Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3)

by Cassandra Gannon

  She sent Brokk a “help me” glance which he blithely ignored. “Job!” He beamed. “How is Tessie, my friend?”

  Wood Phases loved Job. Everyone loved Job. Even Ty loved Job.

  But, she really didn’t want to talk to him.

  Over a thousand years old and more powerful than any Phase in the universe, Job looked like a banker. He kept his white blond hair in a neat ponytail, so even the vivid green streak at his temple seemed patrician. His suits were all a tailored navy or black. His ties were all subdued and carefully Windsor knotted. Job could have walked into any Fortune 500 meeting and no one would have blinked.

  Ty couldn’t imagine how he and Tessie managed to share a home. Job was so neat and elegant. Tessie wore flip flops and played her iPod at full blast. Job’s powers rivaled anything known in the history of universe. Tessie couldn’t do much except bypass supernatural barriers and understand the Tablets of Fate. Job wanted to meticulously micromanage the world. Tessie wanted to watch Days of Our Lives.

  And they were crazy about each other. A perfect Match.

  Ty envied them.

  “Tessie’s fine. She and Nia are up to something. I felt it best not to ask what.” Job arched a brow. “So, I was talking to Cross...” He began.

  Ty cringed at that ominous statement. Job adored his nephew. Cross was Job’s only blood relative and the apple of his eye. If Cross started tossing Molotov cocktails at pedestrians, Job would smile and compliment his aim.

  She immediately started defending Gion, anticipating Job’s forthcoming complaints. “Gion didn’t mean to throw Cross through that window. It was an accident. I spoke to them both about it and…”

  “Gion did what?” Job interrupted. “He touched Cross? My Cross?”

  Oh no.

  Job hadn’t known about that.

  Crap.

  “It was an accident.” Ty repeated. “They were both fine.”

  Job exhaled heavily. He stared up at the brilliant blue sky as if looking for inspiration.

  He wouldn’t find it.

  The clouds were flat and lifeless, now. All the Cloud Phases, who had once given them their ever changing shapes, had passed from this world and left the skies empty of hidden pictures. Job surely thought of that when he stared at them. Ty knew that she did. The world would never fully recover from Parald. All you had to do what look up and you saw what he’d wrought.

  “I cannot stress enough how unwise it is to give amnesty to someone like Gion.” Job finally said with strained patience. “He shouldn’t be in your House.”

  Ty hated arguing. She was terrible at it. But, she didn’t back down. “Gion is a Water Phase, now.”

  “No, honey, he’s not.” Job insisted. “I know Tess likes Gion. He’s helped us all. I know that, too. Maybe he even legitimately wants to get away from Parald. I don’t blame him. But, do you really think you can trust him?”

  “Yes.” The answer came instantly.

  “I see. What about Nia and the baby?” Job’s great-niece already occupied about ninety-nine percent of his “non-Tessie specific” attention. He loved the baby. Not just because she gave him hope that the Elementals might survive extinction, but because Job just loved the baby. She was his family, too.

  Ty had known that he’d confront her about this. “Gion” plus “baby” would equal “DEFCON 1” to Job. He wouldn’t want Mary Poppins around his great-niece, let alone an Air Phase.

  “Do you really think that you can trust Gion with the baby?” He pressed.

  “Yes.” Ty met Job’s lawn green eyes. It wasn’t even a question for her. “I trust Gion.”

  Job’s rugged face shifted slightly, revealing his exasperation. “Why?”

  “Because…” All the rational, logical arguments fell away and Ty just spoke the truth. “Because, when he smiles at me, I can see that he’s a better man. Someone just needs to give him a chance and he’ll accomplish great things. Gion has so many talents. So much to give and he needs a home. He can do anything, if he just has support.”

  “Ty, he’s killed hundreds of people. Not the Fall. Just Gion, by himself.”

  “I told her that, too.” Brokk interjected. “She doesn’t believe it.”

  Job muttered something about the Water Houses’ stubborn, soft hearted-ness and shook his head. “Alright. I’m going to tell you something and I want you to think about it, alright? This happened a very long time ago. I’m using it as an example as why you can’t fix Gion. He’s too broken, Ty. It’s too late to save him.”

