Run To Earth (Power of Four) (23 page)

“So you reckon the rest of the mages–” Sam started.

“Must have come from Aargon and Athona,” Aaron finished. “They were just mages, whereas the other four got
complete power
over one of each element, so their future generations are referred to as the Elementals.”

“Whoa,” Sam said, “Aargon and Athona must have been busy. Have you seen how many mages there are compared to Elementals?”

“One power of the elements each,” Rose repeated, staring at the names in the book. “Adams?” She looked up at Aaron. “So your family has the power of...” She paused, but Aaron could tell from her expression alone that she was remembering their last day in their world. The way the ground had split open to stop that car.

Skyler’s angry taunt came back to Aaron.
Go on, show me, Adams. Let out some power. Snatch the ground out from under my feet!

“Earth,” Aaron said quietly. “My elemental power is Earth.”

***

It was time for dinner. True to her intentions, Mother Mary went all out preparing countless dishes, similar to the feast they had the night before. Rose had left to go to help, leaving only Sam and Aaron with the books. Aaron tried to read, but his mind was on one thing: Aric. The first mage. Sent to the world to protect humankind from demons. The mage who chose to forsake Heaven in the name of love. Love with a human girl. It was like a strange fairy tale, but with mages, humans and demons instead of princes, princesses and evil witches.

Sitting on his bed, book open in his lap, Aaron read one sentence over and over again.

Aric was created for the sole purpose of protecting mankind.

There it was, written down, forever immortalising it. Mages were created to protect humans. Yet the attitude of some, like Skyler, was as if humans were not worth their time. Aaron wondered how mages got like that From Aric to Skyler. Did the passage of time really change the mindset of mages so much?

“Hey, listen to this.” Sam sat up, holding a leather-bound book in his hands. “
The effect elemental power has on the human realm was not discovered until almost five years after Aric’s army had come to Earth,
” he read. “
It’s a well-known story that, one day, Aric happened to come across the effects of elemental power on the mortal realm when he was passing from the human realm to his own. He experienced the start of an earthquake as he was passing through one of the tears. When he came to this realm, he found two of his brothers growing apple trees from the ground
.” He paused to look over at Aaron. “
Aric realised the tears in the barrier, left by the ferocious prolonged attacks by the demons, were allowing the flow of elemental energy to seep through and disrupt the human realm.
” Sam paused, licking his lips nervously before reading on. “
Aric tried to mend it for days on end, but the damage done to the fabric of the barrier was irreparable. Nothing could fix the tears, so Aric blocked them. He set up what are now known as the famous Gates of Resistance.
”

Aaron’s eyes went wide. “The Gates,” he said. “The ones Scott was talking about, like the one we saw when we first arrived.” The image of the towering white door with strange glowing symbols and numbers came to his mind. “That Gate was set up by Aric?”

Sam nodded. “All the Gates were set up by him.”

Aaron let out a long breath, brow furrowed as he worked the information out. “Scott said they set up the Gates once they take over a zone.” He recalled the map, with its red- and blue-coloured zones. “So Aric initially set up all the Gates, protecting the human world from the destructive power of mages.”

“Plugging the holes, so to speak,” Sam said.

“Right, but somewhere down the line of history the Gates were destroyed,” Aaron deduced. “The mages are now trying to do what their ancestor once did: hunt down demons and set up Gates to protect the human world.”

“Talk about history repeating itself,” Sam said.

“Strange history, huh?” said Aaron.

They fell into silence, until chatter from outside filtered in through the window.

“Sounds like the table’s being set,” Sam said.

Aaron could make out the sound of plates clattering and the tinkle of cutlery hitting the wooden table. His stomach grumbled in response. They got up and made their way out, but Aaron paused next to Kyran’s door. Sam waited at the top of the stairs, frowning at him as Aaron gently knocked on the door. There was no reply.

“What are you doing?” Sam asked, as Aaron reached for the doorknob.

Aaron didn’t answer but opened the door. The room was lit with the orangey glow of the setting sun shining in from the window. The corners of the room were already shadowed. Kyran was still sleeping, lying on his stomach, clad in his long coat and boots. His soft breaths sounded slightly muffled against the duvet. Aaron stepped inside.

