Elemental Reality (14 page)

19

Tehokas City

“Do you know how long you’ll be gone?” Ady probed.

“No. It depends on how much training we need and how hard it will be to find my mom and rescue her.” Of course I left out the possibility that we might not come back if we failed.

“I hope everything works out and nothing holds you back,” Emery said. His tone was clear: Hope you come back soon. And safely.

“You do realize this will be the first time in all the years we’ve known each other that we’ll be separated for more than a day?” Ady was on the verge of tears.

“I know,” I whispered, “and it will be the hardest thing for me. We’ll get through it and in no time we’ll be back
with
my mom.” I wanted to make the last part clear. I would not return without her. I’d die first.

I heard two sets of footsteps heading into the kitchen. It was Lola and Dad, each with a backpack over their shoulder. Lola was the first to notice us. “Hey guys. How goes it?”

Ady shrugged noncommittally.

“Yeah, I understand,” Lola consoled. “Sprout some wings, and you guys can come with us.”

“I wish it were that simple.” Ady sniffled.

“Ady. Emery. Callie already asked if you’d watch the house?” Dad asked. They nodded. “I really appreciate it. This envelope—” he held it up “—has money that should last you while we’re gone. Make yourselves at home.”

“Thanks, Mr. P. We’d do anything for you guys,” Emery said. “Money isn’t necessary.”

“I insist.” Dad laid the envelope on the table.

“Just make sure you bring our Cali-girl home to us.” Ady sniffled again. A fresh, new batch of tears welled in her eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Dad said soothingly. “I wasn’t planning on leaving without her.”

The doorbell rang. Lola skipped out of the room to answer it. She returned with Oli and his parents in tow.

“G’day, mates,” Joey said cheerily, not realizing the mood.

“Hey,” Emery, Ady, and I said in a somber tone.

“Cheer up, you three. We’re going to kick some arse and be back here in no time,” said Joey with confidence. “You’ll see. It’ll be as if we never left.”

“I hope you’re right,” Ady said glumly.

Oli approached us. I stared up, and his emerald eyes searched my face. When they locked with mine he gave me a weak smile as he held his hand out to help me off the couch. He pulled me into an embrace as he gently rubbed my back to console me. I took comfort in it and sighed in content.

“I’m so proud of you,” he whispered into my ear. “My mum told us how you flew so gracefully for your first time.”

“Yeah. Wicked, huh?” Guilt ate at me for lying to him. I had to tell him the truth. “Actually, Lola and I flew last night. It was stupid and reckless, I know, but please don’t say anything,” I whispered, hoping no one else could hear.

He pulled away, his eyes full of concern. “What were you thinking?”

“We weren’t,” I said, the word “obviously” implied. “But we wanted to try. And we’re okay. Not a single scratch on us.”

He smiled crookedly. “Just like a kitten. Always exploring new things.”

Giving him a huge grin, I went to kiss him when Lucy spoke up. I turned to give her my full attention.

“We should get going,” Lucy stated, her eyes finding mine.

“You’re right.” I gave Ady and Emery one last hug, and we all headed outside. There was no reason for me to give them a key to the house—they’d both had keys since we were little kids.

“You girls remember how to get to Tehokas City, right?” Dad asked.

We nodded. Lucy had pounded it into us for almost an hour yesterday.

“Okay, good. Once we disappear, I want you three to take flight. Got it?” Dad asked.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Lucy answered.

“All right.” Dad’s voice was wary, but he obviously had confidence in Lucy’s abilities.

Joey, Oli, and Dad went to the fire pit. With a flick of his finger, Dad lit the pit. As the flames licked the air they each plunged their hands into it and pulled them out with a scoop of fire on their palms. Oli looked back at me and winked.

“I’ll see you there, Kitten.”

Their bodies began to fizzle a fiery red—reminding me of a colorful version of a snowy TV channel—before they disappeared completely.

