Abraxas turned back toward the nervous bartender. “Now, I hear there have also been some odd weather events happening further out in the ocean. Tell me about them.”
“Come, Xander,” Giovanni said as they walked into the marbled courtyard. “It’s time to fly.”
Xander smiled as he and the Italian kicked off from the ground in a gust of wind that send dirt and dust billowing behind them.
“You seem to be in a better mood today,” Giovanni said as he darted quickly past Xander.
The two men flew gracefully through the air. The red roofs of the island’s buildings quickly grew miniscule far beneath them as they soared toward the shimmering walls of the waterspout.
Xander smiled at the Italian man as he flew past. “I was able to get some decent sleep last night.”
“It’s about time. I’ve always said that a man needs three things: a full belly, a well-rested body, and a beautiful woman. You’ve neglected two of those but at least you’ve managed the most important of the three.”
Xander laughed as he released the pocket of air beneath him. He dropped into a free fall, reveling in the air whipping past his face. His speed increased until his eyes watered and his skin stung from the wind. As the island rocketed upward to meet him, Xander summoned another bubble of pressurized air and rode it upward.
Giovanni followed close behind, giving the younger Wind Warrior a sturdy chase. Xander turned gracefully in the air and shot toward the wall of water on the perimeter of the island. The air bubble beneath him rolled over his body until he was cocooned within its interior. When he struck the water, it splashed harmlessly over the pressurized air while he remained completely dry.
Despite the wind howling in his ears, he could hear a second splash as Giovanni followed him outside.
Beyond the punishing waterspout, the endless ocean stretched in all directions. The tang of salty water filled Xander’s nostrils, mixing with the faint fishy smell of the sea. He raised a hand and covered his eyes as the sun glistened off the rolling waves below.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Giovanni asked as he came to rest just above Xander’s shoulder.
“It is,” Xander whispered, suddenly wishing he had brought Sammy out to enjoy the view. She lacked the ability to fly, which excluded her from enjoying some of the more enjoyable aspects of being a Wind Warrior.
“Come,” the Italian added. “We aren’t protected out here. Let’s return back inside the waterspout.”
Xander frowned, realizing that the waterspout and the island had inadvertently become his prison. They were secluded for their protection but it also left him feeling isolated. Without television or internet, he had no idea what was going on in the world. The realization only added to his concern over the friends he left behind.
Xander heard Giovanni rush past him and turned to follow. Together, they dove near the ocean, leveling off close enough to reach out and touch the white-capped waves that rolled beneath them. They burst through the bottom of the waterspout and flew into the dark shadow of the island.
The beauty of the island’s surface was missing when viewed from beneath. Instead of the flat, sun-drenched surface, the bottom was a multitude of stalactites hanging down toward the ocean’s surface like predatory teeth. Water ran down the outer pillars as the waterspout’s spray pooled around the edges of the island. They dropped like bullets, spraying the area through which Xander and Giovanni flew.
He followed the Italian as he turned upward, skimming the edge of the island before emerging once again on its pristine surface.
The much quicker Italian was nearly thirty feet ahead of Xander when Giovanni pulled up and hovered in the air. Xander came to a stop beside him, panting from the exertion. Giovanni’s speed and stamina had been honed over nearly thirty years of use, whereas Xander had only had his powers for a month.
Breathlessly, the two men floated a couple dozen feet above the rooftops and admired the small, secluded village.
Finally catching his breath, Xander nodded toward the older Wind Warrior.
“I’m glad you’re here, Giovanni,” he said somberly.
Giovanni arched an eyebrow as he brushed his long ponytail out of his face. “And why is that?”
“Because you’ve always been a good friend. You didn’t just look at me like a kid, not like everyone else has. You haven’t treated me like crap since I’ve been here.”
Giovanni hovered lower until he was side by side with Xander. “We don’t dislike you. Alicia is quite fond of you.”
Xander laughed. “Yeah, but she just sees me as a grandson. I don’t know that I’d ever be able to convince her that I’m an equal.”
Giovanni shrugged. “You are good but you aren’t her equal.”
“Maybe not,” Xander conceded, “but you’re a good man for another reason, too.”
“Oh?”
Xander looked down on the island below and imagined he could see hundreds of Wind Warriors marching across its surface.
“You were always nice to Sammy,” he finally said. “No one else, not even Alicia, has gone out of their way to welcome her the way you have. You never judged her as a Fire Warrior, at least not when I was around to hear it.”
Giovanni reached up and stroked his chin. “Do you remember when you first came here? I promised you I would teach you two things. First, I would teach you how to fly. You seem to be doing okay with that. Second, I would teach you about women.
“The truth is that Sammy is good for you. Fire Warrior, Wind Warrior, Italian, not Italian… I don’t hold these things against her.”
Xander laughed at the older man. Despite the obvious age difference, talking to Giovanni was like talking to an older brother.
“The most important thing is to be happy,” the Italian continued. “If she makes you happy, keep her close. We’re going to have some hard times ahead of us, I think. You’ll need people like her by your side.”
“Thank you,” Xander said.
“Anyway, if I had a woman like her, I’d keep her very close, if you know what I mean.”
