Jessica was already lying down again before Sean retrieved the pound cake package from the floor. With an uncaring shrug, he tore open the package and stuffed a handful of it into his mouth.
Xander laid his head back and closed his eyes, laughing to himself about being compared to a platypus. He drifted off to sleep pretty quickly, without the overwhelming feeling of stress pressing down on top of him.
The leather of the makeshift throne tugged at the Fire Elemental’s naked legs. It shrugged aside the minor inconvenience while its eyes never left the mirror across the room.
Sammy could feel its eyes upon her but refused to glance toward it. The monster in her skin watched her mockingly, knowing she had been unable to save the human it had sacrificed. She felt queasy at the thought of the man falling to his death, and she felt the urge to vomit when she thought about Xander being in trouble. General Abraxas wielded the Elemental’s power. He was dangerous enough without the added strength. The Xander she knew wouldn’t stand a chance against the General. Sammy knew that Xander had found two of the other Elementals. She only hoped their combined might was enough to defeat Abraxas.
The door opened on the far side of the room and both Sammy and the Elemental turned toward the disruption. General Kobal entered the room and walked to the foot of the recliner. He bowed, concealing the faint blush at his master’s unfettered nudity.
“You’re here sooner than I would have expected,” the Elemental said. It brushed a loose strand of blond hair irritatingly from its face.
Kobal stood straight. Sammy could see the General from two sides, one from the perspective of the mirror, and one through the eyes of the Elemental. The General’s armor was dark, concealing much of the stain across it. Even darkened, Sammy could see faint red blood dripping from the oiled hinges of the shoulder plates.
“The conquest went quicker than expected, Master. Much of the city has already fallen before our Fire Warriors.”
The man flexed his broad shoulders with pride. Sammy could immediately sense the Elemental’s skepticism, however. It arched a plucked eyebrow and laced its fingers together in front of its face.
“If only much of the city has fallen and not all of it, then you shouldn’t be here. You should be leading your warriors as you finish claiming this city for me. Why are you here, General Kobal?”
Kobal’s confidence faltered, and his shoulders sagged slightly. “We’ve encountered pockets of resistance with some of the neighborhoods. They’ve proven difficult to break.”
The Elemental unlaced its fingers and gripped the padded armrests of the recliner. “And you are unable to handle this problem by yourself? You’ve come here because you need me to do your job for you?”
His abilities called into question, Kobal raised his square chin defiantly. “I came only to keep you informed, Master. My Fire Warriors will destroy any resistance these humans offer. I’ll have their heads decorating the city by morning.”
The Fire Elemental sighed in irritation and stood. “You’ll do no such thing. I won’t wait until morning to rid this city of its human population. I’ll take care of this problem myself.”
“But Master,” Kobal protested. “You can’t take away this privilege from me.”
“I can do whatever I want, General.” The Elemental narrowed its eyes dangerously, as a warning to the insolent man. “While I’m gone, you will stay here in my throne room.”
It looked around the room, and its eyes settled on the mirror. Sammy stared back at the creature angrily, though she knew it was only a façade. Truthfully, she was frightened again. If the Elemental wanted to wipe out the pockets of human resistance, there was little she could do to stop it. And as little as a chance as she had at stopping the Elemental, the humans had no chance at all. It wasn’t joking when it said they’d be dead by morning.
“And cover that mirror while I’m gone,” the Elemental added. “I’m tired of looking at my host. I don’t want to see it when I get back.”
Sammy caught the double entendre of its comment. It wasn’t just its reflection it tired of. It was tired of seeing its host still alive. No matter what the Elemental tried, Sammy did not intend to abdicate her body to that monster.