“Oh my God, that was so freaking cool,” I said excitedly.

“Dude did you see that? They were all like ‘Oh let’s stick our hand in the fire’ and then bam! They were gone. Righteous,” Lola squealed.

It was all very Harry Potter-like, and I couldn’t help but grin like a fool. Who would have thought something like that could be real?

“Let’s go, girls,” Lucy said as she took flight with Lola right behind her. I lingered for a bit and glanced one more time at Ady and Emery. Ady’s arms were wrapped around Emery’s waist, and her head was against his chest. His arm tightly encased her shoulders, holding her close. I gave them a tiny wave before spreading my wings and jetting into the air. I caught up with Lucy and Lola.

“Close your eyes and think of Tehokas City. Let your elements guide you,” Lucy reminded us.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Tehokas City looked like, so I chanted its name in my head in hopes that would do the trick. It was a slow but painless process. Eventually something stirred inside me. That feeling you get when you’re on a rollercoaster and you take that first drop and you feel your stomach fall to your feet. Except this feeling was tenfold. My whole body was pulled forward. I was too afraid to open my eyes. What if I saw something abnormal that I wasn’t ready for? I might stiffen up and plummet to the ground. No thanks. They were staying closed for the duration of my “trip.” The pulling sensation lasted mere minutes before it subsided. I chanced opening my eyes when it occurred to me I was no longer in Ardmore.

Below me was an expanse of lush, green foliage as far as the eye could see, and up ahead, amid two cosmic mountains, appeared to be a village. I assumed we had made it to Tehokas City.

“Welcome home,” Lucy said pleasantly.

We landed just outside the mammoth gates that lead into the city where Joey, Oli, and Dad waited. There was a gigantic archway overgrown with ivy and two exotic looking flowers, one bright orange and the other bright green.

“How was your flight?” Joey asked.

“It was wicked cool,” Lola said with joy. I didn’t think anything could dampen her mood.

Dad’s expression was grim, and I briefly wondered what it must be like for him to return here. All the memories this place held. “A forewarning before we enter. Lola, Callie, we might not be welcomed here anymore,” Dad warned. “Because your mother and I left without permission . . . Well, let’s just say it was frowned upon.” I knew there was something he wasn’t telling us.

“Frowned upon?” I asked, a note of skepticism in my voice. “Are they not going to let us in?”

“They will,” he said bleakly. “Just don’t expect a friendly reception. So, are we ready?”

“Sure,” I answered, wary. Oli took my hand. Everything was better when he was around.

“You okay?” he asked as he rubbed circles over my knuckles to soothe me. His eyebrows were scrunched together in worry.

“I’m good. Don’t scrunch your face like that, it might stay that way,” I joked. I wished I had Oli by my side my entire life. He made me feel whole. As if he was one of the missing pieces to the puzzle of my life. Mom being the final piece to complete it. “When was the last time you were here?”

“This is the first time I’m seeing it. With you.” He squeezed my hand.

“I’m really glad you’re here with me too.” He’d keep me grounded and calm when I needed it the most.

We walked through the entryway, and it made me nervous to know that it was unguarded. “Are these always left unattended?”

“They only station guards when they feel threatened,” Dad answered as his eyes scanned the area around us.

“Oh.” How stupid. They should have had guards there at all times. Why weren’t the Elders securing the safety of their people? There was something wrong with this picture.

Tehokas City was breathtaking. It was picturesque and reminded me of a vivid painting of a fantasyland. Everything about it was bright and luxurious. My elements felt alive here, more so than they did back home. Was it possible my skin was breathing in the pureness of Tehokas City? My body became filled with its essence. There was a large monument in the middle of the grounds, and atop it were the same five elemental symbols that were branded into my skin. They appeared to be made of glass and filled with each element it stood for. The longer I stared at them the more I realized they were alive. The elements seemed to posses the insides of the symbols as they danced around. My elements pulsed along with their movements as if this was the heart of the city.