  That was an interesting choice of words.

  Ty’s brows drew together over her glasses. She and Gion were both broken. Maybe that’s why they had this connection. Maybe it wasn’t too late to save either of them. Maybe they were supposed to fix each other.

  Job didn’t notice her distraction. “I was around five hundred years old when Gion was a boy and I remember him very clearly. I wasn’t the head of the Council, yet, but I was already being groomed for the job. I spent time in all the Houses, preparing to be the High Seat.”

  Ty liked picturing Gion as a little boy. She wondered if he’d worn a cape.

  “Gion was too strong, Ty. He got too much power, too early. There’s a reason we take ninety-three years to come of age. Why our powers keep developing more as we grow older. Because, if they’re all dumped on you at once, it’s too much.”

  “You think that’s what happened to Gion?”

  “I know that’s what happened to Gion. I saw it. He was eight when he exploded someone’s lungs. Another boy on the playground. Gion killed him on the spot.”

  Ty’s mouth parted in shock.

  “It was an accident.” Job said. “Gion didn’t mean to go that far. He was just too powerful.”

  “I told you that happened, Ty.” Brokk arched a pointed, “thank- God-we’re-here-to-think-for-her” sort of brow at Job. “I told her that Gion exploded someone’s lungs. She didn’t believe that, either.”

  “Job just said it was an accident.” Ty protested. “Gion was only a baby.”

  “He was. And he was so damn sorry.” Job gazed at her. “But, how do you think the rest of the Air Phases treated Gion after that?”

  Ty flinched at the very idea.

  “They called him a murderer and he called himself worse.” Job went on. “I know what that’s like. During the Fall, you remember how someone spray-painted ‘Your Fault!’ on my garden wall? I know how you start questioning everything you did, convincing yourself it was really was your fault people died.”

  “The Fall wasn’t you fault, Job. You know that.” Aside from Parald, the only person to blame for the Fall was Ty.

  “I was over a thousand years old and I still had problems. Gion was eight. He wasn’t old enough to forgive himself and now it’s too late. He never came back from that playground in a lot of ways. It tainted how Gion saw himself forever.”

  “That’s not fair.” Ty blinked back tears. “He’s not a murderer.”

  “I know.” Job paused. “Well, at least, not because of that.”

  “He’s not a murderer.” Ty repeated firmly. “Gion’s killed people, but that’s not who he is. Uriel killed Reprisal soldiers when they attacked me. So did Cross. That doesn’t make them murderers. It makes them warriors.”

  “Wood Phases are always warriors.” Brokk volunteered. “Even when they’re Air Phases.”

  “The Wood Phases did help take care of Gion after the accident.” Job allowed. “Parson spent years with him, helping Gion control his powers.” He looked uncharacteristically puzzled. “I recently came to realized that Gion… respected Parson very much. That’s a positive sign for the boy, I suppose.”

  Parson, of the Wood House was the one who taught Gion to play music.

  Taught him how to be an honorable man.

  “So, I’m not blaming Gion for the accident.” Job reiterated. “All Elemental children get zapped by each other’s powers. It’s how we learn to control them and how not to use them against each
other. This was tragic, because Gion’s energy was too big for him to control. But, he wasn’t to blame. It was just… Gaia’s will, for lack of a better term.”

  “Well, tell him that!”

  “I did. I told Gion again and again that it wasn’t his fault. He doesn’t believe me.” Job put his hands behind his back, military “at rest” style. “That is the entire point of this story. This isn’t about how I see him. Gion thinks he’s a killer and that’s what he’s made himself. It’s become his entire identity.”

  Ty closed her eyes, remembering what Gion answered when she asked what he did in the Air House.

  I kill people.

  Oh God.

  “You can’t change five hundred years of Gion thinking that he’s the villain of the world.” Job continued. “Because, in his head, he’ll always be that kid on the playground and he’ll always see himself as a murderer.”

  Ty’s chest ached for Gion.

  “It’s just not safe to be around him. It hasn’t been for a long time.” Job sounded strangely sorrowful. “When you think you’re a killer, you kill people. It’s all you know.”

