by Jen L. Grey
"You won't help me now so what's the difference." The ogre quivers and takes a step toward both of them.
Dax steps in front of them and holds out a hand. "To get to her, you'll have to go through me.”
"Come on. Let's get out of here before something happens." Charlie grabs my arm to pull me toward the house.
No, for some reason, this is where I'm supposed to be. I can feel it in my bones. Magic begins to claw around inside me, the brown Earth Artifact along with the blue Angel’s Breath. It's as if they're trying to communicate with me, but I'm still not sure what they're telling me. I jerk my arm out of Charlie's hand and confront the ogre. "What's so important that you're willing to hurt someone over it?" My question must catch him off guard, because his attention snaps right to me.
"Do you think I enjoy this?" The ogre throws his hand not holding the gadget up as if in surrender and then rubs it down his face. "I need this. I have to have this."
"But why?" I come right up to him despite Charlie's grumbles. "I just want to understand. There's more here than meets the eye."
A tear forms in the corner of his eye; he brushes it away. "It's my wife. She needs the spell in order to survive."
"What?" Charlie steps up beside me so close our arms brush.
"What kind of spell is it?" Now this makes more sense to me.
"I'm not sure." But the ogre points at the merchant. "But she sure does. She sold this to me just a few weeks ago and said it should last at least two years."
"And it should have, but he broke the fan." Her voice is stern and her face indifferent.
"All he has to do is buy a new spell." Tide glares at me and points to the vapor machine. "She has plenty." Then he motions toward her cart.
"I think that's the problem." Dax moves so that he’s still in between the ogre and the water world people.
"Yes, we had to sell our land in order to afford this." The ogre rubs his eyes, and he shakes his head. "But with it leaking, it only lasted a few weeks. I can't afford another spell; we have nothing left to sell."
So that's what this all comes down to. Not only does the artifact power their own water source, but this is how they make their living. However, the greed in their eyes reminds me of the council back home. Maybe this place isn’t so different after all.
My powers, still churning inside me, are telling me something. I glance at the spelled vapor machine. Hmmm... I wonder if I could help them out in some way?
"Chris, what are you thinking?" Concern shines deep within Charlie's eyes, and he reaches for my hand.
I’m not sure what to do or what I’m thinking, but the artifacts are tugging me toward the contraption.
"Do you mind if I hold that for a moment?" I reach out my hands toward it, but force myself to stop. For someone reason, an overwhelming urge to grab it from him courses through me. What the hell is going on?
"What do you think you're doing?" He jerks away and cradles it. "I won't have this ruined."
The power rises inside me, and the amulet burns on my chest. I don’t understand. Charlie takes a step my direction, and I hold up a hand. Something isn't right with me, and I'm not sure what would happen to him. "Don't. I'm afraid you'll get burned."
"What is she talking about?" Tide scoffs and shakes his head. "Is she going to cause the ground to quake again?"
"She needs to get back inside Ria's." The merchant's tone is loud and full of alarm.
"This is ridiculous." Dax stomps over to the ogre and glares. "Give her the damn machine."
"Hell no." The ogre shakes his head and tightens his grip. "This is all I have left to save my wife." His tone is desperate, and he balls his hands up in a fist.
A vibrant flash inside me now courses through from the Flame and mixes with the other two elements. Now's the time if I'm going to do something about it. Using Dax's intervention as a distraction, I rush forward and grab the bottle out of his hands.
"What—" The ogre turns toward me, fear bright in his wide eyes.
As soon as the machine is in my hands, my white healing power mixes with the three artifacts, and my insides begin to warm. It pulses through my body and into my hands.
The dark emerald water begins to glow from the power leaking out, and the glass begins to warm under my touch. It gets hotter and hotter, almost the same temperature as the Flame that burns inside.
"I don't understand." The ogre heads my direction, but Dax stands in front of him.
Moving in between the ogre and me, Dax faces him. "Let her finish. She's trying to help you."