General Kobal unhooked his flowing cloak and carried it toward the mirror. The Elemental turned toward the window and took a step backward as it prepared to run. The well-muscled feminine body sprinted across the floor. It passed through the shattered window, oblivious to the broken glass over which it trotted. Reaching the metal half railing on the end of the balcony, the Elemental leapt smoothly over its edge. It plummeted toward the ground below, following the trajectory of the poor human it had so recently tossed through the same window. Instead of hitting the ground, the skin of the woman split as bright red scales burst from its body. Its neck elongated as a snout formed at the end of its face. It grew in massive scale as it shed its human form. With a spread of its giant, leathery wings, the dragon arched its back and quickly leveled off. It sped down the street before arching again and climbing high into the sky.
Within the penthouse, General Kobal affixed the cloak over the mirror. Sammy’s vision was immediately replaced with the red fabric, leaving the room beyond barely visible through its stretched threads.
Undeterred, Sammy closed her eyes and felt her consciousness pass to the dragon.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she said as she looked out through the draconic eyes.
The world looked stranger through the Elemental’s vision. It was cast in shades of blue and red as it scanned the city for heat signatures. The fires of its warriors burned brilliant white against the cool surroundings. Sammy wasn’t sure how the Elemental managed depth perception in such a strange vision, but it seemed unfazed by the shift. She could actually feel the sigh of contentment as the Fire Elemental settled back into its natural form.
“If it were that easy, I would have destroyed you long before now,” it said. “I’m not trying to destroy you anymore.”
Sammy didn’t think for a second the Elemental was suddenly being altruistic. “It’s about time you gave up.”
The Elemental’s laughter was a rumble, like the warning before a volcano’s eruption. “I’m not giving up. I’m just smart enough to know that until I figure out why you survived the host process, I can’t destroy your consciousness.”
“Then you’re stuck with me, because I’m not giving up either. I’m going to do everything I can to thwart your attacks on the world.”
“I’m not stuck with you; you’re stuck with me. You don’t have control of this body, which means you’re helpless to watch as I destroy everything you hold dear. So do your worst. Believe me when I tell you that I will be doing the same. In fact, I think I’ll start doing my worst right now.”
The sound of gunfire reached their shared hearing. The dragon shifted its gaze, and Sammy saw a maddening flicker of white and red heat as a battle ensued beneath them. Sammy could see the flares as jets of flames struck the exterior of a long building. From within it, quick muzzle flashes sparked from the open windows. Though it was only a small victory, Sammy cheered quietly when she saw a Fire Warrior collapse to the road with a gunshot wound.
Her victory was short-lived. She felt the furnace boiling within the dragon’s chest and could feel the wash of hatred roll through the Elemental. As much as she wanted to be within the Elemental’s head so that she could stop it, they shared emotions as well as sight. The hatred felt like it seeped into Sammy’s mind as well and, for the briefest moment, she yearned for the destruction of the humans. She recoiled in horror at the thought and screamed out in hatred, not at the humans but at the Elemental. If it heard her cries, it didn’t show any reaction.
The dragon tipped its wings and dove toward the building. Its long shadow fell over the windows facing the street, and the gunfire halted. Sammy heard a few shots ring out seconds later as they aimed at the monster flying above them. Though she knew her life was tied to that of the Elemental
, Sammy almost wished one of the bullets would find its mark and kill them both. Her disappointment grew when the bullets reflected harmlessly off the thick scales of its skin.
The dragon inhaled, and Sammy tried to force its mouth shut in a panic. Her head ached from the exertion and, had she been in control of the body, she probably would have vomited from the effort. Instead, she felt her strength leaching away until she mentally collapsed in exhaustion. She was helpless to do anything more than watch through the dragon’s eyes as it exhaled.
A jet of flames washed over the building, flowing into the open windows. The humans hiding within disappeared, engulfed in decimating fire. The incredible heat split the plaster on the walls and melted the metal beams supporting the structure. As the flames swirled within the building, the walls swelled outward. Without warning, they exploded outward as the flames sought escape. Debris flew from the shattered walls, crushing the cars and the unsuspecting Fire Warriors alike. A plume of dust and smoke intermixed as it spread skyward.
