The Chilling Change Of Air (Elemental Awakening, Book 3) (37 page)

Silence as
Gi, Pyrkagia, Aeras,
and
Nero
surrounded us on top of Mount Victoria, overlooking a decimated city, anticipation hanging in the air. The scent of wet leaves and new grass infused me. The heated touch of flames as they licked my skin tickled. The sound of wind whistling, moaning met my ears. The taste of salt and brine tingled on my tongue.

And finally the dazzling, sparkling, effervescent glow of millions and millions of stars inside our minds, or in front of our eyes, or all around us, it was hard to say. Blinking, twinkling, winking. Making me smile. It was beautiful. Quintessence on loan from a god.

"Call your
Pyrkagia
," I instructed Aktor, joy filling every inch of me as those stars danced and twirled.

It was a testament to how much the old butler trusted me, because he didn't hesitate, despite recent experience telling him this would probably hurt. He reached for his
Stoicheio
. It came in a rush of flames and bright light and sizzling heat.

And Theo's thunderous roar of, "Cassandra! What the hell are you doing?" as he pulled us abruptly apart.

A boom of thunder exploded overhead, even though there were no clouds to signify a storm. Lightning rained down. Wind swept my hair around my face in a frenzy. The ground rumbled and shook, making everyone who wasn't cowering already fall down. A wave of movement buckled and uprooted what was left of the city, rolling outwards, further and further, in all directions. A circular ripple through the earth.

Blinding lights flashed as rainbows appeared in the sky, stars offering an unexpected and incongruous backdrop. Rain lashed our faces, pounded into the dirt. Sizzling as it hit puddles, boiling up the mud and creating geysers that rocketed towards the heavens.

"What the hell?" Isadora shouted and then promptly started convulsing on the ground.

I only had a second to think,
Oh, God. What have I done?
when those last few stick-like trees left standing burst into flames and licked the storm tossed sky.

Earth, Air, Water and now Fire. I'd outdone Genesis. And if those stars in the sky were
Aetheros
bearing witness to my idiotic attempts to return Aktor's
Pyrkagia
then I'd just delivered the whammy of Elemental packages for the imbalanced world to endure.

I staggered to my feet, even as Theo tried to reach out for me, lifting my hands up to
Aetheros
and pleading for it all to end.

"Stop!" I shouted. "Enough!" I screamed. My hands flung wide, my eyes blazing green and gold and white and ice blue. I could see the colours reflected against the rain, making the droplets into crystallised gems; emeralds, topaz, diamonds and sapphires.

If I wasn't so scared and so desperate for it to end and feeling so freaking guilty about starting this horrendous disaster, I would have appreciated the beauty before me. The stunning glory of the Elements on display. The awesome power they wielded when joined together. The tremendous awe they forced you to feel.

Weighted with a terror that stole all cognitive thought.

Alone they had been stupendous. Combined they were simply monstrous in a stunning way.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, my chest hurt with every single breath I took. Time seemed suspended, in an otherworldly stretch of pain. I could feel Earth's cries for help. I could hear Air's screams of fury. I could sense Fire's hiss of agony. I could taste Water's bitter torment.

I was surrounded by Quintessence's stunned reverence.

My arms lowered on registering that last. My brow furrowed as the ground slowed its roiling and bucking, the wind quietened to just a caress, the rain tempered itself until it was no more than a light drizzle, and the flames on the trees that still burned settled into a warm glow.

Silence filled the air, eerie and unnatural. No birds sang. No people called out in wonder at the storm that had miraculously occurred.

No one on Mount Victoria, staring up at me from their fallen positions on the ground, uttered a single word.

What the hell had just happened?

I glanced over at Isadora, who was sitting up with Mark's help. She looked wet and bedraggled, but otherwise unharmed. The rest were the same.

Or at least I thought they were until Nico lifted his hand and the most wonderful thing happened. Fire licked from his fingers, dancing across the tips as though delighted to be returned.

I spun to find Theo, he was looking up at me still with that look of shock and maybe awe on his face, but I think I was wishing for that last and it was probably more a healthy respect and fear for what I had just done.

I opened my mouth, unsure what I was about to say, when
Aetheros
spoke.

Aether. Oh, my Aether. The first hurdle has been climbed. The long road ahead waits.

And then he was gone, the stars in the sky disappearing, the dazzling display of twinkling lights snuffing out. And replacing the wind and rain was the sun. The trees were just smoking now and the ground was solid beneath my feet.

I turned around slowly and looked out over a devastated Wellington city, feeling numb.

Theo's arms wrapped around my body, and they were more welcome than I would have thought when I'd been feeling so lost and alone and discombobulated right then.

I'd caused an even larger catastrophe than Genesis.

I'd possibly killed thousands. Ten of thousands. Oh, dear freaking God, maybe more.

I turned into his chest and let out a silent scream of agony, somehow managing to hold my tears inside.

"Cassandra," Theo urged. "
Oraia
," he pressed. "Why are you so distraught?"

I pulled back, breathing heavily, and stared up at him in shock.

"I did this," I cried. "I made this happen. It's all my fault."

His smile was unexpected. The laughter rumbling through his chest was so not right. Then Aktor and Nico joined in, making me feel like I'd missed something, and Isadora, the bitch-cow, walked over, eyebrows arched, superior look on her face.

"
Gi
," she said, her favourite way to talk down to me;
Gi
being a derogatory term in her mind. "I have my
Pyrkagia
back."

