The Elementalist

by Melissa J. Cunningham

  Something tugged on my arm, pulling me from my stony bed of misery, and then I was pressed against a muscled chest. My head draped over a familiar shoulder, but I was dreaming and I knew it. This was no more real than all the other manifestations that had come to torment me.

  “Alisa?” Strong hands cradled my cheeks, a flurry of kisses falling on to my lips, before he pulled me close again.

  “Let go,” I mumbled.

  “What?” he asked, still trying to hold me tight. “It’s all right. I’m here.”

  “Let go!” I screeched, pushing away from this phantom of darkness. I would not be deceived by the Great Liar again. Bas Iblis may think he could trick me, but I would never fall for his conjurations again.

  “Alisa, it’s me. Brecken.” But rather than let this satanic prank go on I fought back, screaming at the top of my voice. We struggled. The demon held his hand over my mouth, but I was not as weak as I appeared. I may have only been a disembodied soul, but I had reserves and I used them, hitting and punching where I could. My opponent grunted with each injury I inflicted.

  “Alisa. Stop,” a voice commanded. I obeyed instantly, not having the ability to ignore the power in those words. I turned my eyes to a slender figure that leaned against the wall by the door. A man I recognized easily even though his robes and body were filthy, his long, dark hair hanging in dreads, just like mine.

  “Raphael?”

  “Yes, Alisa. And the poor soul you are brawling with is indeed your Bretariel.” Raphael sagged visibly, sliding down the poison-painted wall. He groaned in misery, and I scrambled over to him, his words not quite sinking in until Brecken knelt beside me. I caught his gaze and in that moment, something washed over me—like a cool mountain stream—washing away all the doubt and uncertainty, cleansing away the diabolical fluid that had poisoned me ever since I’d been here.

  “Brecken?” I reached out to touch his oh-so-familiar face. He smiled, and my eyes widened. He was here? “It can’t be true.” My dirty fingers brushed over his lips. And then before any of us could blink twice, I threw myself into his arms. We tumbled to the floor, our arms and legs tangled together.

  He kissed me, and I kissed him right back as though it might be for the last time. I covered his face, my hands sinking into his hair. And then I realized I could do this because he was a spirit also… He wasn’t in his body. “Brecken…?”

  “Yes.” After we’d gazed into one another’s eyes longer than necessary, he pulled me up, but I was wobbly on my feet, my soul too weak from living so long in Gehenna. With one arm around Raphael, and one around me, Brecken hauled us from my cell and into pandemonium. Soldiers had surrounded my cell, and a demon held a sword to Calvik’s neck. The whole scene felt surreal.

  “Calvik?” Brecken stared at the captive demon.

  “I’m sorry, Commander. My distractions didn’t last as long as I’d hoped.”

  Brecken froze, stricken. Bas Iblis stepped forward, a smile on his face, his hands clasped before him.

  “I couldn’t have planned it better,” he said. “And to have you all together at once.” He glanced at each of us in turn, and then lastly to Calvik, who stood tall, not looking the least bit afraid. I didn’t know how he held such a granite expression, because we all knew what was coming.

  Bas Iblis took the guard’s sword and held it at Calvik’s neck. He glanced to Brecken and Raphael, smiling, his vampiric teeth glistening like daggers. He pulled his arm back faster than I would have thought possible, and swung. Calvik’s head dropped from his shoulders and rolled across the floor toward Raphael. In the next moment, Calvik’s body exploded in a cloud of russet dust.

  “Calvik!” I shrieked, my heart sinking. I jumped forward as though I could save him, but Brecken grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back. Before I could do anything else, Bas Iblis had swung the sword toward me, holding it millimeters from my neck, his smile gone, his lips pulled back in a feral snarl.

  I remained completely still. We all did. The Nephilim sword could end my life forever. Eternally. And I had no way to fight back. I groaned, my back against the wall.

  “So nice of you to return, Bretariel,” Bas Iblis said, glancing at Brecken.

  Brecken gave no response, and I couldn’t see his expression for fear of moving and receiving even a tiny slice in my neck. Would that be enough to end me?

