Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3) (11 page)

He’d
have justice for his Match.

He’d
finally have revenge.

Chason
very slowly smiled as the blackness in his head pulled him ever deeper into
madness.

I have
already moved too long in an environment that is not my own.

Flying
fish can live for a time in the air; but soon they must splash back into the
water.

I, too,
must swim in my own element.

Ivan
Turgenev's ‘Fathers and Children’

“You
son-of-a-bitch!”  Cross, of the Shadow House did not possess a calm and
soothing voice.  It rumbled with Shadows most of the time and, when he started
yelling, it went into complete darkness.  “What the hell are doing, coming
here?”  He stalked forward interrupting Gion’s security check, his mercury eyes
glowing with rage.

Dressed
in cargo pants and a sleeveless t-shirt, Cross looked out of place in the Water
Palace.  Water Phases gravitated towards cheerful seaside tones for their
attire.  Cross gravitated towards black.

Gion
didn’t entirely blame the boy.

After
all, Gion still wore one of his Air House uniforms.  First of all, because he
didn’t own any other styles of clothes.  Secondly, because he was comfortable
in the austere color.  And, finally, because it was
his
.

Gion’s
world was upside down, now.  Most of that was because of his own choices. 
Hell, most of it was part of his own
plan
.  But, it still freaked him
out.  For so long, he’d wanted to be in the Water Kingdom.  He’d wanted to
escape Parald and be free.  He’d wanted to be with Ty and he’d done everything
in his power to make that happen.

Still,
the sudden transition from his old life in the Air Kingdom, constantly
expecting betrayal and death, to life in the relatively peaceful Water House
was jolting.  People still wanted him dead here in the Water Palace, but they
were a lot more open about it.

So
far today, he’d had Nia, Brokk, and Tharsis all threatening him with bodily
harm if he so much as made Ty stub her toe.  None of them had actually tried to
harm Gion, though.  In the eighteen hours that Gion had been an honorary Water
Phase, he hadn’t once been attacked from behind.  Certainly that was a pleasant
change, but it took some getting used to.

“Cross. 
Come to welcome me into the fold?”

“I’ve
come to fucking kill you, you bastard.  Blackmailing poor Ty is a new all-time
low for you and that is really saying…”

“I
never blackmailed Tritone.”  Gion interrupted.  “She and I made a deal. 
Concerning me heroically saving
your
Match, as I recall.”  He shifted so
he’d be able to draw his sword more easily if it came to that.  Not that he
wanted
to kill Cross.  The last Shadow Phase alive, Cross’ death would automatically
end the universe.  That was almost always a bad thing.

Even
more importantly, though, Cross was Nia’s Match.  Ty idolized her cousins. 
Tharsis and Nia were the most important people in her world.

Gion
wasn’t an idiot.

He’d
never get anywhere with Ty if he decapitated her beloved cousin-in-law right
there in the family’s living room.  Especially, since Cross was the happy
father-to-be to Ty’s niece.

“You
extorted her out of that promise.”  Cross roared.  “I was there when it
happened, dickhead, so I know how it went down.  You refused to help Nia
without Ty buying you off.”

Gion
would have helped Nia even without the promise.

He
wasn’t exactly advertising that, but it was the truth.  Ty loved her.  Nia was
her sister, in every way that mattered.  Ty wanted Nia alive, so Gion kept Nia
alive.  It was as simple as that.

Gion
checked off “south windows- second floor, living room” from the master list in
his hand and turned the page on his clipboard.  “I expected you sooner.”  He
told Cross.  “I could have worked my nefarious ways last night, stealing the
palace’s silverware and vandalizing all the empty rooms.  You should have been
here to stop my evil schemes.  Or did ruling over
all
your loyal
subjects tire you out for the day?”

“If
I’d heard about it sooner, I woulda been here to kick you out sooner.  I was
with Job this morning.  When Ty decided to turn crazy, she didn’t exactly
advertise…”

Gion’s
head snapped around.  “Watch what you say about Ty.”  He warned flatly.

Cross
stopped his ranting short and squinted at Gion.  “What?”

