by Jen L. Grey
"I'm going to head on out." Hell, I'm still in my clothes from yesterday, and they aren't that dirty. "Dax is right. I need to get there fast."
"Seeing as I didn't sleep any last night, I'm ready to go, too." Dax takes a huge sip of his drink then heads to the door. "Let's get going."
"Fine. I'll meet up with you all in a little while." Charlie kisses my forehead and grabs a towel. "I need a shower to wake me up since I didn't get any coffee."
"Well, if you were cuter, I might have made you a cup," Dax calls out from the kitchen.
"Sometimes I can't tell whether you guys are friends or not." I step into the hall and point at him. "It's like it changes every few minutes."
"We're fine." Charlie chuckles and glances in the direction of the kitchen. "We have one common goal, and that's to keep you safe and alive."
That might be true, but I'm not so sure it's going to work. I am still clueless as to where the artifact is kept. "All right, I think we all want that. See you soon?"
"Of course." Charlie reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. "I'll be there right after my shower."
"Love you." I walk back into the room, slip my shoes on, brush my hair, and check to make sure the amulet is still on me. I need to be somewhat put together. I'm glad we have a plan and it’ll still give me an excuse to work with the water to help locate the artifact.
Within ten minutes, Dax and I make our way to Melody's table.
She is rearranging her spells and grins when she sees us approach. "Hey, how are you today?" Her eyes cut to me. "The rumor is you were the cause of the earthquake last night."
Great, so it seems as if the whole world was affected by my meltdown. "Yeah, sorry. My power got away from me a little last night."
"Maybe if you used it for some of my spells, you wouldn't have that problem." She places a hand on her hip and arches an eyebrow. "I mean you made a huge impression yesterday, and I could use your help."
Shit, she hits me up first thing. "Well, I don't feel comfortable with spelling any healing spells anymore."
"Why not?" Her eyes widen, and her hands drop to her side. "I mean you saved someone."
Dax clears his throat and glances at me. "Yes, but she didn't know what she was doing. She's afraid she could take a life as easily as restoring it."
Thank God he's here with me. I'm not sure I could have figured out an answer otherwise. "Right, but I'm willing to help with the other ones if you're willing to have me."
"Girl, that's fine. I'll take you any way I can get you." She smiles and motions to her table. "I bet you can do miracles for crops, too. You can spell all those while I focus on the healing ones."
It's as if a weight has lifted off of my shoulders since she didn’t fight me more on this. "Great. I'm glad that we could work that out between us."
"Well, you better get to work then." Dax scans the table and picks up a jug at the end of the table in the crop section. "This one looks like it might take a while."
"You've been at it for an hour nonstop." Melody laughs and stands beside me. "Why don't you take a break? I think we have a good inventory for now."
Wait... it's been an hour? Where the hell is Charlie? He should have been here a while ago. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. You going to be okay by yourself?"
"I've been doing this for years alone, so don't worry about it." She tilts her head over in the direction of Dax. "And if something goes crazy, I've got him."
Dax is a few tables down, talking to one of his buddies. They are in deep discussion, and he appears to be enjoying himself for once. If he knew I was going to take a break, he'd go with me, but I don't want to interrupt them. "That sounds like a fair plan. I'm going to go see where Charlie is, and I'll be right back."
"Yeah, go find your man." She pats my arm and puts a piece of hair behind her ear. "Don't rush, enjoy some down time."
"Okay, thanks." I head back in the direction of the house. Charlie must have gotten caught up talking with someone since he hasn't made it down here yet. I take my time as I stroll through the market, keeping an eye out for Charlie.
After I pass almost all of the tables and am coming to the end of the vendor tables, my heart begins thumping hard. He's not anywhere here. That's not like him. Did Ria come and corner him in the house? Shit, I shouldn't have left him there alone.
My feet move faster and faster until I'm practically running back to the house. My power begins pulsing inside me and hitting my still-raw insides. When I see the house in front of me, I run up the stairs and fling open the door.
When I enter the den, my world comes to a stop. The bookcase in the corner has been tipped over, and the books are scattered across the room. The cushions used for a couch are scattered and there is a hole in the wall.
Holy shit, someone must have attacked Charlie. I run up the stairs to our room and come to an abrupt stop. The blanket is halfway on the ground, clothes are thrown everywhere, and Charlie's shoes are still in the room.
My magic begins clawing into me once more, and the ground begins to shake. Something bad has happened to Charlie. Who the hell attacked him, and where did they take him? The walls begin to vibrate harder, and I spin around, taking in the whole room again. It has to be Ria and Tide, but where would they take him? What are they doing to him? Why the hell did I bring him? He should still be back on Earth, safe and sound.
A banging on the door startles me out of my panic. Maybe that's him! I stumble downstairs, tripping over my own feet. Maybe this is just a bad dream. When I open the door, I come face to face with a man I've never seen before.
His hair is the same red shade of Hell, and his white eyes bore into me. He raises a hand, and his tone is dark, ominous. "Ria has sent me to deliver a message. She has Charlie, and if you promise to leave and never come back, she will deliver him to you at the docks."
