Karena finally looked at him and sternly said, “There won’t be a next time. I wanted to explore the possibility that there might be chemistry between us that hadn’t been fully realized in our normal work days. I gave it a chance, but there isn’t anything there. I satisfied my curiosity.”
“If you give it time, then there could be. Few people are like me. I’m a true romantic.”
“I’m sure you are, but you’re not right for me. The answer is still ‘no’. You’re intelligent and considerate, and nothing is wrong with you, but it takes two to feel as though the relationship would be great, not one.”
“What are you looking for in a guy?”
“I’m not sure yet, but when I find my perfect match, I’ll know,” Karena said.
The truth was, she did know. He was sitting across the room where the Fires sat. At least she thought she had. It was the best lead she had. Her date with Tristan had brought her to her senses that crossing enemy lines might be what she would have to do to find love. Though, her hate for the Fires was as strong as ever. She wondered if she would be able to put her feelings aside. No one else would be crazy enough to do so. She had expected a Fire to be repulsive in every way imaginable. Yet, Asher had proven that her beliefs were wrong. But would it stay that way? There were a lot of unknowns, and as it was, she wasn’t sure if she would get the green light to start treading on the fringes of some of them.
With an annoying flourish of his hand, Tristan said, “Anytime you need me, I’ll be there.”
“I appreciate it,” Karena curtly replied.
Amarine and Hadrian joined them. Hadrian glanced at her, and then Tristan. He didn’t ask about their date the other night. It was clear how it had gone.
As she tied a handkerchief around her head to contain her blue curls, Amarine said, “On the afternoon shift yesterday, an Air team trashed a Water’s home.”
“I bet Captain Valmar was pissed,” Hadrian said. He was promptly distracted by Samantha who had come over to give him a shoulder massage and to bump her ample chest into the back of his head.
“What happened?” Tristan asked.
“They created a tornado in the Shoreline family’s backyard,” Amarine replied. “All of their aquatic animals nearly died. I was there to help soothe the animals, and help pull debris out from the outside pools.”
“That’s awful,” Karena said. “Why did they do it?”
Amarine shrugged and held up her hands, palms up. She said, “No idea. I guess it fancied them at the moment.”
Gregory scooted his chair back from his table to chat with Tristan about some specifics on spells.
When Hadrian managed to shoo Samantha away, Karena put her arm around the back of Hadrian’s chair. She leaned towards him.
She said, “Captain Valmar was strange today. I came in early to talk to him about something, and he went off about how vampires might not be extinct, and how there are worse things out there than them.”
“Whoa, that’s bold of him to say.”
“He mentioned the last necromancer king who tried to overtake these lands a thousand years ago, and how necromancers are far worse than vampires. From the way it had sounded, it was as though he knew all of this firsthand.”
“Did you get any insight as to what he is?”
“No. I tried.”
“Damn. No one can figure it out. Obviously, he’s a humanoid, but far stronger than a human. He’s not lean and slender like an elf. If he was shorter and with a full face of hair, then he would be a dwarf. We’ve ruled out a lot of other guesses. He could be a shapeshifter, but there aren’t any shapeshifters that are known to live a ridiculously long time.”
“I wish I knew too. It drives me nuts. But getting back to this morning and what he was talking about, he even went so far as to say that if greater times of evil came, we would have no choice but to ally ourselves with the vampires.”
“There aren’t any left.”
“Exactly. At least, I pray so. Everyone says they’re gone. No one has seen one for five hundred years.”
When Captain Valmar stomped into the room, the gossiping and socializing ended. As he started his briefing, her mind wandered to her request that morning. She hoped Captain Valmar would allow her onto Asher’s team for two weeks. Thanks to Tristan, her request no longer served a singular purpose. Not only did she want do reconnaissance work, but also to get a break from Tristan, who was getting on her nerves with his frequent glances and nervous behavior. He wanted to please, she got it, but she didn’t want it and he seemed incapable of understanding that.