  Ty stayed quiet.

  “You can’t change him, Ty.” Job reached over to touch her arm, even though he really shouldn’t have, since he had a Match. Phases didn’t like other people touching their Matches. Tessie wasn’t an Elemental, and years of living with the humans gave her a much more casual tolerance for touching, so she wouldn’t mind. But, Job adhered to protocol like a shipwreck survivor clinging to a barrel. The fact that Job was breaking the rules of etiquette said a lot about his determination to get through to Ty. “You can’t change Gion into a good man.”

  “I don’t have to change him.” Ty whispered. “He already is a good man. All he needs is someone to see that.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m telling you, Gion cannot stay at the Water House.”

  “You’re not in charge of the Water Kingdom, Job.” Ty’s voice shook, but she looked right at him. “You can’t tell me who I allow in my House.”

  “I know, but Nia and I talked about it and we have a plan.” Job insisted. “I’ll allow Gion into the Earth Kingdom. Alright? That would solve everything. He won’t hurt Tess and I can watch him to make sure that he doesn’t harm anyone else…”

  “Nia’s not in charge of the Water House, either. I am.” Ty interrupted. “Gion will stay right where he is. With me.”

  Job’s eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch, which pretty much told Ty that he was flabbergasted by her stubbornness. For years, he and Nia had been pressing Ty to take control of the Water House. To be the queen. And the first time she’d ever exerted her power, it was to defy them.

  “No one is trying to usurp you position, Ty.”

  “I know.” Job and Nia really did mean well. They were used to taking charge, because Ty always encouraged them to deal with the nuts-and-bolts of ruling the Water Kingdom. She never felt like the queen. Nia was so much better at it. It was easy for Ty to just step back. It wasn’t fair to Nia, though. Her cousin had her own responsibilities.

  Ty was always too weak.

  And now she was snapping at Job.

  “Look, you can ask Gion if he’d like to become an Earth Phase.” Because she loved Job, Ty softened her tone. “I won’t hold him against his will or anything. I should warn you, though, he says he’s very content in the Water Kingdom. I don’t think he’ll want to leave.”

  Job regarded her thoughtfully, disregarding that suggestion. “It’s good news that you’re taking an interest in ruling. I don’t agree with you, but at least you’re making the decision. You need to keep this up. Nia can sit for the Shadow House from now on, and you can be on the Council for the Water House. How’s that?”

  Ty’s eyes widened as she realized what Job up to.

  He and Nia both wanted Ty to sit for the Water House during the Council meetings. Nia had always done it, but now she was the Shadow Queen. As long as Nia continued to represent the Water Kingdom, Cross got stuck sitting for the Shadow House.

  Cross hated dealing with the Council.

  He did it, but Cross’s puppy-dog pout of dismay at being trapped in endless meetings clearly tugged at Job’s heartstrings. If Ty sat for the Water House, like she was supposed to, Cross would be off the hook.

  The idea of being at Council meeting scared the hell out of Ty, though. Just the thought of being surrounded by so many other Phases, most of whom hated her, filled Ty with panic. How had Job turned this around on her so fast? “Yes, but…”

  “You can do this, sweetheart.” Job gave her an encouraging nod. “I’m very proud of you. You’re still wrong about Gion, so I will talk to him about coming to the Earth Kingdom. But, still…”

  Whatever Job said next was lost by the invasion.

  For the first time in six hundred years, warriors filled the Agora. Endless rows of Air House soldiers jumped into Elemental’s free space. With their black uniforms and blond hair, they looked like an army of nightmarish death.

  Ty’s entire vision was filled with Parald’s men…

  …And they were all looking right back at her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Water is a perverse sort of element at the best of times

  Charles Dickens- ‘Mudfog and Other Sketches’

  Job shoved Ty behind him as the Air Phases surrounded them.

  He never carried a weapon, but then he didn’t really need to. Elementals weren’t supposed to use their powers against each other and Job’s did enjoy following the rules. However, Job’s massive energy didn’t have to touch anyone to make a point. The man could cause a tectonic event with an arch of his brow.

