of the journey which was getting the Key of Life. While we waited for him to get the trip all planned out and smooth out all the details, we played with our new powers and planned for our upcoming wedding. After I gave Alexander a bath and breast fed him, Victor called for me.

  “Sarah,” he said. “You’ve got to see what we’re doing in the backyard!”

  I cocked a brow. “Why? What’s up?”

  “I’ve got Alexander,” my mom said. “Go on and see what he wants.”

  “You sure?”

  “Baby, go spend a few minutes with your hubby.”

  I thanked my mom and rushed outside.

  Liz and Charles busted out in laughter.

  “What going on?” I asked, grinning.

  Victor smiled. “We’ve learned a little trick.”

  “It’s so cool!” Liz said. “Show Sarah!”

  “Show me, baby,” I said, wondering what they were up to.

  Suddenly, Victor disappeared be
fore my very own eyes, like something out of a comic book.

  I gasped. “You’re invisible?” I said.

  “You cannot see me, can you?”

  I could hear his voice as clear as day, but there was no visual sign of him. “No,” I said. “Where are you?”

  In a few seconds, he appeared.

  “How did you do that? You have powers like Della.”

  “Della was born with the gift, and only a few immortals have it, but any of us can tap into it now that our powers have been magnified.”

  “There’s more,” Charles said. “We can create force fields around ourselves as well.”

  “Show me,” I said.

  Taking a deep breath, Charles crossed his arms and concentrated for a few minutes. “Okay,” he said. “My shields are in place. Throw one of your famous fireballs at me. Go on. You and Liz.”

  Liz looked at me and shrugged. “Personally, I think he deserves it. He left the toilet seat up again, and I almost fell in.”

  I laughed, then concentrated and watched a ball of fire hover in my hand.

  “I’ve got mine too,” Liz said.

  Together, we wound up our arms and threw our fireballs like champion fast-pitch softball hurlers. With a whoosh, they crashed into Charles’s invisible force field and burst into a thousand tiny sparks.

  Liz and I exchanged shocked glances.

  “Can you protect the house with that too?” Liz asked.

  “I don’t know. We’ve not had time to practice much.”

  Just then, Jackson walked into the back yard. “Sarah, what is this I hear about the woman at the bridal shop?” he asked, sounding none too pleased. “I told you it is important that you remain inconspicuous.”

  “What did you expect me to do? Just let her go home to her rape and death?” I snapped.

  “You should have come straight back here and told me, and I would’ve taken care of it. I would’ve made sure her life was spared.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You compromised us, and now I have to decide if we need to move again.”

  “Not again,” Liz said.

  “She didn’t tell anyone about us,” I said.

  “She didn’t tell the media, perhaps, but that doesn’t mean she won’t tell a friend or family member about the psychic who saved her life.”

  “There are a lot of psychics in America. I don’t think anyone will connect us with the incident.”

  “I thought Liz would be our loose cannon,” Jackson said. “I did not expect such careless behavior from you.”

  “I could never have lived with myself if that girl died, Jackson.”

  “I get it, Sarah. You have a good heart, but come to me next time.”

  Victor stood in Jackson’s path. “Do not order my wife around in that manner. She needn’t ask your permission to do what she feels is right.”

  “So now the alpha wolf jumps in, eh?”

  “Alpha? Pssh. Victor’s the supreme pack leader,” Liz said, “and he’s also a mighty warrior. People fear him in my other world, and I would suggest that you give him the respect he deserves. You are talking to an immortal king who was almost crowned leader of all the immortals in every kingdom. That would’ve made him the most powerful person in the universe. People fall at this man’s feet, so I suggest you do the same.” Liz turned to look at me after bravely coming to my husband’s defense. “How’s that for a loose cannon, sis?”

  “I fall at no one’s feet,” Jackson said. “I don’t understand your primitive ways, your warped mindset, but then again, I don’t come from an extremely violent and backward medieval world.”

  “Jackson, whether you like it or not, you need us,” Liz said. “If you don’t start treating us with some respect, instead of like your little house pets, we will leave, and you’ll be on your own here.”

  He pondered, then slowly bowed down. “I apologize, my King. You have obtained a very high status, and I must respect that. I do hope you get your title back soon.”

  “Thank you,” Victor said.

  Jackson stood, then looked at me. “The dress you wanted will be ready in two weeks.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “I might not be a king, but I can still pull strings.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “I have also hired a wedding planner for you, Jenna. She’s an immortal, but you can trust her. She is very good at this type of work.”

  “I don’t know what to say. Thank you again.”

  He smiled, then turned to walk away.