She and Tristan had been friends in school, but she had always been much closer to Hadrian and had known Hadrian far longer. Hadrian had been a staple in her life from the time she had entered kindergarten. During recess one day, she had wandered from the playground and into the school’s garden. Hadrian had been playing with the plants by animating them to life, and then letting them become immobile again.
Later, in middle school, they had both met Tristan. Tristan had always been a tad strange, but now, more so than ever before. They had befriended him and Amarine, since they were close friends, just like she and Hadrian were. The four of them had become inseparable, and here they were, working for the same organization and together in the same team. But Tristan was putting a strain on the team, one that Hadrian was starting to discern and Amarine had yet to detect.
Karena tried to listen to Captain Valmar as he discussed the latest cases of cryptid activity, but couldn’t. Her mind was elsewhere. It was at the Blue Ballroom, dancing with a mysterious guy who looked at her with growing admiration and a warmth akin to the glow of the sun. She glanced over at the Fires, and spotted him amongst their intimidating presence. He looked dashing in his uniform. His black hair matched his black suit. He was paying attention to Captain Valmar, unlike her. She wondered if he would accept her into his team. Had she spoiled her chances with him?
Chapter 11
The following morning at work, Karena anxiously awaited the verdict about her request. She shifted in her chair as she sat at her team’s table. It took every last ounce of concentration to keep a lid on her emotional state, or else she would start emitting cold air or snowflakes. Her fingers tapped her forearm, unable to be stilled. She looked around for Captain Valmar, but he seemed to be taking his time that day. Tristan kept trying to coax her into talking by asking her questions, but it only made her more irritated with him.
The previous night, Karena hadn’t been able to sleep well. She had kept herself up with speculations about whether she would be allowed onto Asher’s team. It all depended on whether Asher agreed to the arrangement, since he was the leader of the team. She figured that if he said no, then he was angry at her or no longer interested. But any outcome, good or bad, was better than none at all.
She and Asher were both Chaos elementals and of opposing elements, two factors that would have anyone worried. There was no other way to get close to Asher and test the waters with him, or in his case, test the fires, and see how hot they burned.
Finally, Captain Valmar appeared. Now she would know.
Captain Valmar greeted them, and said, “There is something I need to bring up before we start the day. As agreed upon by both parties, there will be an act of goodwill.”
A gasp went through the room. Nervous glances leaped from table to table. Relief allowed her to sit back in her chair and breathe easier. Asher had accepted the act of goodwill. But relief turned to panic. There were so many unknowns she would have to face.
He continued, “Two team members will be switched out and placed in another team.”
Mutterings broke the silence that normally reigned when Captain Valmar was in the center of the Warren room.
Captain Valmar scowled, and said, “I don’t want to hear it, or I’ll scramble all of you up into different teams so that there is a different elemental, and a wizard or witch from a different district in your teams. If I see or hear any complaints, signs of
one, or a less than enthusiastic attitude, then I’ll make good on my threat.”
They immediately sobered up.
“Charissa and Karena, please switch places.”
Tristan’s eyes swung from Karena to Captain Valmar in shock, visibly distressed. His mouth gaped open.
Charissa was born from a Fire father and an Air mother, and had the gift of heating up air in order to manipulate it. She could create desert winds and mirages. For a short amount of time, she could use those winds to levitate. Charissa’s chair squealed as it was pushed back. Her upper lip curled into a hateful snarl. Tall, dark-skinned with flawless skin, and athletically built, she and her attitude were intimidating. She sashayed like a diva towards the center of the room.
Feeling the eyes on her, Karena rose upwards. She felt like backing out. What had she done? This was actually happening. Now she would be stuck with Asher’s team for two weeks.
Karena passed by Charissa on her way to her new seat and team. As a threat and an obvious sign that she wasn’t welcome on that side of the room, the air simmered like a hot summer’s day. The tension was so thick that she felt like she could swim in it. Daggered eyes tried to mentally stab her. Anxiety spiked in her, but it was too late to reconsider.
