Aira held eye contact with Aiden and brought her will to the front of her mind. She pushed out with her mind, pressing against Aiden’s mind silently for a long moment. She felt his resistance to her prod, his fiery energy guarding against the force of her mind. Aira threw another gust at him to deflect the move he made with his sword, still holding his gaze as she called upon deep reserves of her own will. She had never tried this hard to pit her will against his—even her previous attempts, she had only just barely scratched the surface of her ability to persuade, the instinctive compulsion that she had been gifted with. “Drop the sword,” she said, twisting her words with her voice until they became almost substance. She pressed her will against Aiden’s mind as firmly as she could, feeling a burning sensation deep in her skull as she worked her way through his mental shield.
There was a look of confusion on Aiden’s face—a brief flicker of his own will rising up in his bright blue eyes—and then the sword fell from his hand, flicking into nothingness as it disconnected from the source of its existence and hit the ground. A slight smell of ozone and scorched grass filled the air, but there was no sign of burning, no indication that fire had ever been present. Aiden stared at Aira in perplexity for a long moment before she withdrew her will, snapping the bond she had made with his mind abruptly. He sagged slightly, his hand going to his forehead, and Aira felt slightly guilty for what she had done. She could have, possibly, gone about her self-defense another way. She could have brought the wind to bear on him in such a way that he couldn’t dodge it, or could have trapped him in a vortex.
“I’m sorry,” she said, feeling almost horrified at the way she had deliberately pushed past the shield her grandmother had cultivated in him; now that she knew she could do it, it would be too tempting to worm her way in the next time her opportunistic side wanted to manipulate him into doing something she wanted.
“Don’t be sorry,” Dylan said, walking up to the two of them; it was clear that the sparring session was over for the moment at least. “When you’re in that moment in real life, I’d say it’s perfectly within your options to do that to another air elemental who wants you dead.”
Aiden shook his head, smiling at his younger brother. “Yeah, don’t even think for a second that they’re not going to try it on you. Don’t feel bad about it.”
Aira shrugged it off, but she felt a sneaking, suspicious guilt that it would be too easy to remember exactly how she had gotten past Aiden’s barrier at exactly the wrong moment.
CHAPTER 6
AIDEN HAD ALWAYS FELT A little animosity towards the messengers the elemental elders employed. The woman who came to Aira’s apartment, introducing herself as Saoirse, was no exclusion to the rule in spite of the charm she oozed. He had been wary of any air elemental other than Aira—and after the complication of having sex with her, Aiden had been wary of her as well—ever since the incident with Alex and Dolores. The woman was diminutive, darkly brunette, with all of the worst qualities associated with air elementals – a chatterbox and a little too sprightly.
“I was so excited when they said that I was going to be bringing your summons to you,” the woman said to Aira, who was looking over the papers Saoirse had brought with her. “Your grandmother was such a hero to my family; she was legendary. So, of course we’re really excited to know that you’re up for the title.”
Aiden fought down his sense of irritation at the woman. It was the high elemental energy in her that made her the way she was, he reminded himself firmly. Aira’s not like that, though, and she’s got more power in her little finger than this stupid bitch has in her whole body.
Aiden checked himself; he had been feeling conflicted towards Aira ever since their instance together. He knew it wasn’t fair to expect anything from her, but in spite of himself he resented that she wouldn’t even talk to him about what had happened between them. His sense of lust, driven by the elemental fire that was as much a part of him as anything else, was constantly rising in her presence. He couldn’t forget the way her body had felt underneath his, next to his, her limbs tangled with his as they went from orgasm to holding each other to renewed arousal. He couldn’t do anything about it—he knew Aira’s life was far more complicated than his, knew she was trapped in a situation that he did not even remotely envy. He had heard her crying in the night when she thought everyone was asleep, heard the wind howling outside, the unrest echoing his own sense of rumbling discontent.
He hadn’t anticipated the leaps and bounds that Aira had developed as an elemental when they had started training together a week before. He smiled to himself, remembering the surprises she had managed to pull out—spells he hadn’t seen any other elemental perform. In response to his fire sword, when she was on the offensive, Aira conjured up a bow and arrows from her air-aligned energy, firing at him with devastating accuracy. He had been hard-pressed to evade or destroy them all as they flew at him, bright, sunshiny yellow and crackling with electric energy.
He was called out of his conflicted thoughts by Aira handing him the papers she had been reading. “Aira: As we are sure you are aware, your grandmother’s passing has introduced a power vacuum that cannot be tolerated for any length of time among the elementals. Because of your strength and family ties, you have been nominated for the position of Regina Sylphaea, the ruler of the element of air. Due to the seriousness of the responsibilities associated with this position, we must test all contenders rigorously. We will be testing you over the next several weeks. The following pages have instructions for where you should be on particular dates and at particular times. We have had grave concerns about your ability to maintain stability as an elemental, particularly one of such an unstable alignment; because of this, the testing that you and your competitors will endure will be particularly strenuous. We hope you understand that there is no personal malice in this.” Aiden rolled his eyes. He knew Aira made the elders very nervous. Very nervous indeed. She would have to either be capable of rising to the position of elemental ruler, or she would have to be put to death.
