The Soothing Scent Of Earth (Elemental Awakening, Book 2) (31 page)

I wasn't the only one who thought he was gorgeous; the hostess in our section kept flicking glances towards us. But when she caught me watching her, she only offered a self-deprecating smile. Yeah, I got it, he was hard to miss.

When the pilot announced we were about to land, Theo finally stirred, looking a hell of lot better than he had in Brazil. Just under four hours sleep was not prefect, but it was better than none. And I got the impression, sleeping while holding my hand, being so close to me, had made the experience even better. He looked refreshed, if not a little anxious about what lay ahead.

"We'll find somewhere with a fire as soon as possible, then contact Aktor for an update on the
Aeras
," Theo suggested.

"Why not just phone him?" I asked, thinking finding a fireplace would be tricky in a subtropical environment.

"Fire is a secure network, one that cannot be tracked or overheard," he explained. "Even a
Pyrkagia,
not actually present near the flames, is unable to listen in on what is being said."

"And you think a phone could be bugged?"

"My father regularly bugs his people's phones," Theo offered, with a shrug of his shoulders. "I assume all
Rigas
are the same."

Paranoid.
Athanatos
were extremely paranoid people. I shook my head in bemusement, just as the tyres of the plane touched down.

"Welcome to Peru,
Oraia
," Theo murmured, then ruined the small natural smattering of excitement I had at being somewhere I had never been before. "Keep an eye out for any
Aeras
as soon as we exit the plane."

Great. This was meant to be outside of
Aeras
territory.

"OK," I said a little sullenly, receiving a questioning glance from Theo. I didn't explain my over-tired reaction to him, I was sure he could figure out I'd had enough stress for one day. "What do the
Aeras
look like?" I asked instead.

"Scandinavian, if you can believe," he said with a smile. And I guess he was right, all
Ekmetalleftis
were of Greek origin; that should be tanned, dark hair colouring, hazel/amber/brown eyes.

But the
Pyrkagia
seemed to be the closest, having dark hair, hazel eyes, and bronzed skin. The
Gi
on the other hand, had brown hair and dark blue eyes, and their skin was not quite the same bronze of Theo's, but paler making the unusual blue of their eyes stand out.

"So, blonde hair and light blue eyes?" I suggested.

"Yes, the same shade of hair as yours," - that would be dark blonde - "but a very light, pale blue in the eyes. Different from your dark blue. You're kind of a mixture of
Gi
and
Aeras
to look at, although the
Aeras
have paler skin than yours."

"What colour do their eyes flash?" I queried, finding this topic fascinating despite the danger that awaited us when we met these new
Athanatos
.

"White," he whispered, almost in awe. "It's a little freaky the first time you see it, but also quite spellbinding. Some say you can be hypnotised by their colour change, as much as you can be contained by their lightning."

The plane came to a stop and and the fasten seatbelt sign disengaged. People began to hurriedly get up and unlock the overhead compartments. I ignored them, just stared at Theo in wonder.

"They use lightning?" I whispered, leaning in to say the words so we wouldn't be overheard. I needn't have bothered; the passengers were too excited, about their next adventure in Lima, to be listening.

"They command the weather," Theo whispered back, his forehead practically pressed against mine. "Most impressively they rule lightning. It is how legends were formed about Zeus."

"Zeus the Greek god of lightning," I said in an awed whisper. Theo chuckled.

"Now can you see why they are considered spellbinding?"

"Ah-ha," I murmured, getting up out of my seat as our section of the plane had already emptied. "I don't think I'll be trying to piss them off any time soon," I added.

"Just think,
Oraia
," Theo voiced softly behind me, as we began to head down the aisle. "You could soon be commanding your very own lightning, too."

Oh, and
God
, didn't that put a dampener on my intrigue?

We were the last to exit the plane, Theo becoming a little more agitated as we traversed the air bridge to the terminal. His eyes darting out of the side windows, at what had been a relatively mild day. There'd been clouds in the sky as we lowered from thirty thousand feet up, but the sun still managed to filter through them in parts, blanketing Lima in a golden glow. Now though, as soon as our feet touched down on Peru soil, albeit inside the airport building still, the clouds darkened ominously, a storm threatening to brew.

"That's not good, is it?" I remarked, stopping to look out on the increasingly darker day beyond the windows.

"I think we have a greeting party," Theo announced. "Can you touch your
Gi
side yet?"

I frantically reached out to the scent of Earth on the air. It wasn't easy to locate. My feet weren't in soil, there were no pot plants immediately nearby, and so many conflicting smells that threatened to distract me, making my
Gi
side seem all but lost for good. I shook my head. I could feel the Earth waiting patiently for me, but for now it was just outside of my reach.

"There's not enough plants," I explained, disappointed in my lack of abilities.

"
Gi
is an animal based
Stoicheio,
too," Theo said encouragingly from my side.

"But there's no animals in here," I pointed out, a little too wound up to figure out what he actually meant.

"There are humans, Casey," he replied. "Lots of them."

I'd never thought of that before. In theory I should have been able to reach my
Gi
Stoicheio
whenever another person was near. I wasn't sure it would work if it was just me, but the Earth should have communicated through any fauna or flora available, including Theo at my side. Which painfully led me to remember my time in that bunker prison in the
Gi
stronghold, and the fact I had felt cut-off from the
Stoicheio
whenever alone in that room with Davos, my torturer.