At Asher’s table, she sat down in Charissa’s empty chair next to Asher. Captain Valmar closely monitored them. Charissa had plopped down at the table she had left. Arms crossed, Charissa glared at her from across the distance. She wasn’t happy about the arrangement and Karena couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t for the faint of heart, and if unasked for, then it was like having to deal with ten guaranteed-to-be-bad days. Hadrian seemed unaffected, but Amarine and Tristan sulked.
From the Fire’s side of the room, everything seemed slightly foreign. No longer was she immersed amongst those that she was familiar with. She saw them now from an outsider’s perspective, as a group she knew well, but couldn’t return to for the next six hours. She was in hostile territory for the meanwhile. The change unsettled her. Her anxiousness to be put in Asher’s team had evaporated and replaced with trepidation.
Karena glanced at Jinx sitting across from her. She was the witch of the team, just like how Tristan was the wizard of her team. Karena hoped she wouldn’t be as annoying. Expensive, gem rings adorned every one of her fingers. Though her face looked sweet, her eyes and the energy they conveyed were the exact opposite. A streak of white ran through her honey-colored hair.
Next to Jinx was Blade, a Fire elemental, but he could also be classified as a Metal elemental. His black, shaggy hair touched his shoulders. He looked wiry, and his pale skin clung to his diamond-shaped face a bit too closely to look healthy. His eyes calmly viewed her, like a doe’s.
“Welcome to our team,” Asher greeted.
His gentle tone and response made everyone loosen up. He set the mood as the leader and they followed. He introduced Jinx and Blade to her, even though she already knew their names and they knew hers. His alpha-male attitude radiated outwards, silencing those who weren’t without even having to say a word to them, and bringing to the table a social hierarchy that wasn’t present at her own. Even though Amarine often took on the role of leader, they were used to a sloppy kind of friendship-based work attitude.
“Are there any concerns or questions about this arrangement?” Captain Valmar asked, rotating around to look for raised hands.
Hadrian’s hand shot up. Captain Valmar sighed.
“Yes, Hadrian? Do I have to ask what stupid question has come to your mind that needs answering?”
His insistent hand lowered. “Is the world going to end now?” he asked.
There was laughter.
Captain Valmar said, “No, the world isn’t going to end.”
Hadrian’s hand flew upwards again.
“What now?” Captain Valmar asked, looking like an angry bull with flared nostrils.
“I bet it’s going to end in ice.”
“I would bet more so on the fact that you’re not going to live to see it once I get through strangling you.”
“Ah, okay,” Hadrian said, unfazed by the threat.
“Satisfied?”
“Almost. Can I switch out too and be placed into Asher’s team?”
“NO! I’m not going to throw a buffoon such as yourself into their team. The last thing I need is a splitting headache when something goes wrong because you thought it would be funny. Now shut up!”
Captain Valmar waited a few seconds to see if anyone else raised their hand, but no one did.
“Good. I expect everyone to get along,” Captain Valmar said, and handed out the folders.
Asher flipped the cover of the one he had been given.
“The location is a metal casting foundry,” Asher said. “A worker was found dead. The cause of death is predation by an unknown cryptid. His body was half-eaten. There’s been reports of bird-like screeches coming from the rafters. They’ve noticed acid spots on the machinery, which has caused corrosion. The acid is blue in color.”
“It’s probably some kind of pterosaur, and it’s stuck in the rafters. There isn’t enough space for anything larger to go unseen,” Jinx said.
“But pterosaurs don’t have venom glands. The Leerian hornbill is a large cryptid, and it can excrete venom, but that’s only when they’ve taken a bite out of something. It’s not known if it’s blue either,” Blade commented.
“Karena, anything?” Asher asked.
Her face flushed. For someone she was still angry with, he sure as hell made her feel giddy. She said, “Pterosaurs go after smaller prey than people, and they’re found on topical islands along the coast line, but at times they do stray and fly inland. However, the coast is too far away for it to be a pterosaur. Whatever this cryptid is, it’s very agile to be able to maneuver around a metal casting shop.”