"So do I." Nico confirmed what I had witnessed only moments ago, a wide grin on his face, gold blazing from his eyes. "We owe you our sincerest thanks."

"What?" I said, ineloquently.

Theo turned me to look at him, lifted my face up to his with tender fingers under my chin.

"I don't know how you did it, but Casey, you returned everyone's
Stoicheio
and I'd hazard a guess it wasn't just here in Wellington."

"What?" I repeated, dumbfounded and sensing a burgeoning swell of hope.

"That was quite an event," Aktor offered. "The epicentre was definitely you and the waves of your power rolled out in all directions."

"Probably still are," Mark added. "They didn't look like they were ready to stop."

Everyone was smiling at me, including Isadora, which was rather hard to take.

And then Theo said, "I think you halted Genesis. I think you did it." He pulled me close, hugged me hard, kept laying kisses in amongst my hair.

Then
Aetheros'
words came back to me, tempering the elation with a cold dose of reality.

The first hurdle has been climbed. The long road ahead waits.

Maybe I had stopped Genesis. But I hadn't balanced the world yet.

I glanced over Theo's shoulder and took in the sight of a bruised and battered city, noting the few humans that had crawled out of their hiding spots and were facing the new day.

And despite the realisation that we weren't yet done, hope continued to expand inside.

If we could survive this, we could survive anything.

At least, I prayed we could.

Come dance with me, Aether
.

The words woke me in the pitch black of night.

It took a moment to register where I was, why I'd awoken. Then it all came rushing back. We'd made camp on top of Mount Victoria. Away from the recovering city, but close enough to be reminded of what we'd overcome. Aktor confirming there was indeed hope, having made contact earlier through Fire with a friend in
Pyrkagia,
letting us know my balancing act, the storm-filled
Stoicheio
blast, had reached at least Auckland. Probably further afield as well. Despite that hope, though, we all knew there was more to come. Genesis was, after all, just the beginning.

Dance, Aether.

I sat bolt upright in our little tent, feeling the chill air coast over my bare arms, and shook my head trying to dislodge the panic that had taken root inside.

"What is it?" Theo murmured, eyes blinking up at me, from our shared sleeping bag, as he came fully awake.

Come dance
.

Nero
. Water was calling me, but I knew it hadn't Awakened. And I was sure, somehow, that the voice was not actually the Element itself. But the same voice that had called to me earlier.

Come, Aether.

I thought, perhaps, that it might have been a variation of
Aetheros,
but the longer it went on and with the absence of stars in my mind, I knew the god had retreated again, letting the cards fall where they may. I turned and looked down at Theo. Knowing everything was about to change.

We'd just spent a celebratory night with our friends in front of a fire. Followed by a glorious few hours in each others' arms. Unable to deny the longing we had for each other, that had never diminished, only grown stronger. Become more in spite of the hurdles, despite the agony along the way. I'd welcomed his arms and his body around me, over me, inside me, as he'd made love to me so gently, so reverently, so beautifully.

A celebration of life. Of survival. Of winning this battle and enjoying the moment before we went on to fight the rest of the war.

And as we'd both come together,
Pyrkagia
dancing across our feverish flesh, our delicious moans swallowed by our hungry lips and tongues, our tingling bodies gliding against each other, sated and complete, I'd known, no matter what, I was not alone anymore.

Battered and bruised, but not broken. Frightened and sorrowful, but not without hope. Theo was my guiding golden light amongst a dark world that had been beaten most mercilessly, and still had more to come.

Aether.

And the
more to come
had just arrived.

"Someone's here," I whispered, leaving blissful memories where they could be treasured but never forgotten. I watched the sleep leave his beautiful eyes on my words, then he immediately reached for my sweatshirt and handed it to me.

"Any idea who?" he asked, as we both donned more appropriate outdoor clothing.

I shook my head. Unsure if my guess was right or not.

We climbed out of our two-person tent, emerging into a moon bright night strangely devoid of stars, immediately turning our attention to what awaited. The owner of that tantalising voice.

A figure stood looking out over what was left of Wellington city. His back to us, arms clasped casually behind him, attention riveted on the decimation that lay below.

How the hell had this man made it to the top of Mount Victoria? He had to be related to the
Nero,
what with that voice, but where had he come from? Had he always been here in Wellington and we'd just not known?

I started walking toward him, drawn inexplicably to the stranger who continued to keep his back to us, as though we simply posed no threat at all. I felt Theo fall into place beside me, shoulder to shoulder, his body rigid with distrust, but my eyes were all for the shadowed figure.

The man did not look toward us, just kept his steady gaze over the destruction below. He had a strong jawline, stubble smattering along high cheeks, a nose that hinted at his Greek ancestry. Deep auburn hair that was cut short and surprisingly modern, and skin the colour of rich clotted cream, with eyes that shone ice blue, lighting up the sky.

He was magnificent, and power rolled off him in gentle, soothing waves. Stroking my arms absently, reminding me of the seaweed that played beneath the ocean, dancing with me within its arms.

Definitely a
Nero
.

"Who are you?" Theo demanded. I heard stirring in one of the tents at his raised voice. I couldn't look to see whose, my eyes wouldn't leave the strange man.

I was a little disconcerted that he elicited that type of response. As though he was a tantalising mystery I just had to solve. No matter what I tried, I couldn't look away. And then he spoke and reached right inside me and I knew I was trapped.

You know who I am
, the voice,
his
voice, replied in my head, and looking at the surprise on Theo's, it had also resounded in his.