Rage of Storms

by Kat Adams

  “Don’t you think, maybe, the professors should test the barrier?” Bryan glanced at the invisible shield. “We’re just students.”

  “Not all of us,” Rob fired back. “Not anymore.”

  “You’ve been a member of the Council for a week, dude. That does not suddenly make you so much older and wiser than the rest of us.”

  “Hey, did you guys hear?” Clay hurried up. “They’re about to test that Trevor kid on the field. We should go check it out.”

  Trevor? He just got out of the infirmary. The Council didn’t waste any time.

  “You guys test the barrier. I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get hurt.” I took off toward the training field, reaching it just as little Trevor Carson, his eyes as wide and round as his oversized glasses, walked out on the field and stopped in front of—who else—the tattooed hulk otherwise known as Brooks. The man was a giant and dwarfed even a normal-sized person. Trevor wasn’t normal-sized. He was the runt of the litter. Pairing him up against someone ten times his size was grossly unfair.

  I spotted Syd in his usual attire of slacks, matching suit vest, and white dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves, and moved to his side. He gave me a cool assessment before returning his attention to the tribunals about to start. Several second years were also on the field. “Shouldn’t you be out there? Dean Carter said you were the first to be tested today.”

  Okaaay. He was still angry with me for screwing up so monumentally with Leo. “Oh, right. Testing the prophecy—well, ex-prophecy—in front of everyone, because of course that makes perfect sense.”

  He stiffened at my comment and thrust out his chin, still keeping his attention on the field. “Considering all the elementals I’ve had visit the infirmary since you arrived at the academy, it makes perfect sense.”

  Ouch. Thanks for that vote of confidence, Doc. I wanted to tell him where he could stick his judgy bitch comment. Who was he to make me the bad guy? Oh, right. He was my boss, and he wasn’t wrong. That didn’t exactly make him right, but I wasn’t about to split hairs with the man who had the power to make or break my future as a healer. “Guess I’d better go. This shouldn’t take long.”

  “Katy, wait.” He stopped me with his hand on my arm. I fully expected an apology for his unkind behavior toward me, so when his expression stilled and his eyes hardened behind those rimless glasses, I went numb. “I’m afraid I made a mistake bringing you on as my intern.”

  Everything around me slowed as time ground to a halt. He was firing me after only two days. Who got fired after only two days on the job? Apparently, elementals with tempers, no common sense, and zero ability to listen to instructions.

  No way. I refused to be a deadbeat elemental with no future. I would be a healer, dammit. I would be an amazing healer, and I’d do it with his blessing. He was a well-respected doctor in our world. I wanted to fill his shoes someday.

  “Syd, don’t give up on me. I promise I’ll do better. You didn’t make the mistake. I did by not listening to you. Please. Please give me another shot. I swear I can do better.”

  “Katy—”

  “Please,” I pleaded, cutting him off. “I know I can do this. Let me prove it to you. I’ll be a great assistant. I’ll even carry your shiny new bag for you on calls. Just… Please don’t take this from me. I want to learn more from you. I want to learn everything from you.”

  He removed his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt. “You swear you’ll stop fighting me?”

  I crossed my heart and even brought up my right hand for good measure. “I swear.”

  When he replaced his glasses and cracked a smile, I let out the breath I’d been holding. “I suppose another chance is in order. Stay right here.” He walked onto the field and spoke with Dean Carter for a bit, then returned and offered a firm nod. “Your tribunal has been postponed.”

  Oh, thank you, sweet baby Jesus and all the baby disciples. “How’d you do that?”

  “I told him the truth, that I need the extra help now that we’re moving on to the second years. They’re more powerful. Therefore, it’ll take more power from the Council to battle them. That’s sure to cause more injuries.” He leaned in and said for my ears only, “Besides, this will give us time to find a way to conceal how you got that extra element.”

  Minor detail. One that would get me sent to prison, so thank you for that, Spencer.

  I studied Syd for several seconds. “Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it. I won’t let you down. I mean, I might let you down. Chances are I probably will let a lot of people down. But, I’m going to give it the old college try.”