“Kyran?” he called, quietly at first.

There was no response.

“Kyran?” Aaron tried a little louder. “Erm, it’s...it’s time for dinner.”

Kyran grunted and shifted a little, but didn’t get up.

Aaron waited for a moment before stepping closer and calling to him again.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked. Breakfast was the last time he had seen Kyran eat anything. “Kyran? You don’t want dinner?”

Kyran lifted his head, rubbed at his eyes and turned over. His eyes were still shut but he grunted out, “Aaron?”

“Yeah?” Aaron replied.

“Disturb my sleep, I’ll disturb your breathing. Got it?”

Aaron smiled, finding the murmured threat funny rather than alarming. He chuckled and turned to go. “Okay. Night, Kyran.”

There was no reply.

***

It seemed Kyran wasn’t the only one skipping dinner. All of Salvador’s Hunters were missing from the table, which was a shame really as Mary had prepared a feast fit for a king. There were so many dishes lined along the table, Aaron didn’t know where to start.

“Which ones did you make?” Sam asked his sister as she sat down.

“None of them,” Rose replied a little tightly. “I’ve not really got the cooking bit down yet. I helped peel the potatoes and carrots.”

“Oh.” Sam paused. “You know you don’t have to work in the kitchen if you don’t want to.”

Rose didn’t say anything and quietly started on her dinner.

Aaron couldn’t help but watch Zulf as he tore his way through almost an entire lamb’s leg. Zulf, although busy eating, eventually noticed Aaron’s unwavering gaze.

“Somefin’ w’ong?” he asked through a mouthful.

Aaron shook his head. “Sorry, didn’t mean to stare.”

Zulf waved a hand at him before swallowing. His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Don’t worry about it.” He smiled. “You impressed with my eating habits?”

Aaron grinned. “I’ve never seen anyone eat so fast or...so much.”

Zulf laughed. “I have only two rules that I live by,” he said, holding up two meat-stained fingers. “Eat till you’re fed and fight till they’re dead.”

Aaron laughed. “Nice rules.”

“Thank you.” Zulf inclined his head. He took another mouthful of rice and lamb, glancing at Aaron. He leant over the table towards him. “Hey, about last night,” he started. “I’m real sorry, man. I didn’t mean to give Skyler an excuse.”

“It’s okay,” Aaron said. “You were only curious.” Aaron looked over to the cottages. “It’s so quiet when Skyler’s not at the table.”

Zulf and a few of the others chuckled.

“Ah, that’s the Skyler effect,” a Hunter commented. “You notice when he’s not here.”

“Seems like a lot of people aren’t here today,” Aaron said.

“They’re asleep,” Scott informed him.

“That must have been some battle in the Q-Zone,” Aaron remarked, playing with the potatoes in his plate, “to make the Hunters skip out on dinner to sleep instead.”

“It’s not that,” Zulf said. “The Hunters are wiped ’cause they’re not of age yet.” At Aaron’s confused look, he elaborated. “You have to use a substantial amount of power in a Q-Zone, so it tires you out – drains you. It gets easier once you come into your full powers.”

“Full powers?” Aaron asked. “When does that happen?

“When you’re nineteen.” Zulf grinned. “Like I am.”

“So the Hunters of Salvador, they’re all under nineteen?” Aaron asked.

“Pretty much,” Zulf said. “Kyran, Skyler, Julian, Omar and Ryan just turned eighteen a few months ago. Ella, Zhi-Jiya, Sarah, Jean and Danielle are all seventeen. The rest are sixteen.”

“Sixteen?” Sam exclaimed. “They’re only sixteen?” he asked, flabbergasted that mages the same age as him were out fighting demons.

“A mage comes into their power at the age of thirteen,” Zulf explained. “Their core continues to grow and develop until they turn nineteen. That’s when they come of age, meaning that their core matures. Then they can use their powers with much more ease. They don’t get fatigued by excessive use and a fully developed core means precise and accurate control.” He scooped up another spoonful before adding, “Oh, and they heal faster too.”

