“Nothing. I just can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“This whole AetherBorn garbage. I’m tired. And I suck at it.”
“You don’t suck at it.”
“Obviously, I do!” She slapped her legs dramatically, sending a tingle of heat into her thighs from the hit. “How many people have died already? What good am I if I can’t stop this bastard from killing Elementals right and left whenever he feels like it? I can’t even figure out where he’ll go next, let alone protect everyone!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down please,” he hesitated then placed his palm on her back. “Take a breath. A real one.” He waited for her to grasp some air. “Good. What triggered this? Was there another murder?”
“Yes. They found them this morning.”
“Them?”
“A couple. Water House. They were in their apartment. They stopped breathing in their sleep.”
“Water, huh?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Jake twirled a finger over the pool beneath the fountain, forming small waves that followed his hand. “No reason. Just the first one of my House he killed. I was starting to think he might actually like us Waters.” He shrugged, pushing the waves further down the pool.
Ruby watched the waves hit the edge of the fountain, splashing a little before settling into a natural calm. Just as they stilled, another set of waves splashed the edge, obeying Jake’s insistent powers. Her red eyes widened as she watched. “Oh my God! How did I miss this?” She yelled excitedly.
“Miss what?”
“The water!”
He looked at her like she had finally lost it. His eyes tried to follow her train of thought but hit a dead end. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him lightly, “The water is the answer! He’s only been hitting places near water. He’s staying coastal!”
“But why?” Jake asked.
“No clue! But I might know where he’s heading now!” She grabbed his sleeve and started to drag him behind her, her feet picking up their pace the closer they got to the hotel. “Come on! We need Zag and his map.”
Chapter 37
Charred to a crisp
She was grabbing everything she had originally dumped on the bed back into her suitcase. If her mom could see how she was packing, she’d never hear the end of it. Every piece of clothing she’d brought was balled up and crammed in between shoes and toiletries. Once they’d narrowed down the next town Demas would go to, she couldn’t pack fast enough. If she was correct in her assumptions, he’d be going to Marlton next. Other than Westerlake, it was one of two other water adjacent towns and the closest to Coalfell.
She’d asked Liam to tell the others, eager to get him out of the room before she had another meltdown. She couldn’t face having a conversation with him about Sealie, at least not yet.
A bead of sweat ran down her spine and hit the top of her jeans as she crammed a pair of boots into the overflowing suitcase. She pressed down on the clothes, straining to make more space where there was none. Defeated, Ruby slouched over the suitcase on the bed and exhaled with a sigh.
The air left her lips and glittered in front of her.
Ruby perked up, the sudden feeling of being watched setting her senses aglow.
“My darling Ruby.”
Her head jerked to Demas who was half leaning on the wall behind her. Without hesitation, she reached for the dagger on the bed, kicking away black fog with her legs as she leapt towards it. She turned back, holding the dagger in front of her.
“Tsk, tsk. Now, that’s not how you treat a guest, is it?”
“What the hell are you doing here and why are we in the plane?” she demanded, dagger still pointing at his throat.
“I wanted to check in since I didn’t get a chance to write to you this time. But what’s this?” He brought a bony finger forward to the suitcase, “Leaving already?”
She said nothing, her eyes scanned the room for an exit point. His body was directly in front of the only way out. She would need to go through him to get away – not that she wanted to get away. What she wanted was to kill him right where he stood.
“I’m guessing Ray let you in on the plane’s little secret? I’ll have to talk to her about that later, won’t I?” He grinned, eyes flashing to the reflection of light on the blade. “Now what are you planning to do with that, dear?”
Again, she was silent. Taking a step forward she tightened her grip, flipping the blade in her hand and readying to strike. She called on its power, gathering it into herself, strengthening her approach. When she had enough power in her hands, she lunged toward him. Her hands in front, one holding the dagger and one in a fist, she shot a solid bolt of plasma at his heart. It spiraled as it flew, sharpening its edge until it was an exact copy of the dagger. The plasmic blade shattered the air, its tip almost hitting her target when Demas spun out of the way. His grin widened as he landed low after his last spin, open palms facing her. Before she could adjust to his new placement, she was hit by the liquid he sent her way. The plasma coated her left arm, burning into the scars on it. She looked down and howled as she watched hundreds of black plasmic ants burrow their way through the scars AND into her skin. Ruby tried to swat at them, only burning her palm with each ant she managed to kill. “AAAAAAH!” she yelled louder and dropped her left hand to her side. The skin on it was charred to a crisp by the plasma and even lifting it caused a senseless amount of pain.
Ruby sliced the dagger through the glitter in the air and as she completed the movement, a circle of plasma shot through. The Chakram she manifested spun its sharpened edges, picking up speed toward her opponent. Demas tried to spin away, moving to his left as quickly as he could but the Chakram was faster. The blade sliced through his arm, blood forming on the fabric of his sleeve within seconds.
“Well, that’s not very nice,” he tried to sound nonchalant, but she could hear the pain in his voice.
