Children of the Elementi (18 page)

“Did you see that?”

“...And heard it. Thank you for allowing me to join you. You’ll need to practice your powers, if we are to be of help to the others. It’s going to be a long day.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: DANI

“...I thought we didn’t have enough power to teleport?” Jake said.

“What I said was, there wasn’t enough power to send you back to Earth. Besides we are not teleporting.” Mirim explained patiently, “We are using a Gate.”

“Didn’t you say the gates were all destroyed earlier?” Kiera asked.

Mirim slung a light canvas bag over her shoulder and rounded on the two. “Why are you two questioning everything I say?”

“We’re not. It’s just you lied about getting back and you aren’t making any sense. One minute we can’t teleport the next we are but aren’t. The Gates are destroyed and a moment later they are not. You’re confusing us!” Jake was exasperated. “What are we supposed to think? We don’t know you from Adam.”

“Who...?”

“Doesn’t matter, we don’t know you but we are supposed to just trust you like that.” He snapped his finger.

“I could say the same thing about you.” Mirim retorted.

“Difference is - you came to find us, not the other way around!”

Kiera moved between them. “OK, you two - calm down. We have to be here and our lives are in danger unless we can find this other person. We need to work together. Let’s just agree to trust each other.” She looked from one to the other, “Agreed?”

“Agreed,” they mumbled.

Kiera picked up the map of Somara.

“Do we need this?” Taking Mirim’s nod as assent, she rolled it up and gave it to her. “Okay, lead on to the gate.”

Grudgingly Mirim moved off. The gates were on the lower levels. Even though they had been disabled, Mirim had been taught by her mother how to repair them in case she needed them in the future. As they trudged down the stairs, Mirim explained they were easy to disable again, you just asked the Matrix to do it.

It was only unusable for those without the power. If Aras tried, he probably could - it just wouldn’t occur to him. Before stepping though Mirim saw to it that only those with crystals could pass through. That way if they were chased she explained to the others, they wouldn’t be able to follow them into the Citadel.

Mirim walked through the portal first. Kiera shrugged at Jake and followed. Before he could dwell too long on what he was doing he took a deep breath, stepped back and made a running jump through. He expected to feel... something. There was nothing except Kiera’s arm as he narrowly missed crashing into the girl. Veering to the side he stumbled on a jagged rock. Sharp pain travelled up his foot before he righted himself. He stood up and the heat hit him. Of course, he thought, Italy would be a lot warmer than the heat regulated Citadel. Mirim stood back and looked at him quizzically.

Jake took off his black hoodie and tied it around his waist looking anywhere but at Mirim.
This was ridiculous,
he chided himself. He raised his eyes and glared at Mirim asking, “So where do we go from here?” He looked around, they were in a cave and the temperature was stifling but the breeze coming from the cave mouth just made it bearable.

Kiera sensing their moods rounded on them.

“What is wrong with you two? You’ve done nothing but snipe at each other for hours!” They both looked away unable to look her in the eyes.

“Jake, you need to get over that you can’t go home yet. You may even get to like it here if we live long enough. Mirim may be bossy but it’s because she’s been on her own for so long.” Mirim’s head jerked up.

“Yes, Mirim. You need to learn that you can’t be the leader all the time. Jake will have to lead us some of the time just because he is who he is. He may be younger and he does need to grow up, but you need to treat him with a bit more respect. Do you two understand?”

Jake held his hand to Mirim, “I’m sorry. I forget that you were on your own for such a long time.”

“It’s all right. I’ll try not to patronize. And I forget that you didn’t grow up here, that you are hearing most of this for the first time.”

“Ok, now that you’ve both kissed and made up, we need to find that boy!” Kiera stalked out of the cave.

“She’s a bit annoyed.” Jake said. “Well, we may as well follow.” They trailed behind.

The sunlight was bright after being inside for so long. It took a few seconds to adjust but the view was amazing.

“I wish I’d brought my surfboard.” Jake joked. Kiera smiled.

Mirim looked at the other two not understanding and huffed. She began to walk in the direction of the sun.

