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

by Cassandra Gannon

  “I can’t.” When she cried, he felt like a monster. “Listen to me, I can’t do anything. This has already happened.”

  Ty buried her face against his shoulder and sobbed.

  “Gaia, please.” Gion closed his eyes and prayed for strength. His former self was on the ground, bleeding and beaten. And at that moment Gion would have switched places with the guy in a second. Anything would have been preferable to Ty’s tears. “Angel…”

  “I’m sorry.” She repeated. “I’m so sorry.”

  His jaw tightened. “Ty, I’m fine. Look at me.” Gion pried her head up so he could meet her dazed eyes. “I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew exactly what the risks were. This was my choice and I don’t regret it. Don’t apologize to me. Not for anything.”

  Ty hand came up to touch the side of his face. “Gion.” She swallowed, her voice firm and her damp eyes level. “Do not ever –Ever!-- tell me that you’re a murderer, again. That man,” she pointed at his former self, “is a hero. That is the man who should have been my Match.”

  Gion’s mouth parted.

  He’d never expected Ty to say that to him. Truthfully, he’d never even dreamed she’d look at him that way. As a hero. As a Match. It was the most beautiful thing that Gion had ever heard.

  “In my heart, you’ve been my Match since the first second I saw you.” He finally murmured. “For me, there is only you.”

  She smiled at him through her tears.

  In the background, he saw memory-Gion pulled away from memory-Ty. Saw his own body tossed by the crowd. In retrospect, he wondered how he’d survived this. Just pure determination to keep Ty alive.

  Across the courtyard, Tharsis leapt over the edge of the patio and sprinted towards the fountain. “Ty!” He bellowed. “Damn it, Ty!”

  “Poor Thar.” Ty whispered. “His father just died. I should have stayed in the palace and they never would have got me. I wasn’t thinking. When my uncle died, I just…” She trailed off with a sigh. “It was my fault.”

  “No, it’s not your fault.”

  Tharsis didn’t even notice Gion’s prone form amid all the other bodies. He ignored everything but Ty. Most of the mob was working to kill Gion, now, but a few had made their way back to Ty. Shoving his way through the crowd with his Water powers, Tharsis dove for her.

  Gion had no idea the guy had so much power. Thar’s energy rolled out like a bowling ball, knocking the other Phases down in a perfect strike. Who could have predicted that Tharsis had such remarkable control?

  Swearing and panting for breath, Tharsis grabbed Ty up and ran for the palace.

  That made Gion’s job harder. He’d had to keep Ty alive from a distance, which was incredibly difficult. Gion had actually blacked out for a bit, almost losing her. Ty stopped breathing. He’d felt it and it jarred him back to consciousness. Somehow, he’d kept her alive until her cousins got her to Freya.

  When Ty was finally safe, he’d used what little energy he could muster and jumped to the Air House library. Then, he’d passed out on the floor for the next thirty-nine hours.

  “This is why I would have panic attacks around you.” Ty held onto his shirtfront. “You were such a big trigger for me, and I thought it was just because…”

  “Because, I was a frightening, condescending jackass?” Gion suggested when she stopped.

  “Sort of. Yeah.” Ty admitted. “But, I was trying to remember you being here. My mind was trying to remind me and I didn’t understand. I’m sorry.”

  “Stop. Apologizing.”

  The scene changed.

  Gion thought that maybe this memory thing would stop now that Ty had calmed down.

  Instead, he recognized the Air Palace dungeon.

  Seneca.

  Oh Jesus.

  This definitely wasn’t a memory sharing. This was just further proof that something very weird was happening. The memories in a sharing were almost always shown in chronological order. They usually showed Matches key scenes of their partner’s life in order to get them to know and trust each other as quickly as possible.

  Not only had this particular memory happen a year before the Fall, but it absolutely wasn’t gonna promote trust and tender feelings.

  What the hell was going on?

  This was his memory. Ty’s energy couldn’t be doing this. This was him.

  Somehow.

  Gion vainly tried to stop the scene from playing out; tried to wake them up.

  Ty gasped as she saw where they were. It was hard to miss what with the stone walls and the plastic manacles. Elementals would have been able to manipulate metal shackles, but the thick white plastic held prisoners captive.

