there, bright blue sky and heat that sizzled off the ground in waves. Yeah, it wasn’t exactly what you’d call ‘homey’.
“Trust me,” I said, crossing onto the hard packed earth and off the pavement. “It wasn’t my idea.”
They followed me into the desert, and while neither complained, I saw they were having a hard time.
Not that it mattered to Rylee, she kept up her litany of questions as we walked.
“How many elementals are there?”
“A lot.”
She paused. “No, I mean how many variations?”
“Five.”
She kept pace with me, sweat dripping from her jaw line. “I get the four basics, earth, air, fire, water, but what’s the fifth?”
That was where things got tricky, I didn’t want to tell her too much. “Spirit.”
“What the hell can spirit do?”
Suddenly, I didn’t want to talk anymore, because for one thing, I knew in my heart she was going to get her memory wiped clean, but the other part was I didn’t think it was time yet for her to understand. Lucky for me, we were interrupted.
Or maybe, not so lucky.
The wind picked up at the same time the ground began to shake. Two barely visible figures appeared ahead of us. One was a solid form I knew all too well, his long beard and sad brown eyes flicking over me with a true sorrow only a parent could possess for a child gone wrong. The other was not so soft, at least not in temperament. A wind elemental I didn’t recognize and who was likely looking forward to pitting himself against me. Looking to build a reputation by taking down the ‘Destroyer’. Damn, there were days I really hated that title.
“Hang on.” I grabbed Jonathan, keeping him from falling to his knees. Rylee braced her legs and put a hand in front of her face to keep the sand from blowing in her eyes. I just stood and waited.
What I didn’t count on was Rylee, or her fierce loyalty. Though I shouldn’t have been surprised. Elle had been the same way. Trackers, for all their foul mouths, were as loyal as they came.
“You nasty fuckers, you can’t take Lark!” She fought to get in front of me, placing herself between me and them, the sword held up over her head, the blade glinting in the bright sunlight.
My father, King Ghobe, gave Rylee a nod. “I hear you, Blood of the Lost, but she has brought this on herself.”
Rylee shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. She was in the right. Where were you asshats when a kid needed to be saved?”
I put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t. Just don’t. You can’t save me from this.”
Her shoulder tensed and her muscles bunched as the wind elemental drew close. Without warning, she leapt, using the momentum of the storm they’d stirred and slashed out at the elemental. She caught him below his left knee, taking his leg.
The wind died and the elemental dropped to the ground, writhing in pain as blood pumped out of him. Shit, the weapon I’d given her was stronger than I realized if it could actually damage an elemental. My father went to his companion’s side and laid a hand on him, healing the wound. Or at least, closing it off.
“Larkspur, you are creating things you shouldn’t… again.” His eyes lifted to mine and again, I wilted. If he’d been angry, or raging, I could deal. But disappointment was the worst thing he could have offered me.
“She needs the sword. You know who she is,” I said softly, keeping a hand on Jonathan.
He strode forward, flicked his hand, and the earth swallowed Rylee in a gulp, right to her chin. “That as it may be,” he ignored her yelling at him, “she doesn’t need it right now. She doesn’t have the control; she has yet to face the trial that will ready her to be able to use it properly.”
Hellfire, he was right, but I didn’t like it; I changed the subject. “And the boy needs to be somewhere safe.”
“Already taken care of. The Sylphs, and Samara will protect him. They will train him.” He motioned toward the fallen elemental. “Channing will take him to his
“Trust me,” I said, crossing onto the hard packed earth and off the pavement. “It wasn’t my idea.”
They followed me into the desert, and while neither complained, I saw they were having a hard time.
Not that it mattered to Rylee, she kept up her litany of questions as we walked.
“How many elementals are there?”
“A lot.”
She paused. “No, I mean how many variations?”
“Five.”
She kept pace with me, sweat dripping from her jaw line. “I get the four basics, earth, air, fire, water, but what’s the fifth?”
That was where things got tricky, I didn’t want to tell her too much. “Spirit.”
“What the hell can spirit do?”
Suddenly, I didn’t want to talk anymore, because for one thing, I knew in my heart she was going to get her memory wiped clean, but the other part was I didn’t think it was time yet for her to understand. Lucky for me, we were interrupted.
Or maybe, not so lucky.
The wind picked up at the same time the ground began to shake. Two barely visible figures appeared ahead of us. One was a solid form I knew all too well, his long beard and sad brown eyes flicking over me with a true sorrow only a parent could possess for a child gone wrong. The other was not so soft, at least not in temperament. A wind elemental I didn’t recognize and who was likely looking forward to pitting himself against me. Looking to build a reputation by taking down the ‘Destroyer’. Damn, there were days I really hated that title.
“Hang on.” I grabbed Jonathan, keeping him from falling to his knees. Rylee braced her legs and put a hand in front of her face to keep the sand from blowing in her eyes. I just stood and waited.
What I didn’t count on was Rylee, or her fierce loyalty. Though I shouldn’t have been surprised. Elle had been the same way. Trackers, for all their foul mouths, were as loyal as they came.
“You nasty fuckers, you can’t take Lark!” She fought to get in front of me, placing herself between me and them, the sword held up over her head, the blade glinting in the bright sunlight.
My father, King Ghobe, gave Rylee a nod. “I hear you, Blood of the Lost, but she has brought this on herself.”
Rylee shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. She was in the right. Where were you asshats when a kid needed to be saved?”
I put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t. Just don’t. You can’t save me from this.”
Her shoulder tensed and her muscles bunched as the wind elemental drew close. Without warning, she leapt, using the momentum of the storm they’d stirred and slashed out at the elemental. She caught him below his left knee, taking his leg.
The wind died and the elemental dropped to the ground, writhing in pain as blood pumped out of him. Shit, the weapon I’d given her was stronger than I realized if it could actually damage an elemental. My father went to his companion’s side and laid a hand on him, healing the wound. Or at least, closing it off.
“Larkspur, you are creating things you shouldn’t… again.” His eyes lifted to mine and again, I wilted. If he’d been angry, or raging, I could deal. But disappointment was the worst thing he could have offered me.
“She needs the sword. You know who she is,” I said softly, keeping a hand on Jonathan.
He strode forward, flicked his hand, and the earth swallowed Rylee in a gulp, right to her chin. “That as it may be,” he ignored her yelling at him, “she doesn’t need it right now. She doesn’t have the control; she has yet to face the trial that will ready her to be able to use it properly.”
Hellfire, he was right, but I didn’t like it; I changed the subject. “And the boy needs to be somewhere safe.”
“Already taken care of. The Sylphs, and Samara will protect him. They will train him.” He motioned toward the fallen elemental. “Channing will take him to his
Similar Books
