Call of the Waters (Elemental Realms Book 2)

by H. L. Burke

  At least I bought Quill a little time.

  The creature raised its fist. Gabrin ducked to the side. The ground rippled as the monster’s hand hit a yard from him. Winded from his fall and blinded by the fire, Gabrin rolled beneath a small fir tree. Smoke choked him.

  The monster tore the tree from the earth.

  “Watch out!” a raspy voice shouted.

  A gray blur passed over Gabrin’s head, and the fire roared like someone had doused it with oil. The monster turned towards the blaze. Gabrin bolted.

  He glanced back. A being rose out of the fire, man-sized and shaped, but glowing crimson. It threw its hands forward, and a shower of sparks hit the earth monster’s face. The monster roared and lunged towards the fire being. Its hands sank through it.

  The fire being surrounded the earth monster’s head like smoke. The monster tore at itself.

  Gabrin drew his sword and aimed for the thinnest portion of the bulky monster: its flailing arms. The blade clanked against the rock, sending sparks flying. A jarring sensation ran up Gabrin's arm. The monster snarled. The earth under Gabrin's feet heaved. He jumped. The monster swiped at him. Gabrin caught its arm and swung himself onto its back. His fingers sank into the clay-like substance binding the boulders together. He hacked into this soft spot with his blade.

  “Watch out!” The man of smoke and fire pulled away from the beast.

  Gabrin let go and fell away as the stone-monster slapped at his back. Hitting the ground in a crouch, Gabrin sprang to the side. The monster stomped.

  “I've got you, Dad!” a voice shouted through the crackling flames. Arrows sang through the air. The first bounced off the monster's stone shell. Two more sank into the clay binding. The creature bellowed, its voice like rocks clattering together in an avalanche. It lurched towards the source of the arrows. The fiery man landed in front of it and formed into a solid mass.

  That's Quill's dad.

  The fire roared around them, licking at the trees and casting a glow over the forest.

  “Get back, Trey. I've got this!” Karvir yelled.

  He stretched out his arms, and the flames flowed towards him. They wrapped around him, until he was too bright to look upon. A ball of fire shot from his chest. It broke against the monster, who staggered back.

  The ground split around Karvir, who faded again. Like a streak of lightning, he flashed into the burning underbrush. The monster wrenched a large rock from the forest floor and chucked it after him.

  Gabrin weighed his sword in his hand. The smoke ate at his lungs, and he didn't know how much longer he could fight without clean air. Arrows kept flying at the rock monster; however, it ignored them as if they'd been feathers. The monster continued to throw chunks of earth and rock towards Karvir. He responded with more fireballs.

  This isn't getting us anywhere. What can I do?

  Another huge skeleton pine sat in the midst of the blaze. The fire ate at its trunk, and the massive tree swayed precariously. Gabrin pulled his shirt over his mouth and ran to the tree. He put all his weight against the smoldering wood. His skin blistered. With a shriek and all his strength, he forced the tree over. It collapsed onto the earth monster. Dirt and rock flew in all directions.

  Gabrin fell to his knees, coughing. Footsteps and shouting echoed. He tried to crawl out of the smoke, but couldn't tell which way was which. Someone pulled him up and led him forward. The air cleared.

  “Breathe, boy. You’re safe now.” Eanan?

  Eanan thrust a canteen at him. Gabrin guzzled the contents.

  “Where’s Quill?” Karvir demanded.

  Gabrin’s mind steadied. Eanan and Quill’s family surrounded him.

  “She went on alone. I … I tried to get the … well, whatever that was, away from her.” He glanced back at the smoldering clearing.

  “Let’s move away before it spreads,” Karvir said. “The wood is still green enough that it shouldn’t go far.”

  Gabrin managed to stand. “How are you all here?”

  “Long story,” Brode said, gruffly.

  “I can’t believe you let her go on alone.” Trea scowled at him.

  So much for my heroic stand. Gabrin shook his head. “Come on. We can catch up with her.”