  “Gion? You really were down here? I know you said that when you rescued me from the Air House, but…”

  “I was down here.” Shit. Why couldn’t he show her some good memories? Did he even have any good memories? Gion wracked his brain for a second and came up with Ty in a white dress at Clea’s recital. The most important moment of his life. Why couldn’t they be looking at that?

  “Why are we seeing this?” Ty looked as baffled as he felt. “Is it a memory sharing?”

  “It can’t be. We’re not a Match.”

  “Yes, but Freya thought… Oh my God. Gion, are you chained?”

  Gion sighed in annoyance as the former him tried to rip the plastic shackles right out of the wall. “Seneca thought that I planned to overthrow him. At the time, I wasn’t really planning to, but, after a night in the dungeon, it was pretty high on my ‘to do’ list.”

  Seneca had dumped him in the dungeon after it occurred to the bastard that Gion’s powers far exceeded his own.

  Seneca had never found his Match. He had no heirs, except Amarna and his niece had never been his favorite person. Amarna could pretend to be a mousy little thing, but more and more Gion saw that the girl was sharp. She was a leader. Seneca saw that before Gion had. He had to give the guy some credit for noticing the girl’s potential.

  Unfortunately, once Seneca saw Amarna’s potential, he also saw the threat that she posed. In his later years, Seneca saw everyone as a threat. Tossing Gion, Amarna, Isaacs, and dozens of other into the dungeons had been his way of dealing with the problem.

  He’d wanted to execute them. He’d been trying to get the Council to sanction it. Really, though, all he’d done was create an insurrection. By default, all the Air Phases awaiting their beheadings were suddenly on the same side.

  “Perfect.” Isaacs sat slumped in the corner. They’d been locked in the same cell. “I pushed hard to become a soldier and then King Insaniac locks me up for it. I should’ve gone to college and learned computer repair.”

  “Shut-up.” Memory-Gion ordered. The plastic was cutting into his flesh as he tried to pry it off his hand. “I’m not going to die here.”

  “How did Seneca capture you?” Ty asked as if she couldn’t imagine such a thing.

  “I was asleep. There were twelve of them, with plastic restraints.” After that Gion slept a lot lighter, with Plexiglas over his windows and three bolts on his doors. Or in the Air House library, isolated from the other Air Phases and with a sword lying across his chest.

  Isaacs was looking for a target for his anger and Gion just provided it for him. “No, genius, we’re not going to die here. We’re going to die in front of the palace, drawn and quartered Braveheart style. It’ll be a fucking inspiration for all the little kiddies.” He pumped a chained fist in the air. “Freeeedooommm!”

  “Asshole.” Both Gions muttered in unison.

  Ty actually gave a startled laugh.

  “This is your fault.” Isaacs continued, undaunted. “If you really had overthrown that shithead, we wouldn’t be in this mess. You’re powerful enough to jack the House. I know it.”

  “I don’t want to rule this House.” Gion retorted. “I’m not getting stuck with the Air House crown.”

  Jacking the House involved ripping the Element away from the other Phases in the House. Dragging the w
eight of the Air from Phases who opposed them, the person jacking the House would shoulder all the powers, redistributing the energy over their own side of the dispute. The other Phases wouldn’t die, but they’d no longer be able to control the Air. It was incredibly difficult and dangerous. No one had ever successfully jacked a House before.

  Until Gion.

  “Are you ready to admit your crimes?” Seneca demanded from the other side of the cell door. “I might show leniency if you confess. Your deaths will be quicker, traitors.”

  “Fuck off.” Isaacs shouted back.

  “No one is plotting against you, sire.” Gion got out from between clenched teeth. “I don’t want your throne and I can prove it. My Match is in the Water Kingdom and I’m going there to be with her when she’s of age. I won’t be staying in the Air House, anyway.”

  Isaacs shot him a stunned look.

  Ty’s jaw dropped. “Did you mean me?”

  “Of course, I meant you.” Gion kept his attention on his former self. “This was before you knew Parald. I thought you were mine.”

  “You could have the woman and my kingdom.” Seneca retorted.

  “No, I couldn’t. She has her own crown.”