“If that’s the case, then why don’t they wait until they’re nineteen to start hunting?” Aaron asked.

Zulf’s smile faded. A strange silence fell across the table, with most of the occupants staring at their plates.

“Because,” Zulf said, “we don’t have the time.” He smiled wryly. “Waiting to grow up is a luxury we can’t afford.”

15

Flesh Memories

The days were getting warmer. The sun was blazing overhead; the heat so intense it reduced many to stripping out of their tops and swapping their jeans for shorts. Aaron and Sam struggled in the warmth, carrying their baskets of fruit to the Stove. As they got closer, they saw the table being set with a wide assortment of food, despite breakfast being served only two hours before. Ever since the Hunters returned from their Q-Zone hunt three days ago, Mary had ensured the table was always laid for them. It was just as well, seeing how the majority of Hunters seemed to have divided their time between their beds and the table.

Having delivered the fruit to the Stove, Sam and Aaron made their way back to the orchard, empty baskets in hand. By the time they got to the lake, they were covered in sticky sweat, their faces reddened by the scorching heat. Both boys stopped for a rest and sat down at the bank of the lake. They peeled off their thin, sleeveless tops and lay back on the grass. Aaron propped himself up on his elbows, legs stretched out before him. The grass felt pleasantly cool against his bare back. His gaze followed a group of mages in the distance, walking down to the lake and carrying fishing nets.

“You know what I was thinking?” Sam asked.

“How do they fish with no rods?” Aaron said.

“What?” Sam’s brow knitted in confusion. His eyes followed Aaron’s. “No, not them,” he said, shaking his head at the mages. “I was thinking about the day we met Alan for the first time.”

Aaron turned to him, eyes squinting in the harsh sunlight. “Yeah?”

“Alan said something about Skyler and Ella having Salvador’s allegiance, but he mentioned them giving you back your share. What do you reckon he was on about?” Sam asked.

“No idea,” Aaron replied. “I had forgotten about that, actually.”

“Here’s the thing,” Sam said, turning so he was facing Aaron. “What if Alan meant it in a literal sense. As in, you own a part of Salvador or the mages’ loyalty? Maybe with the Elementals being more powerful that an average mage–” He paused and then grinned. “Can you believe I just said that? An average mage?” He chuckled. “They can make fireballs from thin air, fight demons and ride motorbikes through portals or whatever, but yeah, they’re just
average.
”

“Makes me more than worried what Elementals can do,” Aaron confessed.

Sam nodded in agreement before squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. “Going off topic. What was I saying? Oh yeah.” He looked back at Aaron. “What if the Elementals being more powerful than the rest of the mages means that the Elementals rule the mage realm?”

Aaron was taken aback by the suggestion. “You reckon?”

“Yeah, think about it,” said Sam. “Skyler practically walks around like he owns the place. Ella does the same, although,” he grinned, his eyes softening, “she looks damn hot strutting around.” His eyes glazed and he smiled dreamily.

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Focus, Sammy.”

“Sorry,” Sam said. “So that’s two Elementals. You’re the third and the fourth must be that Neriah bloke everyone’s always talking about.”

Aaron felt an uncomfortable churn in his stomach at the mention of Neriah. “He’s the one my mum and dad have gone to meet. Zulf said they had to answer to Neriah, explain to him why they went missing.” His fingers brushed against his trouser pocket, feeling the edges of the folded letter resting inside. “It’s been three weeks since they left,” Aaron said. “Shouldn’t they be back by now?”

Sam didn’t say anything, but his darkened expression and clenched jaw told Aaron his parents were the last thing Sam wanted to talk about. Aaron couldn’t really blame him. He knew Sam and Rose held his parents accountable for everything that had happened to them. It was his parents’ decision to keep the truth from him, about his identity and his capabilities, that had led to all of them ending up here.

Something caught Sam’s attention just as it entered Aaron’s peripheral vision. Eyes widening, Sam opened his mouth to cry out. He made a sudden move to jump to his feet, but didn’t make it in time. Aaron had just turned his head when he saw it: the huge wall of water collapsing on them.

