The Five Elements (38 page)

"This is how it must be, Shanna."

Shanna felt the sharp edge of the blade, made warm by her blood, press against her neck.

"The earth was never meant to be enslaved."

Shanna sensed more than felt the muscles in Mirna's arm tensing, ready to slice the blade across her naked throat.

Except it never did.

Shanna felt it now. Water, splashing to the ground leagues away, absorbed by Earth, and here in the room with her, the Element of Water. Rational thought, expunged when Mirna had rammed half a foot of steel into her, escaped her. Questions and the need for answers fell by the wayside. She felt it, Joined with the others at long last, as a sense of euphoria that burned through the pain and the betrayal and single overwhelming feeling that no one—no one!—remained with her. Mirna had been her last lifeline. Now, there was Earth, and Fire, and Air, and Water, joined as one again only because
she
existed. They were
hers
to control and command. Erlek's death flitted by as an afterthought, a fractional second of satisfaction. She'd held off killing him only because of the knowledge he possessed. Now, she realized he'd possessed nothing. She alone was the impetus that had drawn the Elements together. She alone willed them to life.

Life was what they were. She knew that now. Death, too, for those who wished her harm. Now, Shanna summoned them. Slumbering Earth, coruscating Fire, capricious Air, and now, Water, that Shanna knew longed for nothing more than release. Not to kill—the desire to visit death upon another was wholly Shanna's—but a longing to simply be. Shanna called to them, through the dizzying haze in her mind, through the blood and tears, and through the physical boundaries separating them. In that shattered moment, the Four Elements came to life.

The satchel containing the three burst apart. Joined by the fourth they became something else entirely. Raw energy engulfed the small room. Mirna screamed. The knife in the woman's hand disintegrated away to less than dust as she was hurled away from Shanna, who gained her knees and then, somehow, clutching her gut from the pain, stood. Mirna herself remained upright only because the power crackling all around Shanna reached out to hold the woman propped against the far wall. Mirna struggled, but there was no release. Blood pounding through her head, Shanna made ready to finish her. The Elements, joined into something that transcended their individual existences, came at the woman from every direction at once, permeating every bit of her physical being, every fiber of the soul energy which gave her life.

"I trusted you!" Shanna screamed.

Mirna's face contorted in surprise and horror and pain, then Shanna finished her. The energy of the Elements hurtled into Mirna like a wave, consuming her and the wall behind her. It did not stop there. The release blasted through the
Griffin's
inner hull, burning and disintegrating everything it touched until Shanna had a clear view of the night sky beyond.

Shanna heaved in breaths, letting the Elements separate into their constituent pieces. She was far from done. Her mind beckoned to Fire. There was a moment's hesitation, then the Element lanced into her, cauterizing the wound Mirna had caused. Already dizzy with pain, that last stroke almost sent her into oblivion. But if she stopped now, if she faltered for even a moment, it was over for her. The dwarves still wanted her dead. The crew of the
Griffin
no doubt as well, for what she'd just done, despite any promises they'd made to Erlek. The man was gone now, anyway. She was on her own.

Shanna saw faces, popping into view down the path of destruction she'd created. The screams and howls of those caught in the blast—those who hadn't been killed outright—followed. It was everything Shanna could do to remain upright. She pushed the faces and the wounded from her mind else they drag her down into a sea of regret.

"Tom!" a man Shanna didn't recognize shouted at her between sobs. The man's face was streaked with soot and blood. "You've killed Tom!"

The words penetrated Shanna's shield, slicing her through the heart and causing her to lurch backward. Only the wall there kept her from toppling. She closed her eyes, sealing away the tears and willing away the looks of anger and horror, the sounds of the dying and wounded, and, most of all, Tom, who probably never even knew what hit him. Shanna had purpose now. Nothing must stand in the way of that.

