elemental 04 - cyclone

by Ladd, Larissa

  “Your grandmother spoke to me at length about this bequest, because it was a major change to her will, and made it so that she had to alter the other bequests accordingly to be fair,” the older man said, setting the paperwork down. He glanced at the others in the room before settling his gaze once more on Aira. “She felt that since you spent so much time in the house, and because of your…situation…it would be a good idea for you to have it to yourself. She hoped it would help you attain some stability in life.” Aira sat down without remembering when she had stood up. She looked at her mother in surprise. She’d had no idea of the change, not even an inkling. Apparently, her aunts and uncles were unaware of it as well. The attorney cleared his throat. “The bequest is completely valid and as the executor of the will, I would resist any attempts to challenge the provision laid out in this article.” There was a little more grumbling, but it gradually subsided and Aira was left more or less to her own thoughts as the man continued with the reading, outlining the last of the property bequests, the debts, and all of the other details that went along with her grandmother’s passing.

  Aira left the attorney’s office as quickly as possible, walking outside to Aiden and Dylan. “She left me the house,” she said to them blankly, shaking her head. “I have to live there three months a year and I can’t sell it to anyone but a family member.” Dylan raised an eyebrow and Aiden stared at her in undisguised shock.

  “What are you going to do?” Dylan asked her.

  Aira shrugged.

  “I’m going to let them probate the will and deal with the provision of living in the house later. For right now I’m going to get the hell out of dodge until my aunts and uncles cool off about it.” Aira had taken one of the attorney’s cards, knowing that because she was named in the will, she would need to be in touch with him as the document was processed and put through. The twenty thousand dollars would more than take care of the upkeep of the house, as well as the property taxes, though Aira wondered about more complicated issues of estate taxes and other financial burdens. She reminded herself that she made sufficient money to cover it as she got into the car on the passenger side and stared out the window. She heard the wind rustling through the trees and didn’t bother to suppress it, her mind too occupied on the incredible change in her fortunes—for better as well as for worse.

  They drove back to Aira’s grandmother’s house—now Aira’s house, she thought with startling realization. As they sat at the kitchen table, she looked around, considering all of the possessions that would soon be gone. She would collect them and give them to her grandmother’s lawyer to distribute in his role as the executor. Dylan stood and began to make tea while Aira tried to wrap her head around the incredible bequest. Part of her didn’t think she would ever be fully comfortable living in the house, while another part was pleased and honored her grandmother had bequeathed it to her. There was so much she had to adapt to, so much she had to understand and accept. Aira stood after a few long moments, feeling restless. She needed to clear her mind and think about the new issues afresh and a walk seemed like the best way to do that.

  The intense, floral scent of the garden in bloom colored the air as Aira stepped out into the warm afternoon, looking around at the property with a slightly different vision than she’d ever had in her life before. She knew that nothing had fundamentally changed in the few hours she had been away; but knowing that she was now responsible for the property, that she was its owner, made everything look almost deliriously vibrant. The grass was a deep, robust green, the flowers a riot of colors: orange and red, pink and fuchsia, creamy white, lemon yellow, and deep crimsons painting themselves across her gaze. Aira wandered around the property, shaking her head occasionally at the completely bizarre fact that, with only a few legal hurdles, she was the owner of all of it. She knew on paper the house and land actually had very little value—but the energy of the place was vitally important, and Aira could understand objectively why her grandmother had stipulated that no one outside of the family should own it. She thought to herself as she climbed a tree the difficult way, instead of flying up to a preferred branch, that as a potential candidate for ruler of the element of air, it made sense in some respects that the house had come to her. She sat in the green, cool depths of the fig tree, resting her head against the trunk.

  Aira dozed; she was startled by a falling sensation but caught herself before she tumbled off of the branch, latching onto the trunk of the tree as her heart pounded.

  “Aira?” She heard Aiden calling her name. It did nothing to settle the frantic beating in her chest. The wind began to rise. Aira struggled to get it under control, taking a few slow, deep breaths. Aiden called her name again. The wind continued to rise and Aira felt a sudden fear of her own element—of the fact that she was not fully in control. For the first time since she had begun to manipulate and control the wind, she was prey to it, not master of it. She reached out with her mind more steadily, focusing down, ignoring even the sound of Aiden’s voice in the need to maintain her hold on what was real, on what she knew she was capable of. Aira gripped the tree tightly, closing her eyes and forcing her breathing to an even slower, steadier pace, willing the wind to obey her commands, to follow her example.

  After one terrifying moment, the wind began to die down instead of escalate, and Aira sighed, reinforcing her will over it. She opened her eyes and relaxed slightly as her pulse slowly returned to normal. Aiden was still calling her. She considered remaining hidden, but knew that would be cowardly. If he was actively looking for her, it could be something important. Her own jumbled feelings toward him were something she could deal with another time—when things were somewhat normal once more. She climbed down, dropping from the lowest branch and walking out into a more landscaped part of the property. Aiden had his back turned to her, and for a moment Aira’s maelstrom of emotions centered on annoyance at the elemental, and she entertained the notion of using a gust of wind to give him a shove. The thought gave her pause and she stopped mid-step. Aiden annoyed her, certainly—he somehow managed to touch on every last one of her nerves—but he wasn’t doing anything to actively annoy her in the moment, and she heard her grandmother’s voice in her mind, asking if she hadn’t managed to outgrow such childish pranks.