The confidence made her stand taller. She switched the dagger into her hurt hand, forming a plasmic flame with the other, and ran towards him. The fire grew as she ran, and she readied herself to burn him where he stood. Demas grinned, baring his canines at her.
There was a flick in his wrist and shadows crept quickly from beneath him, covering the entire room.
Suddenly, it was pitch black. Not even the glitter in the air could be seen.
Why did I insist on closing those goddamn blinds? She thought, stopping in her tracks and trying to reorient herself. There a light breath over her left shoulder. She jerked to face it, her hands outstretched in front of her, feeling for something recognizable. Another breath on her right. She twirled, finding nothing again. He was taunting her. Ray did tell them that Demas preferred the darkness. Can he see me right now?
She backed up. A step more. Then another until her back hit a wall. Waiting.
The sound of his demonic laughter echoed through the room. She wanted to throw up. Not just from her disgust for him but from fear. She was afraid of him. No matter how much she tried to act otherwise. The shadows slowly crept away, leaving a trail of light as they dispersed. They crawled towards the center of the room, gathering themselves into a recognizable form. She watched as one by one the shadows twisted and twirled until they weren’t shadows at all. Until Demas was standing in front of her. Laughing.
He didn’t want to kill her. That’s not what this was about. He wanted her to know that she couldn’t win. That he was stronger.
Ruby raised her hand, the ball of black plasma fire still lingering in it and sent it towards his face. When it was almost in front of him, she pulled her energy inward, finding a connection to the Air powers within her. With the power at the edge of her throat, she exhaled sharply, blowing a massive wind at the barreling flame. As the air left her lungs, it darkened, taking on the characteristics of the Aether Plane. It joined the ball of fire in its flight, adding to the momentum and causing it to expand. She had him now.
The flame was right in front of D
emas when his hand moved from the top of his head to his chest. From where Ruby was standing, it looked like he was playing ‘now you see me, now you don’t’ with a baby.
Something was in front of him now, shielding him from her attack. A darkness that was almost reflective. The shield! She gasped, realizing he had summoned the same protection shield he had in the clearing. But it was too late.
Just as Ruby understood what had happened, the flame hit the shadow barrier he put up and exploded upon impact. The power of the flame shot in every direction, plasmic fire burning through the air, ready to destroy everything it touched. Ruby crouched, covering her face with her hands. The rest of her body screamed with pain as the flames took their claim. Her legs, her arms, her hair. Everything was on fire. She dropped to the ground, rolling to put out the flames. The smell of burning hair, clothing, and flesh was overwhelming. Ruby jerked and kicked, screaming from pain and fear. Her leg kicked the side table, knocking over a lamp that shattered when it reached the floor.
Wait, I hit the table. We’re not in the plane anymore. She thought just moments before her eyes closed and the room went dark.
Chapter 38
You need to heal
“Rue?” Liam’s distorted voice swept across the back of her mind, “Rue, wake up! Wake up!”
She could feel someone shaking her shoulders. Strong, warm hands that ruffled her body with desperate shakes. Liam’s hands, she was sure of it. Her brain swam as she slowly peeled her eyes open, squinting to bring the light into focus. Her ears perked when she saw him in front of her, his face a wrinkled mess of concern.
“Rue! Jesus, Rue! What happened?” He grabbed different parts of her body desperately, inspecting each wound. She winced when his hands stretched around her arms. “Sorry! I’m so sorry!” He cried, letting his mouth crash into hers. “What happened?”
She raised herself halfway, resting her weight on her forearms, immediately regretting the choice. The pain shot through her arms, crushing her bones as it moved. Ruby looked down in horror. Her throat clenched and she forced herself to grind her teeth to stop from screaming. She was covered in bleeding, burnt scabs. Black plasma embedded itself into every nook and cranny of her wounds, making it impossible for her heal. That’s when she noticed it.
The smell.
Sulfur clung to her nostrils, the stench of it coating every tiny hair, making it impossible to shake off. “My… my hair,” she whispered, touching a singed lock with two fingers.
Liam was quiet. He looked her over quickly and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the bed. It was the first time after she’d been hurt that he didn’t console her in any way, didn’t tell her things would be fine. Probably because she looked like a car had run her over.
“I’ll go get some towels and water. Please don’t move.”
She watched him run to the bathroom and took the chance to inspect her body once more, cringing while she pulled the burnt fabric away from her.
“I thought I said not to move,” Liam murmured and sat a bowl of water on the nightstand. He dipped one of the hand towels into it and slowly began to wash the plasma off her. She could see the palm of his hand redden when he gripped her arm, but he didn’t seem to notice. He kept lapping the towel, trying to get out as much of the plasma as he could.
“Babe, careful. Your hands,” she said.
“I need to get the plasma off,” he answered, eyes as wild as valleys, “I need to clean this off, you need to heal.”
He continued scrubbing until she placed one hand over his, applying slow and steady pressure. Ducking her head slightly, she met his eyes. “Liam. Stop.”