  ***

  Arana gasped. Her limbs felt cold, lifeless, and for several minutes all she could do was stare at the sky. She’d been defeated. How? With all the power of the Earthen Lords at her disposal, how had she failed?

  The stars twinkled to life overhead. “My Lord?” she whispered.

  No answer.

  Crickets chirped.

  She forced herself to her feet. Gazing out over the woods, she could see a blue glow above the lip of the valley. The gateway is open. I truly have failed.

  She collapsed, arms spread wide as if to embrace the ground beneath her, and wept.

  “Don’t abandon me, my Lord. Please! I know I have failed. Take my life, but do not leave me in silence.”

  The dirt beneath her hummed. “Return home. The battle is lost, but the war is not over. We will deal with your failure at a later date.”

  Arana’s heart leapt. He still spoke to her. Yes, she would return home, if only to face judgment. If she were to die, let it be at the feet of the Earthen Lords.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Karvir followed Gabrin through the woods. “Are you sure she came this way?”

  “We’ve stuck to the path through this whole journey,” Eanan said. “It’s unlikely she would’ve left it.”

  “Yes, but we seem about to run into a cliff.”

  “I think I see a way up. It’s glowing.” Trea pointed forward.

  Karvir’s throat tightened. He recognized that luminescence. “That looks like icestone.”

  They stopped beside the stairs.

  Trea glanced at him. “If you fade, you should be able to climb without touching the steps, right?”

  He nodded. “I’ll manage.”

  They started the ascent. The stars flickered to life above them. The smoke of the fire tainted the cold night air, but already it had faded to a few hot spots, the flames unable to find enough dry fuel to feed them.

  Let her be all right. Creator, please, I’m so close to finding her. Let Quill be all right.

  He hovered inches from the ground. The fight with the earth monster had allowed him to renew his core, absorbing the fire from Gabrin’s accident even as he wielded it against his enemy. His mind was sharp, and his fade-form dark as a thunder cloud. He swept ahead of his companions, rising like the wind.

  They reached the top. An azure light shone over the treeline.

  Eanan gasped. “We’ve found it! That has to be it!”

  “Burn it. Did we find her?” Trea broke into a run, and the men took off after her.

  “The Evermirror is a lake?” Eanan said. “Of course. What else would the Water Folk use for a gateway? I should've known.”

  Karvir skidded to a halt and solidified at the shores of the pond. Where was Quill?

  “Quill!” Gabrin dove into the water.

  Karvir squinted. A person floated in the middle of the pond. A pang of anguish and fear gripped his heart. He moved forward, but Trea grabbed his arm.

  “You can’t.” Her bottom lip shook.

  “I’ve got it.” Brode jumped in after Gabrin.

  Karvir clung to Trea, his being pulled in two directions. Water meant death, but Quill … Quill …

  Brode and Gabrin guided Quill to shore. She floated, face up, eyes closed. Alive? Karvir couldn’t be sure. Reaching the shallows, Gabrin gripped her under the arms and Brode took her by the legs. They laid her on the grass.

  Gabrin pressed his head to her breast. His hands shook. Karvir reached out and touched her hair. The water hissed upon contact with his skin, eating away at him like acid.

  “Is she ... ?” Trea stammered.

  Gabrin plugged Quill’s nose and set his mouth over hers. He lingered for a moment. Karvir’s brow furrowed. Gabrin pressed against he
r chest.

  Quill coughed. The young man laughed and kissed her forehead. His hand caressed her cheek. Karvir stepped closer, but Quill’s eyes were locked with Gabrin’s. Relief at seeing her alive mingled with a cold sadness within Karvir. It looks like I’ve found her and lost her all at once.

  She reached up and touched Gabrin's hair. “I’m fine. I was just … they kept me alive. They’re so beautiful.”

  Karvir drifted closer, and Quill’s eyes widened. She bolted up. “Daddy?” She stepped towards him, arms outstretched, then pulled back. “Oh, I’m dripping wet.”

  “I don’t care.” He embraced her, ignoring the bite of the water against his ruined husk. Her empathic powers reached out to heal him, even as the water damaged his skin. Memories flashed through his brain, of her as a child, of his struggle to find her.