For a blinding moment, Aaron was suffocating. His involuntary gasp when the cold water hit him made him swallow. The force of the water slammed him and Sam into the ground and pulled them forward, sliding them to the very edge of the bank. Somehow, both of them managed to not go over. The water spilt back, taking the boys’ baskets and shirts with it, running down the bank, filling the lake once again.

Drenched in cold water, coughing and spluttering, both Aaron and Sam pulled themselves up. The soft, muddy ground squished under their shoes. They stared in incredulous shock as the mages pulled the nets back filled with squirming fish. Aaron saw the ginger-haired kitchen helper, Henry, roll one of his sleeves back up in place before holding out both hands, waiting. Another net was set up and Henry pulled up his shoulders, and leant back on one foot before slamming it down, pushing his hands out. His power hit the lake and the water lifted back and up into a towering wave. The net swept through the pool, collecting the small, ivory fish that had been exposed. The net floated back to its two owners and the wave of water crashed backwards, spilling out.

Sam cursed as they were hit once again.

***

Their shoes made odd squelching sounds as both boys walked back to their cottage. Every step pressed more moisture out of their soaked shoes, leaving water marks of their soles on the cobbled ground. Droplets fell from their hair, some trailing down their bare backs. It was a testament to how hot the day was that both boys were almost dry by the time they reached the cottage fence.

“My, my,” Ella chuckled, stepping out of her house, running a hand through her messy hair. “Trying to drown yourselves already?”

Sam pulled a face. “You lot can’t even fish properly,” he grouched. “Fishing is supposed to be a calm and relaxing activity, not a game of ‘Dodge the Tsunami’!”

Ella laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Her small top bared her midriff, exposing her tattoo. Her shorts showed Aaron that he was right: the tattoo did indeed continue down her leg, stopping just above her knee. Seeing it this close, Aaron realised the tattoo was an intricate design of a vine with fully blossomed water lilies growing down it.

“Aww, poor little Sammy,” Ella teased and walked past them.

Sam glared at her as she walked away, then turned to face Aaron with a broad, gleeful grin – one Aaron hadn’t seen in a while. “She called me Sammy.”

“You hate being called Sammy,” Aaron pointed out. It was partly why him and Rose called Sam that, just to rile him.

“Not by her,” Sam said, turning back to gaze at Ella.

Aaron looked over at her too, watching as she filled a plate with grapes, melon and a selection of berries. His eyes widened as an idea formed in his mind.

“Come on, Sam,” he said and hurried towards the table.

“What are you doing?” Sam demanded, but Aaron just waved a hand at him, gesturing for him to follow.

“Ella?” Aaron came to her side.

“What?” Ella asked, working her way down the table and filling her plate.

Aaron followed behind her. “I wanted to ask you something.”

Ella snorted. “Really? What a surprise,” she quipped. “What is it, Sir Asks-a-lot?”

“It’s a little personal,” Aaron said. “But I was wondering, what’s your surname?”

Ella stopped, her serving of cherries halted mid-air. She turned to look at Aaron. “Why?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Just curious,” Aaron replied.

Ella silently studied him before facing the table again and depositing the cherries onto her plate. “Afton,” she replied. “Ella Afton.”

Aaron turned to Sam with a grin. He had been right.

“Why so curious about my name, Adams?” Ella asked.

“No reason,” Aaron replied.

“You trying to figure out the Elemental generations?” she asked, turning around with a grin. “Don’t look so shocked,” she chastised. “You’re rubbish at being sly.”

“I...I wasn’t...” Aaron started.

“It’s alright,” Ella said. “I know you’re curious about this realm.” She snorted at her own words. “Hell, more than curious.” She picked up a grape and popped it into her mouth. Chewing slowly, she looked Aaron up and down. “How’d you find out about the Elementals?”

“Scott called me an Elemental,” Aaron replied. “And there are a few books lying around about certain families.”

Ella smiled. “Ah, the book store. Good for you.” She picked up another two grapes and chewed them slowly, warm grey eyes fixed on Aaron. “Reading’s good for you. Make sure you do plenty of it.”

