Igniting Spirit (Gathering Water Book 3) (20 page)

“Yes. Give me ten minutes,” he sat down in the seat I just vacated and started chowing down. As I walked into our bedroom I heard Cash ask if Ezra was going to be fighting
with
me or
against
me this time. Either way, I knew he’d come to watch. We always had a large crowd when he joined in my fighting practice — even larger than the group of people we’d be fighting against.

I pulled on a pair of bike shorts that were in the best condition, and threw on two sports bras. Our room was the only place that I didn’t let the mysterious cleaners enter, with a lock on it that only recognized Ezra and me. So I was a little surprised to see that the bed was made and the floor free of the debris that usually littered it. Ezra had cleaned up, or had the Loa do it. He’d spent every night with me since his first under this roof, and besides a few clenched jaws from Cash his first week home, no one seemed to care. I’d been worried at his reaction to Ezra living with us, more than his reaction to the other Clades. He’d punched his best friend in the face when he found out we were dating, and the only time he’d really met Ezra was the day he was put in the hospital. But it seems even Cash saw that Ezra wasn’t some fling.

It helped that he knew Ezra had been an essential part of saving his life. But I think the game of quarters the two stayed up playing until dawn while drinking an ungodly amount during their first week in the same house helped even more. Boys.

When I was done changing, I went to the back yard and started stretching, unconcerned with the people milling around. Ethnos and Dunamis alike seemed to find an excuse to stop by the house around this time each day. Sparring was, apparently, a spectator sport. A few soldiers I recognized were likewise warming up. No one had to sign up, or wait a turn to fight with me. Any who cared to join did so whenever they had time.

Especially if Ezra was fighting with me.

Sometimes we went head to head, but we’d been working together more and more often lately. It had taken a few weeks before my dad thought it would be safe for us to experiment using our powers together, but once we did it became priority for us to practice.

Maybe because the first time we did, we kind of blew up one of the rental properties nearby. It was an accident, and thank goodness no one was around because of the slow season. Since we didn’t want to accidently blow anything else up, we needed to practice our control when our auras were together. It started slowly, first directing our auras to stretch and meet over further distances. We no longer needed to touch for the melding to happen. We didn’t even need to be in the same five foot radius. Once we’d gained enough control, we graduated from practicing-alone-in-the-ocean to my backyard with real live opponents.

Hence the crowd of people. It looked like more spectators today than participants, so I assumed Ezra decided we’d fight each other. The number of Spirit Shields the Ethnos started erecting around the area confirmed that, and I tossed a few of the more physical variety up too. And a sight Shield. We were pretty well hidden at ground level, but Ezra and I had a tendency to throw each other — seeing a person get slammed into an invisible wall like a bug on a windshield would probably terrify the neighbors.

It was just as important for us to fight each other sometimes. I needed to know how to fight someone with Kaylus’ Thanatos abilities and Ezra was the only one who had them. And he needed to practice
using
his Thanatos abilities, and I was the only one around strong enough to not be killed immediately by a direct hit. With his Loa we were actually pretty evenly matched. He could still wipe the floor with me if we’re just hand-to-hand, but my control over the elements was stronger than the Loa.

Ezra finally walked out the back door and jogged down the stairs. Cash followed with Alexander, using his crutches. Ezra started warming up a bit while I went to stand by the stairs and wait for Cash to reach the bottom. Once he got to the landing, I took off the key necklace and handed it to my cousin. He immediately slipped it over his head and put another Shield over himself to protect it.

That was another thing we’d discovered. The key, which had been passed down in our family for as long as anyone could remember, acted as a Shield against a Thanatos ability. The story of Delilah and Ethan was true — he had made an amulet to protect himself from Death, and had given it to her instead. My ancestor passed it down to her daughter, all the way down to me. There’s no way of knowing if she knew what a valuable weapon the key would prove to be, but it was the only thing we had that was resistant to Kaylus’ power.

And we had no idea how to replicate it.

The only time I took it off now was when I fought Ezra, and the only person I’d give it to was Cash.

I turned around to face my opponent and waited as the extra fighters chose their teams. Skins vs. Shirts — my team was “Shirts.”

Ezra was grinning at me, and I returned the smile as we circled each other. I could feel the Loa tugging at me, trying to distract me, and knew Ezra was about to pounce.

I didn’t expect him to do so with the people who had chosen my team. My feet were swiped at the same time I felt power bearing down on me. Three of the five guys who’d been standing with me were dirty little cheaters, and Ezra’s stupid little dimple was now fully exposed. I gave him the stink eye, then expanded my Shield to push my assailants away.

