Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3) (23 page)

Blood
ran from Ty’s forehead.  She felt dizzy.  “What?”  She automatically tried to
check on Isaacs.  He was breathing, but she didn’t see much more than that before
Raiden dragged her away.

Lansing
stopped his attack, apparently unwilling to fight Raiden, but more soldiers
were charging their way.  There were just too many.  Confusion swirled in her
pounding head.

Ty
didn’t want to be with Raiden.  She didn’t trust him and she didn’t like him
touching her.  What was he planning?  How could she possibly fight him?  Where
was Brokk?  Where was Job?

What
was she going to do?

Help
me!

The
words were in her head without Ty even thinking about them.

Raiden
shot her a surprised look.  “What kind of power do you have?”

“Power? 
Not a lot.”

“You
have enough.  Now, he’ll come.  We don’t have time.”  People died around them,
but one look at Raiden had most would be attackers halting mid-step.  “You need
to get the box from Parald.”

Ty’s
head hurt.  “The box?”  She repeated blankly.

“Yes,
for all of our sakes.”  Raiden’s face was less menacing in close-up, possibly
because she could see the strained edges of his handsome profile.  Day-Glo
green eyes gleamed with all the secrets of the world.  “I’m counting on you,
Ty.  We share similar experiences, don’t we?”

Ty
started at him, understanding exactly what he meant.  She’d never really
considered it before --Why would she?-- but, he was actually right.  Like Ty,
Raiden had nearly been murdered by his own House during the Fall.  Raiden’s scar
was an external, untreated slice across his neck and she carried hers on the
inside, but Ty still understood what he’d gone through.  Raiden was crazy. 
Everyone knew that.  Sometimes, Ty thought that she’d lost her mind, too, so
she could identify with that.

They
were tragically alike, weren’t they?

That
didn’t mean that Ty was okay with letting him kill her, though.

A
colossal
Wham!
of energy shockwaved over the Agora.

“Gion.” 
Ty actually said his name out loud like a prayer.  She looked around for him desperately,
feeling him nearby.  Only Gion had the power to scour the Air like that.

Raiden
held onto her and continued talking in his strangely hypnotic tone.  “Others
can’t understand what it is to see the darkness.  Unless, they know what it is
to look into that abyss, they don’t see how closely we’re all connected.  How
events
synchronize. 
But, you and I have touched the other side.  I know now that you’re the only
one who can do this.”

“What
are you talking about?”  Ty’s head ached and she wanted Gion.

“Find
the box.  It will be behind him.”

“
Ty!
” 
Cyclones of power sent everyone around her flying.  Parting the crowd like
Chuck Heston in the
Ten Commandments
, Gion swept forwards.  People on
all three sides of the war twirled into the air as he searched for her.

Something
flashed through Ty’s memories, again, but it was gone before she could grasp
hold of it.  It didn’t matter.

Nothing
mattered except getting to Gion.

Ty
ripped free from Raiden and ran for him.  All the Phases who
should
have
been in her way went airborne.  Not a single person tried to stop her.  Gion
just cleared the path and Ty barely noticed.

All
she saw was him.

Icy
blue eyes fixed on her, locking on her face as he pushed forward.  Ty
registered Gion’s surprise, although whether it was because of the battle
raging, the blood covering her, or the idea of Ty throwing herself into his
arms was anyone’s guess.

Ty
didn’t care.

She
only cared about reaching him.

“Gion!” 
He looked perfect.  The invincible destroyers of worlds.  The most unlikely
savior in the universe.  The only person she wanted in the midst of this
nightmare.  “You’re here.”  Ty catapulted herself against his chest, clinging
to Gion’s neck.  If she could have, she would’ve crawled right inside of him. 
He held her, strong arms encircling her, sheltering her, and Ty knew she was
safe.

“Thank
God.”  He exhaled hard enough to part her hair.  “I’ve got you, angel.  Are you
hurt?  Are you okay?  Let me see.”  He pulled back to study her.  A hand ran
over her face, assessing her injuries.  “You’re cut.”  Gion looked at Raiden
over the top of her head, his gaze deadly.  “You touched her?”