“The volcano is due east. We are going to the village of Somara, which lies at the bottom. The volcano erupted centuries ago and the Elementi tried to move the people on because of the danger but they refused. There is one consolation - this is so remote we are unlikely to meet any Empire militia... and...” She grinned, forgetting her earlier annoyance. “The journey will all be flat!”

It took an hour to reach the village. Once they had travelled past some trees blocking their view they could see the volcano easily. As they drew nearer Jake felt as if the last element was calling him. This was the last missing piece of the puzzle.

At times the ground was thick with underbrush. It was a struggle to step over the harsh, thorny branches. At others the smell of wild fruit trees exhilarated them and made them happy to be outside in the sun.

As they neared the village they saw it was small. There was one street leading away from the volcano with several houses, a blacksmith, inn and a small shop. Passing the blacksmith, Jake felt a frisson or fear. He halted suddenly. Kiera, seconds behind, bumped into him.

“Here?” she asked.

He nodded, “Somewhere here.”

“It has to be the blacksmith, come on.”

Jake led the way and they headed for the smithy. An old building, like the rest of the street, it was made from large grey stones. A sculpted sign in the shape of a hammer striking an anvil proclaimed the building’s purpose. Inside it was dark, the only light coming from a fire in the wall but they could make out a large burly man holding a long pole hammering its end on the anvil. He swung it over to a vat of water and it hissed as it hit the cool water.

Behind him, Mirim saw the shadow of someone else. She could feel the energy that radiated off him. He had to be the one. The man came forward to them at the entrance, and he addressed Jake. “Can I help you?”

“Hello. You don’t know us, but we need to talk.”

The figure studied them for a moment before calling to the older man, “I won’t be long.” The Smith didn’t hear and carried on hammering the anvil with great strokes. The man in the shadows pointed to the door and followed them out into the light.

They emerged outside and blinked in the brightness.

“We need your help. We are trying to unite the last of the five Elementi families. We believe you are the last of the Firelli family - the fire element.” Jake stopped, something wasn’t right. He could feel the rage simmering in the other man. There wasn’t any reason for him to be angry.

“Does this sound familiar to you in any way?” Jake asked, his voice rose slightly.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this. I was told I was the new Fire King when my father died. I was told to keep hidden.” The man furtively glanced down either side of the street. Seeing no one, he clicked his fingers on his right hand. A small flame shot out of his thumb.

“Well there’s no doubt there “ Kiera said. “Let’s go.”

Dani was bored. There hadn’t been a single customer all day. That was always the problem with market week; all the wine growers went to the city. That wouldn’t be so bad but they also took their wives and families with them too. Business would be slow for another week after that as they went through the supplies they brought back from the city. He didn’t know why Fis didn’t just close the shop for two weeks and take a holiday himself. No. Scratch that - let them both take a holiday. They’d be lucky if one person came in each week.

He sighed. There was just nothing to do. He’d tidied the shelves, cleaned the counters and swept the floor. There had to be more to life than this. Picking up the broom again he decided to sweep the porch outside. If Fis came to check up on him at least the place would be spotless.

Opening the door quietly - the bell jarred on his nerves - he saw a group of people standing across the street outside the blacksmith. They were trying to be quiet but their voices carried over to him easily. He was about to ignore them when he caught a fragment of their conversation.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this. I was told I was the new Fire King when my father died.”

What? Who were these people? That man was no Fire King. The group evidently thought he was because they started walking off with him. Dani let them go, he’d better talk to Brigid and quickly.

Taking out his key he locked the door behind him and started to run towards the volcano. When he was sure he was out of earshot of the village, he slowed down. The sandy surface was slippery underneath his feet. When he judged himself halfway up he started calling for his guardian. “Brigid! Brigid!”

Facing the volcano he saw the air shimmer as she materialized. The flames died as she covered her form with skin and clothing. The familiar middle-aged appearance of his guardian stood before him.

“What’s wrong?”

“There were some strangers in the village.” He said breathless. “I heard one of them say to the others he was the Fire King and they just left. Isn’t it a bit of a coincidence they would show up here?”

