Air: The Elementals Book Two

by L. B. Gilbert

  The last word was said with distaste.

  “Basically,” Logan conceded with a nod. It was a tiny bit more complicated than that, but there was no point in dissecting the nuances.

  “Then can we change him back? Reprogram him again?”

  “Um…I don’t know.”

  34

  “This is your fault,” Salome yelled at her older brother. “His walls have been covered with dragons ever since you let him watch Game of Thrones with you!”

  The siblings had been yelling at each other for quite a while now—ever since Salome had driven up to the front door, her four-wheel drive SUV skidding in the mud.

  Yogi winced, but he didn’t back down. “How was I supposed to know he’d be able to choose to be a fucking dragon?”

  “He was too little to be watching that show at all. I told you that! Now he’s gone and decided to be a freaking reptile!”

  Logan wanted to point out that a conscious decision hadn’t been involved, but she had already tried to reason with the Weres. It was like spitting into the wind. She’d stopped wasting her time and was now trying to come up with a plan B after the chief had made it clear they couldn’t leave Sammy the way he was.

  “I still don’t see why you can’t let the kid be,” Logan muttered to Connell, who was sitting next to her on the couch watching Salome tear her brother a new one.

  And Salome had seemed so sweet. She fingered the head of the staff. “Dragons are pretty cool.”

  Connell smirked, but his tone was as uncompromising as the chief’s had been. “We can’t raise a dragon. Sammy’s still a little kid with next to no impulse control. You saw him breathing fire. He could burn the whole forest down. And it’s been pretty dry this year.”

  “Fine.” She sighed, rolling her shoulders. “I guess you don’t want me to try the ritual on you now.”

  Connell turned his amazing green eyes to her. “Not if it’s going to fry your tiny body,” he admonished.

  Her lips firmed. “I’ll find a way to prevent that.”

  “Well, when you do, we can think about it. I guess I could handle shifting into a dragon,” he mused. “It’s better than nothing.”

  His smooth tone didn’t fool her. Even he knew dragons were badass. It was a shame she had to burst his bubble.

  “I don’t think it’s likely to happen with you. You’ve been a wolf too long. And you obviously like it. Apparently, Sammy happened to like dragons a bit more.”

  He turned to face her more fully. “Is there anything in those books you went to consult at your safe house? Some way to fix this?”

  Logan shook her head. “It was a miracle we were able to find a way to restore any shifter ability at all. And the texts we keep copies of locally aren’t specialized or specific to shifters. If there is a way out of this, I won’t find it at the safe house.”

  She looked around, but the other Weres were still engrossed in their argument. “Your only chance, if there is any, would be found in the archives on T’Kaieri.”

  “What’s T’Kaieri?”

  “Someplace you aren’t allowed to go. It’s where Gia is now, looking up the staff in our archives.”

  “Why can’t I go?” he said, a hairsbreadth from pouting.

  “First off, you want a quick solution, so I’ll have to fly there. T’Kaieri is heavily shielded by protective spells and enchantments. It’s an island, the home of Water Elementals, and there is absolutely no way for you to get there without me.”

  Connell looked pained, but his voice was firm. “Then I’ll fly with you,” he said grudgingly.

  “It’s not a quick trip. It would be hours. Plus, once we got there, you wouldn’t be allowed inside the archive itself. There are some pretty strict rules about it. Most of the members of the T’Kaierian community don’t have access.”

  “Fine,” he said, giving up. “How long would you be gone for?”

  She shrugged. “A day or two. The archives are dense. Also, there’s no guarantee I’ll find anything that can help.”

  Connell looked like he wanted to argue with her some more, but he miraculously held his tongue and gave her a short nod. They talked a little more about the island before he gestured to the staff still in her hand.

  “Are you going to take that with you?” he asked.

  “It belongs in the archive,” she said, holding the staff closer. “It’s the safest place for it.”

  “Well, don’t leave it there. Not yet.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. I’m just saying the staff will be safer there long term. Until the time comes to destroy it.”

  Connell frowned. “It belongs to your ancestor. Do you really want to destroy it?”

  Reluctantly, she nodded. “It should have been taken apart already. Now that we can strip with spells alone, it’s not needed. And you, of all people, know how dangerous it is.”

  He leaned back. “All right. Try to hurry back. I’ll keep an eye on things here.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” Logan said waspishly.

  She was reluctant to leave him given Malcolm’s recent death. The Were had been almost as big and strong as Connell, and someone had taken him down.

  “I didn’t get to be the chief’s enforcer because I happened to be his son. I had to fight for the position,” he said with an irritated scowl.

  “I know that. Just watch your back,” she said in a low voice.

  Connell’s shoulders relaxed as he gave her a soft, understanding glance. “I will.”

  Logan turned back to the squabbling siblings. They’d been going at it long enough to drive the chief away. “Do you think I can take off now? Yogi will assume I’ve abandoned you all to your dragon-y fate.”

  “He won’t think that,” he assured her. “I’ll explain. Although, I don’t even think either one of them will notice that you’re gone.”

