Call of the Waters (Elemental Realms Book 2)

by H. L. Burke

  Creator, let him be wise enough not to acknowledge me.

  “I brought you a friend, Charred.” Arana laughed and kicked Eanan in the side. “Found him lurking in the woods. Says he just wandered this way, hunting.”

  Karvir stayed silent. He hadn’t resisted two days of interrogations to let his voice betray that he knew Eanan.

  Markyl bound Eanan’s hands and feet with rope. He then dragged Eanan to lie inches from Karvir.

  “Do you two know each other?” Arana arched a dark eyebrow.

  “I told you, I’m looking for my daughter, not some withered old man.” Karvir snorted.

  “Daman, was this man one of the Water Slave’s companions?” Arana nodded at Eanan.

  Daman came to stand over him. “It’s hard to say. Admittedly, I was more focused on the girl. It’s not the one I fought. That man was much younger. He could be the other one, though. He stood back a ways, and I never saw his face.”

  “It’s best to assume he is, and that the girl isn’t far off. She’s probably heading towards the gateway, then, unless she doubles back for this one.” Arana eyed Eanan.

  “She seemed too timid, uncertain in her abilities, to risk a confrontation.” Daman shrugged.

  “Yes, and I imagine the pull of the gateway must be growing in her.” Arana tapped her lips with her finger. “We need to pursue her. Once she reaches the gateway, she could free the Water Demons, and if that happens, we’ll never get the gateway closed again.”

  Markyl drew a knife. “We need to move quickly, then. Let’s dispatch these two and get on with it.”

  Eanan’s breath hitched, and Karvir stiffened.

  “No, they might be useful. Whatever their denials, we have reason to believe they are both connected to the Water Slave. We can use them to lure her out. The plan stays. Come. I want to do one last walk around the Sanctuary, see if we can smoke them out.”

  The three shut the door behind them, leaving the two men in darkness.

  “Where’s Quill?” Karvir hissed after their captors’ footsteps faded.

  “I’m fine, thanks. And you?” Eanan sniffed.

  “We’re well beyond pleasantries.” Karvir closed his eyes. He wouldn’t be such an ass if he’d gotten her killed.

  “I’m not certain where Quill is. With Gabrin, I suppose. We were separated before my capture. How on land or sea, did you get here?”

  “I came looking for Quill. I figured you’d get her into some mess, and it looks like I was right. Those three have been talking about nothing but the ‘Water Slave’ since they caught me. Quill isn’t a fighter. She shouldn’t be in a position like this.” Karvir concentrated on the ceiling, unwilling to look at Eanan and unable to punch him.

  The light swelled through the near-translucent panels of white stone. With little else to do since his capture, Karvir had often admired the construction of the domed roof. It seemed so fragile, like the inside of an eggshell, yet it had lasted hundreds of years. In a hundred years, not even a memory of Karvir would be likely to remain.

  “Hurts when the knife’s in your flesh rather than your hand, doesn’t it?” Eanan spat as the morning light stole over his face.

  Karvir’s jaw clenched. “You put Quill in danger, to get back at me for marrying Willa? Is that what all this is about? What sort of man does that to his own grandchild? I knew you were selfish but—”

  “Me? Selfish? Says the man who drove a wedge between Willa and her entire family, so he could bed her.” Eanan’s eyes blazed. “She was a sixteen-year-old child, and you … She didn’t understand the danger, the sacrifices she would make.”

  “You underestimate her. Willa …. Willa took hell and made it heaven. For two decades, she’s been my reason for getting up in the morning and my reward at the end of the day. Throw what barbs you want: I’m not regretting that I bound myself to her.” Karvir closed his eyes and remembered her smile. He had to get home. He wouldn’t leave her alone again.

  “Quill is older than Willa was when you stole her. You’re saying Willa could make her choices at sixteen but at eighteen Quill can’t?” Eanan scoffed.

  “No. If Quill felt she needed to go with you, I wouldn’t have stopped her. I should’ve been able to go with her, though, to protect her.”