  “That’s all I ask. Now, how about you take that side of the field, and I’ll stick to this side. Keep your eye on Trevor. I’m worried he may not be up to full strength.”

  I nodded my thanks and moved to where Trevor stood gaping up at Brooks, his neck craned, his mouth open. He didn’t appear to have regained any of his color since the last time I saw him. Then again, having to go up against someone the size of Brooks, chances were he’d simply lost all his color again.

  A whistle sounded. It was showtime. For me as Syd’s assistant. For Trevor as an elemental. For the hardheaded Brooks, whose job it was to unmask those magically enhanced.

  Brooks fired first, hitting Trevor with a burst of air and knocking him back. He stumbled but remained upright. Good for you, little buddy. Trevor countered with earth, pulling thin, scrawny roots from the ground that wouldn’t do much more than piss off Brooks if they tried to coil around him. They fell flat even before they reached him.

  Fire flew from Brooks’s fingertips, shooting two steady streams of flames at Trevor. He widened his eyes and simply stood there, frozen in place as the fire reached him. When it hit him, he arched his back and screamed as flames consumed him. Dear God, how he screamed. Chills raced up my spine as I squeezed my eyes shut. He’d made that same anguished cry back at the warehouse when Alec had tortured him. I tensed and forced myself back a step instead of racing to his aid.

  A whistle drew my attention. The white flag came up, courtesy of Brooks. I looked to Syd, who watched me carefully. Although it just about killed me, I waited for the battles to stop, as he’d instructed. As soon as the field stilled, Syd gave me a nod, and I raced to Trevor’s side. He was flat on his back, smoldering. His skin had burns, the front of his hair had been singed off, and part of his uniform was still on fire.

  “Hey, Trevor.” I put out the flames, then checked his pulse. It was strong, thank God. “How are you feeling?”

  He blinked his eyes open and righted his glasses. “Katy? Did I win?”

  “Not yet, but you’ve got him on the run.” I placed my hands on his shoulders and called earth, pushing it to him. He seemed to settle with a long sigh. Leaning back, I winked and hoped it was enough to keep him going. By the looks of it, Brooks was only getting started. “Better? Do you need help getting up?”

  “Did I win?” he asked again, holding my arm as I lifted him to his feet.

  This poor kid’s mind was mush. No wonder he couldn’t concentrate on his call. He probably couldn’t remember how to call.

  I turned to Brooks. “He just got out of the infirmary. Do you really have to do this now?”

  “Not my call, prophecy.”

  “Then maybe ease up on him a bit, Hulk.”

  He thinned his lips. “Don’t tell me how to do my job, and I won’t tell you how to do yours. Back to the sidelines with you, healer.”

  Jerk. Big, stupid, dumb jerk. Reluctantly, I shuffled back to my post and fumed as Brooks readied himself for round two. Trevor brought up his hands just as Brooks hit him with a wave of air so strong, it sent the poor kid flying back several feet. Amazingly, he got back up and lifted his hands again. Brooks shook his head and hit him with another blast of air. Trevor went down.

  Then, to everyone’s surprise—including Brooks’s—the stubborn kid rose once again. When he brought up his hands, signaling he was ready for more, I silently pleaded with Brooks t
o take it easy on him. Trevor had already gone through enough torture.

  Brooks hurled a fireball. It slammed into Trevor’s chest and caught what was left of his blazer on fire. He called earth, but nothing happened. I felt the pull of the element, felt it resisting his summons, and I knew. I didn’t want to believe it, but the damning proof was right there. Trevor glanced around, then at his hands, then at Brooks, then finally at me. He lowered his hands as his expression went limp.

  “Why won’t my element come to me?” he whimpered, his attention on me.

  My God. Oh my God. The truth gutted me. Trevor Carson, president of my elemental fan club and probably the most annoyingly innocent, happy kid in the world, was magically enhanced.

  I looked to Brooks, who nodded for me to join him on the field. I rushed to them, swallowing the lump in my throat and detaching myself from any sort of emotion. As a healer, I had to sometimes deliver bad news, like now.