She placed the three Elements of Fire, Air, and Water into the bowl that was the Element of Earth. Then she climbed through the ship to reach the main deck. No one moved to stop her. They were either too busy seeing to wounded comrades or simply knew better. It was an easy decision to stumble to the gunwale, a more difficult task to clamber over it. Before she let herself fall, she reached out and melted the bars holding the prisoners. She'd done her part. She'd set them free. The rest was up to them. With the same tendril of thought, Shanna grasped hold of the machine Erlek had kept with them. She'd no idea the machine's purpose, but knew only that it was linked with the fate of the Five Elements. It was enough. In the moment that she let go her grasp on the
Griffin
, she also tightened it around the machine. It burst forth from the airship's hull and fell with her.

Behind her, she heard airmen—or perhaps it was the dwarves—shouting something, but it all disappeared in the next moment, replaced by the air rushing by. A moment's exhilaration subsided as the Element of Air took hold, leveling her and the machine off and then pushing the both of them forward. She rode the wind like a steed, letting the Elements guide her. They knew her intended destination and what she intended to do once there. Separate, the Four Elements were powerful. But, together they were the essence of everything. It was what Erlek had sought for generations. Now, it was the one thing that guaranteed Shanna would never have to clean slop in the kitchens again or sweat over a vat of boiling, scented oils destined for fine soaps she would never have the opportunity to use herself. Together, the Four Elements became the Fifth. The latter was hers by right and by destiny. She need only claim the one to fulfill the other.

T
HE FOLK OF NORWYNNE FLED from a land gone mad.

Leaving behind what possessions remained to them, they abandoned the remnants of hearths and homes to escape into the night with only the clothes on their backs and their children held or dragged behind. They ran screaming and crying and praying beneath a sky turned crimson with blood-red clouds that spewed liquid drops of fire. The earth cracked and convulsed, jarring some from their feet as streaks of lightning, a score at a time, turned night into day. Tornadoes swirling with flame touched down everywhere. One such destructive monster came too close to a fleeing group of men, women, and children, sucking them into the vortex, never to be seen again. Though the only shelter from such things lay behind them, no one went back. Too many had seen the girl there. Sickly pale, like one already dead, she'd flown in from the sky and landed at the city's center. Violent winds came with her and the earth trembled at her every footfall. The sorcerers' apprentices had tried to stop her, but it was as if they fought the elements themselves. Nothing could stand against such fury. Those who tried were tossed aside. This final display convinced those who hadn’t already fled that now was the time to leave.

No one spared time for a glance over a shoulder. No one stopped. Though they beat flaming rain from their persons at every step, no one dared hesitate at all until they saw the wagon. It came shooting over the rise ahead with maniacal speed. Quickly they realized this was no ordinary wagon, for it was drawn by the most unordinary of beasts. At its helm ran a dozen hounds, surely from Hell itself, for their bodies exuded fire, their panting, noxious clouds of gas, and the flaming beads of crimson that were their eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. The wagon bucked and shook at the treatment the hounds gave it, but it remained whole. Smoke billowed from the wheels at every turn, obscuring the monster that drove this Wagon of Hell. Most folk scattered at its approach, running into the dark. Others shrank to the ground, burying children beneath them for protection. Still others, few in number but armed with spear, sword, or knife, stilled shaking knees and readied themselves to fight. But the flaming hounds and the wagon they pulled never stopped, nor slowed, nor altered course. It shot into their midst, rumbling past and then leaving them behind as it disappeared into the storm's pandemonium. Only those who'd stood their ground had seen the boy holding the dogs' reins. A demon, some thought or said out loud with trembling voices. He looked the part, with wild hair, torn clothing, and dried blood streaking arms and legs. But some had seen past the wear. Some had recognized him. Word spread, from one person to the next, until the people of Norwynne no longer ran. They still did not return to the city, but sought protection in the outlying hills where they waited, for Elsanar's prodigy, the boy apprentice, who'd harnessed the very Hounds of Hell to do his bidding, had returned to set things right.