  “And I’m incapable of that?” Eanan raised an eyebrow.“I’m not the only one lying here, bound, you know.”

  “I’m not the one who dragged her into danger she didn’t even understand.” Karvir shook his head. “Burn you, Eanan. If she dies, Willa’s father or not, I’m going to kill you.Slowly.”

  “She’s fine, and more capable than you give her credit for. She has a power like nothing I’ve ever seen, but she’s terrified to use it.”

  “She should’ve come to me. You should’ve come to me.”

  “She didn’t want you to know. Said you'd insist on escorting her and that would put you in danger. Water and Charred don’t mix, you know, and when she comes in contact with water, things become unpredictable.”

  Karvir winced. Now that sounded like Quill, hiding her own fear and pain for the sake of others. “I should’ve known something was wrong.”

  “Well, you didn’t.” Eanan craned his neck, searching the room. “Why haven’t you done your smoke trick and slipped out of here?”

  “You think I haven’t tried? They call this shackle ‘bindmetal’ and it interferes with my abilities somehow. No fading, no fire jumping … I can’t even control my heat levels.”

  “Interesting.” Eanan's eyes narowed. “Did you come after us alone?”

  Karvir hesitated then dropped his voice even further. “No. Trea and Brode …” He swallowed. He’d told himself over and over that they’d survived the fall into the river. However, in attempting to speak it, uncertainty gripped him. What if they hadn’t? I have to believe. Creator, don’t make me a liar. “They escaped when I was captured.”

  “That’s good.” Eanan’s shoulders relaxed slightly.

  “Good? Both my daughters are out there somewhere, with insane cultists prowling, and I have no way to protect them. Yeah, that’s great.” Karvir sighed. “You think I don’t understand you? That’s not the problem. While we might not have agreed on the method, our purpose was the same: to protect those we love. And now? Both my daughters are Creator-knows-where in Creator-knows-what danger … along with Brode who's like a son to me.”

  “The water would’ve called for Quill, with or without me.” Eanan frowned.

  “You don’t know that!” Karvir’s core flared but barely had the energy to sustain the blast of anger. His head spun.

  “And when you took Willa you had no way of knowing you could defeat the Fire Elementals and make this world safe for her.” Eanan’s voice grew quiet. “I never intended to put Quill in danger. She’s so much like her mother, and I would do anything to protect her. I had no idea these Earth Speakers would block our way. I still don’t know why they're hunting us. All I knew was that the Evermirror was out there and the Water Elementals might be able to help Quill understand her powers. I had faith it was the right course, as you had faith in your choice to fight off the invaders. Sometimes all a man has is faith. Too bad for us, it’s never been in each other. Perhaps we can get out of this together, though.”

  The warmth from the sunlight teased Karvir like the scent of food to a starving man. “I’ve got maybe a day left if they don’t give me access to fire. It’s unlikely we’ll find a method to escape by then, and even if we do, I wouldn’t get far in my current state. You have a better chance at survival. Whatever our differences, Willa and the girls are as much your family as mine. Promise me, if I die, you’ll do whatever it takes to bring Trea and Quill home.”

  The wrinkles around Eanan’s eyes deepened. “I promise.”

  ***

  Trea shuddered and snuggled against Brode. The roots of the tree they’d bedded down next to surrounded them like embracing arms. They’d piled up dried leaves around their bodies. The scent of the leaves mixed wit
h the earth soothed her.

  Brode’s lips moved against the back of her neck, sending a chill down her spine.

  “Hey th … there…” She tried to chide him, but when she opened her mouth shivers took over. He set one hand on her arm and rolled her over to face him.

  “Woods and trees, Trey, your lips are blue.” He raised his eyebrows.

  “And your nose is br … bright red and dripping, b … but you don’t … s … see me bringing it up.”

  He dabbed at his nose with his sleeve. “Let’s get moving. It’ll warm us up.”

  Trea dug her pack out from under the leaves then shook out the blanket, folded it, and put it away. Her new bow was strapped where her trusty old bow had been. It was hastily made, likely to break too soon. Unfortunately, she had no time to put into carefully crafting a weapon.