The wind picks up, and a cooling breeze seems to focus right on me... on my hands. My power continues to pulse into the bottle in my hand. The Water Artifact connects to me somehow; it’s a dark shade of emerald and flows through the fan and into the bottle. It infuses the water so it doesn’t boil or lose the spell from the fire. After several minutes, the glow begins to fade.
My power recedes, and the amulet stops burning. I don't know what happened, but I hand the bottle back to its owner. The fan then begins to run, and a small mist blows into the air.
A laugh bubbles out of him. "You fixed it." His eyes shine, and he smiles at me. "Thank you."
The merchant and Tide stand still, their surprise apparent on their faces.
Now, this is going to be fun to explain.
11
"How is that possible?" The merchant gasps and narrows her eyes at me.
At this point, I realize that we have spectators. Two people are stopped dead in their tracks; they must have seen the whole thing go down. Shit, maybe doing this out in the open wasn't the best idea.
The man, only a few feet away, steps around his cart and shoots daggers my way. The lady next to him grabs his arm, pulling him back. "Don't get to close to her. She can't be trusted."
Tide takes charge. "You two move along. There isn't anything here to see."
"You need to do something about her." The woman points her finger at me and sneers. "She's going to ruin our island for us. She shouldn't have powers like that." She releases the man and heads back to her cart.
"Is the amulet not working anymore?" Charlie's tone is a whisper, and he touches my shoulder.
The power is still strumming inside me, and the Water Artifact is now affecting me once more, but it's more subtle with the amulet on. "Yeah, but not for much longer."
The ogre turns to me once again, a huge smile on his face. "You don't know how much this means to me." He pulls me into a huge embrace, and it almost feels as if my ribs are cracking.
"Hey, ease up." Dax smacks him on the back. "You're going to hurt her."
"Oh, sorry." He drops me, and there are a few tears in his eye. "I've got to get going, but thank you again." He spins on his heels and heads toward the entrance of the island.
The two spectators head off, and the sky is now dark. However, it's a shade of deep purple.
"How were you able to not boil that water? You used the other elements to fix the fan. The water should have boiled..." The merchant takes a step back almost as if she's afraid of me.
"I..." How can I even explain this? It will just freak them out more, and they appear to suspect I somehow tapped into their artifact's power. I need them to trust me, at least a little bit. The powers inside and out are beginning to ramp up in strength and claw at my skin.
"Right now, it doesn't matter." Charlie rubs the back of his neck and gets so close to me that our arms brush. "She needs to get back to Ria's and soon. Unless you both want another earthquake to happen."
"Now listen here." Tide lifts his head and clenches his jaw. "Don't threaten us."
"He's not threatening you." Dax's low tone somehow echoes against the buildings. "You saw what she was capable of earlier today. Do you really want to push this now when she's not feeling well?"
Tide lets out his breath and closes his eyes. "Fine, you three head back to Ria's before something bad happens."
"But..." The merchant shakes her head and rubs her hands tog
ether.
"It's fine, and he's right." Tide points at Dax, and his eyes focus on me. "We don't want to scare our people more than they already are."
"Come on." Charlie grins at me, but there is worry in his eyes. "Let's get back before you begin feeling worse."
Needing his touch to ground me, I wrap my arm through his. "Your touch helps."
"I'm glad." He winks at me and kisses my forehead.
"All right." Dax catches up as we turn the corner and move away from watchful eyes. "I don't know what happened back there, but you've got them freaked out."
"I didn't mean to, but that poor ogre was just trying to save his wife." They could have rectified the situation another way. "I mean they could have given him another glass container. Why did they have to try to make him buy a whole new spell?"
"Really, why couldn't he just use a container at home?" Charlie rubs his chin and purses his lips.
That's a good question and one I hadn't thought of. Did I just make an ass out of myself? But my powers were pulling me to do it.
