by Terry Reid
As they entered one of the secret catacombs beneath the church Connor asked: “When will you lot stop?”
“What?” Terry asked, trailing by a short distance.
Connor frowned as if it needed to be said. “The whole process of torturing people, you lot seem to get some sick kick out of it.”
“If there’s something you want to say then just say it.” She replied coolly, her voice echoing off the dark stone tunnel that closed in around them.
“Okay then, it’s wrong. Things like that,” he exclaimed, turning around and pointing back down the tunnel. Turning back around he carried on walking at a quick pace, desperate to get out of the place. “It should not be going on in this day and age.”
“We have been through this before and you never seem to get it. Just because it is not your people’s way does not mean that it is wrong. We’ve been doing that sort of thing for millions of years. It is how we are, it can’t be helped.”
Connor wheeled around to face her. He folded his arms. “You once said to me about how much you hated torturing prisoners. Kind of a contradiction, you saying that then, isn’t it?”
She stormed passed him. “I said I had mixed feeling about it, nothing more and that is probably because of the blow to the head I got nine years ago, if that hadn’t of happened I probably would never give it a second thought.”
Connor hurried after her. “You can’t always use that as an excuse!”
Terry stopped to confront him. She shrugged in defeat. “What do you want Connor? What do you want me to say? You knew what was going to happen before we even came here, yet you said nothing and came anyway.”
Connor glowered but said nothing. He knew she had a point. “I’m sorry...I just...I don’t think he should have been allowed to suffer for so long.” He shook his head. “He didn’t know anything else.”
Terry nodded in agreement. “I know. You’re right I shouldn’t have allowed it to go on for that long.”
Connor looked around the dark tunnel, the light of the torch bathing the one side of his face in orange light, the shadow masking the other.
“He reminds me of your dad a lot when Lyle is like that.” He admitted.
Terry turned away. “Please don’t talk about my father.”
“Sorry...I didn’t mean to upset you.” He apologised, hurrying after her. “You must miss him.”
“I do.” She sighed, her heart aching.
For a long time they walked in silence, the sound of their footfalls the only noise in the dark, lonely tunnel.
“It’s just a shame you know.” Connor finally spoke up.
“What is?”
“That we’re still no closer to finding out who is trying to kill you than when we caught that guy.”
“I don’t think they were trying to kill me. I think they were a warning. Who would be stupid enough to send two humans to kill an Alchemist?” Terry put to him. The narrowness of the tunnel forced them to walk single file, Connor allowing her to go first.
“I don’t know.” He replied when they emerged at the other end. “But it is more likely to be someone from Santerria than from here.”
“I know...” Terry said thoughtfully. “Maybe that’s who was trying to open those portals. Maybe they managed to get through somewhere else.”
Connor did not reply. The thought unsettled him greatly.
******
Terry stepped through the front door, slamming it behind her. Dropping her keys into the holder on the table by the door she took a step forward then stopped. She looked down, the tip of her shoe resting in a small puddle of water. Her eyes lifted, following the trail of watery splodges that graced the wooden flooring before vanishing into the living room.
Casually, she took her jacket off and hung it on a peg. Then taking out her mobile phone she headed upstairs, while pretending to check her messages. At the top of the stairs she found a trail of water leading into the bathroom.
Following it in she found a bath half filled with water.
Quietly sitting her mobile on the edge of the sink, she sighed. She walked toward the bath and crouched down beside it. Terry stared at the half filled tub for a long moment. When there was no sign of movement, she plunged a metal gauntleted hand into it.
The still waters exploded as a man reared up, seemingly from nowhere, screaming and juddering from electrocution.
Terry killed the electricity and grabbed the skinny, naked man by the throat and squeezed. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“Wait! Wait!” he choked, fumbling uselessly at her metal fingers. “I’m looking for Faye! I was told you could help!”
Terry dropped him back into the bath, sending water everywhere. “What do you mean?”
“Faye came here! I was sent to find her!”
She regarded him suspiciously. “What do you mean, here? In this house?”
He stared at her wide eyed. “No...no...not here.” He shook his head furiously. “But she came to Earth.”
“That’s doesn’t make any sense. She was here the last time I saw her.”
“Yes! Yes! But she grew weary of the ocean and she found a portal home! And now she has run off, back here!” He shouted quickly. Seeing how unimpressed she was, he retreated as far back as the bath would allow and threw his hands up. “Please don’t kill me!”
“Who are you?”
“Darius.”
“And who said that I could help you and how to find me?” she asked, holding up her armoured hand. Blue sparks danced over it.
“It was an Alchemist! One of your people! Please! Please!”
“I don’t hear a name...”
“I didn’t ask...”
Terry threw her hand towards the water.
Darius screamed; a piercing sound that made Terry wince. “Please! Please! Don’t! She has gone insane! She wants to flood the planet! Your friend said that you were the only one strong enough to stop her!”
Terry clenched her fist, killing the spark. “What do you mean?”