“I will,” Aaron replied. “But there are some things you can’t find in books.”

“Then you’re reading the wrong ones,” Ella replied with a smirk. She shrugged and went back to her plate, picking up strawberries this time. “To answer you fully: yeah, I’m an Afton. I have the power of Water.”

“Does that mean you can only control the element of Water?” Aaron asked. “You can’t use any of the other elements?”

“Oh, I can use them, just not as well as Water.” Ella smirked. “I can use Earth, Air and Fire but only the basics; but with Water, I can do anything. I can control every facet of it: its form, its temperature, its viscosity, you name it.”

“Complete power,” Aaron murmured. “Pretty self-explanatory,” he said under his breath. “What about other mages?” he asked. “The ones who aren’t Elementals? Can they use all four powers but not in depth? Just the basics?”

“Hey.” Ella smiled. “You’re starting to get it. Normal mages can use all four powers but only to an extent. They don’t have the ability to take complete control. Elementals, however, can use all four powers but possess the ability to control and use one Elemental power to its full potential.” Her gaze picked up someone beyond Aaron and it made her smile. “I’m an Afton, so my power is Water,” she said. “You’re an Adams so your power is Earth.” She smirked. “And Skyler is an Avira, the only one, actually. You can guess his power.”

“Air,” Aaron answered, remembering the way Skyler had thrown him across the street, bruising his back so badly he could barely walk. “He has the power of Air.”

“Good job, Captain Obvious.” Skyler’s gruff voice came from behind Aaron. “Now, move, before I make you fly again.”

Aaron turned to face Skyler. He had seen for himself how horribly disfigured the Lycan fight had left Skyler – three deep gashes, going diagonally from Skyler’s left ear across his nose and lips, down to the bottom of his right cheek. So when Aaron saw him now, he was more than surprised to find no gashes or even half-healed cuts. There wasn’t a single mark, not even a faint one, anywhere on Skyler’s face. He looked the same as always: perfectly unblemished skin, shocking blue eyes and platinum blond hair. Aaron was gaping at him. There was no way Skyler could have been healed this soon, and there was no way those kinds of wounds could disappear without leaving scars.

Skyler cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed.

“What’s with the intense staring?”
he asked.

“You...You’re healed?” Aaron said.

“Yeah?” Skyler prompted. “And?”

“I saw you...Your face,” Aaron said. “It was all...cut up. How did you heal so fast?”

“It’s been three days, genius,” Skyler said, pushing past him to go to the table. “How long did you think it was going to take?”

“But...your wounds looked really bad,” Aaron said. “I thought you would be scarred for life.”

Skyler shared a look with Ella before shaking his head in annoyance. “I’m too tired for this crap.” He took Ella’s plate from her and walked away, back to his cottage.

“You’re welcome!” Ella called after him. “Jerk.”

“Did Armana heal him?” Aaron asked, turning back to Ella.

“Yeah,” Ella replied distractedly, still glaring at Skyler’s retreating form. She picked up another plate and started filling it.

“Wow,” Aaron said. “She’s really good. Really,
really
good.”

“Alright, Aaron,” Sam said, giving him a look. “Calm down.”

“No, Sam, you didn’t seen him,” Aaron said. “His face was all torn up. He had these cuts right across his face.” Aaron let out a breath in amazement. “But now there’s nothing left behind, not even a faint scar.”

“Oh for Heaven’s sake!” Ella turned around. “Mages don’t scar, idiot!”

Aaron stared at her. “What?”

“Mages,” Ella said. “We don’t scar.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Aaron said.

“With everything you’ve seen so far you find
this
ridiculous?” Sam asked.

“We get hurt, like everything else in this universe,” Ella said. “But when we heal, it leaves behind nothing. No marks, no scars, nothing.”

Aaron couldn’t wrap his mind around that. It seemed too preposterous. They might be mages, but they were still half human, and humans scarred.

“It sounds too strange to be true,” he said.

“Again,
this
you’re having trouble with?” Sam asked.

“Have you ever been hurt?” Ella asked Aaron. “Ever fallen off your bike? Scraped your knees, cut open your flesh? Anything?”