“Don’t looked so pleased with yourself, Ezra.” I told him as I stood, hoping my words would keep him occupied while I wrapped the men at his back in a Shield — a soundproof one — and used them as a bowling ball to knock the pinhead down. He was hard to surprise, though. The Loa acted as little eyes everywhere, and probably told him what was happening. He moved away quickly enough that the only thing left in his spot were the tangled limbs of his team.  Luckily I expected that, and moved before he did, performing my own foot sweep as I sped past him. He recovered before I had a chance to turn around, and I felt my energy start to drain. I doubled my Shields, then used my abilities to Bend him towards me. He couldn’t run off if his legs weren’t connected to the ground. He used his Loa against me, but I Gathered their energy before they could do any harm. My remaining two guys were using their own energy to help keep him in place. I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, one around my neck and the other my waist and knew I’d been betrayed again. The Shield I’d put up to keep Ezra’s guys in place had been Gathered into nothing.

“Cash, that’s cheating!” I screamed at my cousin amid his laughs, while grabbing the forearm of the guy around me and doing a sloppy body slam. Sloppy because I had to slam him into Ezra, who’d broken through my understaffed team and made his way towards me. He lunged and I wasn’t able to scoot back quickly enough. Ezra grabbed me around my upper calf.

“Gotcha.” He said, jumping up with me in hand and swinging me across my yard like a stick for a dog.

“Dick,” I said through the smile still on my face. I’d landed on my feet, and sent energy to my fallen allies, helping them heal faster than they would have done on their own from whatever Ezra used to put them down. “Coming your way!” I called out to my team, while tossing them balls of Elemental energy that formed into two long energy knives for each, which they caught easily before surging towards Ezra in a valiant effort of fighting his team to keep them occupied. Even with the weapons, they were outnumbered.

“Anyone wanna jump in? Seems I could use a few more people on my team,” I called out to the people still watching. My girl Laurel jumped in, and I tossed her a weapon too, except I gave her a bow staff with bladed ends. She was insanely good with that thing, and I knew most of the other soldiers couldn’t match her when she was armed with that particular weapon.

She joined the rest of the Shirts while I made a dozen little energy darts and slung them Ezra’s way.

Imagine my surprise when they all landed in their target.

Journal
,

I’m so confused. No, I’m lost. Since my Testing the other week, Derek has managed to find his way to me most days. Sometimes it has only been for an hour or even less, but every second is worth it. Today though, Alexander interrupted our time. We were out on the beach and I’d just gotten a tourist to take our picture with a disposable camera with a few pictures left on it I found in my room. It was perfect because Derek claimed he wasn’t expected back home for hours. Then Alexander came out of nowhere and they had a huge fight right there on the beach. I had to sound-Shield them so people wouldn’t hear the outrageous things they were saying. I knew that the Dunamis and Elfennol were forbidden to be together.

I didn’t know that the punishment could be death if it was discovered. Alexander told Derek that people were becoming suspicious of his frequent disappearances, and that it had been easy to find him. Sooner or later someone was going to discover us. Sooner or later, one of us was going to pay for our relationship, and it was always the Dunamis who paid the price for loving an Elfennol. Never the other way around, and especially if they thought there was a chance we had “consummated” because of the repercussions. What repercussions? Derek tried to defend us, told him he was in love with me. That he would never let anything happen to me. Alexander told him there was only one way to ensure that before he left.

Derek watched his friend go, then flat out refused to talk about it for the rest of our time together. It was like a black cloud fell over us, and the laughter and comfort I usually felt with him was dampened. When he left, it felt like goodbye. I can’t get Alexander’s words out of my mind.

Just like I’m afraid I’ll never get Derek out of my heart, even though I know he’ll break it.

*****

“Oh my god, Ezra.” I ran over, immediately letting go of the energy that was sticking through him before he had a chance to start pulling them out. He didn’t even seem to notice, and by the time I had reached him he was already healed.

“Penny’s in trouble,” he said once I reached him, then turned to leave.

“Wait, wait. Are you sure?” I knew he had the Loa keeping an eye on her. “Alexander!”

“Yes, they’ve seen my father on the island.” Ezra was frantic. I knew the only thing holding him in place was my hand on his arm.

“That doesn’t mean he’s going to get Penny,” I told him.

He just gave me a pained look. “Della, something’s not right.”

“I’ve already contacted the soldiers in charge of protecting her. They haven’t responded,” Alexander said when he approached. The other fighters finally caught on that something was happening and joined us.