  “You will not win,” Brecken said to Bas Iblis.

  “Oh, my old friend,” Bas Iblis answered. “That is where you are wrong. I already have. We have complete control over Idir Shaol and that was all I needed. We rule Soul Prison and Gehenna. All demons have been freed, the damned let loose.”

  “I think you are forgetting about a host of angels that will not allow you do this,” Raphael growled, his gaze piercing.

  Bas Iblis’ eyebrows rose, and he smiled sadistically. “But they have allowed it. We are free! It was almost too easy.”

  “Let us go, Iblis,” Brecken demanded.

  “Bas Iblis,” the demon growled.

  I closed my eyes. There was no good ending to this. Hundreds of demons surrounded us. How could we win? What could we possibly do at this point? And that was when I felt it, right in the center of my stomach, like I’d been hooked by a fishing line and was being reeled in. There was no way to describe the sensation except to say it felt exactly the same as when Claire had pulled me into her body.

  Everything slowed to a snail’s pace, like a movie being watched one frame at a time. Bas Iblis raised his arm, the sword gleaming in his grasp. His eyes narrowed as he focused on me. He swung… exacting one last desperate attempt to end my life. I didn’t have time to think, let alone say anything that could stop him mid-strike. He screeched, his voice rending the foundation of the prison, and dust fell from the ceiling. The demon-soldiers crouched in fright.

  The sharpened edge of his sword glinted in the sconce-light as it flew slowly toward me. In these last moments of my life, I could see everything with vivid clarity. The slight turn of Brecken’s head as he watched in horror, Raphael’s arm raised in my defense, the demons watching in delight…

  Brecken’s hand was wrapped tightly around mine, and in my last millisecond of awareness, there was nothing else I’d rather feel.

  ***

  Claire held her mother’s hands, the pressure from Angela’s fingers digging into hers as she chanted in a sacred language Claire didn’t understand. Her mother perspired, dew glistening across her brow and upper lip, the power she wielded sapping all her energy. She fell to one knee, but she didn’t let go of Claire.

  Claire knelt with Angela, her eyes wide. “Mom? What’s happening?” The room began to glow and the outlines of the walls grew fuzzy. Claire wiped her own sweaty brow, but kept her eyes open to watch what was happening… something crazy, weird, and wonderful.

  Then, like the snap of an elastic band, the space before them ripped open. Literally, split wide, and the odor of sulfur filled the bedroom in a blast of heat. Three people tumbled into Angela’s bedroom in a heap of arms and legs. Claire saw the tip of a sword slice harmlessly through the air, heard the piercing screech of a banshee, and then the jagged rupture disappeared, as though it were never there to begin with.

  Claire knelt on the floor, unsure of what she was actually seeing. The three people who sparkled with radiance lay on the floor in a heap. They were made of mere mist and fairy dust… except for one. A giant of a man with long, dark hair and the greenest eyes she’d ever seen.

  Angela’s hands fell limp and her knees buckled. Claire rushed forward, grabbing her mom around the waist before her head could hit the floor. The green-eyed man regarded her.

  “Claire,” he said, in a voice so quiet, yet so filled with immense power that it pierced her to the center. Her instinct was to fall to her knees, sagging and afraid. Her mouth refused to work as she looked into his unrelenting gaze. “Your mother brought us through.”

  Claire nodded, figuring his guess was as good as hers. She glanced at the oth
ers who had come through with this beautiful, glowing man. She recognized Brecken immediately. She jumped toward him, fully intending to wrap her arms around him in relief, but she flew right through, toppling to the floor. She glanced up and noticed the girl who sat beside him on the floor.

  “Alisa.” Seeing her face, so tormented and haunted by her experiences, Claire could only stare. Then, getting to her feet, she moved closer to Brecken. “What happened?”

  64

  ~Realization~

  Brecken

  Raphael knelt beside Angela, placing his hand on her brow. Her eyes opened and then widened. “Are you… who are you?” she asked, trying to sit up.

  “I am Raphael.” He helped her to a sitting position and then stepped back. Even doing something so small, he appeared regal, divine.