The streets were finely laid cobblestone, a bluish-grey that branched off in three directions. Straight ahead were various little shops like any normal small town would have. And set farther back, away from everything else, was a beautiful Victorian home. It appeared to be older looking, from the Gothic era but reminded me of the Haunted Mansion at Disney. The left and right streets led to more homes, not like the Victorian straight ahead, but more contemporary. Where we stood seemed to be the city center. I dropped Oli’s hand as I turned in circles trying to find the archway we just went through. I panicked when I could no longer see it. How did we get here so fast? Oli grabbed my hand again and gave me a reassuring smile.

It wasn’t bustling like a normal city, but there were a few men and women walking past and whispering as they stared at us. Curiosity painted their faces. They probably didn’t appreciate strangers trampling on their turf. Damn, and here I was looking forward to a “welcome home” party. A man and woman hurried our way, and I thought for sure it would be a warning that we must vacate the premises. The closer they got to us the clearer their smiles became. They were happy to see us?

“It’s so good to see you all again,” said the woman as she rushed over to embrace our parents. She glanced over at Oli and me. “And look how big your children are. Makes me feel old.” She chuckled before noticing Lola. “And who’s this? Is she yours, Rorey?”

“Yes. This is our youngest, Lola,” he said proudly.

“It’s so very nice to meet you three. Your parents and I go way back to our training days.” She had a smile that lit up the space around us and sparkling green eyes. She saw my hand in Oli’s, and her smile widened. “
Soul mates
?” Her eyebrows rose in question.

I quirked my eyebrow at her assumption. “Only soul mates display their affection here.” The woman’s eyes raked over us as if we were prized horses. “Plus there’s a natural glow coming from you two. How wonderful that your families will become one. Oh, listen to me prattling on. Please stop me before I run away with my words.” She laughed.

“It’s good to see you too, Erika,” Dad said seemingly happy to see her again. “We’ve come back so the girls can train. I was actually hoping you and a few other ladies would train them properly with their elements?”

“Oh, heavens yes. I’ve recruited some ladies who’d be perfect. They each excel in conjuring and manipulating the one element they possess.” Her shoulder length chestnut hair with its bright blonde highlights swayed when she spoke. The man next to her cleared his throat, clearly entertained by Erika’s non-stop chatter. “Oh, where are my manners? Everyone, this is my husband Remy. You all remember him from one of our training classes, yes?” The others nodded while Lola, Oli, and I just stood there. “Remy, these are their children.”

She pointed us each out, saying our names.

“It’s Callie—”

“Just Oli—” We started in unison.

Erika was the same height as Ady but had lighter skin and a curvy build. She smiled a lot—one of those people who found humor no matter the situation. Sort of like Lola. Within the few minutes I had been in her presence, I could tell that she must instantly brighten a whole room whenever she walked into it. Remy, the same height as Oli, towered over her. He had a
b
uilt physique—I could tell from the slim fit tee he wore that he was ripped, not to mention the way his biceps flexed when he crossed his arms over his chest. He seemed the complete opposite of Erika, but they made a sweet couple.

“It’s great to meet you three,” Remy said to us. “And it’s wonderful to see you again.” His voice was deep.

“Rorey,” Erika whispered. “Is this about . . . Scarlett? Are you planning something?”

“We’re going to rescue her. I made a promise before she was taken.” Dad swallowed hard as his eyes glistened.

“Oh, Rorey. We’ll help in any way we can. Won’t we, Remy? Just tell us what you need us to do and we’ll—”

The conversation skidded to a halt. Erika and Remy froze in place, and expressions of shock and horror twisted their features. Their eyes fixated on something behind us. I was afraid to turn, but my curiosity was too great. Yeah, I never absorbed the lesson of curiosity killing the cat. I spun around and nearly gasped when I saw a female Demon advancing toward us. Her black cloak billowed around her, and the faint fiery glow of her aura illuminated her figure.