by Rene Folsom
And that was the moment she realized I was a charmer.
She was assessing me, measuring how to engage in conversation, and her discomfort made me proud to be a purebred fae.
“What do you want?” she asked, speaking out loud, even though she clearly knew I could read every thought passing through her mind. There was no denying any charmer would have her dead to rights, and she damn well knew it.
“You already know what I want.” My stance mirrored hers—arms crossed over our chests, feet bolted to the floor. It was obvious what would intimidate her.
The pep talk she was giving herself inwardly almost had me laughing. She considered me to be ugly on the inside—evil—dark—no matter what my outward appearance portrayed.
Regardless of what she thought, dark didn’t mean ugly. And she was going to find that out the hard way. And that was when her thoughts came through, clear as a bell, no fighting in my mental sights.
She had no clue what I was after. She was utterly lost in my pursuit.
“You honestly don’t know what you carry around your neck?” I asked, my hands falling to my sides in amazement. In reality, I didn’t know why the pendent was important enough to steal, yet I knew if my father wanted it, then it was beyond valuable. He wouldn’t go through such lengths if it weren’t of the utmost importance.
She gasped when my eyes turned black—the near opposite of the icy blue they mirrored just moments before. It always happened when I chose to let go of my glimmering powers.
She immediately grasped the snowflake charm that hung heavy on her chest, her fingers wrapping around it.
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my chest.
“You sincerely don’t realize what you’re carrying!” I exclaimed in every attempt to make her feel inferior. I was stepping away from how an ordinary charmer would act. Normally, we tried to make our enemies feel good about themselves, sprinkling them with a false sense of worth before taking control. But after reading this chick, I knew she would only be unnerved by uncertainty. And I was going to give that to her even if it meant it would be my last breath.
I watched with amusement as she slowly brought her hand up to her temple, wrapped her fingers around the delicate arm of the frame, and removed her glasses from her face. It only took a second for her to fling them to the floor, the glass of the lenses shattering against the concrete and causing a loud clatter in the small space of the hallway. A cold fog enveloped me, and I was certain it was her doing.
Clearly, she was going to put up a fight for the necklace. In that moment, she thought, This evil chick would have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.
“With pleasure,” I sneered, just before I lunged toward her, making her world go dark.
If she wanted dark, she was going to get it. If she thought a dark soul was ugly and evil, I was front and center to prove to her I was way more than that.
I was her worst nightmare.
Regardless of those who felt that was a cliché phrase to use, it became a cliché for a reason. If she thought of me as dark, evil, and ugly on the inside, she was clearly fearful of someone like me. I put the nightmares in her head. And I was proud of it too.
So, once I dragged her heavy ass out the back door and called my partner to tell him just what form he needed to take, the boyfriend a thing of the past, he was both interested and excited to follow my intelligence.
I’d used my power of manipulation in order to knock her out, and was sincerely amazed at how easily it worked. What I didn’t know was how long she’d stay that way. It wasn’t like mind manipulation of such a forceful nature was approved of in general, let alone for testing, so my father had me trying it out on animals and such long before I’d ever tried it on a human or sancti being.
Getting her unconscious body out the door, especially without anyone seeing, was the challenge. Keeping her knocked out so she didn’t take me by surprise pulled quite a bit of energy from me, which made me glad I had a partner to lean on.
I met up with Blake at an undisclosed warehouse near the pier, and had him help me carry Kirsi in without anyone noticing. Thankfully, he was in the same form as he was during our last meeting.
“You didn’t take the Relic yet?” he asked, his voice seething with annoyance as he snatched it from her, breaking the chain in the process.
“The pub was packed. It was all I could do to get her out of there without anyone seeing us.” My words matched his in fierceness, and I took the snowflake necklace from him without another word.
What a stupid job—steal a necklace. I didn’t even bother to look at it as I shoved it in my pocket.
With a quick call to my father, I’d told him the relic was in hand and our mission was complete. Needless to say, he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Kirsi seeing my face. What the hell was I supposed to do, though? Steal something that she wore twenty-four-seven without her noticing? He was nuts.
In very few words, he said we needed to take care of the prisoner. It made me cringe, but I’d be damned if I screwed up my first job. Even though he wasn’t specific, my dad made it clear he didn’t want her dead… just specially placed in a way that made her question what exactly happened to the relic.
Even though I definitely didn’t want to kill anyone, no matter who was in my line of sight, I still couldn’t understand why he wanted her around now that he had what he wanted.
His only answer was… she’s an asset I’m not willing to dispose of yet.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as I hung up the phone, my partner staring at me expectantly.
I explained about Kirsi’s best friend to Blake, telling him he needed to take advantage of that relationship before pursuing the boyfriend. Part of my reasoning for this was to keep Mr. B safe, but Blake didn’t need to know that. I honestly never experienced what an echo does to control someone’s body, but I was well aware of how invasive and toxic it was. I’d never wish it upon my enemy.
Well, I couldn’t rightfully say that at the moment, especially since I was throwing my enemy’s bestie into the fire.
