Gathering Water

by Regan Claire

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  February 2nd, 1969

  Dear Journal,

  I’ve started dreaming about the strange images I receive while Reading and decided to finally visit Renie to ask her advice about them. I told her what I have been seeing and she agreed to lay the cards out for me. The cards, however, weren’t in the mood to cooperate since they, too, seemed to be speaking in riddles. Or that is what Renie said about them, at least. She has promised to look into it more on her own.

  The next morning aunt Ellis came into my bedroom and gently touched my shoulder when it was time to get up and get ready to head out. I’d been awake for hours, unable to sleep because my mind kept running through everything that would or could happen that day. I skipped my shower, since I would shortly be jumping into the ocean, then put on the bright new turquoise swimsuit that Ellis had gotten me on her shopping excursion a few weeks previous, thankful it was another one piece. After taking off the key necklace and ruby armlet, I was ready to go. I felt naked without them, especially without the armlet, and the tan line from constant wearing was very obvious.

  I went downstairs to the smell of coffee and a paper box full of donuts. Cash was adding a healthy amount of cream and sugar to his coffee (a love of sweet coffee must be a family thing), and Uncle Connor was reading the paper and eating what looked like a jelly-stuffed donut. We were all dressed for a swim, though both of the men, and I’m counting Cash as one, had on T-shirts over their swim trunks.

  “Ready, Della?” My uncle asked me when he noticed my presence, then grabbed the donut box and led us out the door and to the car where Aunt Ellis was already waiting when I nodded. We would, apparently, be driving several miles south before getting in the water and cutting across to the Elfennol’s home. I was relieved to know we wouldn’t be swimming the entire thirty miles.

  After a few minutes and a few éclairs, we started seeing signs for the Hatteras Lighthouse. Aunt Ellis drove up a side road and let us out of the car. She took the t-shirts and shoes from her son and husband as they peeled them off in preparation for the swim, kissed us all goodbye, and drove off. We weren’t quite at the water, but it only took a few minutes to walk to the ocean.

  “Okay guys. We’ll be doing four things to make this work. First, you need to Shield with Air around your face while you’re under. It will let you breathe the oxygen that’s dissolved in the water, keep water out of your nose, and let you see better. If you accidentally breathe a little water, just quickly Gather and it will take it out of your lungs, no problem,” he started wading into the ocean, not slowing his stride at all, and continued talking as he walked deeper and deeper into the water. “You two will also need to Temper Air, because it’s dark, and Earth, because you’ll need the stamina and strength. There are plenty of both elements to Gather from, but the reach can be far so you’ll need to Gather the entire time. Well, maybe not you, Della. Just keep an eye on your stores and do what you feel is best. And the last thing, and most important to make this go quickly, is you’ll need to Bend the water to help you along. Do you understand?”

  No. No I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand at all. But Cash nodded his head, and before I could open my mouth to really say anything, my uncle dove under. Cash followed before I could even turn to him, and I was left alone, waist deep in the water and my mouth agape. Not wanting to be left behind, I did the only thing I could think of: I swore under my breath, took the biggest gulp of air I could manage, and dove under the next wave.

  It took a moment for me to remember all the things my uncle had said, and another moment for me to figure out how to juggle all those things at once, while fighting the waves and catching up with my uncle and cousin. Finally, my lungs started burning and I instinctively took a deep breath. Of water. At this point I was too deep to be able to stand up and hack up a lung or two, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Before I could even think about the fact that breathing water is bad, my body and abilities went on autopilot. My lungs were cleared, and a Shield went over my mouth to prevent further accidents. Once instinct figured that part out for me, it was a cinch to bring the Shield over my nose and eyes. I immediately started Tempering air after my eyes had their “shield goggles” on, and when I caught sight of how far away Cash and Connor were, I set my mind to catching up. It wasn’t hard. Bending the water behind me to act like a jet, I was able to make up the distance in just a few seconds.

  The next hour or so of my life was both grueling, and incredible. Watching the sunrise through the waves around us was surreal. Add the singing of dolphins from a pod that followed us for several miles, and it was almost a religious experience. Keeping pace with my uncle, who had obviously made this journey several times, was a less than happy experience. He didn’t slow down. In fact, he continued to increase his speed as we went along. It wasn’t that it was hard, our abilities kept me from having to expel any real energy, but it was mentally draining. Especially considering that I had to modify my Shielding as we descended into the depths to keep the water pressure from popping my brain like a grape.

  Eventually we came to a big drop, like a step, that led to much deeper, and colder, water. After we followed it down for several minutes, we came to what looked like a cave entrance, if caves were made of stone with rune etchings on them. Uncle Connor gestured for us to follow him inside, doing a fun little flip while swimming to orient himself upright. After trying to imitate him, and failing, I found that the cave floor started pulling my feet down, so I was standing instead of swimming. Walking this way was really bizarre, but my uncle kept going, so after a shoulder shrug from Cash, we both sluggishly walked after him.