  Before she could move, he pulled her forward for a hard kiss. “Forty-eight hours and no more. If you take longer than that, I’m coming after you again. And believe me, it doesn’t matter how many spells are hiding that place, I will find you.”

  Logan blinked, but she didn’t say anything before dematerializing. Technically, what he was threatening was impossible…except she believed him.

  35

  As the Air Elemental, Logan traveled at speeds her sisters weren’t capable of. She’d always considered herself fortunate, but now it seemed even she was too slow.

  What I wouldn’t give for a Star Trek transporter, she thought, reaching the shores of T’Kaieri late that evening. Wondering if it was too late to meet Gia, she skipped the requisite meeting at the gate and landed at the door to the archives.

  The council wouldn’t look too kindly on her skipping the usual meet and greet—and she didn’t kid herself that the Elders didn’t know she was here. Most of them were well versed in the craft. But being the youngest of her sisters gave her a little license to act like a punk sometimes. Logan had no compunction of playing that card when she needed to.

  She ran down the steps, hopping down the last four and landing lightly on her feet in front of the huge Colonization mural with the staff clutched in her hand.

  “Gia,” she called out, hoping her sister was still down here and not at the house reserved for their use.

  “Logan, is that you?” the Earth Elemental called out.

  “Yeah,” she called out, following her sister’s voice through the warren of rooms.

  “Get your tiny butt over here!”

  Logan pursed her lips. She found Gia in a back room, in front of tall cabinet. “My butt is not tiny,” she protested.

  She didn’t have Serin or Gia’s figure, but her butt was just fine, thank you very much. And Connell didn’t seem to mind that her curves were on the small side.

  “Of course not, sweetie,” Gia said distractedly. She looked over at her, relief flickering across her expression. “Oh, good, you brought it,” she said, reaching out for the staff.

  Logan handed it over.
Gia lifted it and put it into the cabinet on the third shelf on a green baize cover. The dragon head nestled snugly into an indentation at one end.

  “Weird. It almost looks like it was made for it,” Logan observed.

  Gia sighed, staring at the staff. “It was. Which means we have a big problem.”

  “You have no idea,” Logan rushed out. “Sammy’s a dragon!”

  She turned to Logan, eyes wide. “He’s what?”

  “An honest-to-God baby dragon. Breathes fire and everything.”

  “Oh.” Her mouth lax, she gestured to the staff. “Did you…”

  “Yes.”

  “And he’s…”

  “A dragon.”

  “How…interesting.”

  “Is that all you can say?” Logan asked.

  Gia’s sense of humor overtook her surprise. “Douglas must be beside himself.” She giggled.

  “They’re all shitting bricks. Douglas and Connell are worried he’ll huff and puff and burn their houses down. And I don’t blame them. I don’t suppose you know how to fix it?”

  Gia exhaled. “Sorry, doll, you are in uncharted territory now.”

  “I was afraid you were going to say that.” Logan grumbled and surveyed the full shelves around them. “Guess I have to hit the books after all. I don’t suppose I can haul Noomi’s butt out of bed and get her crew down here?”

  “I’m sure they’ll come if you wish, but I need to talk to you about this first,” she said, reaching out and taking the staff off the green cover. “This shelf was made for Feng Po Po’s staff. In fact, the entire cabinet’s dimensions were determined by its length. The archivists wanted to display it properly.”

  Logan rocked back on her heels. “Oh. Well, shit. When did it go back out into the world?”

  “I’m not sure, but it was recently.”

  Her brain started to fuzz with static. “How recently?”

  Gia shook her head and looked down at the staff in her hands. “As far as I can tell, it’s within the last five or ten years.”

  She stared at her sister blankly. “That doesn’t make any sense. Did it go to one of my relatives in China?”

  Only a blood relation could have taken it. And it would have to have been before she inherited. Otherwise, it would have automatically been given to her as both Feng Po Po’s blood descendent and an Elemental in service. No one else would have had a stronger claim.

  Her sister’s face darkened. “No. I have no idea how it got out of here. There’s no annotation in the record for it beyond the inventory at the turn of the century. But I’ve questioned the archivists and some of them have seen it more recently than that, although no one is sure when the last time was.”

  Realization dawned. “So it was stolen?” she asked, stunned.

  “It’s worse than that.”

  “What could be worse?”

  Gia winced. “I don’t think this is the only artifact missing.”

  “What?”

  “Do you remember that knife that stabbed Diana? The one with extraterrestrial metal?”

  Logan was starting to get dizzy. “Don’t tell me it’s missing too?”

  “No, it’s here. And it has been since I returned it, after Sage Burgess’ death. But according to the records, it’s been here for the last century since it was confiscated from a dark Fae in the Adirondacks.”

  “Shit. I need to sit down.”

  “There’s more.”

  Logan’s stomach was twisting into knots. Gia’s tone was low and even. She was trying too hard to sound calm.

  “Something tells me I don’t want to hear this.”

  “And I don’t want to say it,” Gia said before taking a deep breath. “But it seems the only person who’s accessed both these artifacts in the last few decades is Serin.”

  Logan reached out and smacked Gia on the arm. “I told you not to tell me!”

