Jade said, “Shh…she’s still talking.”
“I do bequeath any Gift of the Universe that ever belonged to the Death Keepers and is in my possession to Wayne, leader of the Bend, Oregon Keepers. Any gift provided to me as an Elemental from the Universe will pass to my family as the Universe sees fit. This oath is binding until the day I die and can not be reversed or changed. Upon my death, such Gifts will pass in accordance to the Gifting Laws.”
A ripple passed through the group. Harold said, “To me. Bequeath it to me and not just the gifts that once belonged to the Death Keepers. We want all the power you possess.”
Bertha lifted a withered hand and adjusted her glasses, “Do you want this to work? Because I can’t in good conscience give Gifts passed down through the Elements.”
The man with the silver hair said, “Don’t get greedy. We are here for the gift of Time, not to take her powers over the Elements.”
Jade repeated everything for Raven.
That was the problem with Keepers. For them, it was power over something. One thing the Elementals learned early was that working with Elements was a compromise. The Elements weren’t bound as slaves to an Elemental. They were partners. They were friends.
“Either way, it’s done. I couldn’t change it even if I wanted to, and I don’t,” Aunt Bertha said. She sounded tired.
“Three months to live isn’t a long time,” Harold said. “If you cheated us out of our Gift, we’ll know shortly”
Three months? Jade gasped, “What?”
Raven sat up, “Why? What did you hear?”
Jade said, “Shhh…I’m listening.”
Aunt Bertha walked out of the circle, leaning on the arm of the silver-haired fellow. She said, “They say six months, but I’m tough.”
Harold gave a deep sigh, all a pretense at caring. It was obvious he secretly relished Aunt Bertha’s downfall. He said, “We’re Death Keepers, Bertha. Three months. Better get your affairs in order.”
Jade pulled away from Air, shocked at the jarring sensation of experiencing the world through Air’s strange senses and then suddenly returning to her own.
Tears filled Jade’s eyes. She couldn’t do this without Aunt Bertha. It was hard enough without Mom. She said, “I’m not sure if I should tell you, but I can’t keep it to myself. Harold told Aunt Bertha she only had three months to live. She knows something, too.”
Claire knocked on the door to the bedroom, “Are you guys almost done? It’s nine o’clock.”
Raven put a finger to her mouth, “We keep this between us. Aunt Bertha will tell us when she’s ready.”
Jade agreed. Standing up, she felt unsteady on her feet. “We need Mom. At least we know without a doubt that the Keepers have her. I wish we could kidnap one of them and trade.”
It wasn’t a bad idea, Raven thought. But that would mean one of the Gray sisters would have to be a psycho kidnapper like the Keepers. Raven’s opinion of the Keepers dropped every time she had dealings with them.
Raven thought of the Void. She had been so close. Hatching a plan, Raven decided that on their Spirit-Walk, she would face the Void head-on, and demand clear instructions on how to rescue her Mom. Maybe the Void would help. One thing Raven and the Void Master could agree on.
Neither one liked the Keepers.
Chapter 7
~~ Jade ~~
It was the kind of week that dragged on and on. Jade had a Precalculus test on Tuesday that went horribly wrong. For Jade that meant a B-. Between volleyball and taking care of Mindy and worrying about Bertha and Raven, Jade couldn’t focus on studying.
Finally Saturday arrived.
She played a decent game on Saturday, her serves sailing to the back of the court, and she slammed an ace at the front of the net. Jade loved the games, but she was nervous for her date and eager for the game to be over. They won in four rounds.
Jade scanned the bleachers for Zach. He waved from the top. Blushing, Jade waved back. She followed the team into the locker room. Most of them would head home without changing.
Jade didn’t feel good about herself when she looked in the mirror. She wore a green silk blouse and jeans. The blouse belonged to Raven. Jade brushed her hair and put on mascara and lip gloss. She hardly ever wore makeup. Staring at herself in the mirror, she felt ugly.