Raiden
stared back.  “The woman is yours.”  It wasn’t a question.

“The
woman is mine.”  Gion’s tone could’ve stopped hearts from beating.  “And no one
fucking touches her.”

“He
didn’t do this.”   Ty wiped at the blood and tried to focus.  “I can’t find
Brokk or Job.  I think I got them killed.  Please, help me find them.”

Gion
glanced at Raiden, again, and then dismissed the other man entirely.  He
touched Ty’s hair and nodded.  “I will.  I’ll find them for you.  I have to
take you home, first, and then I’ll…”

“Find
them now!  I can’t just leave them here!”

Gion
wanted to ignore her.  Ty could see that in his face.  He wanted to force her
back to the Water Kingdom.  She couldn’t let him do that.  “I’m begging you, Gion.” 
More firefly like dots swam over her vision and Ty had to close her eyes.  Her
head ached so badly.  “Please help me.”

He
swore in defeat.  “Hold on.”

A
gigantic geyser of power lifted them both up into the sky.  Gion could fly.  Sort
of.  Ty’s mouth fell open as the Air energy shot them right onto the roof of
the theater.  No one else could do anything even close to that.  Only Gion. 
The flat surface of the roof was solid under her feet as Gion set her down. 
Safe above the battle, Ty could see the fighting stretch out in every
direction.

“Can
I trust you to stay here?”  He demanded.  “Because, if I
can’t
, I’ll
leave Brokk and Job to rot and…”

“Find
them.  I’ll stay here.  I swear.”

Gion
hesitated, staring into her eyes.  “Don’t move.”  He ordered, again.  “Just
don’t
.” 
He vanished.

*****

Not
even Gion could jump from one spot to another in the same kingdom, but he could
jump to the human realm and then back again, changing his return position each
time.  It was hard to accomplish in the midst of the battle, because Phases
needed room to jump.  Gion was perfectly okay with using his powers to create a
space for himself, though.  He just blew the crowd back, disregarding their
shouts and swords.

All
these Phases were Ty’s enemies.  If he picked off a dozen or so as he searched,
so much the better.

Gion
jumped back and forth from the Florida beach to the Agora, looking for Brokk or
Job.  He probably confused the hell out of a lot of people.  Air Phases gaped
at him, shocked to see their defector back from his self-imposed exile and in
the midst of battle.  The Reprisal kept taking swings at him every time he
appeared.  And the humans in Mayport Beach wouldn’t know what the hell was
happening.  That damn town was gonna think someone dumped LSD into their water
supply after today.

Gion
didn’t care.

This
was such a waste of time.

Gion
didn’t even like Job and Brokk.  The two of them could look after themselves
and neither man was exactly leading the “Hooray for Gion” parade.  All he
really wanted was to get Ty away from the fight and back home.

He
wasn’t sure when the Water Kingdom became “home,” but that’s what it was for
him, now.  Ty was hurt, bleeding, and Gion wanted her safe in her pastel castle
as quickly as possible.  The words, “I’m begging you, Gion.  Please help me.”
pretty much left him out of options, though.  If Ty wanted Job and Brokk, then
he’d find them for her.  End of story.

As
long as it didn’t take more than five minutes.

Gion
was timing it.

He
located Brokk first.  It wasn’t hard.  Most of the civilians had fled, leaving
a sea of black and grey uniforms.  Brokk was the only one dressed like Indiana
Jones.  The guy fought like a warrior.  There were piles of bodies around him
and still he battled.

“Gion!” 
Even as Brokk stabbed a Reprisal soldier through the neck, his attention was on
Gion.  “I lost Ty!  Help me find her!”

Gion
ignored that.  He seized Brokk’s forearm, strong enough to drag the Wood Phase
with him as he jumped.  A quick flash of the Gulf of Mexico and then Gion was
back on the theater roof.  The whole Brokk search took him less than two
minutes.

So
far so good.

Ty’s
face lit up when she saw her bodyguard.  “You did it!”  She beamed at Gion and
threw her arms around him.  “Thank you.”

