Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) (44 page)

Chapter

Twenty

“Ugh, why are we up this frickin’ early? I could still be sleeping.” Kiev said, grumpy. “Daylight works just as well as pre-dawn.”

Mathieu chuckled, patting the top of her head, his fingers getting caught for a moment in her unkempt hair. “I needed a time to talk to all of you guys before you get distracted by the rest of the activities of the day.” It had been a week or so since he had started training people, and he had successfully gotten through all the types of Elementals. As a result, the area around the headquarters now had a small lake, a single mountain with two small foot hills, sand, clay pits, and a host of other raw materials for the Users to work with.

Narrie and Lenore had worked together to create a lake, and the misplaced earth had been made into the mountain. Lenore had also managed to stretch her control to pull in every type of rock available, sectioning them off for later use. Currently, his unit was sitting on the bed of flat rocks that had become his personal training grounds. The surrounding area bore scars of abuse from said training, and there was a divot in the stone that Mathieu had created for his meditation.

Erik and Solomon flanked him, Jo and Lione across from him, with Enak, and Kiev between the two groups. “Now that everyone has moved onto group training, I thought we should meet and talk.”

Erik nodded, and crossed his arms over her chest. “Yes, and we should cover everyone’s job.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Jo, let’s start with you. I want you near me at all times, whether we’re fighting or not. That being said, Lione, your singular purpose is to protect him. As soon as the invasion begins, you attached to his hip.” He said, although with the look that the pair was giving him, that had already been their plan.

Lione shyly nodded, “I will do so.” He looked at Jo and they both smiled.

“Then Erik, Enak, you two work together; but I’ m sure you can already do that.” The group at large mumbled. “And Kiev, I want you to watch our asses. You have the longest reach of any of our abilities, and I trust you to be able to hold off any threat until we can assist in neutralizing the threat.”

“What about me?” Solomon asked, raising a brow.

Mathieu rolled his eyes. “I figure that whatever I tell you to do, you aren’t going to do anyway. So just kill things and don’t get hurt.” He folded his legs under himself.
“Alright, meditation, then warm up.
We’ll spar after that.” He closed his eyes and pushed his energy out from him in a controlled manner, making a shield around him. It lifted him off the ground, balancing in the divot he’d made over time. All of his senses stretched out, sensing and testing those around him. He could feel the soul deep connection between Erik and Enak, the sadness in Lione, even though his mother was now at the HQ and perfectly healthy, Jo’s darkness and the threads of fate that attached him to Mathieu, Solomon’s heightened emotional state, and Kiev’s boredom. It made him smile
to feel the general consensus of unhappiness with him. At least him unit was united on one thing. It seemed to him that from the beginning, no one had been happy with his choices; Mathieu figured this was just because they couldn’t see the brilliance behind it yet. At least, he hoped it was brilliance.

But beyond the people around him, he could feel other things too. Like the thrum of life through the planet, the auras of the elements. He also could feel the pull of the other plane from his early teen years. It had been absent for a long while, but now he could sense it. And he had a better view of what it was now compared to back then. It was the other side of death.

If it hadn’t been for the spiritual aura he would recognize anywhere as
Avian
, he wouldn’t have known what it was. But as it was, he could feel her there, pulling to him, trying to cross over enough to speak to him. Letting out a long breath, he wrapped his best friend in his power, pulling her towards him. And soon her voice was in his mind. When he opened his eyes, he could see her within his field of vision, smiling at him. This hadn’t been the first time since he began to expand his power that he had seen her. Mathieu wished he had practiced harder when he was younger so that he wouldn’t have had those months of loneliness without her.

“How are things?” She said
,
arms folded over her chest.

He smiled sheepishly.
Solomon and I finally…ya know. And I made a Shadowrider, plus one. I wish you could meet Jo. He’s like a little kid.

“And tell me the rest.”
Avian said, head inclined.
She’s always known when he was hiding something.

I found my father.
His eyes flicked towards Erik, and she turned to look.

She nodded. “I can see it. I remember when it really bothered you that he abandoned you.”

He sighed softly, wrinkling his nose.
Yes, well, now he’s here.

“Have you talked to him, yet? Oh! I’ve got a surprise for you. Let me borrow your soul for a moment.” Avian grabbed his hand and gave a hard tug, pulling his soul right out of his body.

It was the most peculiar feelings. It was like his body and his mind were now disconnected and there was a lightness that he’d never felt before. It made him feel like he might blow away in a strong breeze, like he wasn’t anchored to anything anymore. Turning to look back, he saw his body sag forward slightly, and he sighed. “Okay, show me.” He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to get back into his body, but he would worry about that later.

Avian grinned mischievously and slowly they started to fade into nothing, falling into another plane. It was soft white, warm almost. A pool of water was not far away, and Mathieu guessed it was the center of the whiteness. She squeezed his hand and went to the water, wading into it. “Anita? Hello?”

Mathieu followed into the water, but it didn’t make him feel wet. It felt cold, that was for sure, but he didn’t feel the heaviness that clothing took on when they were wet. Looking into the water, he couldn’t see below the surface. It was like rippling glass.