  36

  “I refuse to believe Serin had anything to do with this.” Logan was adamant.

  It was true she hadn’t known the Water Elemental as long as Gia had, but the fact her oldest sister was even entertaining the suspicion was crazy.

  “I don’t think she did either. But some things aren’t adding up. These two items aren’t the only ones missing. And the only person the archivists remember asking about them is Serin.”

  Logan was immediately incensed. “Then it was one of them. They must be lying, and they’re trying to shift the blame.”

  “I’ve considered that, but I think they’re telling the truth. Granted, I don’t have Diana’s built-in lie detector or your spirits to ask for intel, but they strike me as being truthful. Plus, the archivists haven’t left the island in decades. How would they smuggle not one, but multiple, artifacts off T’Kaieri when they never leave?”

  “They must have managed somehow. It makes more sense than Serin doing it. She’s spent her life tracking down bad guys and bringing their weapons here for storage or destruction.”

  Gia nodded, “I know, but there is something else. I think some of the other weapons, like the blade used to stab Diana, were supposed to be melted down. Almost all the others are items Serin confiscated personally. The staff is an exception, but given what the latter is capable of, the thief must’ve found it too tempting.”

  “Well, that proves it wasn’t Serin. She can strip powers with a spell like we can. She wouldn’t need the staff. And she hasn’t been lurking in the woods of Colorado to torment Connell’s pack.”

  “Again, I don’t think she’s the one behind it. But I’ve sent her multiple messages in the last few hours trying to get her here, and I haven’t heard anything.”

  “That’s not unusual,” Logan pointed out. “She’s probably in the middle of a case. Do you know how many things are gone?”

  “So far, at least half a dozen confirmed, not counting the staff.”

  “Shit!”

  “We need to talk to Serin.”

  Logan’s stomach roiled. “You can’t believe she’s involved.”

  “No, but she might know something. You have to admit she’s not been herself lately. That stuff about Jordan and her general unhappiness…”

  “C’mon. That is hardly an airtight case,” she protested.

  “No, it’s not,” Gia admitted. “But she has been acting strangely. Maybe she knows something.”

  “She would have shared something like this,” Logan shouted.

  Gia held up a hand. “Unless she isn’t aware she knows something.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know.” Gia raised her voice abruptly, betraying her frustration. “I’m simply following where the evidence leads. Like I said, we need to talk to her. Diana, as well, for that matter. They both need to know what’s going on.”

  “All right. Where are the archivists? As far as I’m concerned, they’re our prime suspects.”

  “Noomi is here. And I’ve known her since she was born. I trust her. The other two are at their homes. I sent word to the Elders already. None of them will be allowed off the island.”

  “So the Elders are aware of the situation?”

  “I had to tell them something, but they don’t know the full extent of the damage.”

  Logan took a good look around them. Each shelf in the room was crammed full of books or scrolls. Totems and statues were mixed in with them. Not every weapon was obvious, like a sword or the staff. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of magical artifacts in their collection. With the right skill set, a determined practitioner could use any of them for something nefarious.

  And those were the ones that were supposed to be here. If Gia was right, there were even more that could be unaccounted for because they were supposed to have been destroyed long ago.

  “What a shitstorm,” she muttered, covering her eyes.

  37

  Connell watched Sammy play outside from an upstairs window. His father had decided he should stay at their house rather than being sent home in his condition.


  It was a good idea. Now that Sammy was a shifter again, he could be in danger of being struck down and robbed of his second form twice. Not to mention the fire danger…

  “Any word from Logan yet?” his father asked, joining him at the window.

  “Not yet. But she warned me she’d have to leave the island before she could get in touch. Phones don’t work there.”

  He’d shared what little he knew about the place with his father and Mara. The chief had been intrigued. Mara hadn’t cared. She was very quiet these days.

  “We’re missing something,” Douglas said, his gaze on Sammy. “There’s an explanation hidden in all this mess.”

  Connell rolled his shoulders. “We make piss-poor detectives.”

  That kind of thing was against their nature. Werewolves tended to be a very straightforward group. Challenges were made, and fights were common. Everything was out in the open. It was hard to keep secrets in their community. Even their enemies came at them in direct frontal assaults. All this sneaky subterfuge was bullshit.

  “I feel like there’s something out of my reach,” his father said. “There’s some detail that’s been in front of me the whole time, but I can’t see its significance.”

  “I know exactly what you mean,” Connell murmured. He broke off, something occurring to him. “Logan once said something right at the beginning when she was questioning me about that night I lost my wolf. She asked if I sensed anything new in my vicinity when I was attacked.”

  “You didn’t right after it happened, when it was still fresh. Unless you remember a new detail now. Do you?”

  “No. But then she asked if something familiar was present that should not have been there at that moment.”

  Douglas narrowed his eyes. “And you remember what that is?”

  “Not yet. But there’s this idea I keep circling around—not from the attack, but ever since we got back. Like it’s not something present so much as missing. I just can’t put my finger on it,” he said, running a hand roughly through his hair. “I want to go back to where Malcolm was found and take a look around. Maybe it’ll come to me.”