  “The Raphael?” Angela asked, wiping her hair from her face.

  “There is only one of me,” he said. “But I have things I must do now, and I wanted to thank you for your great work here before I leave.”

  “You… are so welcome.”

  “If it weren’t for you…” He let his voice trail off. “Well, it is because of you we are safe and alive. Thank you.” Raphael smiled. “And you,” he said to Brecken, shaking his head. “Get back in your body. Alisa, get to Elysium.” He squeezed her hand and then, with a nod of his head, disappeared in a glitter of radiance.

  Brecken watched him go with glowing pride. Of everyone, he had a special feeling of affinity for Raphael. He was the one who had saved him so long ago. Literally. And if there was anything he could do to help, Brecken would do it. Anything Raphael asked, he would make it happen.

  He turned to Alisa, who was already regaining her shine. She had begun to heal and was growing whiter and brighter the longer they stood there. She was more beautiful now, even in this moment of transition, than she had ever been. Brecken yearned to throw his arms around her and never let go, but their mission wasn’t finished. There was still too much to do, and he had a part to play before he could rest and be with her.

  “I need to find my body. Want to come with me?” he whispered to her.

  “You couldn’t stop me,” she said, squeezing his hand tighter.

  65

  ~Together Again~

  Alisa

  We blinked away from Claire’s house, and nothing felt more right. I held Brecken’s hand and swore to myself I would never let go, but all too quickly, we appeared at the hospital. His body was hooked up to so many tubes and wires that I couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped my lips, seeing him so close to death.

  He looked so fragile with his skin so pale and his lips so blue. Brecken stood beside me and squeezed my hand. Pulling me close, he wrapped his arms around my waist. “This isn’t over,” he whispered into my ear. I tightened my arms around his neck, refusing to give him up yet.

  My heart ached at the thought that he would be back in his body, and I would once again be alone, lost with nowhere to go. And then, as though he’d read my mind, he said, “Go back to Elysium, to your family. I’ll find you again. I promise.”

  He took my face in his hands and stared into my eyes. His spirit was the exact replica of the body that lay only a foot from us, as still as death. There were hardly any differences, except for the tiny scar above his body’s right eye and the calluses on his corporeal hands.

  His dimples creased as he gave me a poignant smile, slowly drawing my face to his. When his lips pressed against mine, the most amazing heat filled me, so different from what it felt like when we kissed in the flesh, but breathtaking just the same.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said. “For everything I said before.”

  “Shhh.” I placed my fingers over his lips. “We both went a little crazy for a while. It’s over. I never believed you didn’t want me.”

  His smile grew bashful. How beautiful he was in every way.

  “Find help.” His fingers wrapped around mine, holding them against his chest as though they would keep his heart beating. “Raphael will be in Elysium now. Stick with him. Whatever he tells you to do, do it. I’ll help any way I can from here, but…”

  This was it. I had to let go. There was nothing left to say that we hadn’t already said.

  “I love you, Alisa. Please be careful. Don’t do anything reckless.”

  “Me? Reckless?” I said with a wry grin.

  “Promise me.” He didn’t give in to my joking, just gazed into my eyes, his palms pressed against my cheeks. I glanced away, not wanting to promise any such thing. I didn’t know what I’d have to do in the coming battle, but whatever it was, I was willing.

  Pursing my lips, I shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”

  He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me, trying to hold onto this moment as fiercely as I was. Finally, he let go and stepped back. “Okay, then.” He gave me one last look of longing before reaching out to touch his physical body. His spirit silently disappeared, and Brecken’s body expanded as though a balloon had been filled. A glow came to his pallid skin, his chest rising and falling more noticeably. The tension eased from his face.

  I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, wishing he would wake up, but the only change was the heart-rate monitor, which seemed to pick up speed and strength. A moment later, a nurse rushed in, her eyes wide and her mouth in a startled “O”. She took his pulse and checked the monitors. I sat in the chair watching, unwilling to leave until I was certain he would be fine.

  Throughout the rest of the day, doctors and nurses moved in and out, taking his vitals, changing the IV bag, and checking oxygen levels. The doctors spoke about a lack of oxygen and the possibility of brain damage. That was not even conceivable to me, so I waited.