17
This can't be happening. I can't believe that Ria captured Charlie. Even after I shut the door in the guard’s face, it's like my world has been torn apart. I never should have left him earlier. Dammit, how could I have been so stupid? It's not like they're actually going to risk the artifact if they think there is even a small chance we would take it.
My vision shakes but I'm not sure if it’s internal or external forces causing this chaos. I'm not even sure I care at this point. Once again, I've inadvertently hurt someone I care about. The man I love is now being held as a captive. I don't even know if he got hurt in the fight. How could I have been so careless?
The vibrant purple of the Flame collides with the other elements inside me. The blue and brown strands push against one another. My black reaper magic scrapes against my skin as if it's trying to get away from the others. I relish the pain as it digs in deeper to my raw insides. I deserve to feel what he is feeling.
A howling blast against the windows causes them to shake and rattle. I need to find Charlie and now. I focus inward, but there is no calming the beast within me. Shit, what are the words I'm supposed to recite so the artifacts go back to their original place? There is no way I want the demon or council to get their grimy hands on them.
I crumple to the ground as the pressure increases and my mind gets hazy. There is no turning back. I just hope they let Charlie go when I'm gone.
A dark image appears right before me... or at least that's what I see. I'm not sure if it's there or not because my vision is getting darker by the second. It seems to take form and fire and brimstone fill my nose.
Are you freaking serious? Damien is going to be the last person I see. He has an uncanny ability to show up at the most inopportune times.
His blue eyes take me in, and he lets out a huge sigh. "No, this can't be happening."
What? I figured he was here to gloat, but he seems worried. What the hell does that mean?
Damien bends next to me and takes the phone from my hand. "Hey, I don't know what's going on, but you need to calm down."
He’s joking. Does he really think he can tell me that and it’ll h
appen? "I..." The words are hard to get out. It's as if I'm underwater and can't breathe. "Can't..."
"You're going to have to, or you're going to hurt a lot of people." He glances around and then licks his lips. "You're causing a ruckus on all the lands; granted this one is the one being hit the worst."
Why does he care? He wants the artifacts, so this should be a good thing for him. "Charlie..." Tears fall down my cheeks, and my breathing becomes ragged. The window in the room shatters, spewing glass everywhere. "Kidnapped..."
"Shit." He moves closer to me; the shadows move frantically around him but still cling close to him. "That's even more of a reason for you to get yourself together. Let's get you some air." He takes my arm and transports me to the ocean side of the island.
The water crashes, and the wind blows through my hair. The waves are high, and the ground shakes under my feet, causing the waves to be more unpredictable than normal. The salt stings my nose, and somehow my breathing accelerates.
"If you want to save him, you’d better get your act together." He grabs my shoulder and shakes me. "If you implode, you're going to wind up killing all of us, including him. All of the realms are quivering since you control the elements everywhere."
My heart sinks. He’s right. If I implode, I'm going to hurt people everywhere, not just here on this realm. I can't let them have this much control on me. I close my eyes and take deep calming breaths.
"Once you get a handle on yourself, we'll come up with a plan." Damien bites his lip and lets me go.
My powers are still thrumming, but as soon as I begin to calm myself, the pressure inside begins to lighten. I lay back and let my body melt into the white sand that covers the beach. It's so soft I relax into it and run my fingers through what feels like feathers. It's the oddest thing, but moving helps redirect some of the energy inside and soothes me.
I don't know what Damien is up to, but at this moment, he's making sense for the first time since I've met him. The quake is now a tremble, and the wind begins to calm.
"There you go." Damien's forehead loses some of the creases, and he takes a few steps back.
"We have to get him back." The suns are high in the sky. I’m reminded of all of the times Beth and I use to lay out by the river. "I can't believe they just took him like that."
"Well, if they want to play dirty, you have to do the same." Damien grins and waggles his eyebrows.
That's the thing, I've always played by the rules, and it causes me to get into situations like this. Maybe I should take a lesson from the demon after all. "Like what?" My magic has calmed down even more now that I'm outside and forming a plan.
"You've got the power of air, fire, and earth." He motions to me and glances around. "Hell, you almost took out an entire island. You don't think you can take out a fortress?
Whoa... "What do you mean fortress? You were just in her house."
He looks down his nose at me and shakes his head. "You've been here for a short while, and you haven't even done some digging around on the people in charge?" Oh, how I missed his condescending attitude. "That's not her permanent place. Haven't you realized she isn't there much?"
"Well, yeah but I thought it was because of us." His explanation makes a lot more sense though.
"Nope, it's because her primary residence is there." He points toward the other side of the island, opposite of the market.
I glance over that way and see a larger building standing off in the distance, separated from everything else. "It's not too huge."
"No, but it's heavily guarded." Damien's eyes flash with red lightning. "I'm sure that's where they keep the artifact, too."
"If it's heavily guarded, we need backup." Now that I feel more like myself, I sit and watch the gorgeous waves crash. "Ria and Tide cannot be trusted. And I may have the power of three elements, but I can't get too wild with it. I'll wind up hurting innocent people and could even lose control."
