Igniting Spirit (Gathering Water Book 3) (6 page)

Ezra’s eyes going dark flashed in my mind.

“I may have an idea of what the portal looks like,” I blurted out.

Everyone at the table looked at me. I kept my eyes on Peyton, avoiding Ezra’s gaze.

“Cash and I tried Reading from the elements right before… before the fight.” I started tracing the tattoo that Cash had seen us get together in his Reading. “My Reading showed me a stone circle, which was split in two halves. One light and the other dark. There were also four markings on the outside of the circle. I don’t know what they mean, but they were evenly placed around it.”

“Do you remember anything else?” Peyton asked.

My eyes flicked to Ezra. “No. Wait, yes. I remember something about six elements. It didn’t make sense at the time, because I didn’t know about Death energy. Could he require the other four elements, too?”

“Can you describe the symbols you saw?” Alexander asked me.

“I think so, or at least close to what I saw.” I closed my eyes and tried to remember the symbols, flinching at the memory of Kaylus smiling at his son’s dead body. I placed my hand on the table in front of me and let my memory guide the energy I was using to recreate the marks I had seen.

When I opened my eyes, the emblem that Alexander had placed on the table was surrounded, a mark etched outside each arm of the cross.

“Those are the symbols for the four physical elements. If that is what you saw, then it is likely they are also required to open the portal.”

“Which means we must get to your family as quickly as possible before my father can capture one of them.” Ezra stood up quickly, while I felt panic settle into my stomach.

“Wait, there is still the matter of rebuilding and — ” Peyton started to say.

“It is more important to prevent Kaylus from attaining the materials he needs to bring destruction down upon us all.” This was from Lena, who stood up with us. “I will come with you. Ian, get what you need to help her cousin. We leave in five minutes.”

The man who had spoke of healing Cash jerked up from his chair and ran out of the room, apparently to do what Lena had asked.

“Why are you agreeing to help us?”

“Because helping you will help my people,” she said, frankly. Okay, so maybe I liked her a little.

“There are Elfennol all around my home. I can’t assure your safety, but I’ll try to keep you safe.”

“With respect, you have enough to protect as it is. I don’t fear the Elfennol.” She grinned, but it wasn’t from joy. More like a predator baring her teeth. “I’ll be at the gate in five minutes time with enough Ambrose to get us through the journey. Luckily, we kept a small store near the entrance for traveling convenience so it was unharmed in yesterday’s activities.” Then she walked out of the room briskly.

I turned to Alexander and Aahana. Ezra was at my side, where he belonged. “Alexander, I need you to go to my father immediately and tell him everything you heard here, and that I’ll need help protecting my family. Tell him to meet me at the hospital.”

He nodded his head, then briefly hugged his mother before walking out of my obsidian room.

“Aahana, please help organize rebuilding the town. Make sure everyone has something to do. I don’t want them dwelling on what happened yesterday. Keep them busy. And keep your ears open for people sympathetic to Kaylus’ faction.”

Panic usually set in after a traumatic event. I didn’t need the remaining Clades to suddenly freak out, overthink things, and decide somehow that Kaylus was the good guy. They needed to be kept busy. I turned to walk out the door after Aahana agreed to my instructions when I remembered the last three Elders were still sitting at the table.

“If the entrance has not already been repaired, do so immediately. Place a watch to ensure that Kaylus or his people don’t try to come back. If any of his allies are discovered, do not kill them. Imprison them, and keep them separated from the others so they can’t sow any of his lies among the rest of the people. Do not let them become martyrs to his cause. I’ll be back.” Then I walked out with Ezra following close behind. Once we left my room and were walking toward the entrance I turned to him. “They already knew to do all of that, didn’t they?”

“Probably, but I think they appreciated being reminded.”

I wasn’t sure if he was making fun of me or not, so I responded the best way I knew how. “Shut up.”

“I’m serious! It showed you cared, even though you have something else you really need to take care of right now. It’s not
what
you said to them, but that you said anything at all. Add that to the fact that you said the things a leader says, among a people that have remained largely leaderless for millennia… you helped take a large burden from their shoulders.”

We were quiet for a few paces. “Thank you for thinking of my family, Ezra.”