"Well, while you both were checking out the city, I had a chance to ask Ria some questions when she was putting away her spells." Dax clears his throat and glances around. "Only the glass containers here can handle the spells. Nothing else, but yes, she could have offered him a cheaper alternative."
Why am I so upset that the people here are pretty much the same as back home?
"Well, look who the cat drug home," a deep, throaty tone that’s all too familiar calls out to us. The scent of brimstone fills the air.
A giggle echoes in my ear. "She sure does look like she was drug somewhere."
Charlie's grip tightens on my arm, but I refuse to show any hints of annoyance or anger. I turn around and find Damien and Becca leaning up against the muddy looking wall in between two doors.
Even here, the dark shadows around Damien can be seen. His arms are crossed, and a smug smile is pasted on his face. He's leaning toward Becca, who looks worse for the wear. Her blonde hair is plastered to her, and her clothes are so baggy they are almost falling off. The skin underneath her eyes is now black and saggy. It's as if she aged ten years since I saw her a few days ago.
"What are you doing here?" He sure seems to show up at the most inconvenient times. One day, I’m going to wipe that grin off his face.
"Oh, don't seem so unhappy to see us." Becca tugs up her pants before they fall. "I mean, you’ve always been so desperate to get to me before."
Not missing a beat, Dax steps in front of me. "It doesn't seem like she feels the same now."
"Come on, Chris." Charlie's tone is cold. "We don't need to waste our time talking to them."
No, I won't run away. That's what I've been trying to do all along, and look where it's gotten me. "I'll be fine another minute." My power is rising, but I'm still in control... for now.
"Listen." Charlie steps up and lifts my chin up so I'm looking straight in his eyes. "You don't have to do this now. We need you strong."
"Don't be so hasty." Damien's deep tone is smooth, but it's like nails on a chalk board. "I mean, I brought you a gift after all."
"That's bullshit." Charlie clenches his fist and pivots to the demon. "You've come here to manipulate the situation."
Dax glances between the four of us, and his eyes finally rest on me. "Let's just hear him out. We're wasting time right now."
"Well, I just wanted to make sure you all were okay." Damien takes a step toward me, the shadows following him. "You've been gone a while, so I thought I should drop in."
Of course he knew when we left. I hate how he seems to know a lot more than he should. "We're fine, so you can leave now."
A chuckle leaves Dax. "You never told me he was so considerate."
"Hey, stop making fun of him." Becca rushes Dax and swings her hand back, ready to slap him. What bothers me the most is she’s now moving like a demon. Her steps are jerky and odd for a human.
He reaches out and grabs her wrist. "Calm down, or I'll make you."
She stumbles back and cradles her hand. "Chris..." Her tone is so whiney it hurts my ear.
For the first time in my life, my gut reaction is not to help her. I turn to Damien and raise an eyebrow. "Is this what you were hoping to accomplish?"
A hand touches my back, and Charlie's voice is in my ear. "I'm right here with you."
"I just want to know where the damn artifact is." Damien's eyes flash red before going back to the ice blue. "My patience is wearing thin."
So is mine. "This one hasn't been easy." What does he expect? Each artifact to appear right in front of me in each realm? "It’s being hidden somehow with spells."
Becca snorts. "This is what she did at the Angel Realm. I had to go looking for her."
Before this is over, I may wind up punching her. Taking a deep breath, I choose to ignore her instead. "The Water Artifact is calling to me like crazy, and I'm not sure where it is quite yet, but I'm working on it."
"It's not like they are thrilled with the prospect of her taking it." Charlie's finger stills, and his breathing has quickened.
"So, you don't ask." Damien growls and makes his way toward me.
"Even when I find it, it's going to be difficult." It's so easy for him and the council to say go get the artifact, and bring it back. But hell, it's never simple. "They are going to fight for it. Their water is their livelihood, and the artifact is linked to it."
"If you think you can do so much better, you can get it." Dax arches an eyebrow and moves to my other side.
