The sand was pristine and sugar-fine, but it was hell to walk on. “And that would be why?”
“Because this is the legendary home of the Elementals. Well, the Water ones, anyway. It’s basically Atlantis, or as close as you can get without breaking into the realm of fiction.”
“They can call this place God’s Golden Butthole for all I care—as long as they know how to heal Water Elementals. I’m good. Now, where can we find everyone?”
Shrugging, Loki scrutinized the cliff line. “I honestly didn’t think it was this big. I don’t know how they keep it off the charts. Surely planes can spot this place from the air?”
Daniel cursed, his steps turning to longer strides. As the minutes stretched, he grew angrier and angrier.
“Didn’t we pass this damn shell already?” he asked, lifting a cartoon-level perfect conch off the sand.
“Why are you asking me?” Loki was still playing with the glowing footprints, drawing what Daniel assumed were fairy swear words with the toe of his shoe. The shapeshifter lifted his hand, pointing. “Look up there. Is that a torch?”
Daniel spun around, spotting a bobbing yellow light. The flickering flame grew closer and closer, weakly illuminating a thin path through the cliffs. He would have missed if someone hadn’t been coming down it.
“Don’t they have flashlights around here?” What was up with this place?
They jogged toward the light, meeting the torch-bearer at the base of the cliff. The stranger was an attractive woman of indeterminate age. Her gauzy green dress fluttered in the ocean breeze.
She inclined her head. “Hello. My name is Noomi. The elders sent me from the village.”
“Are we really on T’Kaieri?” Loki asked, standing on his tiptoes. He craned his neck to peer behind her.
“Uh…yes. I’m here to tell you that Serin is with the healers.”
“Oh, thank fuck.” Daniel wiped his forehead. “I don’t know why Gia dumped us all the way out here. Can you take us to her?”
Noomi winced, her free hand fiddling with her robe. “I’m sorry, but no one can set foot on the island without invitation. That is why you were left here until one could be extended.”
Daniel nodded, arms out toward her in a get-on-with-it motion. “Great, let’s go.”
Noomi’s face crumpled as if she’d swallowed something foul. “I’m sorry. I understand Gia herself brought you here with the expectation you would be invited. But…”
“But what? What the hell is the problem?” Daniel could feel the blood rushing to his face, impatience and worry making him snappish.
“Well, Gia told us you were here and then she rushed to consult the healers with Serin’s parents, Caimen and Dalasini,” Noomi said, stumbling over the words. “The remaining elders held an emergency council meeting to discuss your presence. They voted whether or not to extend an invitation…and the final vote was no.”
She said the last as if someone were pulling out her teeth.
“Why the fuck not?” Daniel was an inch away from exploding.
“Calm down,” Loki said, putting a restraining hand on his arm. “It’s not her fault. She’s just the messenger.”
He was right. The poor woman cringed, shrinking away.
“Shit,” Daniel said, ashamed. “I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t your decision, but I have to see Serin.”
It was his fault she’d been shot. If he’d found another way to deal with Ray beforehand, his partner wouldn’t have come to the meet armed and she wouldn’t be in danger now.
“You have my sincerest apologies,” Noomi said regretfully. “I know Gia wouldn’t have brought you here if she didn’t think you had a right to be, but things are very tense in the village. There’s been a lot of upheavals as of late.”
Her head hung as she cast her gaze at the ground. “I’m afraid I bear some responsibility for that. That is why the elders sent me down here to tell you of their decision.”
Loki’s face fell. “How are we supposed to get home from here?”
Her shoulders rose an inch. “I believe there was some talk of conjuring a boat.”
Daniel swore long and loud. “I’m not leaving this goddamn rock without seeing Serin. Once I know she’s out of danger then fine, I’ll fucking swim home if I have to. But not until I’m convinced she’s going to be all right.”
He pushed passed her, heading up the path. Noomi turned, chasing after him.