  Elemental Houses went by matrilineal descent. If they came from different Houses, men usually went to the women’s kingdom, unless the man was the king of his own House. If both Matches ruled their kingdom, they had to choose one. Parald had agreed to rule the Water Kingdom with Ty after their Phazing.

  Anyone paying attention would have chosen the Water Kingdom over the Air House. The Water Kingdom was the epicenter of Elemental culture. Their Athens. The Air House didn’t engender nearly that level of respect, no matter how hard they tried. The Water Kingdom was definitely the better real estate.

  Knowing Parald, he probably had some plan to keep both kingdoms. Gion saw that now. The man would never give up power.

  Gion had zero interest in ruling the Air Kingdom, though. All he’d ever wanted was a chance to be with Ty. The choice between her or some stupid crown was a no brainer. “I’d rather have my Match than the Air House. I give you my word.”

  Ty’s fingers wound around his. “You’d give up a kingdom for me? That’s a beautiful thing to say.” She beamed up at him. “You’re such a romantic man.”

  Gion grunted. “Yeah, watch how well my softer side goes over.”

  “Dude, how much Lifetime have you been watching?” Isaacs scoffed.

  “Enough of your lies!” Seneca roared. “I don’t need Job to tell me how to run my own lands. You die first, Gion. One hour!” He went stomping off, yelling for his guard.

  “Looks like you should have majored in something other than soldiering, too, boyo.” Isaacs drawled. “If you weren’t about to lose a head, I’d totally suggest that you choose a new career in hostage negotiation. You have a real talent for reaching out to people. It’s incredible.”

  “I’m not letting Seneca kill me.” Gion snapped. “Not without my Match even saying my name.” He looked down at his wrist and Gion remembered how he’d considered ways to chop off his hand.

  Ty rested her head against his shoulder. “You have a beautiful name.” She whispered. “It’s holy. The masculine form of Gaia. I think your parents knew you’d be special.”

  “My father named me ‘Gion’ because it was his name. He lived to regret it, once I became an incredible disappointment, of course.”

  “You are not a disappointment.” Ty gave him a small shove, moving away from him. “What did I just tell you? You saved me, Gion. Again and again you’ve saved me. I don’t mean to sound egotistical here, but, as far as I’m concerned, that makes up for any horrible things that you think you’ve done. Whatever happened to you, it brought you to me and that’s all that matters, now.”

  Gion stared down at her, considering that. What he’d done was bleak. Addom and all the other lives he’d taken. Gion would never forgive himself. But, if he went back and changed any of it, would he have missed meeting Ty? Would he have been less powerful? Less ruthless? Would he have been unable to save her from the mob or from the Air House dungeons?

  In the end, keeping Ty alive was all he cared about.

  Was everything he’d done just leading him to her?

  Key jangled outside the cell door.

  Gion swore, recalling this next part with crystal clarity. “It’s Parald, Ty. Don’t…”

  The door swung opened. Parald stood there with a bloody sword in his hand and a demonic smile on his face. “We’re gonna make a deal, boys.”

  Ty sucked in a horrified breath at seeing her ex-Match. She backed up rapidly, colliding with Gion. He could tell from her panicked look that she was about to fall into another attack.

  “Angel.” Gion caught her against him, holding her so Ty’s back was to his front. Enveloping her with his body. “I’ve got you. This is just a memory. He’s not even going to see

  you. You’re okay. He’ll never touch you, again.”

  Ty turned in his grasp, burying her face against Gion’s chest. “I can’t stand being around him. He’s always felt wrong. Even in the memory I can feel it. He’s evil.” Shudders wracked her.

  “I know. He won’t hurt you. I won’t allow it.” It was a vow.

  Ty’s arms wrapped around him. “I won’t let him hurt you, either.”

  Gion’s heart turned over in his chest at the promise.

  “Aren’t you the dishwasher?” Isaacs demanded as Parald came into their cell.

  “I’m about to become king.” Parald held up the keys. “I’ll let you go, and in return you follow me. I’m in control of the Air House, now. Seneca’s dead.” He honest-to-God licked the blood off his sword and smirked. “It wasn’t much of a fight.”