He
closed his eyes and breathed in the strawberry scent of her hair.  “You’re
welcome, angel.”

Gion
would never forget Ty’s expression when she’d spotted him wading through the
battle.  She’d been overjoyed.  No one had ever been so glad to see him
before.  No one had ever run
for
him, either, usually it was
away
. 
When Ty leapt into his arms, Gion felt triumphant.

For
the first time in his life, Gion, of the Air House was a hero.

“Ty!” 
Brokk was visibly relieved to see her.  “Next time, I put you behind me, don’t
move!  Gaia!  I looked, and you were gone, and I almost had a heart attack.”

“I’m
fine.”  Ty moved to happily squeeze him.  “Gion saved me.”

Brokk
didn’t hug her back.  He held his hands up and away from Ty, even as he kissed
the top of her head.

Phases
didn’t touch each other’s Matches.

Gion
blinked.

It
sure wasn’t Parald’s claim that Brokk was respecting.  No one gave a shit about
that bastard, and Ty had already renounced the Match.  Wood Phases were
extremely uptight when it came to following rules, but Parald was exempt from
all civilized conduct.  Until now, Brokk had touched Ty all the time.

But,
suddenly Brokk’s hands were off of Ty because… Brokk considered her Gion’s.

Brown
eyes fixed on Gion over the top of Ty’s head.  Match or not, in Brokk’s mind,
Ty belonged to Gion and he wouldn’t touch her without permission.  Gion hadn’t
been expecting that.  No one had ever acknowledged his claim on Ty before. 
Well, unless you counted that nut-job Raiden.

Gion
felt himself nodding consent, actually sort of… proud.  Someone besides himself
saw Ty, of the Water House as
his
.  “Watch her.”  He told Brokk.  The
other man finally hugged Ty and, for once, Gion didn’t mind.  “I’ll be right
back.”

“I’m
not going to sit out the battle up here.”  Brokk protested.  “Wood Phases
don’t…”

“The
battle’s about to end.”  Gion interrupted.  “Guard Ty.”  He jumped, again.

It
took him another minute to find Job.  The leader of the Elementals was clearing
the Agora of fighters by sending them blasting right back to their homelands.

Gion
figured he’d do that.

That’s
how Job stopped the Battle of the Fall.  After days of Phases attacking the Air
Kingdom, so many Elementals had died that it began to endanger all of
existence.  And the plague killed even more.

Job
refused to waste more lives.  The siege ended when Job arrived in the Air
Kingdom and evicted all the non-Air Phases with his incredible powers.  Gion
wasn’t sure how he’d accomplished it.  Job’s energy was so vast, not even Gion
could understand it.

As
a boy, Job had been everything Gion wanted to be.  He and Parson, of the Wood
House were the only role models in Gion’s life.  Heroic and honorable, people
looked at them with respect and smiles.  Parson had been the greatest man Gion
ever knew.  Wise and compassionate, he’d saved Gion’s life by just being there.

Gion’s
parents had turned their backs on him when they realized he was a murderer.  He
didn’t really blame them or even miss them much.  After he killed Addom on the
playground, Gion never saw them, again.  No great loss.  Gion lived with the
Wood Phases for the next hundred and twenty years and he’d been satisfied. 
Parson had been his father in every way that mattered.

But,
Job would always be the ideal.  In Gion’s mind, Job, of the Earth House
represented the absolute epitome of Elemental manhood.

It
was so damn easy to hate him for it.

Job
glanced over when he sensed Gion behind him.  Three more Phases went
involuntarily jumping back to their own kingdoms, their eyes rolling back in
their heads.  “Have you seen Ty?”  He asked in his perfectly modulated voice. 
The edges of his lawn green eyes looked tense, which, for Job, was an emotional
meltdown.

“I’ve
got Ty.  She’s upset.  She wants you out of the fighting.”

“When
I’m finished.”  Job sent four more unconscious men flashing away.  “We also
need to discuss you moving to the Earth Kingdom, Gion.”