“No, it’s the only active volcano around here, but why come and go...?” Her eyes looked into the distance - a faraway expression stole across her face. “I can see them now; there were two boys and two girls?”

“Yes, the man who said he was the Fire King was older than the others. I’ve never seen him before.”

“All right. I will have a look.”

Brigid covered her face with her hands as she concentrated. Within moments she began to shudder. Her hands flew away from her face as she contorted with fear. Dani rushed forward to catch her as she collapsed. Sitting her down on the ground he asked, “Are you all right?”

“He’s not human,” she gasped. “I would recognize him anywhere. That’s Adramelech. The other boy, I took a good look before I saw Adramelech. He may be the High-King. He has a touch of the fire element in him.

“You will have to stop them before they take him wherever they are going. It may well be to the Citadel I told you about. He will want to take over the Matrix, if he does, this and other worlds could be destroyed at his whim.”

She leant against Dani while he helped her stand up.

“I’m getting old, Dani. I have watched over your family for over a hundred years. I was a young girl when I arrived and it is near my time to leave. I may as well go with a bang.” She ruffled his red hair. “I’ve known you your entire life, and it’s time we came out of hiding. First I must give you something.”

She held out her hand. A small red box appeared. He grasped it and felt the cool metal under his fingers. Something in it called to him. He knew if he opened the box his simple life would change.

It opened with surprising ease despite its advanced age. Inside was a small red crystal. In wonder he picked it up and cradled it in his hands. Immediately, the world exploded in fire around him. The sheer power of the volcano beneath him called him to use it. He was aware of everything that contained heat - the sun, the earth and even the being before him. For the first time in his life he understood her. He could feel her vast age. He was saddened; her life was cut shorter to be with him. She had kept the volcano dormant for so long that her life-force had depleted. Upon closer look, her realized that she wasn’t old at all. Her energy had simply drained away with the sustained effort of holding the volcano’s destructive force at bay.

Dani looked up at the sky. The sun was the only energy source which could help her now. He felt the sun’s heat on his skin and called for more. He began to absorb it, retaining the pure energy. The crystal glowed a deep red in his hand just as he began to shine from the absorbed sunlight. Facing Brigid he held out his hand. She took it understanding what he planned to do. The energy jumped to her like a bolt of lightning. There was a loud crack and she flailed back with the force, collapsing again on the ground, her face covered by her arm.

Fearing the worst, he ran to her. Relieved, he could still see her breathing. He drew her arm carefully away. The face staring back at him looked thirty years younger in human terms. Using his other senses, he checked her energy levels. Sighing with relief he gently called her name.

She smiled back up at him. She had always chosen long hair in the forms she chose but now it was a luscious red not unlike his own, though her familiar eyes still marked her as alien with their red tinge. He began to help her up but she refused the assistance. To his horror, as he watched, wrinkles began to snake across her face again, her hair became duller and her eyes dimmer. The changes reversed until the old familiar face stood before him.

“I’m so sorry.” Dani murmured, touching his friend’s cheek.

“It’s too late, I am too old and I must return home. They must be heading to the gate. There is one about an hour’s walk away. You need to get there first, you will have to run.”

“What about you?”

“I will be all right. Your destiny is not with me. I will only slow you down. The gates are in the caves by the trees. Go!”

Dani began to run. His long legs pumped as he negotiated the sand and the underbrush. Within minutes he reached the tree line, but there was no sign of the others. His lungs burned with the effort. He stopped and scanned the beach. Caves, what caves? He saw a flash of yellow as he saw the strangers move into the darkness of a hidden cave. He began to run again. He had to get there before they left!

The entrance to the cave was small but the ceiling was just above his head height so he didn’t have to crouch. The gate was beyond the pillars in front of him. The four symbols engraved on them, water and fire on one, earth and air on the other, glowed with intensity. He tried to shout but he was too late. Adramelech was the last to go through, holding on to the back of Jake's hoodie. He saw Dani and gave him a sly grin before disappearing through. Dani dived for the gate, desperate to grab the pretender. As he reached the gate the lights dimmed and it shut down. Dani hit his fist on the hard stone. He was too late!