“I’m so sorry, but you won’t be able to go past the cliffs. T’Kaieri is protected, blessed by the Mother herself. The wards won’t let anyone pass, not without the incantation that allows you to enter,” she said breathlessly.
Daniel ignored her, continuing his stomping path. Loki and Noomi hurried after him.
“Please stop,” Noomi called. “I don’t know what will happen if you try to cross the wards!”
She lowered her voice to a hushed whisper, asking Loki in a slightly scandalized tone, “He’s a human, isn’t he?”
“Definitely. Well, mostly,” the fairy said, huffing after him. “Enough for the wards to register him as one. But damn, he moves fast for one, doesn’t he?”
Daniel ignored them and crested the ridge, sucking in a breath at the sight below him. The village of T’Kaieri wasn’t nestled in a valley. It rose to a peak behind the barrier of the cliffs that formed a half-circle around it. At the very top was something that resembled a castle or a cathedral, and all along the edges were the most spectacular homes.
The buildings were difficult to describe. It reminded him of Santorini or some other exotic Greek island, except instead of being uniformly white and square, the houses came in many shapes and colors. It was like someone had scattered flower petals on a hill.
Noomi and Loki finally caught up to him, the woman bracing her hands on her knees and breathing hard. The fae man squealed like a little girl, clapping his hands over his mouth. “It’s so beautiful I want to cry.”
“You can cry all you want later.” Daniel turned to Noomi. “Which one is Serin in?”
Noomi straightened up, pointing to the castle-like structure at the top. “She was taken directly to the temple, where our connection to the Mother is the strongest. There are rooms devoted to the healing arts in there, where our most-skilled physicians conduct their work. Most of the village is there, praying for her recovery.”
“All right then,” he muttered, starting down the path that would incline again to take him to the peak.
“Stop!” Noomi cried right before he passed under a stone arch.
Once on the other side, he turned, scowling at the pair. “I told you I’m not leaving. Are you coming or not?”
Noomi stood stock-still a few yards away on the other side of the arch. Her hands covered her eyes. Loki gave her a hard nudge, and she slowly put her hands down.
She gaped at Daniel. “How are you standing there?”
“I really don’t know what you mean,” he snapped, tired of the games.
Noomi crossed the arch. “The wards were supposed to keep you out.”
She glanced at the stone structure, her hand on her chin. “I didn’t realize they weren’t working… Oh no! Perhaps they were deactivated. It would make sense. The last visitor to cross was…well, it was Jordan. That was back when Uncle John first brought him here, but he had an invitation so he wasn’t stopped.” Once again, she stared at her feet instead of him when she talked. “Sorry to babble, but this is a rather alarming turn of events in a string of alarming events.”
Loki moved toward her, his hand out, probably to pat her reassuringly. He only made it a few feet before he reached the arch and rebounded off what seemed to be nothing, landing on his ass.
“Ow,” he groaned, picking himself up.
Daniel did a double take. “What the hell did you do?”
Noomi’s mouth went slack. “I don’t understand.”
Tentatively reaching out, she touched the stone arch. “Wait, I can feel the spell. It’s vibrating the stones, which
means it’s functioning.”
Frowning, Daniel place his entire palm on the rock. “I don’t feel anything.”
“The vibration would be imperceptible to one of your kind.” She turned to Loki. “I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?”
“Only my pride.” Loki’s expression was that of a child who’d lost his puppy. “It’s okay. Go on without me.”
Daniel stalked to the gate. “I am sick of these made-up magical rules getting in my way.” He reached through the arch and grabbed Loki by the shirt, starting to yank him through the unseen barrier.
Loki squealed again, cringing as he moved closer to the arch, but nothing happened. He flew through the air like nothing was there, causing Daniel to have to right them both since he’d been expecting resistance.
Once Loki was on his feet, they all stopped and stared at the archway.