  Things got stranger as we walked deeper into the cave. It was getting darker as we went, and I was so focused on trying to see around me that I didn’t notice at first. The water was beginning to thin as we walked farther in. Thinner and thinner until somehow we just weren’t underwater anymore. Like it faded into air as we walked. I have no idea how it was done, but there you are. We reached the end of the cave at about the same time that the moisture in the air became surface-norm and Uncle Connor turned to us and spoke.

  “You guys ready?” he asked, the first words either of us had heard since we entered the water. Luckily I had turned off my super-senses as soon as the water thinned out enough to stop dampening sound.

  “I guess so.” My voice warbled from nerves and fear as I answered. Cash looked about as nervous as I felt and just nodded his head at his father.

  “You’ll be fine, guys. Just remember to be polite, remember your lessons, and pay attention. This is a big day for both of you!” He tried to add a little cheer to his voice, but failed. We were all anxious because of the unusual circumstances.

  “Now, before we go on, I want you both to start Tempering Fire.”

  “Dad, I don’t have any in my Well.”

  “Then Gather, Cash.”

  “But…” Then his eyes widened when he discovered it. The biggest source of fire energy I’d come across was close, which was unexpected since we were under the sea. We both then followed Connor’s instructions and started Tempering, gasping at the beauty that surrounded us.

  Before, it just looked like a cave: boring and nondescript. Now there were images, runes, etched into the walls with pure energy. Tracing the light on the walls with my hands, I saw that the light reacted to my touch by changing colors. Connor’s brows furrowed when he noticed, and he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could Cash called out from an alcove to the right.

  “Dad, what is this?”

  We both wandered over to him to look, though Connor obviously knew what Cash was talking about, since he’d been there before. In front of him was a doorframe etched in light. It vaguely reminded me of the doorway into Moria from the “Lord of the Rings” movie, but it wasn’t so ornate, and there wasn’t any fancy lettering on it.

  “That’s our way inside,” Connor said. He proceeded to place his hand in the dead center of the doorway, where
a perfect circle was overlaid with a rich blue light. Cash and I watched expectantly for a few minutes, and right when I was starting to question whether Connor was forgetting to do something, the whole door flared a similar shade of blue and the doorway opened. It didn’t open in the way that a door normally opens, just suddenly everything that had been inside the glow of the doorframe was gone, leaving my uncle’s hand hovering over nothing and creating an archway for us to travel under. Uncle Connor looked back at us, and with a nod of his head directing us to follow, he walked under the archway and disappeared.

  With nothing else to do, Cash and I followed, side-by-side since the doorway was wide enough for us to do so. The door closed behind us. I was still Tempering fire, and there seemed to be a glow coming from the sides of our path. Damping the Temper down a bit to better see with my regular eyesight, I realized that our path was really a bridge of sorts, and that the glow I was seeing was caused by a gigantic elemental energy source.

  Which type of elemental source, you ask? Lava. Fiery molten magma was oozing in a river beneath my feet. It definitely explained the surplus fire we had felt while outside the door, and I quickly filled up my Well with as much as I could, not knowing if or when I’d have another opportunity. Fire was always the hardest to stock up on. It was only after we’d stepped off the pathway that I realized the cool and comfortable temperature I’d been enjoying should have been, well, uncomfortably hot. Or sweltering. Or boiling. Either way, it wasn’t and was just another “how’d they do it?” in a growing list of them, and we were barely a hundred feet into their base.

  We stood for a few minutes, waiting, I assumed, for the small group of brightly glowing people who were walking towards us, and I took the opportunity to look around.

  The cave, if it was a cave, was not what I expected. The floor was covered with a thick green moss, resembling grass but way spongier to step on, and there was light coming from runes in the ceiling and walls, visible even without the use of my abilities. Scattered every fifty feet or so, were giant statues. There wasn’t one close enough for me to inspect without leaving Cash and Connor, so I wasn’t able to see what they actually were until later.

  While the small convoy approached us, I prepared myself to meet the mystical Elfennol for the first time. Their combined energy was shining so brightly that I was forced to stop Tempering, or else avert my eyes.

  I stopped Tempering.

  Even though I knew better, I had been expecting them to look, well, like mystical beings. They just looked like ordinary humans, or what ordinary humans would look like if they glowed a little, because I could still see the power emanating from them. They were all wearing outfits of a very lightweight-looking fabric, maybe linen, and several of them were adorned with all manner of jewelry. Bracelets, necklaces, and jewel-encrusted knives seemed to be the most popular.

  “Connor. It’s good to see that you arrived safely. Your journey was pleasant, I hope,” said the man who led the group over. He seemed to be a few years younger than my uncle, but the way he held himself and the way he stood apart from the rest of the group made him seem like their leader.

  “Nice to see you again, Derek. Did my father make it all right?” Well, of course he seemed like their leader. He was a friggin’ council member!

  “Yes, the former Dux arrived yesterday evening. The rest of the council was surprised by his early arrival.”

  “Yes, I suppose they would be. He’s getting older, and we thought it best if he skipped the swim out here.” My uncle didn’t exactly lie, but definitely skipped the real reason why my grandfather came out early.