Turning away without a second thought, the Fire Elemental sought out the next building in which the humans hid.
Wilkes climbed up onto the platform at the London Bridge station and peered up the stairwell leading to the street above. When everything appeared clear, he motioned for the others to follow. Unlike the Bond Street Station, the London Bridge station was an open maw leading out onto the wide street. The concrete was scorched with long, black marks that spread up the walls and even coated the ceiling.
A knot of nervousness grew in Xander’s stomach. He knew the area near the Thames had suffered far worse than the parts of the city further away, but he was unprepared for seeing the destruction up close.
They emerged onto the broad road. It was still nighttime, but Xander could already tell that the light of dawn was cresting somewhere nearby, gently illuminating the thick smoke cloud above them.
“How far do we have to go?” Xander asked as he looked around the corner.
Wilkes looked around the corner and stared down the road. “About five blocks all together. We live closer to the Tower Bridge than London Bridge. It won’t take us long, so long as we don’t run into trouble.”
“That’s asking a lot,” Sean said.
Wilkes led them around the corner. The road was quiet, oddly so. Though Oxford Street was relatively quiet too, it still had patrols of Fire Warriors roaming randomly through the area. There was a chance, Xander knew, that the area had been abandoned after the Fire Warriors destroyed the neighborhood. Most of the buildings around them were covered with burn marks, either from Fire Warrior attacks or from the flames that gutted most of the store’s interiors.
They walked the first block cautiously, anticipating an ambush. Despite their apprehension, they saw no signs of Fire Warriors. Xander let out a breath he’d been holding since they emerged on the street. For the first time since arriving in London, it seemed that they might go more than a few blocks without being attacked.
As they passed the second block, Xander felt a tightness in his gut—a telltale sign that Fire Warriors were using their powers nearby. He placed a warning hand on Wilkes’ shoulder, pulling the Brit back into the shadow of a building nearby.
“Our good fortune ran out?” Wilkes asked quietly. “You see something?”
Xander shook his head as another uncomfortable jab pierced his side. “I can sense when they’re near.”
“Of course you can. How many?” Wilkes asked. “Can you tell?”
“More than we want to deal with, if I had to guess.”
Wilkes frowned and looked around the corner, though he couldn’t see anything through the din of smoke.
“Come on,” he said. “We’ll take a roundabout way to the flat.”
The Brit rushed across the road and entered a side street between two tall buildings. The road ended abruptly at the entrance of a hospital. The look of the abandoned hospital struck Xander as more depressing than anything else they’d seen in the city. Cars were parked haphazardly in front of the emergency room entrance. And ambulance was parked canted there as well, with its back open and a forgotten gurney setting behind its back bumper. Xander wanted to look longer, but the pain in his stomach intensified.
Turning away from the hospital, they ran through a labyrinth of alleys between the hospital and a once glass-lined office building before emerging on another street that ran parallel to the Thames. The further they ran, the less Xander felt the bite in his abdomen.
By the time they reached a pier jutting out over the Thames, he couldn’t feel the Fire Warriors any more.
“We can stop,” Xander said breathlessly. He stopped and rested his hands on his knees.
“That’s good,” Sean said. “I’m pretty smoked all—”
He paused as he saw the pillar of flames licking the sky above. The others turned and stared at the destruction across the river. The gray stonework of the keep was charred black from the flames that billowed from the building’s interior. The London landmark smoldered as the tower belched fire and sparks flew high into the night’s sky.
“That’s the Tower of London, isn’t it?” Jessica said sadly.
“And the Tower Bridge,” Wilkes said, pointing toward the tall suspension bridge. The towers on either end of the bridge were consumed with flames, and the fire rolled down the length of the bridge’s core. Even from a distance, the group could hear the groaning of the metal supports as they were sheathed in the blaze.
“We need to go,” Xander said. He knew the longer they stood and watched the destruction, the less likely they’d be to ever leave.