Xander turned toward the Wind Warrior with a broad smile. “You really are a dirty old man, you know that?”
Giovanni shrugged. “I am a man. The rest is redundant.”
The pair hovered over the island, taking in the wheel-shaped island below. From above, it was easy to believe the entire island had been carved away from ancient Rome and hidden away like a floating time capsule. He almost expected to fly down and see legionnaires standing shoulder to shoulder with spears and shields in hand.
Xander’s eyes drifted toward the central dome and continued until he found the smaller outlying building where his grandfather was resting. Their last conversation flooded back into his mind.
“Can I ask you something else?” he asked.
“You have my undivided attention.”
“Do you know what an Elemental is? My grandpa said it when I was with him and it sounded important, like a proper noun. I could almost hear him capitalizing the first letter in the word.”
Giovanni furrowed his brow. “What exactly did he say?”
Xander turned toward the Wind Warrior, surprised by his tone. “He said that if I wanted to fight the Fire Caste, I needed to find the Elemental.”
“I won’t pretend to know what your grandfather was thinking but I think I might know what he was referring to. Have you ever wondered where we get our powers?”
Xander shook his head. “Not really. I mean, I know they’re hereditary, but that’s about it.”
“Before that. Before you had a parent to pass the powers in the first place. Do you ever wonder where the first of us came from? Or where the Fire Warriors suddenly came from?”
Xander realized he never had. “I guess I just assumed they came from nature.”
“Indirectly, yes. There is a story I was told when I was young, a fairy tale, if you will. I warn you, it’s nothing more than a myth, though most myths are based off some level of fact.
“It�
�s said that at the beginning of time, Nature knew there needed to be balance if life on the planet was to survive. Nature knew that life so rarely formed in the universe—that it would have to be cultivated to succeed. So Nature created four Elementals, one for Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire. Each was tasked with a responsibility. Earth was to create the world on which life could live. Water would ensure plenty of the basics of life in its namesake. Wind would inspire life to reach new heights. And if the life they created ever lost its way, the Fire would wipe it away and make way for life to grow anew in a new form.”
“So,” Xander began hesitantly, “these Elementals created the castes?”
Giovanni shrugged. “The world is a big place, even for an Elemental. Each Elemental needed help to ensure its success. So each Elemental breathed life into the first generation of each caste. The castes would then breed and pass along its power to a new generation.”
“If all of our power comes from a single Elemental, then we just need to find it. The Elemental should be able to give us enough power to fight back against the Fire Caste.”
Giovanni shrugged noncommittally but didn’t respond.
“You don’t believe in the Elementals, do you?”
“I’m an old man and have only ever heard about the Elementals as a story told by my parents who heard it from their parents who heard it again from their parents. People also used to tell their children that the Gods lived in the heavens and would cast down a mountain of fire if displeased. It’s myth.”
Giovanni shakes his head as though to clear away the seriousness of their conversation. “Come, we’ve lingered far too long. It’s time to eat, drink, and get you back to your woman.”
Xander smiled as the Italian rocketed toward the surface. Tilting forward, he followed suit.
He and Sammy chose to eat dinner at his house that evening. Despite saying their attitude didn’t bother her, Sammy didn’t seem very eager to spend time around his aunts and uncles, especially Thea and Patrick.
As they sat across from each other, their faces and meals illuminated only by the pair of candles resting in the middle of the table, Xander couldn’t help but admire the way the candlelight danced over her delicate features. Her blonde hair sparkled in the dim light. The faint shadows traced her button nose and, as she looked up, twinkled against her crystal blue eyes.
He smiled broadly at her but she only returned a halfhearted smile. Looking down, she leaned her head against her hand and moved her vegetables around her plate with her fork.
Xander’s smile faltered. “Are you feeling okay? You just seem really distracted tonight.”
Sammy looked up and tried her best to look enthusiastic. “I’m sorry. I’m really glad to be here. I’m just not really feeling all that well tonight.”
“Of course not,” Xander chuckled sadly. When she looked up in confusion, he quickly continued. “This was supposed to be a date. I realized the other day that we’ve never really had a real date before.”
“Sure we did,” Sammy replied defensively.
“We went to a dance and then you tried to kill me. I don’t think that counts.”
Despite her weary expression, she managed a smile and soft chortle.
“I’m really sorry,” she said sympathetically. “Don’t take this personally. I promise we can do a rain check on our date.”
“You want to get out of here instead? Maybe go for a walk?”
Sammy pushed her plate away. “I would love to. Maybe the fresh air will do me some good.”
The evening air was cool and soothing against their skin. It was quite a bit brighter outside than it had been inside the cramped house.
Xander and Sammy watched the sun set as they walked along the cobblestone streets. The rainbow hues of the sunset, unmarred by city lights and pollution, sparkled along the water walls surrounding them. It was magical. For the first time since Xander lost his parents, he was feeling content, if not happy.
Reaching out, he took Sammy’s hand. He immediately pulled away when he felt the heat radiating from her skin. She was always warm but tonight her skin was practically on fire.
