Flame Caller (36 page)

Xander covered his mouth with his hand
as he tried to absorb what she was telling him. “Are you
saying…?”

He paused and she finished his
thought. “
We created you to replace us, Xander. To replace all
the Elementals.
”

“
I can’t. There are four
other Wind Warriors standing outside that are much stronger than I
am. Giovanni or, God help me, even Patrick, would be better suited
for this. I’m not strong enough to be your host.”

“
Not host
,” the
Wind Elemental corrected. “
Replacement
.”

Xander shook his head. “I don’t think
I understand.”

“
This body is a host. In
my pure form, I appear more like a mist or a cloud. But to pass
amongst the humans, most of the Elementals choose a human host.
This body was once a Wind Warrior like you but she was dying of a
rare disease. She agreed to become my host, giving her life so that
I could more easily move among humanity and influence its
development.

“
What I’m asking of you
is different. I’m asking you to take my power, all of it. Not as a
host but as a replacement. I want you to become the Wind
Elemental.
”

Xander blanched. Sammy had told him
before that she was amazed at the depth of the power within him
whenever he faced General Abraxas and later when he faced Patrick
in their duel. It had been hard enough to come to terms with the
fact that he went from being a slacker college student to a
powerful Wind Warrior. Now, he wasn’t sure he was ready for what
she was asking.

“
I’m not sure I’m the
right person,” he replied. “Even if I agreed, what good would it
do? If the Wind Warriors are weak against the Fire Caste, wouldn’t
that make you weak against the Fire Elemental?”

“
You’re not wrong. I’m so
very tired. With so few of the Wind Warriors remaining, I should be
preparing for my own slumber, not planning a revolution.

“
My power alone isn’t
enough. To defeat the Fire Warrior and save the planet, you’ll need
the combined powers of the Water and Earth Elementals. The other
two Elementals know that you’re our best chance. I’m not just
offering my power, Xander. I’m offering you their power as
well.
”

His mind spun with hundreds of
possibilities. When they had set off from the ruined island, he had
known their only chance at victory rested on the shoulders of the
Wind Elemental. He never could have fathomed the offer she would
make or the implications. He thought again about Sammy and wondered
what she would think about the offer.

“
I had a friend, a Fire
Warrior,” Xander blurted.

The Wind Elemental smiled sadly but
didn’t reply.

“
She was like me; she
gained her powers really young. We have this connection, something
I couldn’t explain before. If you created me for something special,
then that means that she was created for a purpose too,
right?”

The Elemental’s smile faded. “
I
know of your friend and for what it’s worth, I’m
sorry
.”

“
What do you mean you’re
sorry?”

“
When we discussed
giving humanity another chance and postponing the Fire Caste’s
awakening, the Fire Elemental vehemently disagreed. That was why
the Earth Elemental trapped him in the first place. But Fire can
escape if he has a host. By his nature, the Fire Elemental’s power
burns up a normal host. He needed someone… special.
”

Xander’s heart fluttered in his chest.
“Are you saying that she’s going to be its host?”

“
I did say I was
sorry
.
You were both created directly by Elemental
influence, though for such very different reasons. It’s why you
felt such a strong connection to one another.
”

“
But you also said that
your host gave her life when you took over,” Xander yelled angrily.
The fluttering in his heart had become a pounding as he swore his
heart would soon leap out of his chest. “Please tell me it hasn’t
happened yet.”

“
The Elementals can
sense one another. As far as I can tell, Fire still remains trapped
in his prison.
”

“
Then I have to save her
before it can happen.”

“
All the more reason
for you to accept my offer,
” the Wind Elemental said calmly.
“
You can only face and defeat Fire if you wield our combined
strength.
”

“
Then I’ll do it,” he said
hastily.

The Wind Elemental nodded. “
There’s
one more thing you need to know before you make your final
decision. The Elementals grant the power to their followers. We
create the castes to further our goals. What it means is that when
I give you my power, the rest of the Wind Warriors will be cut off
from their power forever. If you take my power, they’ll become
normal humans once again.
”

The flames from his wings looked like
a shooting star, visible even in the morning light. General Abraxas
didn’t slow as he approached land, instead increasing his speed as
he focused on the sensation of other Fire Warriors nearby. His
velocity broke the sound barrier. The sonic boom in his wake
shattered the windows of the automobiles and houses underneath his
flight path. A wail of car alarms and screams were left in his
aftermath.

Imbued by the power of the Fire
Elemental, his body glowed with flames as he flew. His vision
danced in patterns of blues and reds as his eyes slid seamlessly
between normal vision and infrared. Heat signatures from farmhouses
and country cottages burned brightly. In the distance, the horizon
ignited in wavering shades of red as he approached the western edge
of London. Abraxas smiled wickedly at the sight. It looked like
London was on fire.

With reservation, he turned his
attention away from London. His target was quickly approaching and
the General angled downward while he rocketed toward the ground.
The flames of his wings poured over his body as he flew,
encompassing him in a flying ball of flames. He turned sharply
downward as he reached the outskirts of Reading. Without slowing,
he slammed into the ground.

An explosion of dirt, grass, and stone
showered over him. His body dug a trench through the earth until he
finally came to a stop, pushing a mound of unearthed soil in front
of him. Smoke billowed from the end of the trench but it quickly
dissipated in the strong, English wind. As the smoke cleared,
flaming wings emerged from the top of the trench, as Abraxas stood,
unscathed.

