Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3) (42 page)

“I
don’t know.”  Job pulled Tessie against his chest.  His own powers surged out,
trying to still the vibrations and not finding a source.  “This isn’t good.” 
He said it mildly, but there was an undercurrent of steel in his voice.

“It’s
Parald!”  Amarna shouted over the noise.  “It has to be!”

Tharsis
stood up.  “This is too big for Parald.  It’s something worse.”  He steadied
himself of the back of the sofa.

Brokk
and Uriel staggered towards the French doors, looking up at the sky for an
outside threat.

Ty
gripped the edges of Gion’s cape, holding tight.  She couldn’t imagine anything
worse than Parald.  “Did we cover this situation in the security reports?”

“It’s
a Tablet!”  Tessie yelled.  “They’re the only things that could…”

A
shockwave
boom, boom, boom, boom, boomed
in series of concussive blows
to the world itself.

“Jesus!” 
Gion roared.  “Hold on.”

Ty’s
eyes widened as she felt the barriers begin to fall.  Not just the Water
Kingdom’s barriers. 
All
the barriers.  The protective shields around
every kingdom collapsed, one after another, opening all the lands of the
Elemental realm to each other.  For the first time
ever
, all the
powerful fences came down, leaving nothing but one wide open landscape.

The
horrible shaking stopped, but now anyone could come into the kingdom.

Anyone
could
jump
into the kingdom.

Gion
cursed and released his grip on Ty.  “Stay down.”  He repeated, getting to his
feet.  “Thar get over here.  Both of you, stay behind me and
stay down
.” 
Gion extracted his sword and made his way closer to Job.  “Can you get the
barriers back up?”

Lawn
green eyes met Gion’s and there was real shock reflected in them.  “No.”

Gion
blinked as if Job’s simple answer caught him off guard.  If Job couldn’t undo
whatever had just happened, then no one could.

“It’s
the Liberty Box.”  Tessie looked pale.  “It can create and destroy all kinds of
barriers.  Someone just used it to rip down the supernatural boundaries.  Every
single one.”

Gion
glanced at her sharply.  “Kay?”

“No. 
I’d know if my sister woke up.  I don’t know who could have done this.”  She
shook her head.  “There were barriers in place that are
supposed
to be
in place.  Somebody just let loose a lot of things that were better off caged.”

“That’s
just how
Jurassic Park
started.”  Tharsis volunteered.  Thar was always
like that, even before the Fall.  In serious situations, he started cracking jokes. 
Ignoring Gion, he headed for the door.  “I’ll check on Nia.”

Ty
bobbed her head.  “Good idea.  I think we should all be together.  It’s safer.”

“Nothing
will happen to your family, Ty.”  Gion made it a vow.  “We’re leaving.  All of
us.  Now.”  Ty could actually see his mind whirling as he tried to come up with
a destination, though.  With all the barriers down, there weren’t many options
that seemed safe.

“We
don’t know what’s happening, so we shouldn’t rashly decide anything.”  Job kept
his voice level, but he was scanning for danger.  Ty could feel the ripples of
his massive powers as he tried to find the source of the energy earthquake.  “I
do want Cross and Nia down here, though.”

Amarna
pinned Gion with a fervent sort of look.  “If Parald had the Love Tablet
secured in some magical safe or whatever… I think someone just picked the lock
for you.  We need to go to the Air Kingdom.”

Gion’s
eyes narrowed.  “That’s the last place I’d take my Match.”  He stabbed a finger
at Tharsis.  “I said, stay behind me and
don’t move
.”  He stalked
towards Isaacs.  “Does Parald have the Liberty Box?  Did he knock down the barriers? 
What’s he planning?”

“I
don’t know.”

“Tell
me the truth!”

“I
don’t
know!
”

Tharsis
wasn’t impressed with Gion’s skills at giving orders.  “Dude, no one’s telling
me what to do in my own House.”  He kept heading for the exit.

Gion
let out a frustrated sound.  “Tharsis.
Do. Not. Move
.  And Isaacs, I
swear to Christ, if you’re trying to sabotage us…”

“Are
you deranged?  Why would
I
want the barriers down?”  Isaacs positioned
himself for a fight and kept bellowing.  “You think I’m planning a grand tour
of the realm or something?”  He gestured towards his milky eyes. 
“Sightseeing?”

“You’ve
always wanted to be the fucking d’Artagnan of the Air House.  So, let’s just
say, I think you’ve picked a real convenient time to join up with the white
hats.”

Tessie
snorted.  “Good point.”