  And it sucked balls.

  “Hey, buddy.” I forced a smile and squeezed his shoulders. The contact confirmed my suspicion. The earth element inside him wasn’t meant to be there, at least not yet. That was why he’d struggled so much in all his classes. He had magic in him, that much I felt, but a very weak earth call. It had been magically enhanced to strengthen it. I don’t know why I hadn’t picked up on it until now, probably due to him constantly annoying me. I was more focused on how to get the kid to shut up than whether or not he’d been magically enhanced.

  He was an elemental, no doubt. Syd said the spells would only work on those with the power to control the elements already. But he was young, immature like his call. The element wasn’t ready to come to him, and he wasn’t ready to control it. Whoever the bastards were magically enhancing these kids didn’t care whether the elemental was ready to control the element. They didn’t care whether the element accepted the elemental and would obey the calls. They only cared about increasing the elemental population, and at the expense of innocent lives.

  I hated dark elementals. So, so much.

  “Did I win?”

  I hardened myself against what I had to do and righted his glasses. “Do you remember when you asked me to protect you from the bad?” I waited for him to nod before continuing. “You trying to control earth right now is bad. It’s not natural. You…” I had to pause and swallow another lump in my throat. “You aren’t meant to be here yet.”

  “But… You said to stay in school. Didn’t you mean it?”

  He remembered what I wrote on his make-believe cast—it was really just gauze—and yet he couldn’t remember how many times he’d asked me if he’d won? Damn the dark elementals and what they’d done to scramble the poor kid’s brain.

  “You’re going to go to a different school now, one for people like you.” I had no idea if they’d set up a school at Carcerem, but had to assume they would with so many students now there.

  His eyes welled with tears. “A Nelem school?”

  “No, nothing like that. It’s a school for elementals who aren’t quite ready to be at Clearwater.” I was such a liar and had no idea whether any of this made him feel better.

  “When will I get to come back?”

  I didn’t know the answer to that and regarded Brooks, who shook his head. Oh, hell no. Stace had said sending these kids to Carcerem was only temporary, that they’d be released once the spell wore off. “Would you excuse me for a sec?”

  I motioned for Brooks to follow me away from Trevor. Once we were out of earshot, I started in on him. “The elementals being sent away are coming back, aren’t they?” When he didn’t answer and only studied me with those steely eyes, his square jaw set, his lips sealed, I asked again, “Aren’t they?”

  “It’s doubtful.”

  “What do you mean doubtful? Stace said once the spells wear off, they’ll be released.”

  “That’s not her call.”

  “Whose call is it?”

  “Stephens’s. He’s the head of the Council and has the final say. He thinks being magically enhanced is the first step to going dark, that locking up all these kids before they can grow up and turn against the Council is a preemptive measure. I don’t think he has any intention of releasing them. Ever.” He ground out a sigh and glanced over at Trevor. “Poor kid. He was real brave out there today, braver than a lot of the non-enhanced. He doesn’t deserve this.”

  “None of them do.” I left that hanging between us and returned to Trevor, my heart in my throat. I had to find a way to stop this, had to convince Stephens being magically enhanced didn’t mean the elemental was going to turn dark. But first, I had to send another kid away. I made a silent promise to free him as soon as I could. I’d free them all. “Hey, buddy. Ready to go?”

  “Am I really going to a new school? Will you come visit me?”

  Jebus, this kid shredded my heart. “I’ll visit.”

  “Promise?” His voice was so strained, it barely came out as more than a whimper. He was scared to death. I saw it in his eyes. He sniffed hard. “Katy?”

  “Yeah, buddy?”

  “I don’t want to leave Clearwater. Do I really have to?”

  I glanced back at Brooks, whose shoulders dropped as he turned away.

  “You really have to.” I sucked in a breath to regroup as two Council members approached, flanking him. I blinked back the burn behind my eyes. “Now, will you go with them? For me?”

  He sniffed again and rubbed his cheeks, smearing the tears that’d broken free. “For you.”