Saoirse was chattering on, the high-pitched sound of her voice irritating Aiden. He wondered how Dylan and Aira could tolerate it. He flipped to the pages detailing what the trials would be hoping to focus to a point of drowning Saoirse out.
As they had suspected, there were several physical trials included, along with trials that would test her competency and emotional balance. Aiden suspected there were other things that would be happening to Aira in the midst of the proceedings. The elders would have more up their sleeves than they had deigned to inform her of. But the official recognition and information that she was in contention to rule her element was an important step; it meant, at least, that they had enough faith in her to not order her to be killed outright.
While Aiden knew Aira viewed the elders with suspicion, he and his brother had deeper reasons to have a near-aversion to the group. They had been sent, on more than one occasion, to apprehend elementals who were a danger to themselves, to regular humans, and to the elemental community. He looked over at Aira. Since her grandmother’s death she had been more flighty, more temperamental than usual. He knew she was struggling to understand and control her gift for persuasion, and that she felt intense guilt whenever she used it for anything other than self-preservation. But that guilt hadn’t always stopped her from using it in the heat of an argument or when she was feeling particularly feisty. He tried to turn his attention back to the paperwork, rather than onto the woman he knew he couldn’t have. The last page included names of other contenders for the position. The first of the trials would be in a few days, not enough time to substantively prepare, but enough time that Aiden and Dylan could tell Aira what they knew about who she would be up against. It would give her something of an edge. With pride, Aiden realized that while everyone would know Aira was a strong elemental—potentially the strongest in her generation—almost no one knew what she was actually capable of doing, the range of her abilities.
Saoirse fin
ally left, saying she would be back to collect Aira on the date of her first trial, and Aiden closed the door behind the annoying woman firmly, locking it and giving it a kick as if it would transmit to the elemental somehow. “So,” he said, sitting down and handing the papers to his brother to peruse. “You’re probably the most powerful elemental on the list that I can see.”
Aira shrugged. “It’s not just about power,” she said. “I don’t know how stable the rest of them are.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “If you can keep yourself stable and secure, you can beat them all. Which brings me to an important point: you’re the one to take out. It’s not just going to be air elementals and the elders at these trials. It’s going to be people who want the leadership of the element to go to someone else, someone who’s easier to sway.”
Dylan looked up from the paperwork and nodded. “He’s right. The water elementals have allegiance to you, but the earth elementals are probably not your friend and the fire elementals…” he glanced at his brother. “It will be very political, suffice it to say.”
Aira groaned. “I wish I could just abdicate and hand it off to someone else,” she said, sitting back in her chair. “I don’t want all of this. I just want to live my life and be free.”
Aiden smiled sympathetically, feeling for the woman who managed to either turn him on or frustrate him to an uncomfortable degree for the majority of the time they spent together. He could understand her desire to avoid the struggle altogether; he was no more interested in becoming the ruler of his element than she was. But he knew, —as she did, that if she wasn’t fit to rule, then she would be fit to die – in the eyes of not only the elemental elders, but also whoever took the place as ruler instead of her. The amount of power Aira had was not purely a benefit. Aiden suspected that it was the root of her instability, of her lack of balance. It also made her a target for anyone who thought their position would be more secure if they were the most powerful elemental in the world. Aiden knew that he and Dylan would have to insist on joining her at the trials; there was too much at stake for too many people for the testing to go without someone trying to hedge their bets and take her out unofficially.
CHAPTER 7
AIRA STOOD OUTSIDE OF THE building where her first trial would take place, her heart racing. She would be going into battle with other elementals, and while she knew she was as prepared as she could possibly be, there was still doubt in her mind. Aiden and Dylan had gone over the list of contenders, telling her what they knew of the families involved or, if they knew the individuals involved, what they were like. Aira had met several elementals in her life, but had mostly steered clear of the air elementals—mainly out of a sense of not wanting to put herself in a position to have to compare. Apart from Alex and Dolores, she wasn’t entire sure she really knew any air elementals at all.
When Saoirse had come to bring her to her first trial, Aiden and Dylan had insisted on coming with her. The younger air elemental had balked initially, until Aira had put her foot down. “My grandmother insisted that they attend to me at all times, until I find a mate.” She pinned the other woman down with her gaze, pushing her will out at her slightly. “She never said anything should change because she had died or if I was going to enter the ring to become the Regina Sylphaea. There is also no rule against it that I have been made aware of.” Saoirse’s will had buckled underneath Aira’s pressing, and she said that technically there wasn’t a rule against it—but warned they might be in trouble from the elders for it. Aira and Aiden had gotten into Saoirse’s car while Dylan followed in their own. Saoirse had brought the two men into the building to speak with the elders, instructing Aira to stay behind until she came for her. Aira hadn’t seen any other elementals arriving, and had to wonder if there were other entrances into the building that she couldn’t see or if it was simply a matter that she had been the last to arrive—and what that might mean.