Wilkes and Sean nodded and turned away, following Xander back toward the road. Jessica stood for a moment longer and covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes glistened as she watched the landmarks burn. Sean came back for her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her gently after them.
They cut east along the edge of the river—trying their best not to look at the tower and bridge—until they found another road that led back toward the flat. Xander rubbed his belly, drawing a concerned look from Wilkes, who assumed Xander’s movements meant he sensed more of the Fire Warriors nearby. Xander shook his head and let his arm drop to his side.
“I don’t sense anything,” Xander whispered.
As they reached the stonework buildings at the next intersection, the group noticed all the broken and charred windows. It seemed that every window was blackened and the stonework marred with smoke from where the buildings burned uninhibited. As a testament to the power of the Fire Caste, they passed a fire truck parked abandoned on the side of the street. The single fire truck hadn’t been nearly enough to stave off the flames that spread eagerly from building to building.
They turned onto Tooley Street, and Wilkes pointed excitedly a block ahead, where—barely visible in the early glow of morning—a side street angled off to the right.
“Our flat is down that road,” he said. “Just a couple more blocks until we’re there.”
The group felt invigorated, knowing they were nearly there. As Xander glanced back toward Sean and Jessica, a sharp stab of pain rolled through his core. He clutched his gut as the pain intensified.
Before he could say anything, a blast of fire exploded on the ground in front of them. Xander threw up his arms defensively and glanced upward, spotting the Fire Warrior on the rooftop of the building nearby. His hands glowed brightly as he summoned more flames.
“On the rooftop,” Xander warned.
Wilkes crouched behind a car and raised his rifle, using the hood of the car to steady his aim. He pulled the trigger and the Fire Warrior disappeared. Xander couldn’t tell if Wilkes hit him or not, but it was effective.
As he tried to celebrate their minor victory, two more balls of flame struck the car behind where Wilkes was hiding. The flames washed over the car, flickering just above the Brit’s head.
Looking down the road, Xander could see spots of flames emerging from the darkness like glowing, demonic e
yes. The flames at street level were joined by more on the nearby rooftops.
“It’s an ambush!” Xander yelled. “Go back the way we came.”
He turned away from the advancing Fire Warriors only to see more flames emerging from the other direction. The Fire Warriors had waited until they were back on the main street before springing their trap. Now, it seemed like they were stuck.
Flames seemed to come from all directions at once. Instinctively, Xander threw up his hands and an invisible wall of air appeared. The flames shattered on the wall, leaving the neighborhood bathed in fire, but the four people in its core unharmed.
Wilkes stood up behind his car and began firing indiscriminately into the approaching Fire Warriors in one direction. Xander heard the officer’s rifle click as he quickly emptied an entire magazine. The man deftly dropped the empty magazine onto the asphalt before replacing it with a full one from his vest.
Xander immediately regretted using his powers. It hadn’t been his intent to summon the shield. He had been far more of a conduit for the power within him than a willing participant. Despite the fact that these warriors knew where they were located, using his power would alert dozens, if not hundreds more, on this side of the river.
Having already used his powers, however, it hardly made sense to hold back any more. He glanced over to Sean and Jessica, while the sound of gunfire intermixed with the sounds of exploding fireballs striking his defensive wind wall.
“Get out of here, you two,” he said to his friends. “There’s nothing you can do here. We’ll cover you guys.”
Jessica turned, but Sean shook his head. In a twist of fates, it was Jessica who grabbed Sean’s arm, pulling him back onto the side street from which they’d emerged. Xander lowered the wind wall in that direction, allowing his friends to escape his enormous bubble.
Satisfied that his friends were out of harm’s way, Xander turned his attention back to the Fire Warriors who were congregating around the edge of his protective barrier. Though they couldn’t get to Xander and Wilkes directly, the warriors skirted the edge of the barrier and began filtering down the side street down which Sean and Jessica were running. He saw one of the Fire Warriors glance toward his two friends and flames engulfed the man’s arms.
Water Shaper (World Aflame) Page 15