Tharsis
left to go upstairs.  “Ty, stay with Gion.”

“Thar,
be careful.”

“Hey,
I’m a loyal soldier!”  Isaacs’ expression turned outraged as he jabbed a finger
at Gion.  “When I commit, it’s
solid
.  But, I’m not an idiot.  Now that
Parald’s planning to have me killed, I’m not exactly rooting for the home team,
anymore.”

Amarna
stepped between them.  “Isaacs has nothing to do with this.  Parald and Saxon
are behind it all.  Trust me.”

“Marna,
no offense, but there’s only one person I trust and it’s not you.  It’s that redhead
over there, who kept a promise to me when there was
nothing
in it for
her.  So, don’t push me, right now.  Ty is all I’m focusing on.”

Ty’s
mouth parted.  All those times people had asked her if she trusted Gion and
she’d said yes… she’d never really thought that he’d ever give her that trust
back
. 
Gion wasn’t a man who gave love or trust easily.  The fact that he gave them
both to Ty so openly felt… good.

Really,
really good.

Job
shook his head.  “Parald and Saxon aren’t smart enough to do this alone.  If
it’s them, someone else is lending a hand.  Or this could be Chason’s doing, so
he can invade the Air Kingdom.  Damn it, if he attacks them, it could end the
world, again.”

“It
doesn’t matter if Parald’s the mastermind or not.  He’ll use the opportunity to
make a grab for my Match.”  Gion gave up on questioning Isaacs and headed back
towards Ty, again, apparently coming to a decision.  “Angel, were going to the
human realm.  You’ll stay with your buddy Sullivan while I…”  He stopped,
looking around.  “Where’s Tharsis?”

“He
went to find Nia.  He doesn’t follow instructions well and neither do I.”  Ty
frowned up at him.  “I’m
not
going to the human realm without you.  I
don’t want us to be separated.  Who knows what you’ll do, if I leave you
alone.”

Uriel
joined Ty’s side of the debate.  “Sullivan cannot be endangered.  He is
Melanie’s beloved cousin.”

“This
is taking too long.”  Brokk insisted.  “No one would drop the barriers unless
they wanted to get into someplace.  It’s the Reprisal or the Air House trying
to attack us…”

He
was cut off by the invasion.

War broke
out with such elemental violence, and with such resort to all means for

leading or
misleading public opinion, that no time was available for reflection and

consideration.

Hjalmar
Branting- Nobel Peace Prize Lecture

Saxon
hated the Water Kingdom.

The
whole damn place was like a Smufs’ cartoon.  Happy and colorful, probably
filled with little dancing flowers and singing butterflies or whatever.

What
a fucking nightmare.

He
slammed his powers out, just because he could.  A stained glass window in the
Water House’s church fell into thousands of pieces under the burst of energy. 
The delicate picture of seahorses and sunbeams shattered into nothing.

Saxon
smirked and kept walking up the crushed shell street.  All around him, the Air
Phase army moved into position.  Men under
his
command.

Isaacs
and Gion were history, now.  Parald would fall next.  Saxon would see to that. 
Then, there would be nothing standing in his way of becoming the King of the
Air House.

If
he wanted it, he could take the Water House, too.  His army outnumbered the
Water Phases and their allies twenty to one.  The Water Phases were nobody’s
favorites these days and, since the Fall, it was every Phase for themselves in
most Houses.  Even Gion couldn’t win against these odds.  Job was the only one
who might be able to stop this and the old man wasn’t omnipotent.  No matter
how much he liked to pretend otherwise.

Yeah,
Smurf Village could all be Saxon’s.

Except
he
really
didn’t want it.

A
big part of Saxon thought that the
real
punishment would be leaving Gion
in this hellhole.  It seemed like leveling the place would be doing him a
favor.  No Air Phase soldier could possibly want to stay here.

“The
Water Palace is surrounded, sir.”  Hoff, one his lieutenants, jogged over.  “But,
they could still just jump out of there.  Even if we hold the kingdom, we can’t
keep them here.”

“Gion
won’t run from this.”  Saxon stared up at the castle.  “He’ll fight.”

“We’re
supposed to be after the woman, though.”  Hoff reminded him.  “Parald sent us
for Ty and she’ll get away.  We’ve lost the element of surprise.”

Saxon
shoved Hoff to the ground.  “Shut the fuck up!” 
He
was the top general,
now, and he didn’t have to tolerate insubordination from his followers.

Saxon
knew what he was doing.  It didn’t matter
where
Ty went, now.  With the
barriers down, there was nowhere that she could hide.  This wasn’t about
kidnapping some girl for Parald so that stupid bastard could get his rocks
off….