  Brecken’s sisters and dad had arrived to hold his hands, whisper to him, and wait for a diagnosis. Even though they couldn’t see me, I swore Brecken’s dad knew I was in the room. At one point, I even placed my hand on his arm to get a read on his feelings. He gasped, yanking his arm away in surprise, which made me do the same.

  I gawked as his gaze stopped on me, our eyes locking. There was no way he could see me. I’d never met his dad before, but Brecken’s gifts couldn’t be hereditary! I could see a resemblance between him and his dad. Mostly in the eyes and around the mouth, but there was a rigidity in this man’s shoulders. A tenseness that Brecken didn’t have. I watched him, pondering. He watched me too, from the corner of his eyes. Heidi and Sophie were in the room, so he didn’t say anything out loud, but I could tell he wanted to.

  Close to evening, Mr. Shaefer told the girls to go to the cafeteria and get something to eat. They left eagerly, and I felt sorry for them having to sit here so long, waiting and worrying. Once they were out of earshot, he reclined in his chair beside Brecken’s bed and steepled his fingers.

  “So, you are the guardian.”

  How could he possibly know that? I was too shocked to answer.

  “It’s all right. You can speak. I’ll hear you.” He smiled, trying to look kind, but it came across as strained, and the lines around his eyes deepened with the stress of the moment. He breathed deeply and evenly, but I noticed the tension around his mouth.

  “Um… hi.” Suddenly, I felt shy. Here I was, Brecken’s girlfriend, and I was just now meeting his dad for the first time. I felt on display, like he could see right through me, which technically, he probably could, but still.

  “I’m Calliel,” he said.

  I knew that name. Well, I’d heard it at least, but I couldn’t remember in what context. With an exhausted sigh, I leaned back in my chair, dying for rejuvenation. Even though being away from Gehenna had helped me heal drastically, I still felt mentally and emotionally depleted. If only I could sleep.

  “I’m an angel,” he explained. “Sent to watch over Brecken, just like you.”

  Stunned, I just sat there. An angel. A real angel? Like Raphael? It made sense to me now. Of course they wouldn’t send someone like Brecken, or more accurately, Bretariel, the Great Undoe
r, to just anyone. He would need knowing parents. People to protect him and guide him because of his special abilities and because the world of demons was still after him, determined to destroy him at all costs. They would’ve had to hide Brecken, giving him guardians who would take special precautions.

  “It’s… um… nice to meet you.”

  He smiled and his dimples—exact replicas of Brecken’s—creased, and then he laughed. “Yes. It is nice to meet you too… finally.”

  “So…” I had questions I knew he could answer, but suddenly, I couldn’t remember any of them.

  “So,” he repeated. “Let me ask you something.” He stood and walked over to the window, which had the last vestiges of the sunset reflecting through them. His form was a shadow as the brilliant colors enveloped him. “Brecken went to Gehenna to rescue you?”

  “Um… how did you know that?”

  “I spoke with Claire.”

  Wow! This guy was full of surprises. “She told you?”

  He nodded and turned toward me. “Yes. My wife helped Claire and her mother with the ritual that brought Brecken back. They weren’t aware of her presence, but they needed help with their ceremony.”

  “Your wife?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s an angel too?” I asked, flabbergasted. Who was this family? I started to laugh but caught myself. All these heavenly beings surrounded Brecken, and yet he’d been so lonely and depressed as a child. My heart ached for that boy now, even though he didn’t really exist anymore. Brecken had grown. He knew who he was and what his mission was now. Those mortal failings shouldn’t matter anymore, but they did… to me.

  “Of course,” he said, answering my question. “Which was why she was called back to Elysium early. She had accomplished her mission on Earth.” He didn’t elaborate any further, explaining it without much emotion, as though this was only a job. It bothered me. Who was this man who was always gone in Brecken’s youth? I never saw him once while I was his guardian! And his mother was an angel too? She could have come back to comfort him, but she never did. I remembered the ache in his heart when he talked about her, how rejected he’d felt at her desertion.