With a sigh, Jade threw the mascara into her bag. She thought about hiding in the locker room for another ten minutes. Feeling a bundle of nerves, Jade left through the inner door back into the gym. It had cleared out quickly with only a few parents and teachers staying to chat.
Zach stood, an easy grin welcoming her.
“Good game,” he said, reaching for her bag, “Here, let me take that.”
Jade felt a little odd handing him her gym bag. She always felt like the loner girl who didn’t need anyone, but she wanted him to like her, so much. She handed over her bag with a shy smile.
“Thanks,” she said.
Jade tried to think of something witty or clever to say, anything to carry the conversation further. They talked easily enough during chemistry, but now she felt awkward and uncertain.
Zach hefted her bag over a shoulder and smiled at Jade, “John agreed to let me use the car. Star Wars, it is.”
He held out his other hand. Jade smiled shyly and put her hand in his. His hand was warm. She’d never held hands with a boy before. They hadn’t even technically started the date yet.
The drive to Barton went well. They talked about music and books, favorite movies and television shows. Jade realized that she really liked Zach. Her nerves were gone, and she just enjoyed hanging out with him.
After Zach bought the tickets, they stood in line for popcorn and sodas. Jade ordered Coke. She was grinning from ear to ear as Zach cracked one joke after another. Her grin only faded slightly when she saw Danika waltz in with two of her friends, both popular girls from school.
If Zach noticed Danika, he didn’t show it. Jade forced herself to focus on Zach and ignore Danika. They weren’t in school, so she probably would just pretend she didn’t know Jade, anyway.
They picked seats in the middle of the theatre. There were still plenty of seats open, so they were able to choose the best. Danika led her friends down the aisle. She didn’t pick a random good seat. Instead, Danika came down the row where Zach and Jade were sitting, Jade heard her and turned.
Danika dropped into the seat beside Jade, “So, you kids out on a date? It’ll be the talk of the school tomorrow.”
Jade would usually slink off without saying a word. She was trapped between Zach and Danika. Zach answered for her, “Look, I may be the new guy, but what you’re doing right now is fifth grade. Go find your own row to sit in.”
Danika shrugged and stood.
Somehow Danika managed to nudge Jade’s coke as she stood. Jade had been holding it while she talked to Zach. The coke fell, dumping soda all over Jade’s blouse. Raven was going to kill her.
Danika put a hand to her mouth in faux horror. She was almost believable when she said, “Jade, I’m so sorry. I’m so clumsy. Do you want me to buy you another one?”
Jade mumbled, “No, that’s okay.”
She wanted to be tough. She wanted to say something funny or mean, anything but mumble and grovel like a loser, but Jade wasn’t good with confrontation. It was Zach who said, “Yes. Buy her another coke, and then find somewhere else to sit.”
Jade wanted to crawl under her seat. She should have let Aunt Bertha do the Spirit Walk camping thing tonight. Now she was covered in sticky soda and wouldn’t feel clean for another four hours.
Zach said, “I’m really sorry. Do you want to try for another night?”
Jade always had some kind of event, a game or practice or a test to study for. She said, “I’ve been wanting to watch this for a while.
Seeing Danika slip into a seat five rows down, Zach leaned over, “Looks like she’s not getting you another. I’ll be right back.”
Zach slipped out, leaving as th
e advertisements clanged across the screen. Fire whispered, I can take away the cold.
Jade felt a thrill of excitement. Fire so rarely spoke, so rarely offered her service.
Yes.
As soon as Jade said the word, Fire blossomed along her skin, spreading warmth where the Coke had soaked through. It was a blessed relief. Jade thanked Fire in her mind. Danika’s giggling hyena laugh annoyed Jade. Danika was on her phone. Jade tried to ignore Danika. When Matt, Danika’s on-and-off boyfriend joined her, Jade watched while she pointed her finger directly back to Jade, and everyone laughed.
Jade didn’t tell Fire to do anything. She would swear she hadn’t let the slightest thought slip, but suddenly Danika was screaming. Her phone had caught fire, and it was quite a blaze.
Matt grabbed it out of Danika’s hands and threw it on the ground, stomping it.
