The Chilling Change Of Air (Elemental Awakening, Book 3) (36 page)

Water was the most important, which was ironic, because when we emerged from our haven the skies had opened up and rain poured down.

The ground hissed where it landed, the drops hotter than I would have expected. And then as I came out fully from the shelter I heard it. A soft, soothing voice inside my head. A gentle tone, a refreshing sound. A warmth and welcome and immediate sensation of familiarity.

Aether
, it said.
Come dance, Aether
, it urged.

I took a few steps forward, I'm unsure of the direction, but I know it pulled me away from Theo. Who was too busy assessing everyone, and then checking the environment, and then discussing with Mark and Isadora what they'd seen when they'd been above ground. Strategizing, I thought to myself, as I felt the tug of something tantalising just out of my reach.

Come play
, that voice tempted, pulling me onward until I was several metres away from the rest.
Yes,
it crooned, like a lover stroking warm wet fingers down my cheeks.
Quickly
, it urged, just as Theo called out to me, asking me what I was doing.

I took one more step, then another.

Theo became frantic. I could hear him running. Maybe the others were too.

But I couldn't turn around, I couldn't walk away. A river had opened up at the edge of the property, I have no idea if it had been there before, and without conscious thought I stepped into the raging waters, feeling delight and eagerness and a sweet anticipation.

And then I was swept away.

I bobbed like a cork, laughing so much I swallowed water. I spluttered and choked, and then just started laughing again as the water spun me and pushed me and danced around my body like a lover.

Within seconds I was down at sea level, somehow moving from Oriental Bay cliffs to Oriental Parade, and then suddenly being swept out to sea.

Panic broke whatever hold
Nero
had, and I began to struggle.

The Water pulled me under. With such ease it shocked me. I flailed, even as it soothed. I screamed, sucking in the sea in large mouthfuls. I couldn't drown. I was pretty sure of that, despite the fact the
Rigas'
doctor had not experimented with water boarding, surprisingly. But
Athanatos
cannot die from drowning, or being buried alive. We need our heads chopped off for that.

The realisation that
Nero
couldn't kill me, unless it took my head, helped. I stopped fighting, forced myself to accept the water in my lungs and not search for air, and listened. Stilled my body. Opened my other senses and just felt.

The click and clack of crustaceans, the mournful cry of a sea mammal in the distance. Scent was elusive in amongst water, but touch was not. Seaweed stroked down my arms, tugged at my pack trying to take it. It didn't weigh me down and my only thought was what if I needed it once I escaped? But Water was determined, and soon the bag was floating away into the darkness. I feared my clothes would follow, which made me shake my head, because who cared right now? I just wanted to survive. Embarrassment at nudity could take a hike.

But my clothes remained, even as Water tingled across my skin, creating sensations that should not have existed right then. I leaned into them, despite my need to escape. I welcomed its touch, despite my desire to be on dry land. I opened my mouth and drank its taste down, savouring it, enjoying it, closing my eyes in delight.

Despite it being salt water and it should not have tasted divine.

I danced with abandon, water my stage, seaweed my companion. Twirling and diving and twisting and turning. If I had breath in my lungs it would have left me in delightful gasps as the ocean became a playground, sensations became my world, and the creatures of the sea entertained. It was surreal, but I felt every single moment. Fear was replaced with excitement. Angst became elation. Dread was soon anticipation.

I didn't want it to end, all thoughts of what was happening back on dry land were forgotten. Only this moment. Only these sensations. Only the next dance.

I'm not sure how long I was under the sea. How long it spun me, moved me, made me feel. Danced with me and me with it. I knew
Nero
had not yet Awakened, because no matter what I did, it would not respond or listen or even acknowledge me. The sublime movements were detached from conscious thought or conversation. Other than those first few words, it remained silent. Letting the sounds of sealife invade my ears.

Letting me feel.

By the time I washed ashore, it was late in the afternoon, the sun winking at me through a scattering of clouds, the rain stopped, the world once again washed clean, dripping and soggy, but glistening and pristine. It smelled so fresh. It shone so bright. I blinked, sat up and then spewed what felt like an entire ocean out over the road surface I lay on.

It took a minute or two for me to realise it wasn't the beach. And when I turned back to look out at the sea I realised why. I was back up on Oriental Bay cliffs, Oriental Parade below us was submerged, houses floating away in the waves, possessions and people washed away with them. I looked over my shoulder, trying to get my bearings, but if I was back on our property even the stone wall had disappeared. Nothing looked like it had before.

The scattered wood and metal and glass and belongings had all been swept away, leaving bare earth, soaked and destroyed gardens, an almost blank canvas to start all over again.

I opened my mouth to call for Theo, but only started coughing, still too much water inside. I gasped and spluttered, but I felt like I was drowning all over again.

Breathe
, Air urged.

Relax
, the Earth encouraged.

Be at ease, Aether
, Fire instructed.

Where are they?
I demanded, relieved I could at least speak in my mind, even if verbalising was still out.

Gone
, they all intoned and my world shattered.

No. No, not possible. They were
Athanatos
. My brother an Alchemist. And all of them, maybe not Isadora, but all the rest, would lay down their lives for Sonya.

No,
I said back firmly.
Where have they gone?

It was a yell. I instinctively drew on every ounce of
Stoicheio
I could manage, infusing my command with so much power lightning struck, the ground shuddered, and fire flared up around me drying off the last of the water that had licked my skin.