  “I take it that these are our new conscripts,” Derek said, raking a gaze over Cash and me. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “Yes. Derek, this is my son Cash, and my niece, Della Deare. You two, this is Derek. He’s the head of the First family, and one of the council members who will be judging you.” My uncle raised an eyebrow at both of us as if saying ‘be polite, or else’.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Derek,” Cash said, sounding very adult and shaking Derek’s hand. I realized that this was probably a moment that Cash had been looking forward to for his entire life.

  “Nice to meet you as well. Della Deare, is it? We haven’t had a Deare here in quite a while, since your mother left. I have to say, your existence came as quite a surprise to us.” He stepped back after shaking Cash’s hand before speaking to me, not giving me the opportunity to practice my grownup handshake.

  “I’ve been getting that a lot, recently. If it’s any consolation, your existence was a surprise to me, too,” I said before I could control my mouth. My uncle was facing me, and gave me the worst “parent” look you could imagine, with narrowed eyes and thin lips. Cash was trying to master his face, but he was standing right next to me and I could feel his shoulders shaking a little in laughter. The other Elfennol looked like they had smelled something distasteful at my words, but Derek let loose a smile and a small laugh. I suppose I couldn’t get in trouble if one of the head honchos was okay with my recently acquired smart mouth.

  “I’m sure it did.” His face held the traces of a smile before he continued. “We heard that she died in childbirth,” he said, though the inflection at the end made it sound like a question instead of the statement it was.

  “Um, yes, she did.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.

  “How unfortunate.” But his face betrayed his indifferent words. For just a moment he looked stricken by her death, then his features rearranged themselves back into the cool uncaring mask the rest of his companions had, making me question what I had seen.

  “Well, I’m sure that the young ones would like to get changed. Alexander, would you mind seeing them to a room that they can use for now? Connor, let me show you back to your rooms. There’s a snack awaiting you, if you think you can keep it down,” Derek said, his voice belaying a smile while mentioning some inside joke that neither I, nor Cash understood.

  “I will never live that down, will I?” Connor laughed a little before turning to us. “Cash, Della, you two go on. I’ll see you in a few minutes. Take this time to mentally prepare yourself and to Gather as much as you can. There’s plenty of every element here. Remember to take it slow, Della. We don’t want to accidentally hurt someone if you Gather too fast.”

  We said our good byes to Connor; then the two of us nervously followed Alexander to where we could change and get ready.

  “What was Derek talking about with my dad? About a snack?” Cash asked as we walked along.

  “We used to provide food for the initiates before the testing began. Dux Neale, after having his fill, had the misfortune of losing his stomach in front of the council. I believe that Lord Derek enjoys bringing it up in jest.” Alexander rather stiffly told us.

  “Ha, remind me to make fun of Dad for that later.” I nodded my head in affirmation, but didn’t say anything. I wasn’t even in front of the council yet and I felt like I could vomit, I was so nervous.

  “Alexander, may I ask a question?”

  “Of course. I will do my best to answer,” he responded, speaking in a slightly warmer tone than he had with Cash.

  “My uncle referred to this place as a base. What did he mean by that? Is this where you live?” I’d meant to ask earlier, and realized as soon as I uttered the question that I could have waited until I was alone with Cash, since he surely knew the answer as well.

  “No, this is not where my people live. Dux Neale refers to this place as a base because that is what it is, of sorts. It’s an outpost so that we may have troops in this area at all times. Eurybis, our city, is southeast of here. About 600 miles, I believe.”

  “What is that you keep calling him. Dux? What does that mean?”

  “I’m surprised that your people have told you so little. Dux is the title of the human leader. Duxa if she is female,” the stiff man told me, making Cash roll his eyes at my ignorance.

  T
he rest of the walk passed by in silence, Alexander only speaking when we passed a building that he thought we should know about. I was okay with that, though, since our surroundings were incredible. The statues that I had noticed before were really intricately carved stone pillars that seemed to have been carved out of the cave itself since I couldn’t see any seams. Most of them were of trees with so much detail they almost looked real.

  After a few minutes we got to an area that had a few real trees. I could feel the water that pooled there, and was delighted to see an outdoor bath, of sorts. This was, apparently, our destination, since Alexander pointed us to an area close to the pool where a change of clothes was waiting for us, folded neatly on the moss. Eager to wash the salt water off, we both quickly got into the baths, still in our swimsuits, since there was no wall or anything to ensure our privacy. Something we found problematic after we were finished with our quick rinse off because there was no good place to change without exposing ourselves to each other and Alexander. Well, not without getting creative, at least.

  I remembered what Luke had been telling us the day before, so after I grabbed the smaller set of clothes and Gathered to dry myself, I created a Shield out of Earth and focused until it was opaque.

  “You’re a genius, Della,” Cash said, as I slipped on a powder blue linen outfit similar to what the Elfennol were wearing. I had to keep my swimsuit on underneath since they didn’t provide any sort of undergarments. It reminded me of the type of suit that you wear for karate except there were buttons along the front instead of a belt, and I wondered if that was a trend for these people or if there was another reason to wear them.