  Aira cast the thought away and emerged from the brambles guarding the grove of fig and mayhaw trees, calling out in response to Aiden. He turned and spotted her, his eyes lighting up with recognition before falling back into concerned, almost solemn lines. “There’s a messenger for you,” Aiden said, looking away for a moment. “It’s from the elders.” Aira’s stomach dropped, she bit sharply on her bottom lip. A messenger from the elemental elders was a rare thing—and even more rarely was it a good thing. Generally speaking, if the elders contacted an elemental directly, they had come to the conclusion there was a problem. Aira wondered just what kind of problem they thought she was.

  She half-ran from the isolated corner of the property, Aiden jogging at her side as Aira made her way to the front of the house, compulsively smoothing her hair and brushing at her clothes with her hands, as anxious as she had been the few times she had been called to the principal’s office as a child. Aira glanced at Aiden nervously as she opened the screen door and then the main door beyond it, trying to assemble as much courage and composure as she could.

  The man sitting at the kitchen table was dressed in a fine, but utterly nondescript, gray suit. His features were bland, his eyes the only thing that gave a hint at his otherworldly nature. As he turned to look at Aira, she was drawn into the gaze of his deep, dark blue eyes, the words of greeting she had on the tip of her tongue only a moment before completely forgotten. She swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat, taking a deep breath. “Ah, Aira,” the man said, smiling faintly. “I’m glad Aiden was able to find you.” Aira nodded, forcing herself to move, to take the few steps into the kitchen. She sat down across from the messenger; Dylan unobtrusively brought her and the man both cups of tea,
and Aira spared Dylan a grateful glance.

  “We haven’t met; may I have your name? And what brings you?” The man’s dark eyes lightened slightly as his smile grew.

  “My name is Daley,” he said, tilting his head forward slightly. “I’m here for a few reasons. The first is that, obviously, the elders are very saddened by the loss of your grandmother. I’m informed that she told you of her status as the Regina Undinae before her passing.” Aira nodded. “We currently have no one to replace her position—and there is, of course, the more pressing issue of the long-vacant role of the elemental ruler of air, which she would have told you about.” Aira nodded again, trying to restrain the dreadful feeling building under the surface. Outside, the wind began to rise again. She wondered what kind of elemental Daley was—elders’ messengers were all elementals, old families of a particular faction. They were not just messengers, they were also responsible for apprehending irresponsible and dangerous elementals. She knew Aiden and Dylan had worked in tandem with the elders’ messengers before.

  “There has been some discussion about the possibility of you becoming the ruler for your element—the Regina Sylphaea. I’m sure you’re aware the elders have never been quite…confident of your ability to remain a stable elemental, which is of vital importance for such a role in our world. As a result, one of the elders wanted me to advise you that your testing, your trials, will be much more rigorous than the average.” Aira sipped at her tea, considering the importance of what the man was saying. She forced herself to count to five slowly before she reacted.

  “I can appreciate the doubts. I know my grandmother had her own concerns about my stability.” She met the man’s gaze steadily.

  “There is also a bit of concern that has arisen over the fact that they are on the verge of making a decision as to who should rule your element. There are several families—and individuals from families—that have a vested interest in either your ascension to the position, or your removal from consideration.” Aira heard the oblique warning in the man’s voice. “It’s good that you have Aiden and Dylan for the purpose of your protection. But be advised, you will need to remain alert, especially if you are away from your grandmother’s property.”

  “I am actually planning on leaving and returning to my other home within a few days. Would you advise me against it?”

  Daley shrugged slightly, sipping his own tea. “Even staying here, you would need to remain alert. There’s a great deal of protective magic here, but I’m afraid the elders feel you’re not even safe on this property.”

  Aira set her jaw.

  “The shift in the balance of power puts many of the top elemental families on edge—they’ve become comfortable in their influence. A new ruler of the air element will quite likely change the kind of authority they have.”

  Aira nodded, even though she didn’t quite understand.

  “Please be careful in your travels. And keep the other advisory about your trials and testing in mind as well. It’s nothing personal, Aira.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Generally when someone feels the need to tell me it’s nothing personal, that’s an indication that something very personal indeed is intended.”

  Daley chuckled slightly. “To answer the question you haven’t let yourself ask yet, I am a water elemental,” Daley said, standing abruptly. “The next messenger you receive from the elders—and every one after that—will be an air elemental.” He glanced at the two brothers. “Regardless of Aira’s ultimate fate—whether she will become the ruler of her element or not—the elders appreciate the care you’ve taken in protecting her.”

  Aira felt a sharp, sudden suspicion. They were her bodyguards, but were Aiden and Dylan also there to monitor her? To help make the decision as to whether she was an unstable elemental—irredeemably so? She suppressed the idea, standing to shake Daley’s hand before he left. She had a great deal of food for thought.