I had to hold back my cringe as Blake left the warehouse, his eyes sparkling with excitement to claim his next victim. Again, I didn’t want to know the details… I just needed to keep my trap shut and complete my mission. The last thing I wanted to do was think about what he had to accomplish in order to fulfill his part of the deal.
I wasn’t an idiot though. I’d done my research. I knew what Dean would have to go through in order for an echo to extract his memories. The hell he would have to endure in order for an echo to take on his appearance was unfathomable.
Yet, I was allowing it to happen in order to gain the upper hand in this whole situation. Even though I wasn’t actually pulling the trigger, I was equally as guilty.
With some serious effort, I kept Kirsi completely bedridden while Blake did his thing. I felt so tired… so very tired. However, it was imperative to keep her unconscious long enough for my partner to do his job. Thankfully, I’d thought ahead. Almost all sancti and mortali were subject to the effects of Nerium Oleander, and I wasn’t below using it to my benefit so I could get some rest and stop using my powers long enough to sleep. Not only that, but some sancti were extra sensitive to black tourmaline, which didn’t seem to affect me in the least. It was almost as if the weak were affected by the stone.
Most would laugh, but diffusers were such an amazing invention, especially if you wanted to time out a dose of Nerium while hopefully not being present during the bursts. My mind was foggy with the exhaustion of keeping her contained using my powers for damn near six hours when I’d finally given up and placed the stone that was laced with the chemical in her pocket in order to keep her flat on her back. I didn’t feel a single speck of remorse for the girl, but I wasn’t heartless. I was just preparing myself for a long life of some seriously difficult jobs.
I needed to detach myself, no matter what. And damn if this wasn’t a test in fortitude for me.
I di
dn’t dare leave her, though, keeping just enough distance so the Nerium from the diffuser didn’t reach me and knock me senseless. I couldn’t help but wonder why it took an echo so goddamn long to take control of a weak witch, especially since I had the charm in my pocket already… then again, it pissed me off to no end when people underestimated me. I had no right to question the man.
My head was pounding and my ears ringing. I chalked it up to the minor exposure to the Nerium, like I’d been struck with a baseball bat repeatedly. I took a deep breath when Blake finally returned, his appearance now mirroring that of Kirsi’s best witch friend, Dean. The man was cute in a dorky, lanky sort of way. Still, I needed to shake the fog from my head and get down to business.
If I thought I was heartless, Blake was downright black with hatred toward anything living. He didn’t bat an eye as he dragged her out of the warehouse and into a vacant lot that was somewhat closed off to the general public. I didn’t know what his goal was, nor what kind of communication he had with my father, but we’d had the relic for two days now, and I was utterly confused as to why we hadn’t just displaced her already. He seemed like the kind of sancti to say fuck it and slash the heads of anyone who stood in his way.
“What’s the plan?” I asked as we stood a good distance from Kirsi’s prone body, her hair splayed out on the ground like rays of the sun smothered in dirt. The area smelled musty and fishy, the pier mere blocks away.
His voice sounded different as he emulated that of her friend, Dean, and said, “We just need to make her believe she gave the relic over to us willingly. That’s where I come in.”
That was also where I came in, my glimmering powers needed to read her mind and make sure she bought the act.
Suddenly, I realized she’d begun to regain consciousness, cracking an eye open and assessing her surroundings. The only thing going through her mind was how the air smelled fishy and her head hurt like a motherfucker.
Damn right it did.
I made sure Blake was aware our prisoner was gaining consciousness. It really didn’t take long for her to realize we’d drugged her in some way, though her thoughts bounced around as to exactly how we’d managed to subject her to anything without her permission. Her muscles were like lead, but not from the prolonged exposure to Nerium. Her strength was weighed down by something otherworldly…
Me.
Well, my powers kept her at bay… along with the black tourmaline that was gently and tightly tucked into her jacket pocket.
Still, she was a fighter, and she battled the weight in her eyes and peeked, trying to assess her surroundings.
There really wasn’t much for her to see in the darkness—at least from what I could tell when I entered her thoughts. Because of that, I let go of my control on her just a bit, needing to save my strength in the off chance I’d have to fight. She was choosing not to move, and I could tell her fear was overtaking her more than her will to fight. So I knew backing off on my magic just a bit would be okay for now.
As Blake babbled on about the necessity for us to revive her, his eyes glowing in the dim light of the alley where we stood, I could feel a weird change in the atmosphere. It was as if tendrils crawled through the moisture, slithering like a snake between the molecules of humidity in the air.
“We just need to wake her up and make friends—act like she’d gotten drunk or something and handed me the relic for safekeeping. She’d believe that from Dean,” Blake said.
The snake-like tendrils that I felt crawling around me suddenly snapped back, disappearing into the darkness.
I couldn’t help but wonder if this was Kirsi Ranta, her powers coming forth stronger than I’d thought she was capable of. Then again, my father would’ve warned me of such a powerful being… right? Even though my father was power-hungry, he wouldn’t have sent me into a situation I couldn’t handle. He’d challenge me, yes. But he wouldn’t flat out murder me in his attempt to climb the ladder of success.
