The Elemental

by Sara Galadari

Something suddenly clicked in his head.

  “Hold on… Our family was targeted because we are descendants of the Ancient Princess, right? And you said that there were claims of Elementals popping up along the Ancient Princess’s bloodline…” He looked out the window, pondering. “I know I’m not an Elemental. Neither are you, nor Mom.”

  “Hold on,” Noiro said, getting up and reaching for Miela’s cup of tea, which was now ice cold. He shoved it towards Argon. “Try.”

  “Try what?”

  “I don’t know. You’re a descendant from Princess Water. Do something with water.”

  Argon, feeling silly, took the cup of tea in his hands. Concentrating on the liquid, he stared at it hard. His heart pounded in his chest. He wasn’t sure what to expect.

  Nothing happened.

  He pushed the cup to Estelle, who did the same.

  Again, nothing.

  “You said there were claims of Elementals popping up between generations, right?” he asked Estelle.

  She nodded.

  Argon turned to look at Noiro and Miela, sharing a look of concern and excitement.

  “I think I understand why Helia was sent back from the future,” Noiro uttered.

  Argon’s eyes widened.

  Was Yun Zeru after Helia?

  Was Helia an Elemental?

  “Estelle.” Argon held his sister by the shoulders. “This is very important. Did you tell anyone about the book?”

  Estelle bit her lip. “Um…”

  Elara’s eyes fluttered open, a soft, persistent snoring notching its way through her deep slumber. She grunted sleepily, turning to her side and throwing the covers over her head. She was determined to get some more sleep.

  Alas, after a few more minutes of tossing and turning, she gave up. She could hear Helia stirring beside her. She turned her head to the tiny tot, who was sprawled out next to her. Her hair had a life of its own, splayed all over her pillow in messy waves, and her hand was thrown over one side of her face as she snored softly.

  Elara smiled, gently pressing her lips onto her forehead, and swiping her hair away from her face.

  Her stomach growled, and she pressed a hand to her belly. “I need a snack,” she murmured to herself, and slowly slid out of bed, careful not to wake up the toddler.

  She wandered about in the pantry, lighting a small lantern to illuminate the small kitchen, and eventually found herself some fruit. She rinsed some berries and arranged it into a bowl, and settled herself at the kitchen table.

  As she began to dig into her late-night snack, her mind drifted to the night before.

  Noiro had come by late after their visit to Estelle to fill her in on what they had learned. The normally placid, solemn man was jittery and jumpy as he recounted to her what they had learned from Estelle, and her mind reeled as she heard their theories on the Ancient Princess and the Aether Stone.

  And Helia.

  Elara looked up as she absentmindedly reached for another piece of fruit, thinking hard.

  Helia, an Elemental?

  She frowned, thinking back to her time with the toddler. She hadn’t noticed anything odd about the tot, other than the fact that she had successfully travelled back in time. And the toddler absolutely hated baths, or any encounter with water, which made her affinity for being a Water Elemental highly doubtful.

  But still, if Argon’s family are descendants of Princess Water…

  They spent the entire day testing Helia with small bowls and cups of water. They weren’t sure what they were looking for, but as far as they could tell, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Helia seemed rather perplexed with the whole ordeal, but soon grew fidgety and fussy as the hours passed by. Finally, Elara called an end to the day; she could see the toddler was overwhelmed with the anxious adults staring at her, pushing larger and larger vessels of water toward her.

  Eventually exhausted, they all turned away for the evening. Argon hung back for another few hours, cradling and soothing his daughter into a lulled slumber. She insisted for her princess story, to which Argon contentedly complied.

  The two spent the remaining time together, talking into the wee hours of the evening, their voices shushed as their daughter slept soundly on the couch between them. Despite the turmoil-filled days that passed since working on the Aether Stone, Elara felt cheerful as she chatted away with Argon. His usual solemn façade melted away into a wide, warm smile as he listened to her speak, and enthusiastically conversed with her, and before they knew it, it was close to midnight. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as it was time for him to go. He lingered by the door, reluctant to end the evening.

