Lost Tides: Elemental Seekers Series

by H. M. Sandlin

  “Actually,” he stated, “it does. That’s how some elementals on the council deliver information. That way it can’t be traced back to anyone. I wonder who would be leaving you notes though. You can’t trust whoever sent that note to you. It’s a spell that takes a lot of energy since the person who cast it wouldn’t be close when it was read. You have to be very strong to use that kind of magic.”

  “But what does it mean? Why would they want me to find water sprites? And how would I find them? I know they can be around us since they help at the school sometimes.”

  “I don’t know who sent you the note, but I think we should try to find out. For now, we should keep this between us. I will think about who at the school has the power to cast this spell. You need to pay attention to anyone who is watching you too much.”

  “Let’s head to your class. We can talk more about it afterward. You don’t want to be late.”

  I followed Richard, and when we got close, I closed my eyes and saw the magic swirling all around the dome. I opened my eyes and looked closely at the ground to spot the hidden path that we needed to step on to get to the door. As soon as I stepped onto it, I could feel the magic beating at me, telling me to turn around. I pushed through the magic and pressed on the boulder. The door came into view. We stepped inside, and I instantly felt better.

  “Hi, Mr. Merrem,” I said.

  “Hi, Sally and Richard, are you ready to practice?”

  “Sure,” I replied. “What are we practicing?”

  “I want to see how much power you have in fire today and test you for earth. We are going to start right away and see what you can do. Come into the center of the room, Sally. Richard, I want you to come stand next to me in case I need to shield you from Sally’s power.”

  “What do you mean, shield him?”

  “If you hit him with flames, he will get burned if he doesn’t deflect it with his own magic fast enough.”

  “I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I said.

  “You won’t,” Mr. Merrem assured me. “I put a protective barrier around Richard and myself, so we won’t get hurt.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to think about the fire in front of you. Picture it growing, lifting up into the air.”

  I thought about the fire and did as he told me. I could see my magic moving around the fire. Bright tendrils of red snaked from my arms down to the pit. I was surprised I could see the magic with my eyes open. The fire continued to grow, and I felt it pulling at me, begging me to let it rise higher and higher. Soon it was blazing so brightly that I could barely look at it. It had reached the top of the dome and started growing outwards since it couldn’t grow up anymore.

  I could feel the heat of the fire, but it didn’t burn me. I moved closer to it, watching as flames leaped out of the growing fire trying to get to me. I held my hand out, and the fire jumped to me. It curled up and over my arm, snaking its way up my shoulder and through my hair. All I felt was a slight tingling.

  “Sally, stop!” Richard yelled.

  I struggled with the fire, forcing it to obey me until I finally got it back into the pit. Then I made it go out.

  Richard ran to me, “Are you ok, Sally? The fire grew out of control so fast that we couldn’t get to you.”

  “I’m ok,” I replied, “but what happened?”

  “That was what happens to powerful fire elementals that don’t have control,” Mr. Merrem said.

  “How do I control it?” I asked.

  “It takes a lot of practice. You did well for your first time. I wasn’t sure if you would be able to pull it back in with how big you made it. I’m glad you did. Mrs. Sullivan would have been distraught if I had lost a student to fire magic,” he chuckled. “Let’s not do that again until you are more prepared. How are you feeling?”

  “I feel surprisingly good. I don’t feel tired at all, which makes no sense. Last time I used fire, I passed out from using too much energy.”

  “Your body is still going through the process of getting your powers. Remember, your powers have just emerged.”

  “What if I hurt someone?”

  “That’s why I’m here, Sally. Between Mr. Connor and me, you will get control of your powers before anything bad happens. You need to learn how to use them, or the Pulhu will be able to take you.”

  “How are you going to help me? I don’t understand why any of this is happening to me. Why do I have so much power?”

  “I don’t know why, Sally, though I have my suspicions. Right now, the only thing you need to worry about is controlling your powers. I know you were able to control air when you practiced yesterday. You need to learn to control fire as well.” His tone left no room for arguments, and I hung my head. I wasn’t sure if I could do this.

  Mr. Merrem seemed to sense that I wasn’t convinced and said the one thing that would get me to do it, “You need to do this for your parents. They will never be safe, and neither will you as long as the Pulhu are hunting you. Once you have more control, they will leave you alone. You can pretend not to have strong powers, and they won’t be able to tell you are lying. Right now, there is a chance that something will happen to scare you into using magic, and people will find out how powerful you are.”

  Mr. Merrem looked thoughtfully at us. “I think it’s time for you to try Earth. I want to see if you have a strong connection to earth magic too. Try raising the ground right here in front of me. Feel the dirt under your feet and connect with the earth. You should be able to pull at the ground, raising it up.”

  I took a deep breath and tried to use earth magic, but nothing happened. After a few minutes, I looked at Mr. Merrem and Richard. “It’s not working.”

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “The earth like you said. But nothing happens when I think about it. I can’t even see my own magic.”