This
was about making a point.  A
real
point, about who the
really
ran
the Elemental realm.  The Council was a bunch of old ladies and those whiny
Reprisal bastards were do-nothing pussies.  The Air House had the most Phases
and the
only
genuine army.

The
Wood House was all but gone.

The
Metal Phases were mindless thugs.

The
Smoke Kingdom was in chaos.

The
Fire Phases were killers, but they were too crazy to be genuine soldiers.

The
Light House had been mostly feral even before the Fall.

Of
all the great Elemental armies, only the Air House’s remained.  It was only
right
that they ruled.  The rest of the Elementals needed to see that.  To see what
Saxon would do to anyone who stood in his way.

With
the barriers down, there was nothing to stop him.  Every single kingdom was
wide open, thanks to the anonymous author of that light message to Parald. 
Saxon owed that mysterious guy a favor.

This
was the first step in Saxon’s destiny.  He’d bring Ty to Parald eventually, but
the girl and the Water House were really just ways for him to make his point. 
To show everyone he was the big dog of the Air House, now.

Not
Gion.  Not Parald. 
Him
.

After
the example he made of the Water House, no one would dare to stand in his way.

Saxon
glanced over at Hoff, who was struggling to his feet, again.  “Bring the whole
fucking building down.”

*****

Gion
swore savagely.  The entire Air Phase army surrounded the Water Palace.  He
could feel them swarming in normally deserted landscape.  Too many for even him
to wipe out easily.  Especially from this distance.  And, if he went down there
and started picking them off one by one, he’d leave Ty wide open.  What if
that’s what they were waiting for him to do?  For Gion to leave her side, so they
could swoop in and steal her?

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

It
was so much harder to play defense.

“You
see why we need a line of sight, Ty?”  He turned to arch a brow at her, hiding
his agitation.  “Tomorrow those buildings come down.  End of discussion.”

“You
may be the king now, but I still outrank you.”  Ty’s fingers dug into his arm. 
Her voice stayed steady, though.  “Those poor buildings stay right where they
are.  Really, how much better do you need to
see
the invading hoards?”

Gion
nearly smiled at that, even as great bursts of Air energy began pelting the
palace.  The soldiers were slamming fierce explosions of Air into the building
like missiles, one volley after another in rapid succession.  He felt the whole
castle shaking from the force of it.

Shit.

Gion
ushered Ty sideways so she stood behind the black composite door that he’d
replaced.  It was the only door that hadn’t been broken from his out of control
powers earlier.  The only effective shield from the energy.  “Job?  Up for
another fight, today?”

“Do
I have a choice?”

“I’ll
get my people.  Hang on.”  Amarna jumped back to the Air Kingdom to rally her
rebels.  She was possibly the only one there eager for a battle.

Well,
besides the Wood Phases.

Uriel
and Brokk moved to stand on either side of Ty, swords at the ready.

“We
need to get the hell outta here.”  Tessie looked up at Job.  “We’re not
fighting them.  I mean it.  We can just go.”

“Go
where?”  Isaacs retorted.  “All the Elemental kingdoms are vulnerable, now.  I
know that
you’re
okay with hiding in the human realm, Quintessence, but
I’m not loving the idea of living in some suburban condo with the rest of you
idiots for the next three or four millennia.  I’d rather light my head on
fire.”

“Look,
I get that you guys think that you’re all hot shit, top gun, Elemental bad asses,
but there’s –like--
a lot
of soldiers out there.”  Tessie shot back. 
“They’re gonna bring down the whole damn palace.”

Gion
loved the Water Kingdom.  Loved its peace and beauty.  Loved the sanctuary it
offered to the hopeless and exiled and lost.  He loved that the Water Phases
valued music and art over efficiency.  He loved that they’d given him a place
to belong.  And, most of all, he loved the Water Queen.

He
was not about to lose this House.

It
would
never
happen.

He
didn’t give a damn how outnumbered they were, as long as he could ensure Ty’s
safety while he fought, Gion would battle over every grain of sand on the
beach.

Tessie
kept talking, apparently sensing his resolve.  “Parald is a psycho. 
He’s
setting the parameters.  If we retreat now, we can fight later on
our
terms. 
Preferably without a pregnant lady and blind guy in the house.”

“Hey!” 
Isaacs yelped.  “I can fight!”

Ty
cleared her throat.  “I think that Tessie makes some good...”