“They are important to you, and you must know by now that you are important to me.” Wasn’t that a line from somewhere? It sounded like a line, but it also sounded like the truth.

“I had an idea.”

We didn’t have time for any more mushy confessions because we’d reached the door where Ian and Lena were waiting for us. They both had changed into skin-tight bathing suits, which would make swimming that much easier since they wouldn’t have to worry about the annoyance of their clothes. I’d had to continuously heal rashes from my too-loose clothing on my way here. I looked at Ezra and he was pulling off his clothes, too. He was still covered in ash and soot, and most of his clothes had burn holes in them. He didn’t have the fancy bathing suit, but apparently his black boxer-briefs were tight enough. And boy, were they.

I tried not to stare.

I failed.

Then I shook myself out of it.

I looked down at my huge Hawaiian shirt and too-big jeans. I picked them out for comfort on dry land. Definitely not the type of thing I wanted to wear while traveling through the water at breakneck speeds. And I wasn’t exactly wearing undergarments like Ezra was.

But I had an idea. I quickly created a sight Shield around myself, then continued to bring it down around me until it hugged my skin. I probably looked about as visible as a wizard in an invisibility cloak, but I could modify that. I turned the Shield black, then kept shrinking it until it covered me as much as my one-piece back home did. Then I stripped off my regular clothes and looked at my traveling companions.

“Are we ready?”

“Yes.” Lena was putting something on her back that looked very similar to a backpack, but looked aerodynamic and slipped on over her head like a vest instead of having the typical straps. I raised an eyebrow quizzically. “It’s a pack for the Ambrose, specifically designed for long distances at high speeds. We’ll stop halfway for ten minutes and recharge.”

I started to argue — I hadn’t stopped halfway to get there and didn’t want to do it on the way back, but then I remembered that I had literally fainted almost immediately upon reaching my destination.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Journal,

I’ve had sleep and caffeine, and now I have time to finish writing about yesterday. It was unreal. It started off typically, but it definitely went uphill from there. I can’t make up my mind if it was all a huge mistake or not.

I was running late to work yesterday and ran smack dab into a customer on the way in. I was a little peeved at first (who stands in the middle of the doorway?) but got over it pretty fast when I caught sight of the offending person. I’m not usually into blonds, but this guy definitely did it for me. The friend he was with was scowling down at me as if I’d thrown my apron down and scattered all my pens on
purpose
just to flirt with Mr. HottyFace so I figured maybe there was a little something going on between those two. I didn’t linger and started taking tables before I embarrassed myself by hitting on a guy in front of his boyfriend. Again. My gaydar is seriously off.

Anyway, I was kinda happy when they were seated in my section. Eye candy does make the work a little sweeter. I was even happier by the time their apps came since I was nearly certain that I’d been mistaken in my earlier assumption. HottyFace was
definitely
giving me “the look,” and Scowly seemed to just have a perpetually disapproving look on his face. It was even Scowly’s birthday and they were apparently looking for something to do later on to celebrate.

Taking that as the clear sign it was, I invited them out with the gang for a little fun once my shift ended, then went to grab their checks to give them a minute to discuss it.

And to eavesdrop. I usually don’t Temper Air when I’m at work. There are too many sounds and smells and it gets really overwhelming. Of course, I make exceptions when I want to overhear what people are saying about me. Especially hot guys I just invited to hang out with later.

And that’s when I discovered that they were… wait for it… freaking ELFENNOL! What is WRONG with me? When I went back to the table I tried to take the invite back, but Lord of the Sexy didn’t let me. I was pretty sure they didn’t know
exactly
who I was, though Scowly did pick up on the fact that I was Dunamis (I heard him say that when I was listening in on the convo), and I was even more sure they didn’t know that I had caught on.

At that point it would have been rude to take back the invitation, right? Okay, so maybe the intelligence of that decision would have made up for any rudeness — but where’s the fun in being smart? It’s not everyday two Elfennol deign to walk among the “little people” and have a some fun. I didn’t even know they
could
have fun. Well, Alexander — that’s Scowly — was pretty typical to what I thought Elfennol were like. Derek though — His Royal Hotness — wasn’t like anything. He didn’t act how the Elfennol were supposed to, and certainly not like any human boys I’ve been around.

