Eleanor

by S. F. Burgess

  The result was spectacular. The inches-thick ice exploded upwards fifty feet into the air and a deafening, cracking boom echoed around her. Before it had died away it was joined by the gunshot cracks of huge ice chunks and water falling back into the lake. The acid pain drained away and she sat panting, watching in stunned silence as the ice finished falling into what was now a cavernous hole in the middle of the lake.

  Freddie came to crouch at her side. “What the hell was that?”

  “That was me. Or rather the power I direct,” Eleanor said, turning towards him. Freddie was looking at her, concerned.

  “Eleanor, you’re bleeding.”

  “I am? Where?” She had not felt any injuries and she was too far away to be hit by the ice. She instinctively rubbed a hand under her chin, but that injury had healed over days ago.

  “Your eyes are bleeding,” Freddie whispered. Eleanor raised a shaking hand to her eye and rubbed the back of it into the socket. She drew her hand back and looked at the bloody smear.

  “Must remember there are side effects,” she muttered.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Freddie, I need to experiment and I need you to keep a safe distance.”

  “You just exploded a lake. What if you exploded a rock face down on top of you?” Freddie asked.

  “I’ll be careful, but this will be easier if I don’t have to worry about accidentally exploding you.”

  Freddie nodded, but he did not seem particularly happy about it. “How come you get the power to explode stuff and I just turn homicidally psychotic at the drop of a hat?”

  “Actually, I think we all have similar power, but I need to practice to be sure. Besides, you might turn homicidal, but you’ve not actually killed anybody yet, have you? I’ve taken two lives, quite possibly more since I got here, not to mention what I did to Will and Conlan, and I have no out-of-control energy to blame it on.”

  With Freddie out of sight down the pass that led up to the lake, Eleanor began. As she practiced, the days became warmer and the sun felt stronger. Spring is coming. The confirmation of what the earth had already predicted amused her, until she remembered that this meant the Enforcers were coming. Then fear gave her focus, purpose. Her experiments were not just idle knowledge-building exercises; she planned them around being able to use her abilities to fight, if it came to it. She tested pulling small amounts of energy, pulling large amounts, draining it back and exploding it out. Through careful observation she realised that the weak string that constantly linked her to the earth acted like an overflow pipe, helping to keep her energy balanced. She also realised that in extreme situations the overflow pipe would reverse and pull energy from the earth. Maybe this mechanism is faulty in Freddie…

  Eleanor worked out how to pull tiny amounts of energy from the earth and then release them in small bursts, but there was very little control, and once released there was no calling it back, like a bullet from a gun, she was painfully aware of what would happen if she unleashed this on a person.While she could ‘aim’, after a fashion, she usually devastated a far larger area than she intended. And the power was immense.

  As she lined up rocks along the edge of a rocky outcrop which held mute evidence of previous explosions. She took a deep breath and began pulling energy from the earth, enjoying the feeling of having it build inside her. She relaxed a little, opening herself up to the world around her; she liked this feeling, like anything and everything was possible.

  “Eleanor!”

  His voice. Angry, demanding. She spun round. Conlan was stood barely ten feet away. Startled and frightened, Eleanor felt her hold slip, releasing the energy as Freddie came charging though the pass. Leaping, he crashed into Conlan, pulling him down to the ground. The mountain wall behind where his head had just been exploded outwards. The rock and dust rained down on them, gradually stopping. There was silence. Images of Freddie and Conlan’s crushed, bloody bodies sprang into Eleanor’s mind as she ran forward.

  “No, no, no!” she moaned, pulling the rocks from them, ripping her hands on unyielding stone in her desperate attempt to reach them.

  Thankfully the explosion had been powerful enough that the rocks were not all that large, but there were a lot of them. She saw Freddie first, his body laying protectively over Conlan. She shook him gently, and then disregarding everything she knew about first aid, gripped him under his arms and hauled him towards her, cradling him. His face and hair were grey with dust, a red snake of blood slithering slowly from his hairline to his chin.

  “Freddie? Freddie… please, don’t be dead, please, Freddie, I’m sorry. Freddie…” she begged. Movement in her peripheral vision made her lift her head. Conlan was struggling to get up, the dust rising in clouds around him, making him cough. Eleanor felt an irrational anger. What was he doing here surprising her? It should be him lying motionless, not Freddie. Then the guilt hit her. Feeling the bottomless pit of despair open up underneath her, she clung to her friend and sobbed softly, begging him to live.

  Freddie coughed suddenly, convulsing slightly in her arms. He blinked open his eyes and smiled weakly. Eleanor felt relief wash through her.

  “I’m sorry, Freddie. Thank you, thank you for saving Conlan again.”

  Freddie chuckled. “We seem to be doing this as a favour for each other a lot.”

  “Eleanor?” Conlan said tentatively. His anger was gone and he sounding wary, frightened even.

  “What?” Her voice was hard, empty; not really caring what he wanted.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  She raised her head. “Tell you? No, Conlan, I don’t want to tell you anything; however, if you have questions you want to ask me, I might decide some of them are worth answering.”