  Elara fought back a smile as she reminisced their evening. It felt strange to feel so alive and happy; it wasn’t that she was unhappy before, but feeling that exciting spark was new. She hadn’t felt that before Argon and Helia had come along into her life.

  Helia…

  Elara spent a lot of time thinking about her. She felt guilty for having to send her away to be babysat so often. Sure, she saw her in the mornings and evenings, but it was rare that they had ever had a day to spend entirely together. She owed it to Helia to spend time with her. She needed her. They needed each other.

  Her work wasn’t going to end anytime soon, but she was determined to set time for just her and Helia.

  Turning to look at an old, leather book on the table, she sighed as she flipped it over. Fital’s Tales. Argon had forgotten it; he must have left it there after Helia had fallen asleep.

  She finished the last of her fruit, wiping her hands on her pants as she reached out for the book. She pulled it closer to her, and flipped it back open to the Ballad of the Ancient Princess, careful not to ruin the pages with any residual moisture from her fruity breakfast.

  She reread the verses again, furrowing her brow as she concentrated. “This last verse,” she thought aloud, resting her finger on the final sentence of the ballad. “‘With one half of the First lying in the depths of her belly, she hid the other amongst diamond, emerald, sapphire, and ruby.’ ” She closed her eyes, pondering.

  She remembered towards the end of viewing the time shadows with the Aether Stone, there were massive waves of refugees being driven to Polaris for protection. And each of them had something in common: they had gems and family heirloom jewelry stolen. Museums were also hit, with precious stones and artifacts being taken away. She thought back to the attack on Argon in the future.

  My home was ransacked. All of the furniture was knocked over, and my family pictures were removed from their frames. We can’t find them anywhere; I think they took it with them. The doors and windows were left wide open, too. My mother’s jewels were also taken…

  That’s not the worst of it. There was also a message. Written in blood.

  ‘We know’… In blood.

  His mother’s jewels were also taken.

  Diamond, emerald, sapphire, and ruby.

  Elara frowned. What could that mean?

  She turned her attention back to the book. She knew that they had the Aether Stone safely hidden away with them, but that stone was from the future. In their current timeline, however, the Aether Stone was still hidden away somewhere.

  She exhaled heavily, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes.

  Diamond, emerald, sapphire, and ruby.

  In the time shadows, they never saw how exactly how they got the Aether Stone. The last scene they saw before she had the Aether Stone was her looking for the Diadem.

  Her eyes flew open.

  The Diadem which was set with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies.

  Of course.

  Elara jolted up from her chair.

  “It’s been under our noses the entire time,” she uttered in disbelief. “But that’s impossible… I’ve seen the Diadem before…”

  She looked at the illustration beside the Ballad of the Ancient Princess, scrutinizing the depiction of the Diadem. There were only diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies.
r />   No Aether Stone.

  “It must be hidden somewhere in the Diadem,” she mumbled to herself. If the Ancient Princess was going to hide the Aether Stone in plain sight, she certainly wasn’t going to simply set the Aether Stone into the Diadem, as plain as day for anyone to see.

  She needed to get her hands on the Diadem.

  A soft noise caught her attention, and her ears pricked. She turned her head towards it.

  Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

  Perhaps it was Helia shifting in her sleep. She stood up, slowly creeping up to the room, careful not to wake the little girl. Peering into her bedroom, she saw that the toddler had now taken over the entire bed, her limbs stretched out into a starfish position. Elara smiled softly, closing the door behind her.

  No sooner had the door had latched shut than a loud crash reverberated through the house. Elara whirled around, her eyes wide and her heart pounding.

  “Guard the exits. I don’t want her to run.”

  Elara paled instantly as the voice reached her ears, her blood draining away from her face in horror. The voice was unmistakable. She heard it echo through her ears in her nightmares, and it followed her throughout her journey in the time shadows.

  Yun Zeru was in her house. And he wasn’t alone.