“She’s still a threat,” I said. My gut told me not to trust my father with my life, no matter what my thoughts were telling me, and my instincts were screaming at me that this Kirsi chick was way more of a menace than my dad had knowledge of. “We need to get rid of her so she no longer gets in the way,” I demanded. My voice showed no signs to be reckoned with.
“Nah, she’s useless without The Relic. Trust me. I know her well,” Blake responded, his words dredging up the memories of his victim. I could almost tell when he was talking as if he were Dean, his eyes getting a more distant look when he conjured the man’s memories. “Just leave her.”
I paced, my stomach still unsettled on the idea that we could just walk away from this sancti.
“Wait,” Blake interjected, our pacing footfalls stopping abruptly. “Did you actually hurt her?” His voice was more like a friend than an enemy, and I knew Dean’s memories were clouding his judgment.
I scoffed, my impatience obvious in my tone. Why everyone wanted to protect this woman was beyond me. “Nah, though I wanted to beat her ass after all the thoughts she had about me. I just stuck a black tourmaline crystal laced with Nerium in her jacket pocket. That’s honestly all I did… for now,” I added with a chuckle.
It was possible this chick wouldn’t even know of the danger that lingered in her pocket.
“Ahh, good. Let’s just cover our tracks and get going,” Blake said, his mannerisms now taking on that of the best friend, Dean. His voice was soft and was more of a mumble than the assertiveness my partner had mere days before.
I’d thought about digging into her mind… if only to make sure she wasn’t actually coherent for all this stupid chatter. But I really didn’t want to bother with the pettiness that went on in her head. Instead, I tapped my foot with impatience, waiting for Blake to figure out what he wanted to do with her. It wasn’t like she could do shit with her powers when I’d practically drugged her. She was dead weight.
Still, curiosity got the best of me, and I focused on her thoughts. At first, nothing but emptiness met me, which was what I expected all along. But then, something else poked into my awareness that had me reassessing.
She was thinking about the clouds… but not just the ones above us. She was actually thinking about the little molecules of moisture that made up the clouds, her thoughts joyful instead of pensive.
To say I was confused would’ve been an understatement.
Without concentrating hard on her thoughts, I saw the woman gather each and every drop of dampness that accumulated above us and wrap it into the palm of her hand to form ice crystals in pretty little designs as if it were a work of art to put on display. She was like a child, her hands busying with the designs and getting the hang of forming thousands upon thousands of snowflakes.
A haze surrounded the images in my head. The whole vision was like a dream.
My mind broke away from Kirsi’s long enough to look above me, the sight of snow almost fitting with the task at hand.
“I didn’t know it was going to snow tonight,” I said, my voice ending the sentence in a high-pitched lilt, like an itch of surprise I couldn’t hold back.
Silence filled the air around us. No warning was given before he stormed over to Kirsi’s prone body, his footsteps echoing on the hard ground.
It was very likely the memories of her friend swimming around in his brain that caused the alarm, though I didn’t really know why. The look on his face told me I was spot on though.
Kirsi’s muscles were heavy, sedated, as she labored to her feet. As soon as I saw her movement, I followed Blake and stomped toward her. She didn’t hesitate, just raised her hand in the air. As if on cue, a globe of frost balled up in her hand. It looked like she was able to physically hold the moisture that lingered in the air, making it a tangible thing she could form as her own personal weapon.
Everything that happened next was like watching a gun fire in slow motion. I knew it was there in front of me for my own eyes to see, yet there was nothing I could do to stop it.
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Still, even though I knew I was done for, I was still amazed by the amount of power that flowed through her in waves.
An involuntary scream escaped my lips as she let it all drop like barrels full of ice. It was as if she stood at the ready, her grip aiming to pummel the shards of frigid glass to the ground the instant she snapped her fingers. The horrid sound escaping my lips had me cringing as hail hammered me on the head and shoulders.
Once I hit the ground, I knew I was done for. It was clear as ice that my body was now buried under a clusterfuck of hail.
When people said that your life flashed before your eyes when you died, they were lying. There was only one thing that crossed mine as I labored for my last breath, the ice steadily piling on top of me, suffocating me.
Kirsi Ranta—my undoing.
There’s always a price when it comes to using magic, and Sarah’s life is proof of just how expensive powers can be.
If you’d like to learn more about Kirsi Ranta and her story as an elemental half-breed, please check out my website at www.renefolsom.com for more information. Sarah hopes you have enjoyed her short life story.
More About The Elemental Trials Series
Frigid (The Elemental Trials, Book One)
Being a child of one of the most powerful sancti in the world came with great responsibility and consequences. So when the city of Relic was at risk, I knew I had to step up and fight for my kind.
Little did I know a simple charm would bring out the worst in everyone who crossed my path.
About Rene Folsom
Rene Folsom, author of paranormal romance and erotica, lives in Florida with her husband and three kids. She has officially diagnosed herself with creative ADD and often has a million and one writing projects going at once. In addition to writing, she is also a graphic artist who enjoys creating custom book covers for indie authors. She is definitely an artist at heart and would love nothing more than to be elbow deep in clay during her waking hours.