Jade heard Fire’s defensive plea, I didn’t hurt her.
Also she remembered something Bertha had told all the girls when they were very young. The Elements will play with you. They will love you. But they are free. You can only hurt their feelings so many times before you will find yourself abandoned.
Jade whispered, Thank you. Danika isn’t hurt and it was funny.
And it was. Danika was still screeching. She yelled at Matt, “You broke it.”
“It was on fire, Danika,” Matt said. Jade could see why they kept breaking up. As far as Danika was concerned, Matt was just a hot body and a cute face. Jade wondered why Matt couldn’t see through her. Pretty much any girl in the school was a better choice than Danika.
Zach was back.
Jade didn’t mention Danika’s phone. Having some sense of guilt that she didn’t stop Fire in time, Jade was glad that most of the excitement over the burning phone was over. The theater smelled like an electronic fire and Danika and Matt argued in hissed undertones.
Zach handed her a new drink. A few moments later, the first preview started. “Just in time,” he said.
Jade longed to take his hand. If only she were brave enough.
Fire giggled.
He’s thinking exactly the same thing. He wants to kiss you.
Surprised out of her reverie, Jade quietly reached over and took Zach’s hand. It felt like coming home. The long familiar John Williams’ opening started just at that moment, and Jade felt such a strange longing and excitement that she wondered if she was going crazy.
Fire whispered in Jade’s mind. Make him wait for his kiss. A long-lasting fire burns slowly.
Jade was glad the movie was interesting, because she sure didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about a relationship that had only just started. She liked Zach. Feelings bubbled up that indicated she might be falling for him.
The movie was great. They held hands the whole time.
At the end of the movie, Zach and Jade went out for ice cream.
Jade listened to Fire’s advice in a way she would never have listened to her mother’s. They didn’t kiss that night. Zach would have to wait.
~~ Aunt Bertha ~~
It was hard waiting for Jade to come home.
Aunt Bertha puttered around the house all day long, dusting in the living room, adding a few more camping supplies. Autumn could be cold in the mountains. Bertha’s gift gave her some knowledge of the various weather cycles. This weekend would be a warm one.
The worst part was the fluttery fear that everything would change. Raven and Jade were already treating her like an invalid. If they saw her lift something, one of them would say, “Here, let me get that for you.” Sometimes she really appreciated it. When a person’s body rebelled, it was amazing the vast exhaustion and the impossibility one felt about moving across the room. Something that was easy a year ago felt like climbing Mount Everest now.
As the afternoon wore to evening, Aunt Bertha took stock of her life. She’d never married or given birth. That was something she obviously couldn’t go back and change. Somehow she’d always been busy doing one thing or another. The days passed in a blur and here she was at the end with nothing to show. The melancholy thought that she could have enjoyed another eighty years crossed her mind.
Regardless of what the Death Keepers thought, Aunt Bertha did not control Time. Not only did she lack the gift, but she had no idea where it had gone after Amy. She knew that at one point Amy carried the gift of Time because her niece had confided in her. Aunt Bertha had shut that down right away, telling Amy not to ever speak of it again and certainly not to tell anyone that she had it. That road spelled disaster.
She had to protect the girls, to warn them. Every gift came with the heavy weight of responsibility. They had already paid some of the cost with the loss of their father.
At eleven o’clock Jade finally made it home.
Aunt Bertha greeted her with a hug, “How did it go? As if I need to ask…”
“I think he likes me,” Jade was grinning from ear to ear. Aunt Bertha knew a few things about that young man Jade was seeing. She kept them to herself.
“Just take it slow,” Aunt Bertha cautioned Jade while she fervently wished that Amy were there to see her first daughter growing up. Missing a first date probably wasn’t quite as devastating as missing first steps or first words, but Amy would have wanted to be there.
“I will. Fire said the same thing,” Still smiling, Jade said, “Is there anything you need me to get ready for tomorrow?”
Bertha loved Fire for slowing Jade down.