  “You came for me?” Her voice quavered.

  “Of course. Quill, you shouldn’t have left like that. I was so worried.”

  “I had to. The water called me. It needed me, but I was afraid … Dad, what I am …” She pulled away, her eyes downcast.

  He trailed a finger down her cheek, leaving behind a dark smudge. “What you are is perfect.”

  Karvir stepped back, allowing Trea to take his place.

  The sisters embraced.

  “Why didn’t you ask me to come with you?” Trea hid her face in Quill’s hair.

  “I couldn’t put you in danger. I thought if I left, you’d have to accept it.”

  “How could you be so stupid? Of course we would follow you.” Trea sniffed back tears. “It’s all right now, though. You’re safe.”

  When Quill and Trea separated, Brode squeezed Quill’s shoulder, and she turned to hug him.

  “There’s someone you all need to meet.” She approached the lake, passing Eanan, who knelt on the bank, staring into the luminescent pool.

  Quill waded into the water. “Vess, I have some people for you to see.”

  The middle of the lake churned and bubbled.

  Quill glanced back over her shoulder. “Dad, you may want to stand back a bit. She’s not dangerous, but there can be some unintentional splashing.”

  Karvir floated backwards. Trea positioned herself between him and the water, Brode at her side. Brode placed his hand on her back, just above her waist. Karvir’s stomach twisted. Her too … well, at least this one I sort of saw coming.

  The water swirled, then with a gushing sound, rose into a towering spout. Arms sprang from the spout, like streams of water taking different paths. A head formed, with vaguely human features and eyes of white, glinting ice.

  “These must be your family, child. I recognize them from your memories.” The being tilted her head. Water cascaded from her, a waterfall forming tresses of hair and lightly draped robes. “I am sorry that your father’s form prevents closer association. You have my admiration, sir, for what you have endured as well as for the daughter you have raised.”

  “What do you want of her?” Karvir asked. “Of this world?”

  Several more whirlpools formed about Vess. Soon she was joined by a half dozen other Elementals, some as tall as trees, others about Karvir's size.

  “She has given us all we desire already. Our voices are heard. We can walk the Convergence once more.”

  Karvir’s chest tightened. “The Convergence may not be as welcoming to you as it once was.”

  “We know your history. You have reason for suspicion; however, I assure you it is unfounded.” Vess glided towards shore. Her hand touched the top of Quill’s head, and for a moment Karvir’s skin crawled. Quill’s face, however, was at peace, her eyes shut, basking in the presence of this being.

  She trusts it, and I trust her.

  “Now that the Evermirror is free, we will guard it. Whatever force closed it must not be allowed to act again. We will draw our followers to us. We will commune with them, teach them, but unlike the Fire Folk, we have no interest in conquest or destruction.”

  “And Quill?” Gabrin crossed his arms. “Is Quill free to go?”

  “Yes … though it would be my desire to remain in communion with her, even over the distance. Our bond is strong.”

  Eanan’s eyes were wide and his mouth agape. Vess turned to him. She reached out a hand as broad as Eanan’s chest but clear and delicate as glass. Her fingertips touched the old man’s forehead.

  “It is my understanding that you are the one we owe for our new freedom. You led the child here,” she said. “Thank you. What is your desire?”

  Eanan’s hands shook. “I have so many questions—about your world, about how our world can interact with yours … and also, the Fire Folk. They drove our people to the brink of extinction.” He swallowed. “We need protection. If the Fire Folk return, will we have your aid?”

  Vess stroked her chin. “Warfare is not in our nature, but neither is sitting idly while evil occurs. If the Fire Folk attack, we will do what we can to shelter you. As for your other questions, my people have longed to speak with humans for centuries. Ask away.”

  Karvir glanced around. “It’s too late to start back tonight anyway. Trea, Brode, let’s find a place to make camp.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Quill dangled her feet in the cool waters of the Evermirror. The younger Water Elementals—droplets, Vess had called them—swayed and splashed on the surface and frolicked in the grass, leaving trails of dew.