“Alexander, contact the Elders at the Clade city, they can get someone there much faster. Tell them to keep an eye out for Kaylus, and that we’re on our way.”

“I don’t think that’s wise, Epi—”

“She’s family, Alexander,” I told him, keeping a hand on Ezra’s arm so he wouldn’t run off without me.
That
wouldn’t be wise.

“Yes, of course. I meant that informing the Clade Elders that you will be coming yourself may be unwise. We are still not certain that Kaylus does not still have allies at the city, and it is likely that this is a trap to—”

I shook my head. “I trust my people implicitly, Alexander. I’ll contact my father myself. Ezra and I are leaving immediately,” I looked at Cash who had just come over. “I’ll send a messages through Laurel to keep you updated. Keep the meeting with the Dunamis, and let them know.” I looked back at my bodyguard — my lieutenant. “Alexander, I agree this is probably a trap of some type. Which is why I expect you and a retinue of our best fighters to be following us as quickly as possible. I’ll tell Dad to contact Etta and the people protecting the portal. Just in case.”

Alexander nodded his head, the closest thing the Ethnos got to an actual salute. I made eye contact with Cash one more time, then finally let Ezra drag me away.

*Dad.

I waited a second, hoping he would take my call through the gems while I was working on autopilot to travel through the water with Ezra. I told Alexander to follow because there was no way anyone could keep up when Ezra and I traveled together. We were easily twice as fast together as we were apart. Derek would need to respond quickly, though. Once we went at full speed, communication would be nearly impossible — distractions could have serious repercussions.

-Della?

*The Loa have spotted Kaylus in Bermuda. Ezra is worried about Penny. We’re on our way there now. I have Alexander contacting our people at the Clade city, since they’re closest, but can you meet us there? I’m afraid it’s a trap.

-I’m at the city now, actually. I’ll make a point of checking myself. Etta is here. She’s officially pulled her house from the Elfennol.

*Great, I was going to suggest we contact her as well. Alexander is following with some people. How quickly can we get reinforcements to the portal?

-Immediately. I’ll see you two soon.

*Thanks, Dad. Be careful.

Ezra sensed when I was done talking, because he joined his aura to mine immediately after I finished and picked up speed. Our energy — our power — increased exponentially when we were connected. Together, we were stronger and faster and just… really freaking awesome. We didn’t know exactly why yet, there were a few texts that spoke about that type of joining, but it was before the Ethnos walked through the portal, and had been something of the far past even then. Ian had undertaken the search for that particular answer. His best bet was our energy multiplied because together they form a complete set. Like, maybe at the beginning of our peoples, everyone could do
everything
and through the years the power had been diluted. During the conversation where he explained that, Ian had waved around a copy of
Plato’s Symposium
. I was curious and wanted to know, but wouldn’t spend any energy worrying about it just yet. For now, it was enough for me that Ezra and I were strong.

That together we could protect each other, and everyone else.

The “whys” could come later for me. Ezra was more curious than I, and every time we’d made it back to the Clade city, he would stay up late talking with Ian about the possibilities.

Since we were connected, I could feel Ezra’s panic. It sharpened my focus even while I tried to keep a calm center for Ezra to hold onto. I felt pangs of guilt pop through, too, and knew if anything had happened to Penny, he would never forgive himself for not pulling her to safety sooner. She should have been safe, though. We had Clades and Leoht alike all over the island, and there had been no sign of Kaylus or his allies anywhere near there. I was nearly certain this was a trap, and just hoped that Kaylus hadn’t hurt Penny too much. I hoped I was wrong, but Ezra and I had been preparing for this day for months. We were as ready as we could be.

We took our usual route to the island, one we’d made a dozen or so times since the meeting with the Council. Once I started feeling the energy I’d inadvertently left in the giant obsidian structure from the eruption, I knew we were close. Ezra could tell, too, and his anxiety got worse and worse. It was becoming hard for me not to fall into the same panic-stricken state. I slowed our pace, making him hang back.

*
Ezra, you need focus. No matter what happens, we need to be prepared right now. I need to trust that you can think clearly.

- I can feel him, Della. My father, he’s in the area.

That knowledge pushed all the remaining doubt out of my head. I was about to send a message to my father while we were still traveling slow enough to communicate through the gems. I didn’t get a chance before something was hurled towards me, knocking me through the water and causing me to black out for a moment. When I came to we were surrounded by people with inky, infectedauras. My head was already healed, and I looked for Ezra as our connection had been lost when I’d been thrown.