  “Mama?” Helia’s small voice called out sleepily from the room.

  With a speed she had never known, Elara flew into action. She threw the door open, dashing to the bed and snatching Helia up. She turned to her bedside table, yanking out the dagger Miela had given her, stashing it in the waistband of her pants.

  She heard heavy footsteps draw closer.

  She had nowhere to run.

  But they could hide.

  In one swift movement, she pulled Helia to her chest and slid beneath the bed.

  “Ma—”

  “Shh,” Elara hushed her instantly. Taking no chances, she pressed her hand against her daughter’s mouth.

  She stared down at her terrified daughter, desperately wracking her brain for an escape plan, but to no avail. She was panicking. She couldn’t think straight. All she could do was run through the same thoughts, over and over again.

  Come on, Elara. Think.

  Elara’s panic grew as she grew more aware of the situation. She didn’t know how many intruders were there. Yun Zeru had given orders to someone to guard the exits, which meant that there were at least two people. She was outnumbered already. Were there more waiting outside?

  She took a deep, shaky breath. She needed to calm down. She needed to think.

  She hadn’t heard glass when the intruders crashed in. They must have burst their way in through the door. She glanced at the windowsill of her bedroom.

  The window.

  Their only way out.

  “Mm—” Helia resisted against Elara. She held her tightly, fear gripping her muscles in a tight spasm.

  “The bad men are here,” she whispered to the quivering girl. “We have to be quiet. We have to hide.” Elara curled her body protectively over her.

  Elara’s breath caught in her throat as she saw shadows moving beneath the door. They paused, and then walked further away. She let go of her breath, her eyes locked onto the window.

  They had to jump.

  Slowly, she scooted herself and Helia out from under the bed. Setting the toddler down, she crept quietly to the window, peering outside.

  No one was out there.

  Elara slowly unlatched the window, trying to quietly slide it open. She leaned over the window. It looked like a long drop. Elara’s breath escaped her lips in rapid, convulsing gasps as fear set in.

  A loud, deep thunk sounded, and Elara froze in horror as she realized the dagger had slipped out from her waistband, clanking loudly onto the floor.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the noise fell on deaf ears.

  It hadn’t.

  “I heard something,” a gruff voice yelled. “Over there!” The sound of heavy boots drew closer as the intruders returned to the bedroom door.

  It was happening so fast.

  Too fast.

  She was still by the windowsill, with Helia wrapped up in her arms.

  Knowing it was too late to jump, she shoved herself and Helia back beneath the bed, yanking the bedskirt down to hide them away, out of sight. Elara reached out from beneath the bed, quickly pulling the dagger to her. She pressed herself into the shadows, hoping blindly it would be enough to mask their presence.

  The door swung open.

  Elara held her breath.

  “There’s no one here,” a tall, stocky man grunted as he lazily scanned the room.

  “Of course she’s here,” Yun Zeru sneered, waltzing arrogantly into the room. “Aren’t you, Elara?”

  Elara’s blood froze as she heard her name roll off the sinister man’s tongue. She could feel Helia quaking beneath her, her entire body twitching with fear. She saw three pairs of heavy boots clomping closer.

  Yun Zeru turned his head slowly as he surveyed the room.

  He paused, a slight tremble of the bed sheets hanging over the bed catching his eye.

  “Aren’t you?”

  There was a sudden lapse of silence, and then some creaking as the bed groaned beneath the man’s weight.

  Elara strained her ears as she tried to listen closer, her body hunching over Helia defensively, shielding her against the pressure of the bedsprings.

  Without warning, there was a sharp sound of fabric ripping and tearing, and a sudden, blinding pain seared through her. She tried her best to remain silent, but a mix between a groan and shriek escaped her. She shook as she turned her head to the side to see the middle of a sword rip through the mattress above her and sinking into her shoulder, the tip of the blade embedded into her skin.

  “That’s what I thought,” Yun Zeru sniggered darkly. “A coward, hiding under the bed like a child.”