  The other humans had all gone back to the campsite. Even Eanan had tired of interrogating the Elementals. Quill, however, felt no need to sleep. The water renewed her, kept her head clear and her body strong.

  Footsteps approached.

  “You don’t appear to have lost yourself.”

  Her heart warmed at Gabrin’s voice.

  She smiled. “In some ways, I found myself.”

  He sat cross-legged beside her. She raised her eyebrows and took his wrists in her hands. The skin on his palms was red and blistered.

  “What happened?”

  “Fighting a giant rock monster … and accidentally setting the forest ablaze.” He grimaced. “Your father got to me just in time.”

  She stroked the wounds, channeling her empathic energy to heal his skin and soothe his aspect. Memories of their time together flashed through her head. Her mind lingered on their kiss.

  “That time I picked the memories.” He smiled.

  She blushed. Love rose off him, real love, not lust or feeble fondness. It intertwined with her own emotions, and she trembled.

  “What now?” he asked.

  “I need to go home. Let Mom know I’m all right … and Trea told me Brode’s planning to ask Father for her hand, so there will be a wedding to plan, another cabin to build.”

  “So you go back to your normal life as if none of this happened?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “Not exactly like that. Vess will be with me now. Someday I would like to return here, to learn at Vess’s feet, but my family is everything to me. I can’t just leave them.”

  His smile faded. “But won’t that world be too small for you now?”

  “My family isn’t small.” She avoided his eyes. “And you? What are you going to do now that you’ve found the Evermirror?”

  “I want to continue until I’ve found the remaining gateways … well, Earth and Fire, not so much now that we know about the Earth Speakers, but Air, at least, and maybe other lost treasures. I’d like to remap Forra, see what’s out there.”

  “Our paths are headed in different directions, then.” She let go of his hands and rubbed her arms.

  “They don’t have to be. Quill, think of the adventures we could have together.”

  “I want that … someday, but after everything I’ve put my family through, I can’t leave again, not right away. Maybe in a few months, when everything’s settled down.” Her throat tightened. “Could you wait for me?”

  “Yeah, you don’t need to be a prophet to see how that will turn out.” His shoulders slumped.

  �
�What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I’ll settle into your perfect little family, but in a few months your dad will catch us ‘enjoying each other’s company’ and give me a choice between marriage or being toasted … and twenty years from now, I’ll look back and wonder what happened to all my hopes and dreams.”

  Her face grew hot. “You’re making a lot of assumptions.”

  “I know how life works. If you don’t grab every chance, if you wait, the moment passes. Quill, come with me. We’re a great team. Life would be one discovery after another, never stopping, never slowing down.”

  Quill's stomach churned. What do I want? Who am I now? I do want to see the world, but I also want to be with my family, to have my own family someday. I don’t want to choose. Vess, can you hear me?

  “I hear when you call, child.”

  Quill savored the swirling energy of the Elementals. It rose through her skin like bubbles.

  Can a person live two lives? I want to see the world, and I want to be with my loved ones. I want to stay but also go. How do I know where I belong?

  “One cannot be a pond and a river at once, yet over a lifetime, one can be many things. Choosing one for now does not tie you to it forever.”

  How do I know which course to take now?

  “You ask what only you can answer, child, but know, whatever you choose, my voice will follow. What do you want right now? More than anything?”

  Unexpected sorrow welled up in Quill’s breast. To see my mother. Tears spouted from her eyes.

  Gabrin’s arm slipped around her waist. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I can be an ass sometimes, I know.” His lips caressed her forehead, and for a moment, she allowed herself to simply savor him.

  “Gabrin, I love you,” she whispered.

  He grinned. “I kind of thought you might. So come with me, then.”

  “That’s just it. Neither of us are ready. You still make jokes and deflect when I try to talk to you, and me … I can’t bear to leave my family yet. We’re not ready.”

  His mouth quirked down. “I’ll miss you.”

  She twined her fingers in his hair. “I know, and I’m not saying never. I’m only saying not now.”