Air (34 page)
"Yes," I said with resolution, because there was no other choice. Just like the Shades, the team here had to believe in me. Otherwise all was lost before we could even get started.
My Kryptonite
Less than half an hour later, I came to an abrupt realization that I didn't have it all handled. A giant wall of spinning, white, harsh water raced toward our tiny fishing charter. I watched, paralyzed with shock, my death approaching at an alarming rate.
Susan ran to the bow of the boat, dispersing the wave in large chunks, diverting water left and right before it could slam into us. Knowing her, she’d prepared for this specific event. It was our downfall in Spain. She had probably been practicing how to handle this exact scenario ad nauseum ever since. I wished I'd thought of that.
Still, there was wave left over by the time it reached us. The ship reeled to the left. The flimsy glass windows on the captain’s deck proved no match for my weight. I went crashing through. A brief, heart-stopping free fall ended in a hard landing. I braced for the icy cold waters of the Southern Ocean, but got the deck of the fishing trawler. The cold water came shortly afterwards, spraying from above.
"Kaitlyn!" Micah's panicked voice came to me before he did. "Are you ok?"
"I think so." I attempted to get up but a sharp, stabbing pain in my back stopped me. "Ow."
"Don't move…" Another lurch of the boat sent Micah and me sprawling into the railing. We gave a whole new meaning to 'manning the rails'. I lay motionless, afraid to discover what damage my body incurred. From my new position I spotted Susan, still at the bow of the ship, working her hands and chanting. The ocean responded to her, but the attacks kept coming.
I gathered energy to help, I could still do something from my position on the ground, but a voice inside my head spoke.
No. Don't!
I ignored it, summoning more energy from the ocean surrounding us. Suddenly, I felt blocked. It was weak, eerily similar to one of Shawn's walls, but it was coming distinctly from within myself. From the Shades.
I could break through, easily. But they had never done that before.
This is a diversion. Save your energy for the real fight.
They were right. Shawn was attempting to drain me before I could even get close to him. I reached toward Micah, who was picking himself off the floor. "Get me out of here."
He looked at his sister, doing her best to fight off the attacks, but understood. "Alex, Cato – get to the raft!"
"Grab my duffel bag!" I yelled after Cato. He didn't acknowledge me, no time for that, but he made the quick diversion to my cabin.
Micah picked me up, carrying me gently but quickly to the small, rubber lifeboat tethered to the back of the trawler. He lowered me down to Alex; the entire process sending more jolts of pain up and down my body, all from my back.
Amidst the chaos of the sea, we made progress away from the fishing boat, circumnavigating the island, and approaching it from the other side. Our little engine did what it could, but it couldn’t move quickly. The constant up and down and side to side motion actually worked out the kinks in my back, though, leaving behind only a dull ache.
Despite that, the ride was hell. The constant spray of ice cold water showered us as we tried to hold on for dear life. When the small rubber boat finally ran itself up on the land, no one moved. I'm not sure I could have. My fingers felt frozen to the small rope loops running along the inside. My clothes were soaking wet and stiff from the cold. I attempted to move my legs and heard my pants crackle, as if they had already turned to ice.
"Well this sucks."
A few groans answered my statement. I made no effort to do anything. The land was draining me. The Galapagos flashed through my mind. I forced it away. Eventually, a small warmth, starting at my toes, made its way up my body. I tested each limb as it became unfrozen, and realized Alex and Micah were doing the same. I was still exhausted, but I could move now.
Finally, I looked over at Cato. He had been the source of the heat. Dark, heavy bags circled his eyes and his wrinkles, as many as there were, seemed especially deep. He lifted his eyelids slowly and managed a small smile. "I'm done for, Kaitlyn. I can't handle this lack of energy in my old age. I'll do what I can from here, but you'll have to go on without me."
I nodded, understanding exactly. I pulled myself toward the duffel bag Cato still clutched, pried his icy fingers off, and pulled out a few essentials to leave with him.
"What's this?"
"A blanket, made from all natural materials from the Chakra; plus boots and a hat. It will help mask you from the island."
"That's my girl." Cato nodded approvingly.
I beamed with pride until Micah grabbed my arm and judiciously pulled me out of the raft and dumped me on the sand. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I froze.
"What?" Micah asked.
"If this place is anything like Galapagos, I can't move. The island will react."
"Ok.” Micah paused. “Well, that kind of puts us at a disadvantage."
"No. Alex – hand me a blanket out of that bag."
He obliged and in short order had me dressed in the same attire as Cato; blanket wrapped around me like a cape, boots and a hat.
"Lovely," Micah remarked.
The blanket felt heavier than it should have been. I looked down and inside at the portion hanging over my front.
"I added a few touches of my own," Alex said.
Concealed inside was a row of lightweight throwing knifes, angled and leveled to be at the perfect height to be retrieved by my throwing hand. Shawn’s athame, my one link to the Shades as long as the knife was close enough, they were there too.