Hold on, the phone is ringing.

*****

We hit the halfway mark around two hours after leaving. I was glad we had planneda break beforehand, because at the speed we were going it was difficult to communicate underwater.

I’d taken the lead while traveling to create a Shield ahead of us to keep us from running into any creatures. Not that they would hurt us, but it would slow us down.

Plus, you know, kill the animal.

So I created a cone shaped Shield, which gently knocked any obstacle from our path while we traveled. I expended a lot more energy traveling that way, but it also made things a lot faster, and when we stopped to break and refuel with the Ambrose, I knew I was making better time with them than I had alone.

For our little break, instead of quietly hunkering down deep in the sea, I made us a little bubble, but kept the edges soft so it felt like we were sitting on a giant water-bed.

We sat quietly, passing the Ambrose between us and refueling. I sat with my legs criss-crossed next to Ezra, close enough to touch from hip to shoulder. Our auras were firmly attached, and I closed my eyes to focus on the warm glowing sensation of being connected. Usually, when I needed to be steadied, I only had to increase my Shielding. It worked to help block some of my emotions from coming to the surface, but also made things feel less real, less alive. Ezra had the same effect on me, soothing me when too many emotions were building up, but he didn’t do it by making me go numb. Instead, it was as if I borrowed his calm.

“You do know that the Elfennol will not approve of this,” Lena broke our silence.

“Of what, working with you? I already know that.” I opened my eyes.

“Of you two.” She gave a pointed look at the two of us. “Even if you convince them that uniting over Kaylus is necessary — even if the impossible happens and they stop their feud with us — they will never accept the two of you together.”

I could feel Ezra’s calm snap instantly, though he displayed no outward sign of it.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because of what the two of you are. You know they fear the potential power of the children born of Dunamis and Ethnos. I’m certain the only reason Della has been permitted to live is because of her father. They would never allow her to be with another as powerful as she. She is a force of nature by herself. The two of you together? Why, you have the power of a god if you learn to work in tandem.”

“How do you know it is because of her father? Maybe they trust that she is good, and if they trust her, then —”

“Don’t be foolish, Ezra. That is not the case, and even if it were, they will never feel that way about you. A half-breed Clade and Thanatos? You they will fear most of all, more than your father even.” Lena stood up. “It has been ten minutes. I trust you are rested enough to leave now.” Then she dived through the side of my Shield and into the water, only because I hadn’t created it to keep anything in, only to keep things out.

Ezra and I looked at each other, his face mirroring the worry I felt.

“Excuse me, but do not worry overmuch about what Lena has said.” Ian spoke up for the first time since we left.

“She’s mostly right, though,” I said quietly. My life had been in danger from the Elfennol as well until I had been claimed as Derek’s heir.

“You do not know what the future holds for you. Either of you. I know you will not have heard Della, but Ezra, do you know how Lena became Clade?”

“No, I just assumed she was born one.”

Ian shook his head sadly. “She fell in love with a Dunamis. They were able to hide their relationship for a while, until she became pregnant. Even then, she convinced the head of her family that it was merely a human who had sired the child. But we can see the auras of children once the pregnancy reaches a certain point, and her family knew her words were lies. She never even got to hold her babe, and killed two of her cousins in the struggle to reach her child. Lena came to us shortly afterwards.”

“What happened to the baby?” I knew already, though. It is why my mother ran far away when she discovered her pregnancy.

“He was destroyed.”

“Murdered, you mean,” Ezra said.

“Yes. Murdered. That is the only time that I’ve heard of, as the Elfennol are loath to break their own rules in regards to the Dunamis. After Lena came to us, she made it her mission to find all the mixed Ethnos among our people. She even searched among the humans for those who might have been born of a human or Dunamis mother and not know what they truly are. She protects them, as she was unable to protect her own child. It is how she became an Elder. There were many times when she voiced concern over Kaylus’ treatment ofyou, Ezra, though because Kaylus has always been among the strongest of our people and we have no laws, there was little she could do.”

We needed to leave, but there was one more question I had to ask.

“How did she find them? Those born of a human mother?” Like me, and like Ezra.

“The Dunamis speak among themselves, and each country is made up of several tight communities. It is easy to listen until you hear of a child with no mother, and who exhibits a strange mix of abilities.”