  Her stomach grumbled. She pushed around the pack’s sparse contents, wishing some food would miraculously appear.

  Brode grabbed her arm, too tight. She pulled away and glared at him. He put his fingers to his lips then cupped his ear. She listened.

  Voices …

  Trea jerked her thumb towards the branches overhead. Brode nodded. They scrambled together up the trunk and into the thickest patch of foliage they could find.

  The crunch of leaves sounded close. Brode pressed his back against the tree’s trunk; Trea, however, couldn’t help leaning forward to look. Two heads bobbed above a wall of deer brush, perhaps twenty feet from where they’d been sleeping moments before.

  “We’re going the wrong way,” a male voice she identified as Markyl from the night before said.

  “No, we are going the way we should be going. We need to make sure the Water Slave isn’t lurking nearby.” This was the woman, whose name Trea hadn’t caught.

  “You said yourself, she’s most likely headed for the gateway.”

  “Shush. I taught you better than to question me.” Their argument faded, and their heads disappeared into the bracken.

  Brode sighed. “We should stay still for a bit. They might double back.”

  She sank to a squat, one hand on the trunk, the other on the branch beneath her.

  Brode’s eyes lit up. “I see a nest.”

  “Careful and quiet!”

  She clenched her lip between her teeth, as he balanced out on a thicker limb and reached for the nest. He withdrew two tiny, speckled eggs, beaming at them as if they were made of solid gold.

  She wrinkled her nose. “No fire.”

  He shrugged. “Food is food.”

  “Ugh. I think I can wait a little longer.”

  He made a slurping noise, and her stomach heaved.

  “Gah.” He coughed. “That’s as bad as you’d think it would be.”

  “But you’re still going to eat the second.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Of course.”

  By the time they felt safe coming down from the tree, the sun had smoothed the goosebumps from Trea’s arms.

  “I’m never taking fire for granted again.” Brode grinned.

  “I hope Dad’s all right,” Trea whispered.

  Brode’s smile faded, and he wrapped his arms around her. “He’s going to be fine.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “He has to be. If he isn’t, who am I going to ask for permission to marry you?”

  She stiffened. “I thought you weren’t ready?”

  He let go of her. “Come on. Let’s move away from their camp and forage. I’m still starving.” He gestured with his head to the north. “We can talk while we walk.”

  She slipped her hand into his and tried to concentrate on spying edible mushrooms or berries. Her stomach kept fluttering, though, and she wasn’t sure she could eat.

  “It’s kind of like sitting in a room with a closed door, wondering what’s outside, you know?” He bent down and pulled up a round, mottled mushroom. “Perfect, a toad’s egg.” He dug it out and wiped the earth off it with his sleeve.

  She took it when he offered. It tasted musky, but palatable. “A door? No, I don’t know.”

  Brode brushed aside a few more leaves and found another mushroom for himself. “Once you finally decide to open a door, no matter how nervous you are about what’s on the other side, it seems impossible not to walk through it. These last few nights, sleeping at your side, have been like sticking my toes over the threshold. I want to step through. Do you?”

  “I think so. It feels so sudden, though.”

  “In some ways, yes, but in others we’ve known each other for almost four years now, and I’ve known you’re the one I wanted to marry for most of that time. It was always a matter of when, not if.”

  “Assuming I say yes.” She sniffed.

  “I thought you just did.” He smiled. She loved his boyish smile. “Also, family’s important to me. Having my own wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen.”

  “You’re already practically a parent to Pet … I won’t say yes, though.”

  His face fell.

  She winked at him. “Yet. Get me my dad and sister back, then we’ll talk.”

  “Well, that gives me that much more incentive.”

  It took well into mid-morning to scrounge up even half a meal for each of them. Trea also sought out sticks and fletchings for a new set of arrows. Brode sat beside her as she crafted them. His presence calmed her.

  “We probably won’t get more than one shot,” he said.