  Jackson was cocky sometimes, and his ego was rather sizeable, but deep down, I knew he wanted me to be happy. Nobody would’ve gone out of their way like that unless they cared, and I knew he meant well.

  I stayed outside while Liz and Charles went back inside. I explained everything to Victor, what had happened at the bridal shop, and he understood and respected my decision. I was glad for that, because I didn’t want to fight with him about it.

  “We’ve always had great power,” Victor observed, “but now it is much greater.”

  “Want to play with me for a while?”

  He kissed my neck. “I can think of nothing more I’d love to do,” he purred.

  I smiled. “Not that. Show me how to be invisible at will. I think it could really come in handy.”

  “I’m still experimenting with it myself.”

  “I won’t get stuck being invisible, will I?”

  “No.”

  “So how does it work?”

  “Close your eyes and try to tap into the same energy you’ve tapped into before, the energy that allows you to generate fireballs.”

  I closed my eyes and felt the familiar energy. “Ah, there it is.”

  He walked up behind me and gently touched my shoulders. “You should see a faint glow from dozens of lights, something of an aura.”

  “I see it.”

  “The information is encoded as a vibration amongst the countless lights. Do you feel them?”

  “There are so many of them. It’s like being in an airport with a hundred planes all wanting to take off at once.”

  “It’s subtle, but if you concentrate, you will feel it. Just align with the right vibration.”

  “Just get on the same wavelength?”

  “Yes. Just link up and interact with them, then possess the one you want by tapping into the mechanism of similar vibrations. Find the newest one and—”

  “You mean, like, the one that sticks out the most?”

  “Concentrate, and you will see it.”

  “I can feel the vibrations in some kind of freaky paranormal way.”

  “Can you feel the information embedded within them?”

  “I-I don’t know. There’s so much. It’s like...overloading my senses or something.”

  “Tune in deeply.”

  “Yeah, I’m catching subtle info.”

  “The vibration that is causing the biggest waves holds your newest powers. Tap into it if you can.”

  “I sense more information now.” It was like little waves crossing the ocean, but they’re enveloping me. I gently rode the waves, trying to feel the right vibration so I could tap into it. “Yeah, they’re definitely encoding info,” I said, and one that I tapped into was filled with so much emotion it almost consumed me.

  “You’re tapping into the bond,” he said.

  Suddenly, I was blasted with visions of the distant past, scenes from Victor’s life. Everything seemed to be moving in hyper-speed, and I couldn’t hang on. “Shoot! I lost it,” I said. “Did you kick me out?”

  “No, not at all. You’re not experienced enough. Just keep your other connections.”

  “Okay, I feel all of them except that one, the one that would let me see your entire history.”

  “Sarah, you are still a baby immortal. You have much to learn. You are not yet powerful enough to hang on. It takes hundreds of years to master it.”

  “But you can tap into mine?”

  �
�Yes, but one day, my Queen, you will be strong enough, and we will take our bond to the next level.”

  “I’m sorry to hold us back.”

  “Sarah, there is no rush. We have the rest of our lives to be together. For now, I am happy to share the bond we do.”

  “It is pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

  “That it is.”

  I closed my eyes and concentrated again. “It’s really hard to explain, but I can feel a gentle force field around each vibration.”

  “And?”

  I softly laughed. “Each one has a different glow. Also, there’s this weird tingling sensation.”

  “You’re there.”

  “It’s as if everything is alive, pulsing with info.”

  “Try to tune in.”

  “It’s like trying to find a distant radio station.”

  “Try to tune in with your mind.”

  “I sense that the green one is the one I need.”

  “Good. Then fetch it.”

  I tuned in and grabbed it with my mind.

  “You did it!” Victor roared.

  “I’m invisible?”

  “Indeed you are, and you will be able to grab this power more quickly every time you use it. Eventually, it will become second nature to you. It will be as simple as reaching for something in your grocery cart.”

  “Oh my gosh, Victor!”

  “Astounding, is it not?”

  “It might just save my life one day. The blue-ringed immortals can’t do it?”

  “No, they cannot. Well, the ones in the marking ceremony probably can. But the others can’t.”

  “How do I turn back?” I asked.

  “Just simply let go.”

  I let go and returned to my solid state, then grinned proudly at Victor like a little girl who’d just ridden a bike with the training wheels off for the first time.

  As a little girl, I dreamt of long, romantic walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and picnics. Never in a million years did I think the love of my life would be teaching me how to become invisible.”

  “As you’ve shown me countless times, my love, life is full of surprises.”

  “How do I handle all these powers?”

  “I know they weigh heavily on you, but you have all the time in the world to master them. We will take things as slowly as you need to.”