“Ow,” he explained as he examined his hand for burn marks. “You’re burning up.”
At his touch, she shook her head and turned toward him. In the brighter light, he could see that her crystal blue eyes were red rimmed as though she’d been crying, though he knew she hadn’t. A thin sheen of sweat coated her face and made her clothes cling tightly to her figure.
She raised a hand to her forehead. “I guess I am a little warm.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Xander asked.
Sammy chuckled. “I don’t remember ever being sick before. I guess this is what happens when a Fire Warrior gets a fever.”
Xander’s heart froze in his chest. With everything else going on in his life, the last thing he could handle was something happening to Sammy. Despite them both realizing there was something odd about their connection, it didn’t lessen his magnetic need to be around her. If she was truly sick, he didn’t have the first clue where he could take her for treatment. What hospital could handle a woman with a one hundred and forty degree temperature?
“I think maybe I just need to go to bed early tonight,” she offered. “We’ve been running around so much and been so stressed, I think my body is just telling me to take it easy for a while.”
“Do you want me to bring you anything? I can go get you some soup or cold water or something?”
Sammy smiled and placed her hand on the side of his face. Leaning forward, she kissed him gently on the lips. He wanted to pull her in closer, but her touch was practically painful, though he dared not pull away from one of the few kisses they’d been able to share.
“You’re sweet,” she said, “but I’ll be okay. I’ll see you in the morning?”
Xander nodded slowly. “I’ll check in on you first thing.”
“Goodnight,” she said as she turned away.
Xander watched her disappear around a corner as she walked toward her own small, marble home.
When Sammy was out of eyesight, she leaned heavily against the closest wall and rested her head against the cool stone exterior. She could practically hear the sizzle of her hot skin against the cold marble.
Her body felt achy. Every muscle seemed to scream defiantly when she moved and her joints were unwilling to bend accordingly. She hadn’t lied when she told Xander that she’d never been sick before. Unfortunately, she also knew that what she was experiencing had little to do with sickness.
She raised her head hesitantly and stared at the exposed sky between the narrow rooftops. There, high above her and looking down watchfully, the glowing draconian eye followed her every movement. Its gaze made her skin feel like it was on fire. She was forced to look away. Though as her vision settled on a nearby building, the red eye peered at her from behind the open window.
Everywhere she looked, the eye was ever present. Its presence was burning into the core of her. As it watched, she could feel beads of sweat rolling down her back. The heat was becoming oppressive and she stripped away her thin tunic, letting it fall to the ground forgotten.
She stumbled forward wearing only her pants and sports bra but even those few articles of clothing seemed too tight. The sweat that coated her body made her pants cling uncomfortably to her legs.
Rounding the corner, she could see her house directly ahead. The air in front of her eyes seemed to shimmer like a mirage and breathing was becoming difficult, as though she were parched in hot, desert air.
Sammy crashed through her front door and immediately dropped to her knees. Within the cool interior of her house, she couldn’t see the watchful reptilian eye. The cool from the marble seeped through the thin, damp fabric of her pants. Groaning, she laid out flat on the floor, pressing as much skin as possible onto the cold stone. Without the present eye, the marble stole the warmth from her body. By the time she dared stand, she felt almost normal again.
She hu
rried upstairs and changed into her loose-fitting pajamas. Before climbing into bed, she made sure her shutters were all closed and locked tightly, as though the thin wood would keep the eye at bay.
Exhausted, both physically and emotionally, Sammy fell almost immediately to sleep.
When she opened her eyes, Sammy was standing on a narrow, black stone walkway, perched hundreds of feet above a boiling river of lava. She knew the location well, having walked these narrow catwalks for most of her youth. She knew that if she turned around, she’d be face to face with the charred black exterior wall of her father’s keep.
The surprise of being home made her stagger. Her foot slid to the side and dropped precariously over the edge of the catwalk. She dropped painfully to her knees to keep from falling sideways and teetering into the angry, molten magma below.
“This is a dream,” she muttered, despite the very real pain she felt in her knees. She knew they were cut from the sharp obsidian walkway. She could practically feel the blood seeping into her pant leg.
“It’s just a dream,” she reiterated. “I’m not here. I’m with the Wind Warriors. Wake up, Sammy, wake up.”
Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t seem to escape her dreamscape. Nervously, she climbed back to her feet and looked to the far end of the catwalk. A dark crevice in the cavern’s stone beckons her forward. She didn’t remember there being an exit like this one from the castle, though she had explored every inch of their expansive cave system as a child.
For a moment, she considers turning back toward the keep. The great unknown of that crevice, combined with the realism of her dream, left her greatly unnerved. She was ready to turn back to the familiar castle when a voice boomed through the cavern.
“Welcome back, fleshling.”
Sammy’s body shivered uncontrollably, as though the words were reverberating through every cell of her being. She recognized the voice at once and knew that it belonged to the giant orb of an eye that had haunted her waking moments since her encounter with it.
She instinctively knew that if she turned back toward the castle, she would see that eye staring at her unblinkingly. Instead, she sprinted nimbly along the obsidian catwalk toward the strange crevice in the stone face in front of her.
Flame Caller Page 6