"That's why your first goal should be getting the Water Artifact." His eyes dart behind me, and his face changes to neutral. "That way you're completely balanced and in control. And it seems like we may have a few more volunteers."
What the hell is he talking about? No one would be willing to help here.
"You better never leave me like that again." Dax's loud voice echoes in my ears.
Shit, I didn't even think about him. "I'm sorry, but you were busy." I turn around, and my heart stops. What the hell is Brad doing here? "Why did you bring him here?" That sorry-ass traitor stole the stone from me and manipulated our friendship for his personal gain.
"Hey, I'm here to help." Brad throws his hands up in surrender.
Huh, I bet he is. "So you can steal something else from me?" He made it clear last month that it's only about his agenda. No one else matters.
"He showed up at the market saying he had some information for us, and then an earthquake started, and winds blew so strong people had to pack up their stuff." Dax shrugs and pulls out one of his knives. "I figured we should check on you. It's better if Brad stays with me so I can watch him."
"I don't have time for his fake stories." I stand and place both hands on my hips. "Ria and Tide took Charlie. We've got to go rescue him."
"What?" Dax takes a few steps toward me. "That mess back there was from Charlie and not you?"
"Don't remind her." Damien hisses and clenches his hands into fists. "We need to focus on getting him and not letting her spiral out of control again."
"Listen here, demon." Dax spits out the last word.
"Wait, that's why I came." Brad steps in between the two guys and locks his chocolate eyes on me. "I came to offer help from the Archetypus."
"What is that?" Is he just making up words to distract me?
"They were the first overseers of the Reapers until the council took over." He stands tall and puffs out his chest.
"You mean the ones that got so corrupt that there was a civil war, and they had to leave with their tails tucked between their legs?" Dax lifts up his knife, now on full alert.
"They aren't anymore." Brad takes a few steps back and almost trips. "They realized they were wrong."
Oh, dear Lord. The last thing I want to deal with is another corrupt council. "Oh, so they think stealing and lying are still acceptable things to do?" Brad got me in serious trouble with the council when he stole the Earth’s Stone from me. They thought I had something to do with it. "I'm done listening. You can go to hell."
"Look, I'm sorry, but we were afraid you were going to give it to the council." Brad rubs a hand down his face and sighs.
"You manipulated me." My power begins to spring alive again, and the wind picks up.
"Look, if I could take it all back, I would." His hands tremble, and he closes his eyes. "I messed up, but I was trying to protect you. I promise, going forward, I'll be honest and upfront with you."
Right now he reminds me of my friend back in high school. The remorse is coming off of him in waves.
"Look, you can sort it all out later. Right now, we have more pressing matters on our hands." Dax laughs and crosses his arms.
"We're willing to help get Charlie back as a sign of good faith. We have a team of fifteen men/soldiers/warriors at our disposal." Brad glances at Dax and back at me.
"We could use additional resources." Damien walks up beside me, and the coolness of the shadows brushes my arm. "Why don't you give him another chance?"
Dammit, we do need more people to help with the rescue, and Brad does seem to regret what he did. I don't know right from wrong any longer. It shouldn't be this difficult, but I want to scream or wake up from this horrible nightmare. I'm not sure if I can trust him, but if he can help me save Charlie and get the artifact, then it might be a risk worth taking. "Fine, but Dax and I will be watching you."
"You got that right." Dax nods and puts his knife back in its sheath.
"Okay, great. I'll go back and get them, but there is one condition to us helping you." Brad cringes but holds his head hi
gh.
There's always a catch. "What is it?" I'm sure I'm going to regret asking.
"I need your word that once you obtain all of the artifacts, you won't return to the council." His jaw is firm and he takes a few steps toward me. "The council had no problem throwing the Archetypus out of power when they became corrupt, but now, they are the ones who are abusing their powers. The council shouldn't have access to that kind of magic."
"Not all the council is corrupt." Dax's eyes narrow, and his breathing quickens.
Damien laughs out loud as if he's watching a comedy show.
"You have my word." I never intended to go back to them anyway. That's an easy one to keep.
"Chris..." Dax's jaw drops open, and his brows furrow.
"Maybe Luke isn't corrupt, but the other two are." I'm not going to stand down from this. "I'm not going to allow anyone to have access to my power."
A large smile fills Brad’s face. "Then you’ve got a deal."
18
The crashing of the ocean waves is faint, almost inaudible, and there’s just a hint of salt water in the air. Now that I'm calmer, it's time to figure out a plan, but I've got no clue where to start. "We can't go back to Ria's house."
Dax doesn't miss a stride and keeps steady on his path. "Right now, we are going to take in our enemy."
"I need to let my men know that we're staying." Brad glances around, and his eyes fall on me. "Where should we meet back up with you?"
That's a good question. I've got no flipping clue, and we need to move and fast. The longer Charlie is with them, the more worried I get. "Just want to meet back up at the beach? It usually is pretty deserted."
"Yeah, that's where all the tourists go, or at least that's the word on the market." Dax nods, but his eyes never stop scoping out our surroundings.
He's a warrior through and through. No wonder Luke chose him to accompany me everywhere. He's a natural and always seems to be a few steps ahead compared to me.