Gion
looked back at his clipboard.  He didn’t have a family.  He certainly wasn’t
used to dealing with anyone else’s.  In fact, he’d told himself that it would
be best if he just stayed out of Ty’s personal life.  Her cousins were a pain
in the ass, but they were none of his business.  Gion had no intention of even
talking to anyone in his new kingdom.

Except
his new queen.

Cross
was harmless.  At least towards Ty.  Gion knew that.  Still…

“Tritone’s
done nothing wrong.  Leave her out of it.”  He clicked his pen and headed over
to the other side of the vast room.

Cross
stared after him, an incredulous expression on his face.  “Are you
kidding
me?  I fucking love that kid. 
You’re
the one manipulating her, forcing
Ty to take you in like stray cat.  Bringing the Air House down on her head…”

“The
Air House was already after Ty.”

Parald
wouldn’t rest until he’d reclaimed her.

Or
Gion killed him.  Unfortunately, Gion calculated that he had another hundred
years or so before that was possible.

At
this point, Ty would be safer with Gion in the Water Palace.  For a long time,
he’d done her more good by staying with Parald.  That way, Gion could see
everything that happened in the Air Kingdom and sabotage all of Parald’s
abduction efforts.

But
things were passed that now.

“Ty
would be a lot better off if you would just…”  Cross trailed off, watching as
Gion tested the French doors leading to the balcony, one by one.  “Alright,
seriously, what the hell are you doing?”

The
entire eastern wall was covered in a row of the glass doors leading out to an
open veranda.  In Gion’s estimation, the Water Palace contained more balconies
than any other building in the Elemental realm.  The outdoor living areas nearly
equaled the massive interior space.

All
in all, it was a beautiful, scenic, security nightmare.

“I’m
checking access points, obviously.”  Every one of the doors consisted of
breakable glass panels.  Gion spared a frustrated look towards the ceiling. 
Gaia, this was bleak.  It was a wonder that any Water Phases survived, at all,
if they insisted on living in a greenhouse.

Gion
blew-out an aggravated breath and looked back at his clipboard.  Item number
sixteen on Gion’s master list was “replace all windows with Plexiglas.” 
Elementals couldn’t manipulate plastic and it was a lot harder to break.  “Tell
me what is it that Brokk does around here?  Isn’t he supposed to be in charge
of security?”

“He’s
Ty’s bodyguard.”

“Well,
where was he last night at Ty’s narcotics counseling?”

“Ty
doesn’t like anyone with her in the meetings.  She says they’re private.  And
then you jumped her home afterwards, so…”

“Private? 
How can they be private?  They’re crawling with humans.”

“Ty
won’t let Brokk sit in.”  Cross stated flatly.  “She won’t let any Phases in
there with her.”

Gion
blinked.  Once.  Twice.  “And you and Brokk allow this?”  He clarified.

“Look,
you wanna try reasoning with Ty… be my guest.  Nia and Tharsis talked to her, but
she was adamant, so they gave in.  Ty’s been doing better and they don’t want
to do anything to screw up her progress.”  Cross gave an “everybody’s a lunatic
but me” shrug.  “It’s just inside the meeting itself that she wants privacy.”

“Someone
will be with Ty
every single second
that she’s outside of the Water
Kingdom.”  Gion said unequivocally.  “Or Ty won’t leave the Water Kingdom, at
all.”

Cross’
eyebrows shot upward.

“Gion?”

He
turned and spotted Ty hovering in the doorway.  The world shrunk down, so it
became nothing but her.  It was always like that when he saw her.  “Yes?”

“Are
you… alright?”  She shot Cross a slight frown as if she was worried that her
cousin-in-law might be torturing him.

“Your
new immigrant here isn’t happy.”  Cross informed her and waved a hand at Gion. 
“He doesn’t think you pay enough attention to security and he’s actually right,
for once.  If you and Thar just came to the Shadow Kingdom, permanently, you’d
be better off.  I told you that.”