Fire was precious to Bertha in a way that no one else could understand. Fire checked in every now and then to see how Bertha was faring. It was Fire who told Bertha to go to the doctor and Fire who warned of a renewed interest in the Gray family secrets seven years ago when everything fell apart.
Bertha hated the thought that tomorrow morning would bring sorrow to her girls. She said, “The girls got everything gathered up for me. I just needed to supervise. It’s long past my bedtime. Let’s get to sleep and get an early start tomorrow.”
That night Bertha drifted in and out of sleep. The pain was unbearable at times. She cried quietly. When she shivered, Fire warmed her blankets. Of all of the Elements, Fire was the kindest. Bertha wasn’t sure why…because Fire was often the most devastating when she acted.
After hours of waiting, the first sliver of sunshine broke through the trees.
Jade drove while Bertha gave directions. The morning was crisp and clear, and the girls chattered enthusiastically. They weren’t going far. The surrounding mountains had quiet places to camp, and Bertha planned on taking them to a quiet mountain sacred to the Elementals. The Elements tended to be ruthless in protection of it.
During the autumn it was deer season, and the hunters would be out. Bertha sighed. She should have brought the girls on their Spirit Walk in the summer. Bertha knew she was worrying for nothing. The Elements would keep the mountain quiet.
A ring of stones twice the height of a person and as wide as a car ringed the campground where Bertha suggested they set up camp.
“I didn’t know we had Stonehenge in Washington State,” Claire said, wandering around the stones and running her hand along the smooth surface.
“No one knows,” Aunt Bertha raised her hands and turned slowly in a circle, “They are sacred to us. This mountain is impossible to find except for Elementals. To those who need it, it is accessible on any continent.”
Dragging a pair of chairs to the circle, Raven said, “So why don’t we just leave this Gift everyone is looking for here? Let the Elements protect it in secret.”
“The Gift of Time isn’t an Elemental Gift. We are just holding it. If we left it here for more than a few days, the Void and Death Keepers would flock to this mountain, and I can assure you, our sacred space would be lost for centuries if not forever.” Aunt Bertha carefully lowered herself into the chair. She didn’t trust those unfolding chairs much, but at least they didn’t tip.
Raven paused for a moment. She didn’t want to miss anything while they were setting up camp.
She said, “What are we doing here? Mom never lets us miss school, not unless we’re really sick.”
“This is important. Get the camp set up and we’ll talk more,” Aunt Bertha could see that Claire and Jade were also hanging close, hoping to hear Aunt Bertha answer Raven’s question. Mindy was bringing two more chairs from the car. Once she knew what task was expected of her, she was diligent.
Aunt Bertha watched while Jade and Raven set up the tent. In the past they would have squabbled over how to set it up or who should do what part, but today they seemed to sense the importance of the day.
Only Mindy seemed un-enchanted by the mountain. Aunt Bertha suspected that Mindy perhaps lived in a depth of sacredness that made every space sacred. Earth cared for Mindy in a way that none of the other Elements cared for their Elementals, not that Bertha had seen anyway.
No, Mindy was special.
As if she had heard Bertha’s thoughts, Mindy looked up and smiled. Aunt Bertha smiled back. Raven finished staking her side of the tent and walked back to the car to get the second tent. Mindy shrank back. Bertha hoped that this weekend would stop that. She didn’t know how Mindy could read Raven’s plight as well as she could, but Bertha knew that Mindy understood how deeply Raven was compromised. Bertha saw it, too. And it had to be dealt with.
Soon.
The tents were set up and a modest fire started. The girls ate turkey sandwiches and chips, chattering happily about Jade and her boyfriend, the awesomeness of camping out, and what strange new wonders the Spirit Quest would bring.
Aunt Bertha wasn’t sure herself. It had been six decades since her own spirit quest.
When they were finished eating, Bertha said, “Draw around the fire. There are things we need to discuss.”
Mindy sat in a chair between Bertha and Jade. Raven respected Mindy’s need for distance. Her chair was opposite of Mindy’s and further away from the fire than anyone else’s.
A Time to Die (Elemental Rage Book 2) Page 7