The Mountain
, they replied in sync.
We have found them. The Mountain,
they repeated, sounding chastened.

Determination flushed through me, and before I knew it I was running. My only goal to climb the monstrosity that loomed in the distance, blotting out the sun and beckoning me. I imagined the mountaintop, the raised viewing platform, the fallen cannon, our SUV crushed under a tree.

In a split second I was surrounded by pure white light, ozone invading my nostrils, and the crack of sizzling lightning filling my ears. When I blinked back from the brightness I was there.

And Theo was running towards me.

I'd forgotten what I could do with
Aeras
. I'd forgotten what I could do if I only put my mind to it and believed. I'd forgotten.

And as he ran the short distance towards me, Sonya and Mark and Aktor and Isadora watching relieved from behind, I realised I'd forgotten a lot of things in the stress and fear that had enveloped me lately.

I'd forgotten we are the Elementals of this world. We are responsible for the Elements' balance. And as long as we remembered that, succeeded in that, everything would be all right.

"Balance," I said, letting the word register in my mind. My voice scratched and weakened, but the sound of that one word surrounding me on the hillside felt right.

In the next instant I was wrapped up in Theo's arms and spun, cradled to his chest and kissed deeply. He pulled back suddenly, gold looking down at me.

And said, "You taste salty."

I offered a tired smile and then felt my knees give out. Theo lifted me up into his arms and carried me back to the others, who had allowed us our moment of reunion in private. That changed when we came abreast of them.

"What the hell happened?" Mark demanded.

"Nero
," I rasped in my new husky voice. Sonya handed me a bottle of water, which I stared at for a moment, then reluctantly drank. It was fresh and clean and thankfully filtered. And surprisingly, after what I'd just been through, just what I needed.

"Did you have an Awakening?" Aktor asked and I shook my head.

"More of an introduction," I explained.

"And?" Isadora queried, impatience clear on her face.

The world dimmed slightly. I blinked, reached a hand up to my head, and Theo growled, "Back off."

It was lovely watching Isadora jerk in surprise, even if I saw it through a cloud of haziness.

"Theodoros," she began.

"I wouldn't if I were you," he said in a lethally quiet voice. "I remember."

Oh, goody. I hadn't missed this particular reunion.

Her face blanched, then her shoulders stiffened and her chin rose in typical Isadora style.

"Well, you'll remember her using
Strychnos Toxifera
on me in Brazil," she declared archly.

"And I remember you telling her I had a
Thisavros
before her and Casey would only last ten short years in my favour before I'd be back in your arms."

Oh, maybe it wasn't a good idea to be here for this. Gold was blazing from Theo's eyes, anger and righteousness from Isadora's, and I was stuck in the middle, still cradled in Theo's arms. Nico stepped forward, offering to take me, but Theo just growled, the
Thisavros
joining rearing its ugly head.

"Allow me, master," Aktor suggested, his subservient tone somehow soothing Theo's ire.

He handed me over reluctantly and said, voice clipped, "We settle this now."

Isadora nodded her head, resigned, but my brother stepped forward.

"Settle? How?" he asked, not bothering for an explanation on
what
needed settling. That was pretty obvious from the few words just spoken.

"This is not your concern, Alchemist," Theo informed him, imperiously.

"Like hell it's not," he argued back. "I have an interest in Isadora."

It wasn't a surprise, but Dora certainly looked a little shocked. Maybe to her, it had just been light relief at a stressful time and nothing more. From the look on my brother's face, that wasn't the case for him. I sighed quietly. When my brother fell, he tended to fall completely.

And damn, he had to fall for the cow?

"Give us ten minutes, Mark," Isadora requested. "I will return." It was a promise to him and a challenge to Theo. The woman did have guts, I'd give her that.

"Maybe not in one piece," Theo murmured.

"You harm her..." Mark started.

"Be at ease, Alchemist," Nico offered, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him back from getting too close to Theo. "This needs to be dealt with and is long overdue. Let them have space and an opportunity to move past this. For all of our sakes." His eyes lifted to me and Mark followed their trajectory.

God only knows what they both saw, but Mark acquiesced, watching after Theo and Dora as they walked some distance away.

For a moment nothing more was said, then I looked up at Aktor and murmured, "You can put me down now."

"Are you sure, Miss Eden?" he asked, while doing exactly as I requested.

I wasn't sure about anything, but I was determined to follow my previous revelation and train of thought. Balance. Balance was the problem. Balance was the key.

Or maybe I was? The only
Ekmetalleftis
who had been able to feed from
Stoicheio
. The only one able to reach a distant god. If I could pull on all five Elements at once,
balance
them when the world could not, would that work?

With one last glance towards where Theo and Isadora had gone, I turned my attention to Aktor, saying, "Mark, I'm going to need your help, please."

"Help for what?" he asked.

I sucked in a breath of air as he approached, wrapped a hand around Aktor's wrist tightly, surprising him, while I slipped my free hand into Mark's and said, "Call Water," in answer.

"What?" he demanded, but I was already calling Earth, Fire and Air, and he could feel it, reaching out to his own
Stoicheio
reflexively and handing me a full house.

Well, almost.

Aetheros
, I called in my mind, backed by the power of all four Elements.
If you're listening, now would be a good time to start re-entering your children's lives
.