He'd always had access to
Gi.
I'd thought it was because he'd just come in from the rainforest, but maybe it was because he tapped into the Earth through me. Yet I'd not been able to feel a thing through him, at all. Even when my life depended on it.

I stopped dead in my tracks, sensations of that horrid time rolling determinedly through me, making my body tremble and my breaths come in short pants.

"Cassandra," Theo murmured, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to the side of the corridor we were in, out of the flow of human traffic. "What's wrong?" he asked, voice gentle and caring.

"I don't think it works like that for me," I said in a broken whisper. I was not made like other
Athanatos
. I was not born a
Gi
, but created an
Aether
. Although Theo had often said I had unusual skill and power, like that of an elder, there were clearly restrictions as to what I could do. And I was becoming more and more aware of them.

I closed my eyes, trying to banish the images of Davos' fists. Of the glint that shone off his blade when he wielded it. Of the sound that reverberated inside my head when the whip swished through the air. The sharp sting of pain as it entered my flesh. The metallic scent of blood on the air, mixed with days old sweat and filth. I jolted, a whimper escaping me. My body curling in on itself, as Theo murmured words in my ear, trying to break the memory and bring me back to him.

Back to the airport in Lima, Peru, where a greeting party of
Aeras Ekmetalleftis
were waiting to do God knows what. I sucked in a breath, and then another, and worked my way out of that pit of despair. We couldn't afford for me to lose it right now. Danger lurked everywhere.

My eyes flicked open to see gold brimming Theo's. I wondered if mine had a shade at all.

"You're flashing yellow," I remarked, my voice still so very shaky. "What am I flashing?"

"A hint of green, but its not nearly your usual vibrant shade," he said, sadness reaching his eyes. Then he surprised me by saying, "We need the
Aeras
, Casey. You're not like other
Gi
nor
Pyrkagia
. You're different,
Oraia
. And in order to keep you safe, we need to know what that difference entails. Even if we have to put ourselves in danger first."

He was right, and this was clearly evidence of how desperate our situation had become.

I turned and looked out on the larger area up ahead; the arrivals terminal. Where hordes of people stood waiting, through doors in the distance, for their loved ones to emerge from their flights. We didn't need to go to the baggage claim area off to the side, as Theo's overnight bag had been small enough to carry on board, but we still had customs to get through. I sucked in a fortifying breath and squeezed Theo's hand, still in mine.

"Let's get this over with," I said, sounding more like myself again. He nodded, but I noticed his eyes kept flicking to my face every few feet; checking to make sure I was all right.

Customs was surprisingly quick, but even in that short amount of time the weather outside had shifted. Rain spat large droplets of water against the windows, the wind making the angle now acute. The storm was here, which meant so were the
Aeras
. My heart couldn't quite keep up with the rapid pulse of my blood, I was sure I felt it falter.

With shallow breaths and sweaty palms we stepped through the final gateway into the arrivals hall, officially in Peru at last. My eyes scanned the crowd of people, unable to determine features as my head was spinning with thoughts of lightning striking through the roof overhead. I even glanced up to make sure there wasn't a skylight above us, but thankfully the ceiling looked solid. Although, how was I to know what an
Aeras
induced lightning bolt could achieve.

We headed toward the access-way to the taxi stand and before we'd taken half a dozen steps they appeared. And I mean,
appeared
. Out of nowhere, in the middle of our path, in amongst all of the humans present. Who of course noticed nothing, because humans can't detect
Ekmetalleftis
like
Athanatos
do. God knows what their minds told them they saw, when the three very Scandinavian looking men popped into existence right
there
. I know my mind screamed, my mouth quickly following with a yelp. Theo's hand tightening in warning in mine, as though he thought I'd strike them down with Fire.

Oh, it was close. They'd given me a hell of a fright. I could see the gold blazing from my eyes, as it was reflected back from every shiny surface around us.

No one said anything for a moment, we all just took each other in. Two of the men, standing on either side of a smaller one, looked huge. Well over six and a half feet tall, with broad shoulders, and muscles bulging out from tight fitting short sleeved T-shirts. Their hands were hanging casually at their sides, as though they were tensed, ready to pull a gun, but keeping themselves limbered for optimal movement. A quick flick of my eyes at Theo, and I found him in the same stance.

Scouts. I was guessing these two almost goon looking guys were Scouts like Theo. My eyes returned to the middle man, who looked a little younger than his Guards, but that didn't tell me much.
Athanatos
age so slowly it's difficult to tell. The young man was smiling; if I could believe it, it was friendly. The contrast between him and the other two was vast. They scowled, brows furrowed, eyes intense. Middle man sparkled a little surreal white from his eyes, but otherwise looked relaxed. He also looked to be the one in charge, despite the Scouts' training.

All three men had short, dark blond hair, smoothly shaven cheeks, and stunning pale blue in their eyes. They were definitely lookers, but the intense and frightening gleam in the two Guards' eyes meant appreciating their façades was not on my to-do list right then.

Still silence. It was becoming creepy.

So, I decided to get things started. We did need them, after all. "Hello," I said, my voice only wavering slightly. The Scouts tensed, and the middle man let out a burst of laughter.

"My grandfather did say you were a surprise," he said, laughter still evident in his tone. I flicked a glance at Theo, to see what he was making of this surreal meeting. But his frown hadn't altered since we'd been ambushed. Nothing new there.

"My name's Casey," I tried, hoping introductions would move things along.