“Huh,” Daniel grunted. “Well, obviously it’s on the fritz. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” He turned his back to the others, immediately starting to jog down the path. The others ran after him.
“Should we tell him it’s not broken?” Loki asked the woman in a quiet voice, but Daniel heard him anyway. He chose to pretend he hadn’t, not in the mood for guessing games.
“But it has to be.” Noomi was panting as she raced to keep up. “Otherwise, I can’t understand what happened.”
Loki started laughing. “I think I can enlighten you…”
23
The atmosphere in the temple was hushed and somber. Each long bench was filled with people in colorful dresses and robes, their heads bent in prayer.
Daniel tried to ignore them, but he could feel their eyes boring into the back of his head as he paced in front of the healing chamber. The constant susurration of the prayers was making him twitchy.
Loki was across the vaulted chamber, taking everything in with worshipful eyes. Noomi, his self-appointed guide, was with him, whispering and pointing as she answered his endless stream of questions.
There was an altar at one side, but no painting or statue of any god sat on or behind it. Instead, there was a huge tree. He didn’t know what species it was, but it appeared ancient. Each limb dripped with delicate white flowers. Their scent filled the room. Ivy clung from every column. In the center of the room, between the benches, there was a raised well with swirling water that glowed brightly.
It’s just the algae again, he told himself, but something told him that wasn’t the case. It was more like the water was illuminated by life itself. Could water be alive?
Everything here is alive.
He tipped his head back, staring at the vaulted ceiling. It had an operculum, open to the sky. The moon and starlight came straight through, reflecting off the white stone interior in such a way that it lit every bit of the oval-shaped chamber.
He leaned against one of the ivy-covered pillars. It was weirdly cushiony.
“What if it rains?” he murmured, almost to himself, shaking his head at the huge hole in the ceiling.
“Then we get wet.”
Daniel spun on his heel. The man who answered was roughly his height, with dark skin and long dreadlocks fastened at the neck with a strip of red leather. His robes were lavender, but on him the color appeared masculine.
He didn’t have any wrinkles or grey hair, but Daniel instinctively knew this man was older than Serin. There was something very dignified about him, a quiet wisdom in his eyes that was apparent, despite the soberness of his expression.
Maybe this guy was one of those elders Noomi had mentioned.
“Hey, can you get me in there?” Daniel asked, indicating the healing chamber. “I really need to check on Serin. I won’t interrupt any spells or anything like that. I just need to see her.”
The man cocked his head, staring at him as if he were trying to understand him—not his words, but more like what he was, as if he’d never seen a man before.
“I know you’re not used to seeing humans around here, but I’m hoping you can overlook whatever it is you think about my kind and put a good word in with the healers back there. I really need to see Serin.” Daniel tried to make his voice respectful, but his anxiety and impatience bled through.
The stranger tapped a finger to his chin. “Gia brought you.”
“Yes, yes she did.” That had to count for something, right? If Gia was the senior Elemental, then her decisions should have some weight with the council.
“And you can travel with Serin?” the man asked, his expression growing a touch skeptical.
“You mean getting tossed down drains as water?” Daniel straightened with a wry shrug. “Yeah. Serin can basically pull a Dorothy to my Wicked Witch—melt my ass to get rid of me whenever she wants.”
“That is…interesting.”
“Why?” Daniel asked, still wondering why the guy was eyeing him as if he expected him to sprout a second nose.
“Because Jordan couldn’t.”
There was that name again. Why did everyone in this world keep comparing him to this Jordan person?
The man did an about face, heading to the center of the chamber but gesturing for Daniel to follow. He joined the man next to the well, aware everyone was watching them.
“Please reach into the Well of Souls and touch the water,” the dreadlocked man instructed.
Daniel leaned forward, staring at the radiant liquid. “You want me to touch the what?”
“The words are a rough translation. It does not contain literal souls.”
“Uh-huh.” Daniel’s nose twitched as he glanced askance at the gleaming water. It looked radioactive.