A woman slowly rose out of the water. Her hair was long and white, skin a soft tan. Her eyes were the same shade of purple as his. Mathieu’s breath caught in his throat and he knew who he was looking at: his mother. “Anita, what joke is this?” Mathieu said harshly to Avian, angry at being teased like that. Seeing his father was one thing, but his dead mother was another.

“It’s not a trick.” Avian said. “It’s your mom’s soul. I found her on the other side, attracted by her thoughts of you. Don’t be rude; say hello to her.”

Mathieu gave her a hard look. But, then again…he was standing here with Avian’s soul so just maybe…He shook his head determinedly. There was no way this was his mother, but he would play along so that Avian didn’t decide to get even for not believing her and trap his soul or something. “Hello.” He said curtly.

The woman’s face split into a heartwarming smiling, and she waded across the pool water without displacing any of the water. “Mathieu,” Her hand came to cup his cheek, “you’ve grown so much, you know that? I’ve missed you with all my heart.” Then Anita was hugging him tightly, holding him against her chest.

Tears he couldn’t explain filled his eyes, and he hugged her back before he thought about it. Whether this was real or not, it sure felt real to him. His whole life he had wanted to believe that his mother had wanted him, had been a good woman. And this thing, real or not, wanted him.
“Ma?”
He asked quietly.

“I’m glad to see you. I tried to call you when you were younger, but you wouldn’t come. I’ve wanted to see you
for a long time. There are things I need to tell you.” She touched his cheek, pulling back from the hug.

“…I met Erik.” He said before she could continue.

She smiled slightly.
“Your father.
He’s an amazing man, you know.” Anita cupped his face again. “It’s just…a miracle to touch you again. I’m sorry you were alone for so long. But now you’re not so alone, are you?”

Avian piped up, “He’s got a father and a super-hunk.”

“I suppose he does.” She looked down at the water around them. “Oh, the others are noticing your absence. You must go. But I will see you again, I promise. And talk to your father. He is the only one who can help you.
Oaky?”

“Help me?
With what.”

“Goodbye, little one. Always know that I love you.” Anita kissed his forehead and then it was as if she was becoming less
solid,
or him more so.

He sank through the water, plunging down, down, down. Bubbles erupted around him as he fell, and then it was like he just dropped out of the sky, towards the ground. He flinched up as the ground
came
racing towards him, but his soul slid easily into his body, becoming whole again. The energy shield around him lowered as soon as he had made it back, but he had attracted the attention of Solomon, Erik, and Enak.

“What did you see?” Erik said in an off-hand way, rubbing his jaw.

Mathieu fixed him with a blank stare as he said “Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to us.” Enak said, fixing him with a pointed gaze.

Jo nodded. “Yeah, you can trust us!”

“You’re all going to think I’m crazy…” Mathieu said, but the rest just looked at him expectantly.
“Fine.
I left my body and Avian and my mom.”

“You…saw Anita?” Erik said, hands gripping his knees tightly.

“And Avian?”
Solomon added on, his tone sharp.

Mathieu nodded to them, “Yeah.” Was all he said before looking
around.
“Do some stretches, people. Quit sitting around.” Mathieu got to his feet, stretching for the sky.

The other’s groaned, but got to their feet, each person stretching this way and that, loosening up where they felt they needed it the most. Mathieu focused specifically on his legs, and soon he was warmed up. He was careful to not look at the others, trying to dissuade them from asking questions about what he had seen.

Erik, who was still next to him, leaned in to speak to him in a moderately private way. “We’ll talk about your mother later, but I have an issue with you and Solomon being in the same unit. He’ll be a distraction.”

Said blond wrapped his arms around Mathieu’s waist, kissing the back of his head. “It’ll be more distracting for us to be apart. Besides, I won’t leave him to be only
guarded by a Roman.”

Mathieu’s father hissed softly, glaring at the other. “You are too old for your own good, Priest.”

“I don’t need your approval to be with my…to be with Mathieu.” Solomon said. Mathieu had no clue what the hell they were talking about, but it seemed to be stirring up some tension.

“Erik, I can be with who I’d like. And you don’t really understand the full scope of things.” Mathieu said quietly.

His father looked between the pair before a look of dawning comprehension flashed across his face. “You’re kidding me. You didn’t…”

Solomon grinned in a protective way, his hand coming to rest on Mathieu’s neck.

For the past week, he had kept his hair down to prevent the others from seeing the bite scar on the left side of his neck. As Solomon had explained it, his people didn’t do anything halfway. It was all or nothing. And Mathieu had agreed, willing to mate and be bound to the blond for the rest of his life, rather than be without Solomon.

Thin lines of red marked Erik’s jaw as his teeth ground together. “This is not something to be undertaken lightly, Mathieu.” He said. Erik’s hands were shaking, presumably with anger, as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

“Shut up. It’s not your business who I fall in love with, or what we do about it.” Mathieu’s eyes were lightening to
a mauve
when Solomon softly kissed his temple.