  “I know, but I want to be prepared. Do you think it will just be the one man?”

  “Hopefully. If it is three, we’ll work around it, though. Your father needs our help.”

  Trea slipped the finished arrows into a pocket on the outside of her pack. She unhooked her bow and strung it.

  “I could make you a bow,” she offered.

  “We don’t have time, and you’re a far better shot than me. Besides, I have this.” He drew his knife.

  She slipped her hand over his. “Thank you for being here. If something happens … I’m not sure if I’ve said that I love you yet, but I do, and have for a long while.”

  He leaned closer, and their lips caressed. Her teeth clicked against his, and she laughed.

  “Still getting the hang of that.” He withdrew.

  They found the Highway and followed it back to the Sanctuary. Wisps of pale smoke drifted above the wall.

  “I think if we climb one of the trees, we should be able to see into the courtyard,” she said. “I may even have a clear shot.” Without waiting for a response, she sized up an ancient oak and hoisted herself into the lower branches.

  “I’ll stay down here and keep an eye out.” Brode drew his knife and pressed his back into the trunk.

  The courtyard was empty except for a smoldering fire. Could they all have left? Leaving a still burning fire was irresponsible, though she doubted people who chucked other people off cliffs cared about responsibility. The courtyard wall appeared intact. In some places vines had grown up to choke it, but the only major gap appeared to be at the gateway … though the mass of the Sanctuary did block a large portion from view.

  “Do you see any of them?” Brode’s voice was low.

  “Shush!” She scowled down at him.

  “So bossy.” He clicked his tongue. “We aren’t married yet.”

  “And we never will be if you get us both killed,” she muttered.

  The tree shook, and Brode pulled himself up next to her. “No sign of him?”

  “No. The fire is still burning. Remember the trap he caught Dad in? He could be lurking behind a bush, waiting for us to stick our noses out.”

  Brode rubbed the tree’s bark. “Well, what do we do now?”

  “We could wait. He has to come out eventually.”

  Brode shifted from foot to foot, one hand against the trunk to steady himself.

  Trea narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”

  “You know from experience how long a hunter can lie in wait. Do you think this man has less patience than you o
r Karvir would when waiting at a salt lick for a deer?”

  She didn’t, but again, practical. “What do you suggest?”

  “Normally, my instinct is to be cautious … how long can your father survive without fire?”

  “Not much longer.”

  Brode’s chest rose and fell in a great sigh. “I love you.”

  “Don’t say that. That’s what people say before they do something stupid,” she snapped.

  His face reddened, and she regretted her tone.

  Standing, she gripped a branch above her with one hand and touched his arm with the other. “I’m sorry. What are you thinking?”

  “We need to flush him out. If Karvir’s still here, there’s a good chance they’re holding him in that building.” He pointed to the Sanctuary. “There’s only one way in, that gate, so if I were setting a trap, I’d hide myself somewhere where I had a good view of the gate, where I could still hear if someone were to come over the wall at another point.”

  The ruins of several outbuildings stuck up like bones from the earth to one side, and a patch of bramble lay near the Sanctuary’s one visible door. “There or there.” She pointed. “If it were me, I’d take the brambles.”

  “I’m not completely sure how his powers work, but there is a chance he needs line of sight to use them. That means if I go in there, he may have to stand or even step out from behind his cover to confront me. He’ll be vulnerable in that moment, and you can take the shot.”

  “And if he makes the earth open up and swallow you? The man can make earthquakes, Brode.” She rubbed her upper arms.

  “He took your father alive. There’s a good chance he won’t kill me immediately.”

  She shook her head. “He’s my father. I should be the one to take the risk, not you. I won’t have you kill yourself for me.”

  “I’m not doing it for you.” He touched her cheek. “Even if Karvir weren’t your father, with everything he has done for me and Pet, I owe him my best efforts to save him. Also, we both know you’re the better shot.”

  Her shoulders hunched towards her ears. “What if I miss?”

  “You’ve saved my life before with a well-placed shot. This time you have the high ground and better light. You can do this.” He kissed her.