The towel flopped against her skin. Its rigid fibers scratching the flesh that was still untouched on her arm. Liam’s hand reached to pick it up again, trembling. “I–” he whispered, his voice breaking. “You weren’t moving. You weren’t even breathing.” He grasped the edges of the towel, but his hands fell away as if its weight was too heavy to bear. “I thought you were dead.”
“I’m alright. At least I will be.”
“You don’t look alright. I should have been here. If I hadn’t been so stupid and got you mad, I would have been here. I could have stopped this. I’m such an idiot!”
“You’re not an idiot. I’m the one that got jealous and stormed off.”
“Rue,” he met her gaze, his green eyes clouding with the onset of a storm, “there’s nothing to be jealous of. I swear! Sealie, she was just being too friendly. It’s not like that. You know I love you. Only you.”
Ruby fought the pain and reached up to cup his face, “I know. I was dumb.”
“Not at all. I’d have torn her apart if I was you.” His face froze. “I’m sorry about Jake. About how I acted.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not though. I should have walked away instead of getting angry. If you hadn’t shown up, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“What did he say exactly?”
“Nothing. Nothing important.”
“Liam,” her palm grazed his cheek, “tell me.”
“What’s the point? He’s a dumb kid who said something he shouldn’t have.”
“About me?”
He nodded.
“About getting me back?”
Another nod.
“You know that’s not going to happen, right?” She sat up, “Ever.”
“I know. I’m just saying that I get why you pitched a fit. With Sealie, I mean. Jake says one thing and I go off. At least you didn’t threaten the girl!”
“Wish I could take the win but trust me, I wanted to,” she smiled.
“Well, hey! If it makes you feel better, I’m pretty sure she’s more into Jake than me.”
“Ha! Right now, I wouldn’t wish that even on her!” she laughed.
“Oh, really? Wanna fill me in on this drama?”
Ruby sank into the pillow at her back, letting him continue removing the remaining bits of plasma from her wounds, and started to explain her situation with Jake. She took her time, filling him in on every detail and making sure not to rush through the story. Despite what she might have been telling herself lately, they had all the time in the world. It seemed she’d finally started to believe that.
Chapter 39
Marlton
A charred lock of hair fell on the train bathroom floor joining the pile of others that Leah had cut off in an attempt to give her a semi-acceptable haircut.
“Stop fidgeting,” she scolded when Ruby started to shift anxiously from side to side. “Or you’ll end up looking like–” she tried to find a good comparison.
“Like someone cut my hair on a moving train?” Ruby offered with a sly smile.
“Hey! Don’t diss my talents please! I used to cut Zag’s hair all the time. Before he went all hippie on me and refused to come anywhere near the scissors. Trust me, I won’t ruin it.”
“I’m pretty sure that ship has sailed. Setting your hair on fire is as much ruined as you can get.”
Leah wiggled her nose and snipped another piece off the front. “It’s really not that bad. I think short hair kinda suits you.”
“Whatever, it’s just hair,” she lied. “It’ll grow back.”
“You don’t have to pretend, you know. I get that this sucks.”
“The haircut? I thought you said it’s not bad!” Ruby laughed.
“No, Dumbo, not the haircut. Everything that came with it.” Snip, snip. “How are you holding up anyway?”
“I don’t even know anymore. I wish I could just feel confident about this whole thing for once. Take a page out of Nola’s book.”
“She’s not confident! Are you kidding?” Leah exclaimed, almost chopping half her ear off. “She might come off that way, but the girl is just as scared as the rest of us.”
Snip.
“So, everyone is scared?”
“I mean, not everyone.”
“Name one person that isn’t.”
“Uhm…”
Great, she was getting further and further into this mess and they weren’t even sure they could win. Why were they following her in the first place? She should tell them to go back, follow Demas on her own, and stop putting them all in danger. What if they couldn’t win, and she’d just risked the last days everyone might have to spend with their families on a wild goose chase? She needed to cut them loose, stop being selfish, and let them go home. So, what if she couldn’t win this without them? That didn’t give her the right to string them along. Besides, she wasn’t even sure if she could win this with them either.
“Hey,” Leah said quietly, “it’s not what you’re thinking.”
“So, I’m not just some asshole that’s forcing people to follow a murderous psychopath across the country?”
“No! Well, yes. Just not the asshole part,” she sighed and lowered the scissors to her side. “It would be weird if no one was scared. You’re scared, right?”
“Petrified.”
“But you’re still following him. Still trying to end this, to make it right. That’s exactly what we’re all doing.”
Ruby took a deep breath, her back hunching as she breathed out.
“We’re not here just because you need us. I mean, we’d definitely help you. That’s what friends are for. But it’s not just about you. All of us have people we love back at that center. All over the world really. If we don’t stop him, we’re done.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Well, maybe try to remember that the next time you get all depressed.” Leah snipped the scissors in front of her face and laughed.
She let her work in silence, hypnotized by the sound of the blades and the whirl of tendrils hitting the ground. Soon, there was so much burnt hair on the floor that it looked like someone had placed a very disturbing rug in the bathroom.
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