  Elara could feel Helia screaming against her hand, which was somehow still pressed firmly against her mouth. She was wailing and shaking in terror.

  How do I get us out of this?

  She looked just ahead of her; lying a few feet away was her dagger. She hadn’t realized until that moment that it left her hand. How could she have let it go? She realized that both of her arms were wrapped tightly around her daughter, protecting her from the attack. She shifted Helia’s body beneath her, gritting her teeth. The toddler was okay. Her own body had taken the hit, but Helia was okay.

  She fought back against another scream as the blade ripped out from her shoulder, and she could feel warm liquid oozing out from her back and quickly turning cold as it seeped into her clothes.

  “You have something that I want.” Yun Zeru’s voice sent shivers down her spine. Or was that the shock setting in?

  A large hand reached beneath the bed and closed around her skull, yanking her from beneath the bed. Elara let go of Helia as she was dragged away, determined to keep her hidden. She grunted as the man pulled her up by her hair, her feet dangling an inch above the floor, her toes stretching to find the ground. She reached her hands up to the fists clenched around locks of her hair, digging her nails deep into the man’s flesh. He grunted in pain, and let go of her in reflex.

  Elara dropped down to the ground, landing on her knees. She lifted her head up.

  Yun Zeru’s eyes met hers, and he smiled icily.

  “You have something I want,” he repeated. “Give it to me, and I’ll make this quick.” He lifted his sword. Thick, dark liquid was dripping down the blade and onto his hand.

  Elara didn’t speak. What did he want? Did he know about Helia?

  “Stubborn,” Yun Zeru remarked coldly. “You won’t be for much longer. Where are you hiding it?”

  Helia felt her knees shake beneath her as she struggled to stand upright.

  “Silent? Answer me.” Yun Zeru drew his hand back and struck her across the face.

  Elara gasped sharply, her head thrown back with the weight of his blow. In her daze
, her eyes wildly searched for Helia. Was she okay?

  Yun Zeru froze, his eyes scrutinizing her. She realized what she had done, and snapped her gaze back at him.

  But it was too late.

  His face slowly melted into a menacing smile, and he turned his head, following her line of sight to beneath the bed.

  Elara lurched forwards instinctively, all the while mentally berating herself for giving herself away. Yun Zeru yanked her arm, roughly holding her back.

  “You”— he jerked his head at one of the men—“Check under the bed.”

  The man immediately scrambled to follow Yun Zeru’s orders, and felt around beneath the bed. Elara could hear Helia scooting further away, but a few seconds later, the man closed his fist around a handful of hair. Helia’s screeching wail resounded against the bedroom walls.

  “NO! PLEASE! STOP!” Elara screeched, struggling to reach any bit of Helia that she could, but Yun Zeru’s vice grip around her arm held her back. “No! Let her go! Helia!”

  “A child?” Yun Zeru questioned suspiciously, perplexed. The man shrugged his shoulders, equally confused.

  “A child…”

  “PLEASE. Let her go,” Elara pleaded. “Please.”

  “Well, look at that,” Yun Zeru chuckled, smiling wickedly. “She speaks.”

  “Mama! Mama!” Helia cried, squirming against the grasp of the man who held her.

  Yun Zeru raised a thin eyebrow. “Your child.”

  “Mama!”

  “Shut up, you disgusting little imp,” Yun Zeru ordered, roughly letting go of Elara and striding toward the child.

  Elara lunged forward again, trying to grab her child, but Yun Zeru threw her back roughly. Her skull smashed against the wall behind her, and lights flashed in her eyes, momentarily throwing her into a blind fit.

  He whacked the child on the head, shaking her hard. Helia wailed loudly, chanting, “Mama,” over and over again.

  “Please, don’t hurt her… Please…”

  “Give me what I want,” Yun Zeru demanded, “and I’ll consider your request.” He turned to the child, speaking in a mocking baby voice as he shook the child, her feet hanging and rattling against the bedside table.

  “Mama!”

  “Your Mama has something of mine, an old book—”