“This
was my parents’ House.”  Ty said quietly.  She cast a quick glance at Gion.  “I
had the feeling you wouldn’t enjoy being here.”  She looked worried.  “Would
you like to go to the Shadowland, instead?”

“Oh,
hell, no!”  Cross protested.  “He’s not coming near my House.”

“I’m
satisfied with the Water Kingdom.”  Gion would willingly trade body parts to
stay here with Ty.  “Your security is insufficient, however.  I’m creating the
complete report.”  He forced himself to look away from her.  “And you can’t be
by yourself in the human realm, anymore.  Not even for the meetings.”

Ty
came closer to him and Gion felt himself getting tenser.  The Air energy went
nuts every time she came near him, but it was worse than ever.  Following her
request, he’d stopped trying to hold the energy back from her.  Now, even
without touching her, the Air powers muddled his thinking.  Every halfway
intelligent thought in Gion’s head vanished.

Ty
could feel his energy against hers.  Her breathing got faster and she swallowed
as if she was trying to focus.  “My meetings are private.  I don’t want anyone
else there.”

“So
I’ve heard.  Tell me, do you consider being kidnapped, raped and murdered
private
,
as well?”  Gion tapped the clipboard against his palm, irritated by her
casualness and by general sexual frustration.  “Last I checked, the Air House,
the Reprisal, and a high percentage of the overall, pissed-off Phase population
wanted your pretty little head on a platter.  Or are you just betting that the
mercenaries will play fair and call ahead before attacking you?”

Turquoise
eyes fluttered up to his face for a beat and then away, again.

Gion
sighed.  He never considered himself a people person, but around Ty his social
skills hit rock bottom.

Every
time he thought about how easily she could have died at the hands of that mob
during the Fall, he got furious.  Not at Ty, but at the world at large.  At all
the people who could hurt her and at how easily it could happen.  Ty didn’t
seem to process how
important
she was and it drove him crazy.

Ty
gave his life meaning and she was the most vulnerable creature in the universe.

Gion
took a deep breath, reminding himself of what he’d learned in the library.  If
he pushed her too hard, Ty would close down.  Tritone, of the Water House
wasn’t a woman you could bend to your will.  She’d break first.  She seemed
fragile, but really she was obstinate.  If you wanted something from her, you
had to coax her into freely giving it.

Gion
wanted quite a bit from Ty.

So,
he could be patient.

“I
could have hurt you yesterday at that meeting.”  He told her seriously.  Ty was
a scientist.  She liked explanations and logic.  “If I’d wanted to, I could
have captured you and taken you to Parald.  You said it yourself.”

“But,
you didn’t.  You won’t.”

“No,
I won’t.  But, others will try to harm you when they realize that you’re
regularly alone in the human realm.  It’s a pattern.  It’s dangerous.”

“The
meetings are private.”  She stubbornly repeated.

“When
I was in the Air Kingdom, if something happened and Parald sent men after you,
I could get you out, again.”  Gion continued undaunted.  “You
know
that.  What would happen if Isaacs got you, now, though?  Now, that I’m
not
in the Air Kingdom?”

Ty
studied the closest wall mural.  Mermaids and dolphins swam among tall strands
of seaweed.  “I suppose, I’d have to get out of the Air Kingdom by myself.  I’m
not helpless, you know.”

“What
would happen,” Gion corrected, “is that
I
would have to go in after
you.  Since I’m surprisingly
un
sentimental about leaving my homeland,
I’m not in a great hurry to journey back.”

Ty
didn’t appreciate that response.  “No one’s asking you to go back to the Air
Kingdom.”

“I
am.”  Cross raised a hand.

They
ignored him.

“
You
asked me to look over your security, Tritone.”  Even though Gion was fairly
sure she’d only given him the job to keep him out of trouble, he intended to
see that it was done properly.  Nothing was more important to him than Ty’s
safety.

“But,
Brokk’s my bodyguard and he said…”

“Brokk’s
your
friend
.  Therefore, he’s obviously a great deal more willing to let
you do idiotic things than I am.”  Gion understood that distinction, since he’d
never had a friend in his life.  Unless you counted Tessie.