It took a minute to find him, and the only reason why I did was because I was looking with my abilities. His was the only aura around that was a brilliant, pure platinum, but the fiery blaze of his aura was too far to reach. I was surrounded by a wall of bodies — a sphere of them. Ezra wasn’t surrounded like I was, but I saw the glow of him moving, fighting someone whose aura was black oil where his was white flame.

We knew Kaylus had set a trap, and we’d still fallen into it.

I created a Shield and tried to push my enemies away, but the second my Shield touched them it corroded into nothing. I did it again with more of my physical Elements, knowing from my practices with Ezra that Death wouldn’t eat through it as quickly. But there were so many that it only worked for a moment. I tapped into my Well, pushing energy at them. It worked at first; I almost cleared a path, but Kaylus’ men were somehow connected like a net that I couldn’t blow a hole through for more than a minute, and when I tried to push my way through — or physically attack to break the net — the entire sphere of bodies would shift like they were a warped version of one of my Shields. Then the oozey darkness of their aura’s started to spread, started pouring forward towards me. I sent energy daggers through the water thinking that if I could manage to hurt or kill one of them, it would break the wall. There were so many of them — how did Kaylus have so many people? Dozens and dozens circled around me, unmoving except for the creeping of the dark energy coming towards me. I was becoming desperate to escape before I was touched by that darkness, but each time a hit landed that darkness would get bigger. I was making it stronger by hurting them, feeding the death by creating it. Belatedly I realized my Key was still in Cash’s possession, and a surge of true fear pulsed through me.

I turned in place until I saw Ezra again, and was happy his light was still strong. It meant he was holding his own against his father. I wanted to call to him through the gems, but was afraid to distract him. I needed help but I couldn’t ask it of him. Instead, I called the closest ally I knew.

*Dad!

He responded immediately.

-Della, thank goodness you’re okay. I’ve been trying to reach you —

I sent him images of what was going on. I was trapped, the dark energy was creeping closer, and I didn’t have time to explain what was going on. Derek, fortunately, understood.

- We’re on our way. Hold on, Della.

As if I had nothing better to do. I spun in a circle, trying to ignore the fear that was clogging my throat. Finally I had an idea right as the prison that encircled me pressed closer. I created a Shield again, this time
outside
of the sphere of people trapping me, far enough away from them that their corrosive infected aura’s wouldn’t eat through it, then started Gathering the water from inside my Shield and replacing it with air. Ethnos couldn’t fly, and they wouldn’t be able to keep me trapped if they could no longer surround me. While I also didn’t possess the ability to fly — though with a once I gained better control of my abilities it was a possibility in the far-distant future  I
could
walk on air, though. Well, I could create a Shield in the air and walk on that.

Same thing, right?

I built a Shield platform below my feet, then a little Shield umbrella above my head before I started replacing the water with air. Just a second later, I was standing on my Shield and watching as Kaylus’ allies rained down. This part was trickier — I expanded the Shield I was standing on to go across the entire width of the air bubble I’d created, trapping my would-be captors below. Their aura’s were still corrosive, though not as much now that they were no longer joined together in a net. While I poured energy into the Shield keeping them trapped, I started Gathering the Air from the bowl. I’d used this trick once before with Kaylus, and it had worked beautifully. This time I wouldn’t let mercy stand in my way of doing what was necessary. I’d suck all the air from my enemies, I’d pull it from their lungs — from their blood — until Kaylus was alone.

Then I’d help Ezra kill his father, too.

Of course, that had been the plan. Instead, I felt someone eat through my Shield. It was Kaylus, and he was dragging something behind him, walking towards me on the platform I had built.

“Tsk tsk tsk, my little kitten. If you take something from me,” he took an exaggerated look at the pile of his people writhing below us, “I’ll be forced to take something from you.” He grabbed his son by the hair, and yanked him up with his head pulled back and his neck exposed.

I stopped Gathering air. I stopped doing everything, even breathing.

“If you hurt him, Kaylus, I will destroy you.” It sounded cliche even to my ears, but I took a step forward. If I could manage to get close enough to join with Ezra, we would both be untouchable.

Kaylus did something, I don’t know what, that made Ezra’s aura flicker, and because I knew him so well, I knew it was from pain. Ezra didn’t move though, didn’t budge an inch — he wasn’t even fighting back! “I think it would be best if you just stay there, don’t you?” Kaylus said, nearly giddy with the pleasure of having us where he wanted us. His men below were moving around with purpose, and even with the energy I was still pouring into the Shield to keep them trapped, whatever they were doing to corrode it was working faster. It wouldn’t be long before they were free, and Kaylus with an even bigger upper hand.