“I’m
not running from that son-of-a-bitch.”  Gion interrupted.  “This is your
home.”  He swore as the building shook hard enough knock some of the tiny
mosaic tiles off the wall.  “This is
our
home
, Ty.  You think
I’ll ever surrender it to Parald?”

She
grabbed hold of his hand.  “The Water Kingdom is just a place.  You and my
cousins and the people in this room are my home.  That’s all I care about.  I’d
destroy the palace
myself
rather than risk you.”

Gion’s
heart melted.  No one but Ty had ever worried about him.  “Angel, I’ll be fine.” 
He leaned down to kiss her briefly.  “And I’ll protect you and Nia and Thar,
alright?  I’ll put you three somewhere safe and then I’ll…”

“I
won’t leave you here to face an army alone!  Are you insane?”

“He’s
insane.”  Tessie nodded sagely.  “See?  Ty gets it.”

Job
touched Tessie’s hair and nudged her behind him.  “Stay back, Tess.  Don’t get
near the windows.”  He swept towards the French doors, looking down at the Air
Phases below.  “Why do we do this?”  He whispered.

Gion
thought back to his answer the last time Job had asked that in the Agora.  Was
it really in their nature or was it even simpler than that?  “You have to
believe in something,” he finally murmured, “or you go crazy.  And it’s hard to
believe in anything, anymore.”

There
was a long pause.  Then, Job sighed.  “And sometimes, you have to set aside
what you believe.  It’s a new world and, without the barriers, nothing will
keep Parald away from here.  Even if we retreat this time, they’ll just come
back and back and back.”  His lawn green eyes met Gion’s.  “Can you and Isaacs
support the Air House alone?  With just yourselves and the rebels?”

The
meaning behind that question struck Gion at once.

Job,
who made Nobel Peace Prize recipients look like militant Nazis half the time,
was preparing to eradicate the majority of the Air House.  Job didn’t approve
of war.  The guy was a pacifist.  An optimist.  A boy scout.

But,
God only knew what Job could do once he reached the end of his seemingly
limitless patience.  And nothing pissed him off faster than a threat to his
family.  Cross, Tessie, and Nia’s unborn baby were in the palace.  Toss in the
three Water Phases and that was the pretty much the extent of Job’s loved ones.

The
Air Phases had picked a real bad day to come visiting.

Gion’s
mouth curved.  “We can hold the Air House.”  There wasn’t a doubt in Gion’s
mind.  If need be, he’d support the whole damn thing himself.  If Cross could
do it, then he could do it.

Isaacs
paled, understanding Job’s words, too.  “Shit.  Did I pick the right time to
move or what?”

*****

“The
barriers are down!”  Lansing dashed through the Magnet Fortress towards
Chason’s office.  “Commander, this is our chance to get into the Air Kingdom!”

Other
Houses had the same idea.  Without the barriers, Lansing could feel power
echoing across the Elemental realm.  Phases were jumping to new destinations. 
A
lot
of Phases.

Headed
for the Air Kingdom.

Headed
for the Water Kingdom.

Headed
for places that might be safe from the fighting.

The
Reprisal had to strike,
now
.

Lansing
needed
revenge and this was the moment for it.  He wouldn’t rest until
he had vengeance for his family.  He’d always thought that Chason felt the same
way, but recently he’d begun to doubt Chason’s commitment.

He’d
always had total faith in Chason.  The man was an inspiration.  The ideal.  For
all the angry, bitter Phases who’d lost everything in the Fall, Chason
represented hope.  He gave them a mission to fight for.  Lansing had always
tried to model himself after the Magnet King.

After
Chason’s inexplicable decision to not execute Raiden, though, Lansing wasn’t
sure what to think.  Everyone knew that Raiden was insane.  Why the hell would
Chason believe that bullshit about Mara being returned to him?

It
was impossible.

Nothing
could
un
murder Parald’s victims.

Lansing
had shouted that.  He’d tried to get Chason to understand that Raiden was
wrong.  Tried to get him to order Raiden’s punishment or even explode in
violence over the lie. Tried to get Chason to
listen
.

Only
he wasn’t sure if he’d been successful or not.

After
Raiden’s revelation that Mara might be returned to Chason, and that Ty was
somehow connected to the vision, the Magnet King had grown utterly silent.  The
last time Lansing checked, Chason had been staring at nothing for over two
hours.

Ty,
of the Water House needed to die.

Lansing
believed that.  If she’d just submitted to Parald and accepted her Match,
none
of this would have happened.  Once Parald was dead, Ty of the Water House was
next.  And then, the rest of the Air Phases, starting with Gion and Isaacs.