“That’s why she went home. She said the oceans on this world where poisoned with rubbish and sewage by the humans. She came back to get us to come back to Earth with her, so we could wipe them all out.”
Terry snickered, lowering her arm. “Do you know how stupid that sounds?”
“You have to believe me, please.” He pleaded.
She gave him a long look, which made him winch. If he could have crawled up the walls he would have done, she knew. “How do you know her?”
“We were mates for a time, then she abandoned me.”
She looked the scrawny figure up and down. “To be honest I can see why.” Standing, she folded her arms. “Why should I care that you want her back.”
“It isn’t about that. I told you, she wants to flood the world. She kept rambling on about how mankind is destroying the oceans or something.”
She pointed a finger at him. “You know, it’s bloody funny you show up now after all these years when weird shit starts happen.”
He stared at her blankly. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Get out of the bath and do as you’re told or else I’ll stab you in such a way that you won’t come back.”
The shivering, skinny man could do nothing but give a meek nod.
******
Darius stumbled as Terry gave him a hard shove into the centre of the living room.
Lyle took a sip from his glass of wine as he approached, his eyes checking the scrawny, scraggly man who stood in his presence. “Is this the man you told me about on the phone?” he inquired.
“Yeah, he claims to know Faye. Apparently she’s back from the dead.”
Lyle raised an eyebrow as he stared at the ranging youth who stood before him to his niece. “How do you know that she was ever dead? Just because we have not seen her in several years does not mean that she is dead.”
“Remember she said that she was going to diffuse herself completely into the ocean? I know water elementals can c
ontrol a lot of water but that much diffusion would kill them.”
“I thought so too but not after what I saw her do.” Darius mumbled.
Lyle cast a stern gaze at the youth. “How do you know Faye?”
“We were mates...”
“She left you?”
“No, I left her...” he shook her head, tears filling his eyes. “The things she started saying were unreal. She started to lose all sense of reason.”
“What did she say to you?” Lyle asked.
The young man drew a deep breath to steady his frayed nerves. “Lots of things. She started saying that the humans did not deserve to live, that they were destroying the oceans with trawlers, rubbish, everything. She then started refusing returning to human form...”
“When did she last take human form?” Lyle interjected.
“I don’t know.”
“And why do you want us to help you find her?”
“Because I’m scared of what she would do to me if I went after her alone. I heard she,” he looked at Terry, “was her friend. She would listen to her.”
“And why should I believe any of this?” asked Lyle.
“Why? Why wouldn’t you? I mean you no harm I’m not up to anything.” He rambled, desperation evident in his quivering voice.
“He has a point he’s not done anything wrong.” Terry agreed, looking at her uncle.
Lyle studied the curious man for a minute then asked, “What is your name?”
“Dar...Darius.” he replied, with a weak smile.
Chapter 6
To Catch a Water Elemental
Water lapped gently against the boat as it rocked gently on placid waters. Terry and Connor sat at the one end, Darius at the other. The oars lay abandoned. They had been sitting in the centre of the loch for well over an hour.
“So...why exactly can’t you get in?” Connor asked, repeating the same question he had asked earlier. He scratched a finger against the edge of the boat, picking at the grain.
Darius closed his eyes for a long moment. He looked tired. “I already told you.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t get it.” Connor said. The Pyrovite had been suspicious of the young man since he had first met him the day before.
It was Terry who answered. “He’s scared that if he goes into the water that she’ll kill him because she’s meant to be really super strong now or something now.” She made no attempt to hide the fact that she did not believe him. Her words dripped contempt.
“Shh.” He hissed, looking about warily. “She can hear you.” He said, dropping his voice.
This drew a frown from the sceptical Alchemist. “What makes you so sure that she is even here? This is the fourth loch we’ve been out on. Why shouldn’t this one be empty like the last ones?”
Darius leaned closer, his eyes darting about all directions. “She’s definitely here...I can feel her presence.”
But his counterparts remained doubtful, despite his insistence.
Connor squinted at him. “Wouldn’t she have turned up by now if she was here?”
“Why would she if she’s trying to hide from me?”
“Why would she put up with you if she knew you were following her? And why would she hide if she was pissed off at the world? I thought she wanted to drown everyone.” Terry rebuked.
“Shh!” Darius spat, raising a finger to his mouth. “Stop it! You’ll piss her off!”
“Don’t you tell me to shush. I’ve spent the last day and a half sitting in a boat with you two trying to track down your psycho ex-girlfriend when I could have been doing other things!” Terry retaliated, raising her voice.
“Shut up!” Darius warned, the colour draining from his voice.
But Connor knew her well enough to know that her anger was false. “She has a point.” He joined in, speaking much louder than he needed too. “I should have been at work today but I’ve been wasting my time looking for that nutter.”
“I thought you were friends!” Darius exclaimed, gobsmacked.
“Friends? No way! Faye was always a crazy bitch. I hope the ocean swallowed her whole and we never see her again.”