"Aw, thanks! It's almost like…like you brought me flowers."
Micah cleared his throat.
I raised my eyebrow. "And you?"
"Sorry. No flowers."
I rolled my eyes. "No. I mean, do you feel that energy loss?"
He paused, taking a deep breath then exhaling slowly. "No. I feel, actually a little more powerful."
I nodded. "That's how it is with Shawn. Take a few steps in front of me."
Micah obliged, walking in a straight line, then stopping and turning. "Are we done with the sobriety check, officer?"
Nothing had happened. He moved but the island didn't. Now it was my turn. I took a deep breath in, and held it. No gust of wind. One step forward. No earthquake. As a final test, I closed my eyes and conjured the elements of fire, lighting it without preamble. There was no explosion on the island, no volcano eruption. I was satisfied.
"Ok, I am good to move, but I still feel drained. If this turns into an extended fight; I'm not sure I'll last. These Goddamned places are like my kryptonite."
We started walking toward the center of the island.
"I think I can help there, Kaitlyn. I might be able to block some of energy-depleting sources for you,” Micah said.
I shrugged, too tired to consider it more. "Ok – shield me."
Instantly I felt a protective barrier slide over me. I wasn't more powerful, but I was at least back to normal. It wavered slightly as Micah tripped over a rock, and the ill effects of the island managed to creep through, but he quickly solidified the barrier again.
For the second time that day, I beamed in pride, only this time it was pride in Micah. "It works!"
I extended my hand out and practiced a small weave of air. My magic still worked through the shield. "This is very, very good."
Back up to my normal strength, my confidence rose. It still may not be enough, but a weakened Gaia was something Shawn was probably counting on.
We continued moving toward the middle of the island. I glanced back at the boat, and Cato, watching them slowly disappear as we moved up and over a hill.
"Okay. This island is mostly barren. No trees. The wind can be harsh." Alex looked at Micah as he briefed him on the terrain. "No one lives here permanently; it is mostly just visited by scientists and researchers. They tend to take refuge in the underground caves. I couldn't find much information about the caves. They’re numerous, but I'm not sure they’re connected. Also, there’s an active volcano. It's how the island was formed."
Micah nodded. "Got it. Kaitlyn – I think you should concentrate on the water and air elements. Those are your strongest. Use what the island has to offer, then just add to that or manipulate it. If Shawn's team is hiding out in caves, wind and water will be able to penetrate them without causing us too many problems." He turned back to Alex. "Are there any civilians on the island now?"
Alex shrugged. "Couldn't find any official research teams scheduled to be here."
"That is good enough for me."
We were heading uphill now. The icy air, combined with the exertion of climbing, was getting to me. I panted, breaths coming short, and my leg muscles felt ready to give out. Micah reached for my hand and pulled me along, forcing me to the top of the hill. When we crested, our jaws dropped. There must have been a hundred people in the valley, all spaced evenly apart. At first it looked like a random pattern but after taking a step back, and taking in the design as a whole, I realized the formation was shaped like Shawn's mark.
Whether or not positioning his people like that increased their strength, it certainly put the fear of God into me. Or the fear of the Devil.
"Just a scare tactic," Alex mumbled, but I could tell he was shaken as well.
"Yeah. It's working," I replied.
Micah agreed.
I looked at him, shocked. He was supposed to be our fearless leader, knowing the perfect thing to say to boost our confidence in this situation. I punched him in the arm, hard.
"Ow." He rubbed the spot, then pulled himself together under my glowering stare. "I mean…okay. I think we should break up the formation, just in case."
I followed his gaze to the far end, and could just make out three women directing weaves away from us and toward the ocean; toward Susan. Their strength was amplified by two men standing on each side of them. They were Shus, using air to expand and push the weaves out further to the fishing trawler. Together, the five of them formed the upper lip of the seditious smile in Shawn's mark.
"So we've got water and air there." As Micah spoke I followed his pointing. "And earth in the lower lip. The outer circle doesn't look like elementals at all; just guards."
Alex reached in his backpack and pulled out binoculars. "Yep. Maybe fifty of them; each with automatics and plenty of ammunition."
"Great," I mumbled. Magic I could handle; bullets I could not. I'd practiced redirecting bullets with wind, but never managed to throw them off their mark. They were just too fast.
Inside the outer circle was a triangle, then a square. Micah borrowed Alex's binoculars and confirmed, "Fire and then earth again; each intermixed with air elementals."
"It's still missing something. Wait, let me check." Micah stepped behind me, lifted the blanket off my shoulder then pulled down my coat and shirt, studying Shawn's mark.
"Glad I didn't forget the map."
He didn't acknowledge my snide remark. "It's missing the inner circle."
"Look closer. I bet Shawn is in the middle – being the entire circle himself," I said.
