SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Burning Sky, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.
Prince Titus of the Domain and Iolanthe Seabourne, aka Archer Fairfax, had planned to spend a simple, peaceful summer in the Labyrinthine Mountains but even the best laid plans change. Despite the numerous scenarios the two planned for, Iolanthe being alone in the mountains wasn’t one of them. During a diplomatic reception at the Citadel, Titus is approached by a woman whose beauty rivaled Lady Callista’s. She asks him about his elemental mage. Trying to cover his shock, he lets her know that Atlantis has already questioned him extensively. She tells him that she isn’t an agent of Atlantis and he wants to know why he would change his answer when he doesn’t know where she is. The woman says that they know she is the prophesied one and they want to keep her safe from the Bane. The guards discover her and she quickly takes her leave.
Titus and Iolanthe, still disguised as Fairfax, reunite back at Eton College. Their group of friends, including Wintervale and Kashkari, make plans for a visit to to Baycrest House, Sutherland’s uncle’s property in Norfolk. The house sits on a cliff overlooking the North Sea. The week before they all leave, Wintervale is called home by his mother. He doesn’t return before the boys leave. At the house, the boys spent the night drinking by a bonfire and roasting sausages. Titus and Fairfax fake drinking in case the cognac is spiked with a truth serum. Eventually, everyone retires to their rooms to sleep it off. Titus uses the time to work at the laboratory. Fairfax keeps an eye on everyone. Titus vaults back to Bayside Manor. Fairfax asks him when the new entrance will be done. Soon he replies. She tells him that he looks tired and should get some sleep. Titus falls asleep with a smile on his face that Iolanthe put there.
When he wakes up, Titus is still smiling having dreamed of Iolanthe. He hears her voice outside through the window. Titus notices that the clock reads 2:14, the exact same time from his mother’s prophecy. That prophecy states that he will witness “the feat of elemental magic that will change the lives of everyone involved.” It was that same time that he saw Iolanthe’s lightning strike. He steps onto the balcony and notices a storm brewing. He sees Fairfax and Cooper play croquet below. They invite him to join when Titus notices that his wand is warming, alerting him specifically to a nautical danger. Fairfax feels the signal too. He uses a far-seeing spell to search and sees an Atlantean vessel five miles out pursuing a dinghy with Wintervale as the only passenger. Before he can react, Titus sees Wintervale point his wand at the vessel. Suddenly, the sea calms before a whirlpool forms and pulls the Atlantean ship under. Titus is shocked. Wintervale just created a great feat of elemental magic.
Titus rescues Wintervale from the sea and brings him the the manor house. He is resting and Iolanthe knows something is wrong with Titus. Finding a moment alone, Titus tells her what he witnessed with Wintervale. He tells her that although he saw her pillar of lightning at 2:14, someone woke him up at that time as they did every day in hopes of Titus discovering the event from his mother’s prophecy. Today, he awoke on his own at 2:14 and everything was exactly as the prophecy said it would be. He cannot recall all of the details of the day he saw Iolanthe but after rereading his mother’s diary, Titus believes that Wintervale not Iolanthe is the mage from his prophecy.
With this discovery, everything that Titus and Iolanthe believe and have worked for is thrown into question. Titus is relentless that Wintervale is the mage from the prophecy. Titus and Iolanthe find their lives ripped apart. Can Iolanthe come to grips with the fact that she might not be the one to help Titus with the prophecy? Will Titus allow Iolanthe to help him with his mission against Atlantis? Is Wintervale really the great elemental mage or is it Iolanthe? What happens when Wintervale comes down with a mysterious illness? Could there possibly be two mages? Is Princess Ariadne’s prophecy true or open to interruption? Who was the woman who approached Titus at the Citadel? Can Titus and Iolanthe continue to work together?
Love, danger and mystery surround Titus and Iolanthe in their latest adventure. Fans will be eagerly waiting for the final book in the Elemental trilogy.
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