Saoirse appeared, stepping quickly through a set of doors and down a small flight of stairs. The building looked similar to an old courthouse, which seemed appropriate in its own way. Aira wondered, as Saoirse silently gestured for her to go inside, if it was the only meeting building the elders had—she thought it was unlikely. Aira stepped through the doors into an echoing lobby with marble floors and wood-paneled walls. “Did this used to be a court house?” she asked Saoirse. The other woman nodded.
“It came up for sale and the elders purchased it. It was chosen for this particular task because it’s relatively central to all of the contenders.” Aira spared a moment to wonder just how powerful the elders were, and just how many properties they owned. She decided abruptly that she didn’t want to know; she was already concerned enough of the elders and their power.
The court house had obviously been renovated extensively. Saoirse guided her through the lobby and into what would have possibly been the main, largest court room of the building at one time; now it was a small arena, with galleries along the walls. Down one side, Aira noticed the elders. Not all of them were old—some were possibly younger than she was. To be an elemental elder was not necessarily a matter of age, as the name implied—it was a question of lineage, of how far back ones’ elemental inheritance went, and how stable the elemental powers were. These dozen or so men and women were utterly and completely stable with power that was not necessarily as strong as hers, but which was wielded with an authority and control she may never achieve. Aira tore her gaze from the assembled judges and focused on the room itself. It was enormous with a vaulting ceiling. The center absolutely cleared of all chairs with a kind of gladiatorial floor—albeit made of marble instead of sand. A few combatants stood at different corners of the room, and Aira saw that there was just one opening for her. She took a deep breath and took the implied position without asking.
“This trial is to determine your strength and control as elementals,” one of the elders—a wizened-looking old man who was nearly completely bald—called out. “This is not to be a fight to the death. When we tell you to stop, everyone must pause immediately.” Aira glanced around the circle and saw that Dylan and Aiden were among a few observers on the opposite side of the room from where the elders were watching. Aira closed her eyes and marshaled the energy inside of her. She knew without a doubt that she had more raw power than any of the other three people she would be battling—but she also knew that very fact would mean they would all go for her, either at the same time or singly. Aira mentally reviewed what Aiden and Dylan had told her about her competition. Solana, the only other woman in the group she was contending with, was better at spells than Aira, but she didn’t have the ability to manipulate the wind as readily. Asher had the ability to not just call birds to him but to manifest them in his own space, and his persuasive ability was fairly strong. Finally, Aurion had none of the persuasive ability, but was skilled in divinations as well as in forming weapons from elemental energy—like the bow and arrows Aira had learned to create—and he had effective control of wind.
One of the elders rang a bell, signaling the beginning of the battle. Aira called the wind to her, inhaling and exhaling, visualizing the air as a thing of physical substance. She quickly formed a shield around herself, a vortex of wind of which she was the center. True to her suspicions, Aurion turned his attention to her first, followed by Solana. Solana was murmuring a spell, and Aira strained to listen, to determine what she was trying to do. She realized the other woman was trying to subvert her control of the wind. In the meantime, Aurion was crafting darts out of air energy. Asher was calling birds into the room—his target at the moment unclear.
Aira kept up her shield, blocking the darts that Aurion hurled at her. She turned part of her attention onto Solana and began to murmur a spell to herself. It would block out any attempts from another elemental to subvert her ability, buying her a little time to make an offensive.
“Aira!” Asher called out. She finished the spell, holding the shield in place with effort. Asher was surrounded by various birds of pr
ey, along with a few smaller birds, and Aira raised an eyebrow; his defenders or attackers—she wasn’t sure which—were hovering around him, and she wondered just what he wanted.
“Two on one seems a bit unfair, wouldn’t you say?” he asked with a faint smile. Aira laughed.
“Well, I suppose I am asking for it. What did you have in mind?”
Aurion was still throwing darts, but Solana had not yet realized that her spell was not going to work.
“I take Aurion off your hands, you get Solana? And then we switch?”
Aira laughed again. “What about me? I’m still a threat to you.”
Asher shrugged. “We can work that out later!”
Aira held eye contact with the other elemental; she knew well enough to know not to put her guard down around Asher. Air-aligned charm was strong, but fickle. She grinned at him. “Burn that bridge when we come to it? Okay, I’m game.”
Asher whistled sharply and the birds stopped hovering, flitting through the air at Aurion. The other elemental had to stop throwing his darts at Aira, instead aiming them at the flocking birds that descended upon him. Aira knew Aurion didn’t have the ability to communicate with the birds, not like Asher, so he wouldn’t be able to command them to stop.
Solana was casting energy-based spells, trying to get through Aira’s shield. Aira decided to confront the other woman on closer terms. She intensified the winds around her, closing her eyes and rising slowly but steadily into the air under the propulsion of the wind. She cleared the line of birds darting and swooping around Aurion, bringing herself down a few feet away from Solana. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure neither Aurion nor Asher was in a position to take advantage of her inattentiveness. Asher was calling more birds, while Aurion was trying to create a sword out of elemental energy. It would be difficult to maintain a stable, workable sword with the kind of energy air was made of—a knife would work better, but Aira could understand that Aurion didn’t want the reach disadvantage that a knife or dagger would have with it.
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