  Memory-Gion’s eyebrows soared. “His guards will be sad to hear that.”

  “Most of them are already with me.” Parald stalked forward. “The rest, I need you to deal with. I’m your only way out of here. You help me jack the House and I’ll make you my second-in-command.”

  “That seems reasonable.” Gion allowed calmly. He would have joined up with Jason Voorhees to get out of the dungeon.

  “You stay loyal to me or you’ll regret it.” Parald warned. “What happened to Seneca can happen to you.”

  “Of course.” Gion agreed, already thinking of ways to kill him.

  “Hail to King Whoever-You-Are.” Isaacs chimed in. “Let’s not forget about me, here, okay?” He rattled his shackles. “I can be incredibly loyal to people who save my life.”

  The scene changed, again, this time to the Council Hall. Gion recognized one of the private waiting rooms where Phases cooled their heels before their time in front of the Council. It looked like the sitting room of a really nice hotel; marble pillars and streamlined furniture, all in neutral shades.

  This one wasn’t Gion’s memory. This one had to come from Ty.

  She stiffened beside him. “Oh, no.” Ty backed up. “No. Gion, I don’t want you seeing this.”

  “Are you kidding me?” After what he’d had to show her? “What’s…?” He stopped short, seeing memory-Ty enter the room.

  “Wait here.” She said to someone and Gion realized that it was Isaacs.

  “I forgot he was your bodyguard.” Gion hadn’t been able to bear the idea of watching over her before her Phazing with Parald. Isaacs, bastard that he was, had been the next best choice. Parald had been all for the idea.

  “I don’t want you to see this.” Ty’s voice got higher. “Don’t watch.”

  Gion ignored that. Ty was dressed in her formal turquoise robes. Usually, Phases only wore those on their Phazing Day or other ceremonial events. This memory happened the morning that Ty renounced Parald; the day of her ninety-third birthday.

  In the memory, Ty crossed the tiled floor and knocked on the door to the connected bathroom. “Parald, I’d like to speak with you.”

  Parald was a pansy, but even he wouldn’t shriek like a woman. The high-pitched squeal of panic came
from inside the bathroom.

  It was hard to say who was more shocked as Ty pushed opened the door.

  Gion.

  Memory-Ty.

  Parald.

  Or the naked woman struggling to get her bra back on.

  Real-Ty sighed. “What an embarrassing cliché.”

  “Darling.” Parald flashed his politician’s smile, even as he grabbed for his pants. God, that was more of Parald than Gion ever wanted to see. “I can explain.”

  “Explain?” Memory-Ty’s mouth barely moved. “You’re sleeping with another woman on our Phazing Day. I don’t see what there is to explain.” She turned towards the door, a blank look on her face. Gion sincerely hoped that Ty never used that tone with him. It was scarily cold. Not hurt or angry. Just… done.

  “Darling, this woman is nothing.” Parald finally got his pants on and he chased after her. “A useless whore.”

  “Hey!” The woman yelped. She was a Heat Phase.

  “Shut-up.” He roared. Backtracking, he seized her arm and yanked her half-naked body across the room. “Get the fuck out of here!” He shoved her out into the hall, straight into Isaacs’ arms.

  Gion read the shock on Isaacs’ face. “Sire?” When Isaacs, of the Air House, a man who’d once ripped off his enemy’s arms with a chain and a Toyota pickup truck, seemed astonished by someone’s actions, you knew you’d hit the big time. Phases didn’t cheat on their Matches. It was… crazy.

  “Get rid of her.” Parald snapped and slammed the door, again. He turned back to Ty. “Darling, this was nothing. A last moment of bachelorhood, before I commit myself to you.” He held out his hands peacemaker style, but a watchfulness stayed in his eyes. “You wanted to wait for our Phazing Day and I agreed, but I still have needs…”

  “I wanted to wait,” Ty interrupted, “because, when you touch me, it makes my skin crawl. Now, I see why. You’re not a good man and I won’t have you as my Match.”

  Parald’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you talking about? You are my Match!”

  Tension grew in Gion’s body. Ty was pissing Parald off and that was never a smart thing to do. Parald was bigger than she was, more powerful, and he was standing between Ty and the door.