  “You’re angry with me.” It was a flat statement, with no indication as to how he felt about this fact.

  “How observant of you, and here I was thinking you didn’t realise I existed. You certainly don’t seem to care if Amelia ripped me to shreds,” Eleanor snapped.

  Conlan looked confused. “Amelia hasn’t laid a hand on you in over a week.”

  “No, currently she’s attacking me verbally. Have you any idea what it’s like to be hated by someone you love?” Eleanor muttered.

  “Yes.”

  This man never ceases to amaze me. Her anger began to melt under the strength of his emotionless gaze.

  “But you’re not going to tell me about it, are you?”

  “No, I’m not,” Conlan agreed.

  “You’re going to have to let me get closer eventually.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, oh mighty leader, you’re the reason this connection thing doesn’t work!” Eleanor said, taking a perverse pleasure in the shock on his face.

  “You don’t know that.”

  Eleanor glared at him. “Yes, I do. I have the bare essentials of how my energy works. I can teach the others how to access and control their own, but I can’t reach you. You’re trapped in this shield I can’t penetrate. I’m fairly certain that you’re not meant to pull energy from us, because it hurts us way too much, but the shield stops us sending energy to you. Hence, the connection doesn’t work.”

  “I have a shield around me?”

  Eleanor nodded. “Ask Will, if you don’t believe me.”

  “Why didn’t he tell me?”

  “Because he doesn’t want to hurt you. Because up until now it was irrelevant.”

  “Do you think you can get the connection working?” Conlan asked. Eleanor sighed – he was missing the point.

  “I think I can show everybody how to access and deal with their energy…”

  “Even me?” Freddie interrupted.

  Eleanor nodded, “… but the rest of it, that’s up to you Conlan. How far are you willing to trust me? You have to accept that we’re in this together.”

  Conlan stared at her as the moment stretched.

  The journey home was silent. They each seemed lost in their own thoughts. So t
he hysteria that assaulted her as they entered the cave made Eleanor jump. Amelia had taken one look at Freddie and Conlan, covered in dust, blood and bruises, and began screaming in her face, jabbing a finger into her chest like a pneumatic drill as she did so.

  “What have you done now? You’re not going to be happy until you’ve killed us all, are you?”

  Eleanor took a step backward, coming to a stop against the rough cave wall. Amelia swiftly closed the gap and recommenced her tirade. “Say something. You want to kill us all? Have a go at me and see how far it gets you!” she spat as she raised her fist. Different defensive moves ran through Eleanor’s mind, but in the end she discounted them all in favour of simply raising her arms to protect her head and closing her eyes. She could not bring herself to hurt Amelia, and deep down she knew she had no right to. Amelia had a perfectly valid point.

  “Stop!” Will’s voice was low but commanding. Eleanor opened one eye a fraction. Will stood next to her, his fist wrapped round Amelia’s, holding her back.

  “You’re on her side now?” Amelia snapped. A pained look passed across Will’s face.

  “Amelia, think for a minute. Stop letting fear get the better of you, think about what you’ve just said; since when were there sides?”

  “Since she started trying to kill us.”

  Sighing, Will closed his eyes. Eleanor watched Amelia’s eyes grow wide in shock and she realised what he was doing; he was talking in her head. Has he never done this with Amelia before? Amelia’s face froze, glazed eyes staring at nothing. Eventually she blinked rapidly, seeing Eleanor cowering in front of her again. She slowly dropped her fist. Will kissed her lightly on the cheek and moved away. Amelia seemed dazed.

  “Are you OK?” Eleanor asked.

  “Will showed me exactly what happened, showed me what it cost you to bring him back.”

  Eleanor sighed. “I’m sorry, Amelia. I never meant to hurt anyone. You have every right to kick me into the middle of next week, but please let me try to make amends. I need you to forgive me.”

  Amelia glared at her. “What happened today?”

  “Conlan surprised me, and to say my ‘power’ has a hair trigger I’m only just beginning to understand is an understatement. Freddie pushed him out of the way, otherwise I would have taken his head off.”

  Amelia nodded, her eyes hard. “And what happened with Freddie, before?”

  “His energy was getting too high and he wanted Conlan dead. I pulled it back, but thanks to the world’s worst headache I pulled a little harder than I should.”

  Amelia looked appraisingly at her. “This talking in my head, it’s… unnatural. Will did it once, but he had promised me he would never try it again. He just broke a promise to me to help you. I love him, so I have to trust he had good reason. You seem to have embraced your ‘power’ but I’ve seen the pain and fear you’ve produced. I don’t want any part of it!”

  “Amelia, you are what you are. We’re no longer human beings, we’re Avatars. Ignorance may be bliss, but in this instance what we don’t know is going to kill us. Is that what you want? Because if it is, I could quite easily bring this entire mountain down on our heads and end it all now, save us all the pain and trouble,” Eleanor snapped, horrified that Amelia thought she could just walk away.

  “Eleanor, you can blow things… people… up. No one should have that sort of power,” Amelia insisted.