This is hardly the weirdest thing that has happened to you lately. You traveled as dirt, for God’s sake.
There was an air of expectation in the room. If he had to hazard a guess, he’d bet most everyone was holding their breath.
It’s a test. If he passed, they’d let him see Serin.
“Okay,” he said, jaw tight as he raised the cuff of his shirt. He dipped his hand down.
The damn water dodged his fingers.
Daniel swore. “Get over here, you little….”
The water dodged again, swirling and dancing away like he was a magnet that could repel it. Frustrated, he was about to pull away when a ball of it jumped into his hand like a little puppy.
“Damn, look at that.” Daniel laughed in amazement, awkwardly holding the perfect sphere of rippling water. He nodded at the man. “This is cool. Does it do this for everyone?”
“No. Only Water talents…and their mates.”
Daniel blinked, not sure he’d heard right. “What was that?”
The water responded to his voice, twisting into a rope and running around his cupped hands like a speedy snake.
“Woah, woah, stop that,” he said, shaking his hands until the water obligingly jumped back in to the well.
“Did I pass?” Daniel asked, raising his head.
The man wasn’t there. Daniel twisted around until he spotted the elder at the door of the healing chamber. He was holding it open for him.
“Finally,” Daniel muttered, his whole body flooding with relief.
He ran, stopping at the door to the healing chamber. “I don’t know how to thank you. I don’t even know your name.”
The man nodded, but his face was conflicted, as if he were still torn about something. “My name is Caimen. I’m Serin’s father.”
Daniel forgot all about the fact he’d just met Serin’s father when he stepped into the healing chamber.
It resembled a Roman bath with a single narrow oval pool in the center filled with more of that glowing water. Serin was floating in the center, being held up by Gia and three other women. The bullet wound in her gut was very visible. It was as if there were a neon arrow pointing to it. A small amount of blood floated over it.
The Earth Elemental stared down her nose at him. “What took you so long?” she snapped.
He hurried over to the edge of the pool. “Well, maybe if you had brought me str
aight here instead of dumping me at the beach, I could have gotten here sooner.”
One of the women holding Serin glowered at him. “No one enters T’Kaieri without an invitation.” She turned to Gia. “Who is this?”
The disdain and indignation in her tone was apparent to all, but Gia interrupted before he could introduce himself in an equally snippy fashion.
“He belongs to Serin, and he’s late.” Her dark gaze appraised him. “Get in here.”
Everyone stared at Gia as if she’d gone crazy.
“Oh.” Daniel shut up, his belligerence blasted to nothing. He toed off his shoes and hopped in the pool fully dressed, wading to Gia and Serin.
“So this is what you all do around here instead of surgery,” he said in a low aside.
Gia ignored his comment. “Stand on my other side, then put your hands here,” she instructed in a no-nonsense voice.
Daniel imitated her movements, aware the other people in the room were having a full-blown whisper-fight.
“He bypassed the wards without even a twitch, then pulled the Loki through the Channel gate even after he’d had already been ejected by the arch,” Caimen told the turbaned woman from the edge of the pool.
The expression of comic horror on the woman’s face was one Daniel would never forget.
“But he’s a…a… Is he a warded witch?” she asked, talking about him as if he wasn’t there.
“There is no ward that can pass the Channel gate intact,” Gia said, staring at each of the fae in turn. Her clipped tone brooked no argument.
“Sorry, I didn’t have time to wait for an engraved invitation,” Daniel said. “And no, I’m not a witch. I’m one-hundred-percent human.”
“More like ninety-four percent,” Gia corrected, not taking her eyes off Serin.
Ah. Well, that news would have to wait to be processed another time. “Am I supposed to be doing something?” he asked, his hands supporting Serin’s neck and shoulder.
“Yes. Focus,” Gia ground out, her jaw tight.
“That is not a specific enough instruction.”
Water: The Elementals Book Three Page 17