“The operational part of the foundry is over three stories tall, and there’s rafters, which extend for an additional two stories,” Asher said, turning his head to look at her with those cocoa-colored eyes of his.
She couldn’t hold his gaze for long, or else it was going to make her melt. The sexual tension couldn’t be denied. Her emotions and hormones clashed against her sense of logic. He was a no-good Fire, but even just from sitting next to him, all concept of the existing feud dissolved into irrelevance. However, she wanted to act aloof and cold towards him, to keep the game going that she wasn’t interested in him, but only mildly curious.
Karena added, “I don’t know what it could be. We don’t have a lot to go off of because no one has seen what it actually is. All we can assume is that it’s a predator, and that it will kill a human, therefore, it might be an apex predator. We also know that it can either excrete or spit a bluish, corrosive acid or venom. I don’t think we should try to assume much more, and just treat it as highly dangerous.”
Asher nodded. They were quiet as they thought about this. Around them, the other teams brushed by as they headed for the garage. She caught sight of Tristan who seemed reluctant to leave or else wanted to talk to her. That date with him might’ve caused irreparable damage, where he now thought they were something more than friends. It concerned her.
“In case it spits at us, we should use the helmets with the visors on them,” Jinx said, “and we should cover up with thicker suits.”
“Agreed,” Asher said. “Rather than splitting up, we’ll stay together as a group and make our way towards the rafters on the top level. We’ll need to bring the taser rifles, and the guns.”
“That’s excessive. We might as well bring another team with us,” Blade said. He rotated his wrists to loosen them, and cracked his knuckles, which sounded like metal creaking from weight stress.
“I don’t think we will need another team if are fully equipped,” Asher explained. “The rifles are for long distance shooting, because the rafters are mostly out of our reach unless one of us learns how to fly. The guns are for close range shooting because there are areas in that shop where there are tig
ht spaces and we won’t be able to use a rifle well in such close quarters. We should be able to assess whether we need another team relatively quickly and make a retreat if needed.”
“I think that’s a good strategy,” Blade said, and Jinx nodded in agreement.
Unlike her team, there wasn’t any bickering or heated debates. Blade and Jinx trusted Asher’s judgement, and deferred to him. And Asher listened to their concerns without taking offense. There wasn’t any drama, and Karena was already feeling comfortable in their team, though Charissa might not be in hers.
They stood up, and left to change into thicker suits.
When they got to the garage, there were only two motorcycles left. Five were in the repair bays for the mechanics to work on. Karena strode to the truck, feeling Asher’s gaze on her back. She could’ve taken one of the motorcycles, but she wanted to see who would get into the truck with her.
Behind her, she heard Asher direct the others to take the motorcycles. An elated smile broke onto her face. She felt the connection with him. She got into the passenger seat of the truck and waited, her hands clasped in her lap. White clouds blew from her nose and mouth. She willed herself to keep her emotions in check, and the iciness dissipated.
After depositing the rest of the equipment into the back of the truck, including the helmets, Asher climbed into the driver’s side. He started the truck up, and let the rumble of the engine fill the silence. He refused to glance over at her, and she made it a point to ignore him too and look out the window. Every ounce of her body was aware of him a couple feet away, and how the cab of the truck isolated them into their own private world.
Asher followed after Blade and Jinx on the motorcycles. They plunged into the Fire district with its castle-like buildings of stone and austere facades. Nature was trimmed back. In people’s yards, rock gardens hosted small, designated patches for plants. Statues of muscular men and women with hammers, or other instruments of craft or war, abounded. They passed under a victory arch that was three stories tall with mounted horses made out of metal on top of it. A clock tower nearby tolled the new hour, every peal solemn and commanding. She gazed at its dial face, which was made from opal stone. Its spiked roof pierced the sky and could be seen over the rooftops.
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