I'm now sandwiched between both men. I almost want to laugh, but I force it in.
"Huh, and here I thought you cared about your friend Becca." He caresses her cheek.
Becca almost purrs in response like he's her favorite drug.
"What does this have to do with her?" I hate that she is struggling, but I don't know how me having trouble finding the last artifact shows I don't care.
"Well, I mean her soul is fractured, and it gets worse every second." Damien drops his hand and shakes his head. "I thought you wanted to save her. You're running out of time."
"I think it's time for you to go." Dax growls and pulls out one of his knives.
"I agree." Charlie stands tall and glowers at him. "You've made your point, and anything more will just serve as a distraction."
For once, I'm not consumed with guilt. Yes, I brought Becca back to life, but I never meant for this to happen. I thought she could go on living her life like normal. I didn't expect this. If I could do it all over again, yes, I wouldn't save her. But hindsight is twenty-twenty, and I’d never would wish this fate on anyone. I'm tired of feeling guilty. "It's not going to work."
"What does that mean?" Damien places an arm around Becca, and she leans in to him.
It makes my stomach turn. "That's what you always do." I motion to her, and vomit rises in my throat. "You use her against me all the time."
"Stay back." Dax crouches down in a fight position, and Charlie moves closer to me.
"Oh, Chris." Damien pouts, and his eyes flash with amusement. "I'm not trying to use her against you. I just thought you'd like to help your friend who is splintering away bit by bit. I mean, you did bring her back."
"This ends now." I break away from the guys, and my powers pulse inside me. I get in Damien's face and push my finger into his chest. "Stop using her to make me feel more horrible. I'm done. This," I say pointing between him and her, "will not work anymore. If you want the artifact, get it your own damn self."
"There's my firecracker." Dax's tone is proud.
Damien's mouth drops open. "You're bluffing."
"Chris, please." Becca's bottom lip trembles, and she reaches out for me. "I need you."
I won’t deal with this anymore, and my power is getting uncomfortable. I turn my back on them and head to Ria’s. "Come on, boys. Let's go."
Dax and Charlie walk beside me as we make our way back to the house.
"You'll regret this," Damien calls out.
12
The power's raging through me, and as soon as we turn the corner, I trip over my feet and fall to my knees. Where did this come from, and why so sudden? Is this the end for me?
"Chris." Charlie reaches for me but isn't fast enough.
However, right before the rest of my body has the chance to hit, large arms lift me up. "Dammit, we've got to get you back." Dax sighs and helps me back to my feet.
"Thanks." I hope that Damien is gone and can’t see me like this. It would give him too much pleasure. The artifacts begin clashing with my reaper magic, and the Water Artifact feels as if it's rubbing against my skin, causing horrible friction.
"Why didn't you tell us it was getting this bad?" Dax's tone is harsh, and his aura turns that light grey color.
What the hell is his problem here lately? One minute he’s sweet, and the next, he’s an ass.
"Back off." Charlie wraps his arm around my waist and scowls. "She's under enough stress as is."
My power digs its claws into me. How did the amulet go from protecting me to not in the matters of minutes? I want to stand on my own two feet, but the pressure is building so much that the whole world begins to spin.
"Some of it she does to herself." Dax huffs and rubs his temples. "What are you trying to prove?"
"It'd be nice if we could just get back to Ria's." I'm about to fall apart here, and he wants to argue. What in the world is wrong with him? "Then, maybe you could lecture me?"
Charlie transfers some of my weight toward him and sets a slow, steady pace.
"I'll just carry her." Dax grabs my arm and pulls me toward him.
Oh, hell no. I won't be manhandled. I let out some of the vibrant purple strand, which burns his hand. "Do not touch me like that again."
"Shit." He yelps and shakes out his hand. "You didn't have to do that. I was trying to help, for God's sake."
"You had a funny way of showing it." The power clobbers me from every direction. Dammit, letting loose some energy wasn’t a wise idea.