  CHAPTER 3

  WITHIN A FEW DAYS, AIRA, Aiden and Dylan were ready to leave the house. There had been details to take care of regarding her grandmother’s estate and there would be ongoing details related to it, but the attorney assured Aira as long as she was reachable by phone or email, she didn’t need to actually be present. It was a relief. With the looming threat of her trials and testing hanging over her head, there was something mildly oppressive about her grandmother’s house. She would feel more comfortable in her own apartment.

  Aira had made certain the items each of her family members were supposed to have from the house were in their hands by the evening before she planned to leave. The morning of her departure was spent making sure the house was properly shut down for a long absence. While she would have to return later in the year, probably more than once, she didn’t know when that would be. So she, Aiden, and Dylan went around making sure that the garden was in a stable state—though Aira thought with a stab of guilty conscience, it would likely be overrun with weeds by the time she returned. They set everything to vacation mode, adjusting the thermostat, unplugging things that wouldn’t need to be used, and programming the water heater. Aiden had purchased timers for the electrical sockets from the hardware store to program some of the lights inside of the house to come on for several hours in the evening, shutting of automatically, to make some indication of life for any would-be burglars. The security lights outside were on automatic as well.

  The house was fairly weather-proofed, so with a few cleaning chores, they finished closing down the house for the several months Aira would be away. In the early afternoon, Aira found herself in a position that was becoming all too familiar: having to choose which of the two brothers she would ride with first. It seemed to Aira that it didn’t matter if one of the cars was hers; Aiden always took up his position in her car, leaving the vehicle he and Dylan both owned to his brother. Aira was feeling restless.

  “Look, let’s just flip a coin and I’ll go with whoever wins,” she said, feeling her irritation rise. She wanted to ride with Dylan—he was a more pleasant companion for the trip—but she didn’t enjoy the idea of being out of her own car.

  Dylan produced a quarter and flipped it; Aiden called heads and lost. Aira loaded the last of her luggage into the other car, feeling irritated in spite of the fact that the coin toss had been her idea. She knew it was perverse of her to want to be in her own car no matter what, but that didn’t stop her from commenting on the issue to Dylan.

  “Why is it always Aiden who gets my car?” she asked as she buckled herself into the passenger seat. “Doesn’t it ever bother you?”

  Dylan shrugged, buckling in and starting the car. “Your car would be more likely to be attacked. Aiden’s more solid in his abilities than I am, so he can handle an attack a little better. Also, this is our car—it’s kind of nice to be the one who drives it most. That’s not usually the case when he and I have to share something.”

  Aira rolled her eyes. “Sometimes the degree to which you’re willing to go along with Aiden is annoying.”

  Dylan chuckled. “Oh trust me, when it comes to things that are important to me, I’m fully aware that water beats fire every time.”

  Aira plugged in her phone and scrolled through her music. “At least you have the decency to enjoy the same music I do,” she said, selecting a slightly melancholy Elliott Smith album and turning it on. A memory flitted through her mind—Aiden, in the moments before they had had sex together, telling her that she could listen to whatever she wanted except for Elliott Smith. Aira blushed and shook the image from her mind. As they pulled away from her grandmother’s house, Aira was almost surprised to realize how much she was going to miss the place. Even if it had begun to become slightly oppressive to her, reminding her of her grief and uncertainty, it had a homelike feel to it Aira knew she would never find anywhere else. It was comforting to know she could come back to it whenever she wanted.

  At the first rest stop they came to, Dylan and Aiden informed Aira she would be switching cars; it was no longer a request or an
option, it was a necessity. Aira’s temper flared at both men.

  “What do you mean, I have to switch cars? If I want to take over driving from Dylan, I can do that.” She looked from Aiden to Dylan, deciding that in spite of knowing both men were responsible for the demand, it was Aiden she was more irritated at—even if it was for no other reason than she was generally frustrated with him. Her feelings towards him were a confusing welter of affection and resentment, fear and lust.

  “It’s not the same situation as before,” Aiden said firmly. “People aren’t just going to be wanting you to marry into their families; they’re going to want you dead. And more of them now than before you became a contender for the elemental throne. Now you’re going to have air elementals after you too.”

  Aira clenched her teeth, her annoyance at the situation rising. The air began to churn around them, swirling through the rest stop parking lot.

  “Just how am I going to be in any different a situation in my own car? Which, by the way, you two have both told me is more likely to be attacked than the other car?”

  Dylan glanced at his brother.

  “By switching up at every rest stop, we’re hoping if someone is pursuing, they might not know which car you’re in.”

  Aira growled lowly in her throat. “If someone is pursuing, they’re going to be watching us at every stop—they’ll know which car I’m in.”

  Aiden scowled. “They might be pursuing at a distance. If you didn’t find it necessary to argue with every idea we come up with, we could switch you between cars quickly enough that someone not directly behind us wouldn’t know.”

  The wind picked up as she stood there, losing control of her temper. She knew instinctively Aiden was too experienced with her persuasive wiles to be an easy target, particularly when he was in the obstinate state of mind he was currently in. She turned her attention to Dylan. He’d trained himself to resist her, but if she caught him off-guard, she might succeed in getting around the mental barrier.