  “This is the first time you are trying to use earth magic, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s probably why you are having trouble. Your body doesn’t have a connection to the magic yet. The connection is made when you purposely use the magic. Every time you use it, the connection gets stronger. I think I have an idea.” He walked around, looking for something. When he found it, he called me over. “Here, let’s start with this,” he was looking down at a small white flower growing near the edge of the room. “Focus on this flower, and try to make it get bigger.”

  I pictured the flower in my mind and allowed it to get bigger and bigger. When I looked at the flower in front of me, it also started getting bigger.

  “Ok, put more magic into it. Make it grow more leaves and more flowers. Let the magic flow through you and into the flower.”

  This time when I pictured the flower, it was growing. Leaves were unfurling from the stem as it continued to get taller, and new buds were forming. The flower in front of me did the same thing as the one I pictured in my mind.

  “Good job, Sally. I want you to try to lift the ground up where the plant is now. Only a few feet.”

  “I will try,” I told him. I pictured the ground raising where the plant was, and slowly I could hear the earth shifting and cracking at my feet. When I looked at it, I saw I had formed a hill about six feet around that peaked at about three feet. All of a sudden, a wave of dizziness hit me, and I fell to my knees.

  “Sally.” Richard ran to me and helped me up. “What happened? Are you ok?”

  “I’m fine. I got really dizzy for a minute.”

  “You hit your limit for earth magic,” Mr. Merrem said. “Still impressive for the first time using it.”

  “Why am I so tired now?”

  “You had a similar reaction when you used fire the first time, right?” Mr. Merrem asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I think the first time you use an element and try to form a connection, you use a lot of energy. That’s why you are so tired after using earth today. But fire had no effect on you. It makes sense in a way, even though
most students always feel their energy drain after using their element.”

  Richard led me to a chair and helped me sit down. Mr. Merrem handed me a cup of water before striding around the room, muttering to himself.

  “Mr. Merrem?”

  “Yes, Sally.”

  “Why am I so different from the other students?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” he said.

  “But you have a theory?” I guessed.

  “Yes,” he looked sharply at me, “but I’m not ready to tell it to you yet. Once I have seen more of your powers and done some more research, we will discuss it again.”

  He resumed his pacing, and I sat back and sipped my water, waiting to feel some of my energy return. After a couple more minutes, I felt strong enough to get up.

  “What are we doing now?” I asked them.

  “You are going back to the school to eat and rest. Try not to use your powers unless you are with Mr. Connor or me. That way, no one will know what you can do. Agreed?”

  “Of course. I’ll be super careful.”

  “I will walk you back to the school so there aren’t any problems. I heard from Mr. Connor that you thought someone was watching you yesterday, and they ran away when Mr. Connor showed up.”

  I felt better knowing that a teacher would be walking back with us. He headed for the door, and I followed with Richard trailing behind me. As we passed through the barrier, I began to get that feeling of being watched again. I walked closer to Mr. Merrem and told him quietly.

  “Yes, I feel it too. Can you tell where it is coming from?”

  I closed my eyes and tried to pinpoint where the person was, but they weren’t using any magic, so I couldn’t see them.

  “No, they aren’t using magic.”

  “That’s ok. I will take it from here. Richard, you and Sally keep walking to the school. Once you are inside, head straight to the cafeteria. I’m going to see if I can find out who is watching you.”

  “Yes, Mr. Merrem,” Richard said and grabbed my arm to hurry me along and keep me steady.

  Mr. Merrem let us pass him and then darted into the woods. We didn’t see what was happening but heard the trees moving in the forest, and a yelp came from somewhere farther in the woods. As Richard opened the door, I looked over my shoulder and saw trees moving on their own, pushing deeper into the woods. I kept staring until Richard pulled me into the school.

  “What was that?”

  “That was Mr. Merrem using the trees to capture whoever was out there. I doubt they will get away.”

  “He’s not going to hurt them, is he?”

  “Of course not, Sally. They will probably get lots of detention for spying on a master class. That’s against the rules here. Hopefully, the detention will keep whoever it is busy so they aren’t following you around.”

  We headed to the dining room and saw Abby and Tider already eating. They were talking animatedly and didn’t see us come in, so we went to grab some food before going over to them.

  I quickly filled them in on the class and how Mr. Merrem was looking for the person following me around. They agreed to keep an eye out to see who had a bunch of detention this week. I listened to my friends talking and laughing about how they accomplished their tasks, but my mind was on other things.

  I still felt like I needed to find the water elementals, and I wanted to talk to my parents soon. Everything was happening so fast. I needed a few days to catch up. I was glad it was almost the weekend. One more day of class, and then I could spend the weekend relaxing.

  “Hey, Sally, come on, you look exhausted. I’ll walk you to your room, so you can get some rest,” Abby said.

  As soon as I fell asleep, I started dreaming about an awful darkness moving across the sky. I felt like it was searching for me. I tried running away, but it kept coming. Faster and faster I moved, but it still wasn’t enough. As it got closer, my body started to freeze. I was shivering uncontrollably, and my teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. The dark cloud filled me with terror.