  As he walked away with them, he glanced over his shoulder. “Promise me you’ll come visit?”

  “I promise, Trevor.” Come hell or highwater, I’d do whatever it took to see him again.

  “Reed?” Rob placed his hand on my shoulder. I turned and fell into his arms, burying my face against the stone-cold reality.

  I’d just sentenced that kid to a life in prison. Even if I found a way to get them all out of Carcerem, Trevor would never forgive me.

  And I’d never forgive myself.

  12

  The rest of the day went by in a blur. I went through the motions, but was never all in. I couldn’t stop thinking about Trevor and what I’d done. Granted, I hadn’t been the one to magically enhance him, but I had been the one to confirm it.

  My mom was, once again, a no-show after tribunals. I didn’t want to believe she was avoiding me, but…well… She was avoiding me.

  Rob, as low man on the totem pole, had been forced to stay behind and clean the field of the day’s battle echoes. He and a few other lucky newbs were still cleansing the training field and prepping it for tomorrow by the time I’d packed up my gear and left.

  Bryan and Clay, in a shocking turn of events, had gone off together to work on a secret project they refused to tell me about. When I’d pressed them for details, they both remained stubbornly silent.

  “You wouldn’t be doing anything stupid, now would you?” I’d eyed Clay, waiting for him to make up some stupid excuse as to why he was going to do exactly what I told him not to do.

  “Now, why would you think that?” His emerald gaze had danced wickedly, his smile lighting up his expression. I never could trust Clay when he looked at me like that.

  “What about you, Bryan?” And since when had these two opposing elementals suddenly teamed up?

  That was when Clay had grabbed Bryan’s arm and teleported them out. When they returned, I’d corner them both and get my answers. I could be very persuasive. And painfully convincing when necessary.

  Without the guys to distract me from the weight of the world on my mind, I went to my new dorm—aka, the attic—and unpacked my stuff. If I was going to be here until I graduated, I should probably get comfortable. At least no rats greeted me when I opened the door. It was hotter than Hades—see attic above—so I opened all the windows. The breeze felt good.

  I glanced around, taking in my new abode. Four dormers, two on either side, really opened up the steep-peaked room. It had all the same ameni
ties I’d had in my other rooms: the wardrobe full of my school uniforms, a desk and chair, a couple of nightstands with lamps. It also had a throw rug in the center of the room, which would be nice in the winter so I didn’t lose any toes to frostbite when I walked on the hardwood floors without any shoes.

  The dorm was bigger than I’d expected. Not as big as my room at Ventus, but I’d take it over having to wear yellow and room with Bitch Barbie. My heart pinched a little at the thought of Jess dropping out of Clearwater. Did I drive her to that? Or was it falling for Spencer only to find out he’d cast a charm spell that literally changed everything about her that made her, well…her.

  So much had happened since school had started. I’d gone from a twenty-something working at a gym in exchange for room and board, back to a student at the academy, to the prophecy with a handler the Council imported from the UK, to battling that same handler after discovering he’d teamed up with my arch nemesis. In less than seven days. My head spun just thinking about it.

  Let’s just hope the next seven days weren’t nearly as exciting. I wanted things back to normal. Well, as normal as my life got. That wasn’t going to happen until the Council finished testing everything and weeding out those magically enhanced.

  Were they really taking them to Carcerem? Or was that just something the Council said so I’d stop asking? After what Brooks told me, that Stephens had no intention of releasing them once the spells wore off, I had to do something. Did those kids deserve a life sentence in prison for something they didn’t do? Something they had no control over? All because the Council had deemed them unworthy to live among the rest of us? How many elementals currently resided in Carcerem simply because the Council feared they’d eventually go dark?

  I thought about how often—and publicly—I’d spoken out against the body of men and women in black who governed our world. How many passes did being the prophecy, current or ex, grant me before the Council said enough was enough and sent me to Carcerem too? Would that be what got me sent to prison? Would I pass my tribunal, conceal the darkness within me, only to become the next resident of the elemental prison for my inability to keep my mouth shut?