Terry found it hard not to laugh. Steeling herself she said, “Yeah, I couldn’t have put it better myself. She was a crazy bitch.” Connor was flung into her as a wave slammed into the side of the boat. They were showered as the top half broke over the hull.
Wiping water from his eyes and spitting, Connor said, “I think we got...” A second wave crashed into the tiny vessel from the opposite direction, this time tossing them into the loch.
Terry felt herself sinking. She desperately tried clawing upward but it was no good; the pull of the vortex coupled with her heavy weight conspired to drag her down to the depths. Terry was not a great swimmer because of her metal-calcium bones, but she did not fear water. The microscopic robots in her blood acted quickly to build her a set of gills. Though she could now breathe, she hated the sensation of water in her lungs.
She peered about as she raced down, desperately seeking Connor and Darius, but she saw neither. The vortex was unrelenting and she was beginning to grow dizzy. Growing weary, Terry flung out her hands and threw a large electrical charge free of her body, the power surging through her like a lightning conductor.
It only lasted a few moments, but when she had stopped the vortex had ceased. Terry looked about as she drifted gently downward through calm waters. Then she spotted something in front of her, a short distance away. It appeared black in the poor light of the depths but it was definitely a body. She pushed herself toward it, swimming hard to avoid sinking. Her suspicions were confirmed when she drew close. It was Faye who drifted among the currents, unconscious.
******
Faye screamed as she threw another wave of water at the glass. Not long after they had returned to the estate she had awoken in a terrible rage. A fight had ensued and Terry and Lyle had had to wrestle her into the holding cell that she now lashed out in beneath the mansion. For the last half hour she had battered the reinforced walls with tsunami like waves; again and again; the storm in her heart raging.
Terry returned down a flight of steps, drying her hair with a towel. “Is she still at it?” she asked, as she approached the other three men.
“Yes and she’s been swearing.” Connor said, scratching his black hair, which had been plastered against his head. “A lot.” He added.
“What’s she saying now?” Terry asked, listening to some of the shouting that rang off the walls of the cell. She did not know the native tongue of the water elementals.
“The usual.” Lyle replied as another wave crashed against the perplex glass.
Connor sighed. “Why is she acting like this? I don’t remember her ever being so violent.”
“I know.” Terry admitted, harbouring the same fear. She noticed Darius was standing away from them by a few feet. “Have you tried talking to her?”
Darius stared at her with hunted eyes. He shook his head, his expression meek. “She won’t want to talk to me.”
Terry walked over to him. “Why not?”
“She’s crazy...look at her.”
“You were the one who wanted to find her.” Grabbing him by the arm, she pushed Darius toward the glass with a hard shove. “Try.”
He stared back at her nervously. Terry could see he was shaking. “Now!” she ordered, not giving him an option.
Darius turned his attention to the tank. He hesitated as another wall of water cascaded over the glass; all that separated him from the crazed woman he once loved on the other side. Finally taking a deep breath he shouted. The words he said were lost to Terry, as he spoke in his native language.
The cell suddenly fell eerily silent. Darius gazed in, finding Faye staring at him with icy hard eyes...
Water elementals, looked almost human in appearance bar their startling pale blue eyes, pointed teeth and webbed hands and feet. They had a slight, mottled silver and white pattern that traced their spines - the ruminants of sca
les some believed from an earlier evolution. The species had perfected the art of completely defusing their physical form into H20 molecules without losing their consciousness or killing themselves.
“Why were you following me?” she spat, her hatred raw in her words. They rang off the high walls and ceiling, giving her voice an even harder edge.
Darius felt them cut through him. “I came looking for you to bring you home. I’m worried about you, everyone is.”
“Liar. You have come to kill me! You were always jealous of my power!”
“What power? Faye this has to stop. Please, come home. There are people who can help you.” He pleaded with tears in his eyes.
“Not until I have finished here. Let me out of this tank and I promise I will not kill you.”
Darius whimpered, shocked by the words of his former lover.
“Faye.” Terry said, stepping up to Darius’s side. Even she was shocked by what she had just heard.
“Alchemist.” Faye said coolly, inclining her chin but there was no kindness in her voice.
“It’s been a long time.”
Faye gave a curt nod and nothing more.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Terry asked, folding her arms.
“It does not concern any of you.”
“Really?” she began pacing along the edge of the glass. “This week two people have tried to kill me, your boyfriend here broke into my house and there have been a number of portals opening from Santerria. And Darius claims you only came back here six days ago.” She turned to face Faye. “It’s very strange that you decided to come back now. I’m not stupid. What is really going on?”
“I know nothing about what you’re talking about. I came here to destroy mankind.”
Terry flicked a glance ad Darius. “So he’s telling the truth then? About that part?”
“Yes.” She said, a proud smirk creeping across her face and all Terry could see was evil.
“Why are you wanting to do this? What happened back home?” Connor asked.
Faye scoffed. “What do you mean? Nothing happened. I came here after none of my brethren backed my cause.” Her eyes fixed on Darius. “But he was sent to kill me. The others said that they would kill me if I tried to do what I wanted.”