  It started to descend onto me, and I screamed in fear, knowing this was the end. I shot up in bed and looked around, bewildered, not knowing where I was for a few seconds. Then it all came back to me, and I realized it was just a dream.

  I shook my head, trying to dispel the terror that still lingered, and realized I was actually shivering. My body felt like ice, and I pulled up the covers to warm myself. I glanced at the clock and saw it was still the middle of the night. I laid in bed, trying to calm down for a long time before finally falling back asleep.

  Chapter Ten

  “Can I take extra lessons?” I asked Mrs. Sullivan the next day.

  “Of course you can.”

  “Do you think the extra lessons will make it so I can see my parents sooner?”

  “I don’t see why not. Once you can protect yourself better and the Pulhu forget about you, seeing your parents will be no problem.”

  “Are they going to forget about me?”

  “They will. As long as you don’t ever use your full powers around anyone you can’t trust. If you are at the school, they can’t sense how strong a person’s magic is. The protections around the school prevent it. As long as they don’t think you are stronger than them, they will leave you alone.”

  “How long do you think it will take before I can see my mom and dad?”

  “It depends on how hard you practice and how fast the Pulhu forget about you. But you have to learn to control your powers fully. When we get closer to the holiday break, I will come and see how you are doing with your extra lessons. Then I will decide if you are ready to see your parents.”

  “I will practice every extra minute I can. I want the Pulhu to leave me alone so I can see my family,” I told her excitedly. “What day will you come to see if I am ready?”

  “I will let you know when I decide. For now, I have something for you,” she handed me a new phone. “Go call your parents, and I will contact Mr. Connor and Mr. Merrem to discuss extra lessons. Make sure you don’t say where your parents are out loud in case anyone is listening.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Sullivan,” I said, walking quickly out of her office. I didn’t walk more than a few feet before I was dialing my mom’s phone. I walked towards my room while I waited for her to pick up. After the third ring, I hung up and called my dad. He answered on the first ring.

  “Sally. How are you doing? We miss you so much. No one is bothering you at the school, right?”

  “Hi, dad. I’m doing good. I’ve missed you too. No one is bothering me,” I told him, not wanting him to worry about me. “I wish you were here. Where is mom? I tried to call her, but she didn’t answer.”

  “She is working for the haven right now. She doesn’t take her phone into the office with her. I’m sure she will be calling you as soon as she gets out.”

  “Why is she working for them?”

  “It’s kind of a secret, but they said this was a secure line, so I guess I can tell you a bit. The people here are trying to fight back against the Pulhu, and your mother and I decided we would help them.”

  “You better be careful, dad. The Pulhu wouldn’t mind hurting you from what I understand. I don’t like you guys putting yourselves in a position where you could get hurt. They’ve already hurt you enough.”

  “I’m fine, Sally. Almost completely healed. You don’t have to worry about us. We aren’t doing anything more than working on computers, trying to find them. They will never even know that we are working against them. They don’t even know we are here.”

  “Promise that you will both be careful.”

  “We will. I’m sure your mother will tell you the same thing later. Now tell me all about the last week. Have you made any other friends? How do you like your classes?”

  I explained almost everything going on at school except for the attack and the note I found on my bed. I didn’t need to make them worry any more than they already were. We talked for a few more minutes before my dad said he needed to go an
d get ready for work.

  I hurried to my class and made it just as the bell rang. My classes went by in a blur, and all I could think about was when my mom would call. As I got to the cafeteria for lunch, my phone rang. I looked down and saw it was my mom. I turned away from my friends and answered the call.

  “Mom?”

  “Hi, honey. Dad told me you finally got your secure phone. I miss you, sweetie,” her voice cracked, and I felt tears spilling down my face.

  “I miss you too, mom.”

  I felt someone’s hand on my back and saw Richard standing there. He directed me towards a door a little bit down from the cafeteria. He opened the door and led me inside to a little office, then walked out and shut the door.

  “Sally?” my mom was asking on the phone.

  “Sorry, mom, I was going to a better place to talk.”

  “It’s ok, honey. Is everything ok there? Your father said you sounded like everything was good, and you even made more friends.”

  “Yes, mom. I miss you so much. We’ve never been away from each other for more than a day. I don’t like it.”

  “I know you don’t, but we have to keep you safe, and this is the best way to do it.”

  “I know, mom. I’m glad I can finally talk to you. Maybe I’ll start to feel normal again.”

  “You are doing awesome. I’m sure we will be able to see each other very soon.”

  “I hope so. I’m working on controlling my powers, so I can see you as soon as possible.”

  “I know you will be able to do it. Tell me about your new friends, and I want to hear more about this Richard. Your dad said it sounded like you really like him.”

  “Oh, mom. Not like that. He’s a friend,” She laughed, and we talked about my friends until the bell rang.

  “I’ve got to get to class, mom. Will you call me tonight?”

  “Of course.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too, honey. Be safe. I’ll talk to you soon,” she hung up with me, and I walked out of the little office to see Richard waiting for me.

  “Come on. Let’s go to class. Do you feel better now that you talked to your mom?”