“What do you mean, no mother? The mothers always die?” Ezra asked for me. I was clutching his hand, unable to speak.

“Ezra, I thought your father would have at least told you. Birth is difficult for all, but there is a reason the Ethnos have no stillborn. You instinctively Gather Spirit as you enter the world, through all the hours of labor. If the mother is human, without the help of one who can protect her, she is drained before the cord is cut. It is another reason why Lena was unable to protect her child. Our women are weak after giving birth. She was only given enough Ambrose to ensure her life, rather than the dose necessary to bring back her full strength. Lena also provides help to mothers who need it, both Dunamis mothers and Ethnos.”

Ian seemed to realize we needed a minute to absorb this tidbit and left us. I wasn’t worried about catching up, knowing that Ezra and I were the faster pair, so I let him go.

“I always assumed my father had killed her. I don’t know which is worse,” Ezra said, and I knew how he felt. Perhaps I was better prepared than he was, since I’d always known my mother died giving birth to me — I had always felt that guilt even though I knew it wasn’t my fault. Still, this was worse, knowing that it wasn’t some bizarre accident and that I had sucked the life right out of her, as she was giving it to me.

“This doesn’t change anything, Ezra.” He had to know that, because I could see in his face that it was changing everything.

“How can you say that? Knowing that we… that we’re no better than they think we are! We’ve been stained since birth, Della. We didn’t even have a chance.” I saw the hope die in his eyes until he reached over and pulled me to him. I knew he was reliving every single moment his father had battered into him, making him believe he was nothing without him, that they were the same, that he had no control over his future.

I knew he was, because I was too. I wanted to curl into a hole, because killing your own mother is
wrong
, and how can you fix that? How can anyone love you after knowing that, and how can you even want it, knowing how little you deserve it? But those were the thoughts of a broken girl, and I couldn’t listen to her.

“We didn’t have a choice, Ezra. Your father
did
kill her because he could have protected her from dying, just like what Lena’s doing for other mothers. We — we are not to blame for this.” My voice cracked on the words, and I tried with everything I was to believe what I was saying while he just held on tighter with his head buried in my hair. “It’s not our fault,” I said into his bare chest, willing it to be true. “It’s not our fault,” I whispered, feeling hot tears run down my cheek and soak his skin. Because even though I knew it wasn’t my fault Gabriella had died, she must have known what would happen to her without someone there to help. She must have known she would die bringing me into this world and she sacrificed herself anyway. She sacrificed herself so that I could live.

And it broke my heart to know that.

Ezra finally pulled away enough to look at me. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For letting me be weak.” He gave me a small smile, just enough for a hint of his dimple to show, and brushed the last of my tears away gently with his thumb.

“That wasn’t being weak,” I told him, but I knew what he meant. “Besides, it was my turn to be the calm one.”

“It’s good to take turns.” He smiled bigger now, and some of the hopelessness left his eyes.

“Sharing is caring!” I said with fake exuberance. One of my social workers said that to me once and I always wanted to say it.

“Well, there’s something else I want to share with you.”

I was going to say something cute and flirty, but he’d already leaned down to give me a gentle kiss, short and sweet and completely unlike our earlier smooch.

“See, sharing
is
caring.”

“That’s not what I wanted to share.” His dimple was definitely on full display now, as well as a devilish smile.

“What?” I asked, suspiciously.

He leaned down, putting his mouth right next to my ear, then whispered, “Your fancy bathing suit Shield only prevents me from
seeing
what’s underneath, and we are very, very close right now.”

It took me a minute to understand what he was implying, because his warm breath on my ear was distracting. When I did, I froze with embarrassment while he chuckled into my neck.

He could
feel
me. As in, my naked body, which was basically wrapped around him.

Oh my god.

I didn’t even think about it, just trusted a sight shield would be enough. I thought about it for about two seconds, modified the Shield with a little Earth so it wouldn’t be
feel
-through anymore, then looked up, cheeks aflame, to meet Ezra’s eyes.

“It’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny.” He obviously thought so, judging by his barely.

“You could have told me earlier.”

“You could have pulled away.” He wasn’t laughing now, but his dimple was still showing, and his eyes showed a heat that was matched by my own.