The flaming wings faded in a cloud of
smoke as the General stepped onto the moist grass beyond the
trench. He frowned deeply as his eyes fell on the lonesome cottage
resting far beyond the city limits of Reading.

He leaned down into a crouch and
placed his palm on the cool soil. The plants withered and charred
from his touch but Abraxas didn’t notice. With his hand on the
ground, he could feel the Fire Warriors nearby.

His frown turned to a smile as he
admired the small, wooden-framed home. It had a quaint architecture
that decried its true purpose. Dried herbs hung beside the front
door and a welcome mat sat, muddied and neglected, on the narrow
doorstep.

Abraxas’ eyes ignited in violent, red
flames and he clutched his fist. The house exploded in flames,
showering wood and glass for hundreds of feet in all directions.
The debris turned to ash as it neared him, leaving him sooty but
unharmed. He stepped over the shattered remnants of the home as he
approached its now-exposed foundation.

Beams and segments of the roof still
lay over the frame of the destroyed home. He pushed a sheet of
shingles aside with his booted foot, exposing a hidden staircase
beneath. The stonework of the upper stairs was blackened in the
explosion but still remained sturdy.

General Abraxas descended the stairs,
entering the cool natural cavern past the base of the stairwell.
The passage led him under one of the nearby fields before it ended
at an intricately carved door. Dancing flames were intermixed with
a symbol General Abraxas didn’t immediately recognize but assumed
it was a clan notation.

He raised his hand to knock but
paused, his hand hovering inches from the ornate door. He smiled
again, opened his hand, and the shattered inward. The flaming
shards fell to the floor and scattered across the polished tile of
the room beyond.

Fire Warriors leapt to their feet,
flames erupting from their clenched fists. General Abraxas strode
confidently into the center of the room, allowing himself to be
surrounded by the warriors.

“
Where is your Lord?”
General Abraxas asked, his voice carrying clearly across the room.
The warriors looked at one another hesitantly but offered no
answer. As Abraxas opened his mouth to ask again, a door on the far
side of the room was flung open and an opulently dressed,
blonde-haired man emerged. A gold-trimmed cloak hung over his
shoulders, barely concealing the carved leather breastplate he wore
over his torso.

“
By what right do you
barge into the home of my clan?” the Lord asked, his words tainted
faintly with a British accent.

General Abraxas sneered at the man,
exposing his sharp teeth. “I come on behalf of our shared master.
You’d do well to hold your tongue in my presence.”

The older Fire Warrior blanched
momentarily before regaining his composure. “What do you want
here?”

“
I come bearing a
message.” His eyes rolled back into his head as Abraxas looked
unseeingly up at the ceiling. When he spoke, his voice was raspy
and hoarse. “
Gather your men. It’s time.
”

Abraxas recovered quickly and coughed
to clear his now-sore throat.

“
It’s time for…” the Lord
began before shaking his head quickly. “You can’t be serious. A
pact remains between the elements. We don’t move until the last of
the Wind Caste is dead, that’s the law. That hasn’t happened. What
do you think you’re trying to do here?”

“
I’m passing along the
word of our master, you insolent whelp. You’d do well to heed my
warning.”

“
You say you bring His
word but I have only your word, don’t I? I think it’s about time
you leave before we find a place to bury you.”

General Abraxas clenched and
unclenched his fists. The Lord turned his back to leave and the
dozen Fire Warriors in the room pressed in around the General. He
opened his mouth, as though to speak, but instead a brilliant fire
ignited in the back of his throat. The Elemental flame—a gift from
the Fire Elemental himself—poured from Abraxas’ mouth and consumed
the clan’s Lord.

The man screamed as the intense flames
flowed over his body, consuming every inch of him simultaneously.
He reached out his hand toward his second in command, who had
remained behind in the throne room. Before the Fire Warrior could
reach the Lord, the elder warrior’s skin had turned gray, as had
his leather uniform and hair. He appeared to be nothing more than
ash.

Like a virus, the flames leapt from
the body of the Lord and set ablaze the two closest Fire Warriors.
Their screams of pain mixed with the yelps of anger from the rest
of those surrounding Abraxas. They let loose their flames but the
fire rolled harmlessly off the General’s body.

Abraxas smiled as the flames leapt
again and again until all twelve Fire Warriors were consumed by its
unimaginable might. When the last of the warriors had turned to
ash, Abraxas turned lazily in a circle, admiring his
work.

At the end of his turn, he stared at
the back of the former Lord of the clan. He strode to the Lord’s
side, admiring the look of anguish on the man’s frozen face. The
hand remained outstretched, though Abraxas could already see the
flaking of the ashy skin on the boney fingertips.

“
What have you done?” the
clan’s second in command asked in disbelief.

“
I’ve done our master’s
bidding, as I encourage you to do as well. That is, unless you wish
to share the same fate as your former Lord.”

Abraxas slammed his fist through the
Lord’s arm, which erupted in a cloud of ash and dust. The forearm
and hand fell to the ground, where it shattered as well. The
General finished the arc of his swing, striking the Lord in the
chin. The head exploded, showering everyone in black, choking
soot.