  Eleanor winced at Amelia’s implications. “Amelia, I think you’ve got similar power, and ignoring it isn’t going to make it go away – it’s just going to make it more likely that you let it loose by accident. We can help the people of Mydren, that’s what we’re here for, and we’ve been given some powerful ‘tools’ because I have no doubt we’re going to face some difficult challenges.” Eleanor placed a hand on Amelia’s shoulder. “Sooner or later, if we don’t step in, the elements are going to destroy Mydren. I would rather accept my role and try to help this world than sit around in a dark hole, too scared of my own talents to learn to use them. We need you as a fully functioning member of the Five for this to work. Are you really willing to turn your back on us, on everything Conlan is trying to achieve? Make a choice, Amelia, our fate is in your hands.”

  Eleanor made her way back to the lake, Amelia’s desperate sobbing still echoing in her head. She knew bringing Amelia’s trust and love of Conlan into the argument had been a low blow, and making her friend cry made her feel nasty and small. She felt sorry for Amelia; she could relate to her fear, but she also knew she had no choice but to rise above it – and Amelia had to grasp this too. Eleanor understood why the other Earths had killed themselves, that this was the turning point: they had preferred death rather than face the darkness within. Eleanor knew she was in no danger of making the same choice, as she was far too attached to the others. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was surprised when Conlan sat down next to her and looked out at the lake.

  “Did you make that hole?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Wow!”

  “Is Amelia alright?” Eleanor asked, her voice heavy with guilt.

  “She’s really upset and currently not talking,” Conlan said, concern evident on his face and in his tone.

  Eleanor sighed. “She’s scared of the power inside her. I can understand that but she doesn’t want to die, or see us die. Joining us is the only option she really has. So don’t worry, your mission is still on track.”

  Conlan stared at her. “Do you think you are nothing more than a means to an end to me?”

  “You were willing to destroy me to protect the others. If Freddie hadn’t said something you’d have stuck your sword through my head without even asking me for an explanation. After all, it’s far easier to replace one Avatar than four. Not to mention the three Avatars of Earth you went through in quick succession before I arrived. Yes, Conlan, I feel very much like a means to an end,” Eleanor said quietly. Conlan was silent as he stared at her. She could see the hurt in his face, but she refused to look him in the eye. When he eventually spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

  “The truth is, I couldn’t function without you, I wouldn’t feel whole. The four of you and Rand are all I have. If I could spare you what you’re going through, attempting to control what I’ve burdened you with, I would.”

  They sat in silence while Eleanor digested his words. However much Conlan may regret bringing them all to this point, they were still here and they had some large obstacles to overcome, not least of which was this weird shield around Conlan.

  “Conlan, we need more information.”

  “On what?”

  “On you. We need to understand your role in all this.”

  “I’ve told you everything I know.”

  Eleanor thought for a moment. “You said your grandfather told you stories – is he still alive, can we ask him questions?”

  Conlan nodded slowly.

  Eleanor jumped to her feet. “Good, let’s go.”

  Conlan looked at her, amused. “I’m the one who’s meant to be manically obsessed.”

  Eleanor shrugged. “Guess it’s rubbing off on me. Besides, spring is coming, which means the Enforcers will be coming, so we don’t have much time.”

  Conlan slowly shook his head. “We can’t leave straight away. Freddie can’t come with us, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving him with Amelia and Will any more… you’re all getting so much stronger… You have to show him how to control his energy before we can go anywhere.”

  Eleanor smiled. “We’d better get started then.”

  The Book

  Freddie was a quick learner, and it took Eleanor less than a week to get him to the point where he could monitor his own energy levels. Being careful to avoid Amelia, who was still not talking to anyone, she asked Will how he was balancing his energy. He had invited her into his mind and demonstrated his control. His energy level could be erratic if he was near open water for any length of time, he had found he was pulling energy from it
almost as a reflex reaction. He discovered he could push his energy strings into the ground, to find aquifers and underground rivers to drag away the excess energy, and although it was a lot harder, he could also use rain and snow clouds. Impressed with his knowledge, Eleanor had asked why he had not told all this to Amelia and Freddie. Will protested that he had tried, but neither had wanted to listen.

  Armed with this information, Eleanor had explained to Freddie that whenever he was near open fire, which was most of the time, he was unconsciously drawing energy from it and that he had to remember to attach his ‘overflow pipe’ back into the fire so the energy remained level. She also showed him how to release his energy safely if there was an accident and it did build up. After several practice attempts, he felt confident he could handle himself. Eleanor had also experimented with heating up the water in their bathtub. The first time Freddie just turned the water to super-heated steam, but eventually he had got the hang of it. Will had watched them on one of the more successful attempts. Eleanor noticed him stood by the cave entrance.

  “Tell Amelia she can thank me for this later.”

  “I’m so glad we finally found a use for Freddie,” he said drily. Freddie grinned at him.

  The sky was just beginning to lighten as they set out. The frighteningly violent storm two days earlier had left Amelia wide-eyed and trembling and Will twitchy and restless. If she concentrated, Eleanor could feel his energy pulsing. The heavy rain had also melted a lot of snow, and rivers of slush ran down the mountain, in torrents that obliterated trails and washed away vegetation that had struggled to survive the harsh winter.