  The entire Agora shook, knocking the Air Phases down like rows of dominoes.

  Ty fell into Brokk. “Job!”

  “Go.” He barked and the entire world descended into war.

  Phases started falling, limbs and blood scattering on the ground. Glass crashed, people ran, and everywhere there was the gleam of hate filled eyes. Ty could hear people shouting, other Phases in the Agora cried out in fury and fear, screaming into their cellphones for the Reprisal, attacking the Air Phases, steel swords clanging against each other.

  The chaos of it swirled the edge of her vision. Ty’s heartbeat sped up, her fingers going numb.

  So, much like the mob coming at her after the Fall. Screaming and raging, pulling at her, coming for her.

  She couldn’t breathe.

  Throat closing off.

  Couldn’t breathe.

  Ty fought against the panic threatening to pull her under and covered her ears with her palms. She didn’t remember much of that night, but whenever something triggered her damaged recollections, they sent her into an anxiety attack.

  No, no, no, no, no.

  “Ty!” Brokk grabbed her and maneuvered her against a building.

  They needed a clear spot and about three seconds of time to jump and that wasn’t happening. They were in serious trouble. Somewhere in her, Ty knew that, but she couldn’t calm down enough to start panicking about that happy news.

  Fractured memories of her near decapitation blinded her. The Fire House pyres burning in the distance. The roar of the fountain. Screaming for help. Trying to reach for someone. So many people pulling at her. Knowing that she was about to die.

  A new piece of information stirred in her mind.

  Something ripping the mob away from her.

  A…

  …Tornado?

  Brokk shoved Ty to the ground, standing in front of her as the Air Phases fought to get to her. “Stay down!” His duel swords swung like extensions of his arms. No one fought like the Wood Phases. In battle, they were pure poetry. Brokk’s movements would have been beautiful, if it weren’t for the horrible sights that they left in their wake.

  Bodies toppled around them and Ty squeezed her eyes shut.

  Too weak.

  Always too weak.

  Stop!

  She had to stop her panic.

 
; She couldn’t give into weakness.

  “Brokk?” The word was a whisper, but he heard it. “Help Job.” Not even Job could hold off so many Air Phases forever. Ty tried to focus. “We have to help Job.”

  Wood Phases loved battle. She could see the glow of it lighting Brokk’s eyes. “We have to get you out of here first.” He snapped. “Try and…”

  The Reprisal arrived in the Agora with warriors’ yells that echoed from one end of the Elemental realm to the other.

  Ty staggered to her feet as Chason’s army jumped into the fight. Literally. So many Reprisal soldiers that they might have even outnumbered the Air Phases appeared in the middle of the battle. Alerted to the invasion by all those frantic calls, they arrived eager to kill as many Air Phases as possible.

  For some people, that might have been good news. The Reprisal’s appearance meant that the battle just got a whole lot fairer. Unfortunately, the Reprisal hated Ty, too.

  Now, there were two armies after her.

  Brokk’s eyes widened. “Ty, stay behind me.”

  Job shoved his way towards her. “Get out of here!” He bellowed.

  Reprisal soldiers clashed with Air Phases. Air Phases clashed with everyone. Brokk’s swords cut down anybody they could reach. Job disappeared from view.

  A swell of men came from the side, knocking Ty to the ground.

  Brokk grabbed for her, missed, and then got attacked from behind. He was swept under by a wave of men and Ty lost sight of him.

  “Brokk!” Oh God, if anything happened to him, she’d never forgive herself. Ty tried to get back up, searching for him.

  Lansing, of the Dust House got to her first.

  Chason’s second-in-command seized her arm, spinning Ty around. His fingers bit into her flesh.

  Brokk and Uriel had drilled self-defense into her head. Instincts kicked in. Ty slammed her knee into Lansing’s groin, just the way the Wood Phases taught her.

  “Bitch!” He doubled over, his grip loosening enough for Ty to struggle free. Lansing wasn’t done, though. He kept coming. Something must’ve happened, because he seemed intent on killing her. Most of the time, Reprisal soldiers just wanted to capture her and maybe use her for bait to lure Parald out of the Air Kingdom.