Aaron had no idea his coming had elicited anything but fear, for it was the only thing he saw in peoples' faces before the wagon thundered past one group after another. Over and over, the scene of folk fleeing, hiding, or raising weapons was repeated. No one truly attempted to stop them, though. He was at least glad of that, for though he held the reins, controlling the hounds had become increasingly difficult. Initially, though they'd liked their situation not at all, Ursool's charm and Aaron's link to it kept them in check. Still, they lamented their situation with snapping jaws and incessant growls. Even more so once they'd come into view of the fiery maelstrom brewing over Norwynne, for as their pace had quickened, Aaron's control over them had lessened. They pushed the boundaries of the magic, Aaron knew, causing it to diminish its hold on them though they remained incapable of breaking free from it entirely. The chaotic storm fired something in them, lending them strength. Perhaps because it reminded them of their own hellish home, Aaron thought. Instead of fighting the hounds' newfound sense of exuberance, Aaron let them have their head. The world was coming to an end and he'd come to stop it. But, to do that, they had to reach the city first.

"Hold it steady!" Aaron shouted over the noise made by the wagon's violent undulations. Though every foot gained brought them closer to their objective, it also threatened to shake the wagon to pieces. The only thing keeping the disused contraption in one piece was Serena's magic.

The girl sat behind Aaron on the wagon's floor. Ensel Rhe was there, too. Neither of them moved. Serena had her eyes closed. One of her hands was on the wagon's floor, palm down with fingers spread. The other was on Ensel Rhe's wrist. Waves of energy, undetectable to any but the sorcerer's apprentice, flowed through every nail, bolt, spoke, and bit of wood, keeping the pieces tight and preventing the whole from falling apart. The magical energy flowed from Serena's own reserve, but also from Ensel Rhe's.

Aaron had not wanted to ask the sacrifice of either of them, but he'd had no other choice. Standing outside the burning wreck of Wildemoore, he'd seen the ruts leading to the manor's stables—it had been a separate structure, thankfully—and so he knew there was a wagon. His heart had sunk the moment he'd laid eyes on it, though, for it was in a sad state of disrepair. Still, giving up never crossed his mind. Instead, he looked for a solution.

Serena had been it. As Ansanom's apprentice, she'd witnessed the black art of extromancy, the discipline of stealing soul energy from another. When pressed, she told them she'd done more than just witness it, though her tutelage had been rudimentary and only then at Ansanom's insistence. It was enough that Aaron thought his plan just might work. He'd explained it to both of them in a matter-of-fact tone. Though what he proposed repulsed even him, it was the only way. Serena and Ensel Rhe had protested. Aaron let them have their say. Then he asked if either of them had a better idea. Neither did. Ensel Rhe committed himself immediately. It took Serena considerably more time to agree. Aaron, all too cognizant of the line he was asking her to cross, had let her decide for herself. In the end, she had acquiesced.

Her own energy and the energy she drew from Ensel Rhe had been enough to get them this far. Now, every bump, every rock, every piece of deadwood they clambered over sent a shudder of violence through the wagon that threatened to finally shake it to pieces. Even bolstered by magic, Aaron knew the wagon would only hold together a little while longer. Also, he knew they were fast approaching the limit of Serena's strength. Ensel Rhe's, too, for though his participation remained passive, his ordeal in Wildemoore had taken its toll. The eslar had spent the journey close to Serena so she could draw from him as necessary. His endurance was a testament to his determination. Not for the first time, Aaron wondered what fueled such inner strength. His eyes never closed. Not that Aaron saw, anyway.

The more they neared the storm's center, the worse the chaos grew. Rain thundered down on them now, an impossible mixture of fire and water droplets, much of which collided together in mid-air to form a steamy layer above their heads. Still, some of the fire droplets touched earth where they ignited ever growing blazes across the landscape. Neither the wagon nor their persons was spared the rain's fiery touch. Ensel Rhe patted down fires within reach, but had no choice but to let those beyond an arm's length burn. The floodwaters were gone, either drained into the ocean or swept away by the madness of the storm. Still, the smell of brine and rotting seaweed hovered thick around them. Once they'd passed through the initial mass of folk, they saw no one else. They heard nothing but the sound of thunder shaking the sky.

Neither Aaron, focused only on the path ahead, nor Serena, whose eyes remained closed, saw the approaching sitheri. Only Ensel Rhe noticed the shadow running alongside, matching their progress. Only he saw it veer close, then leap for the wagon. Reacting by instinct alone, he shook off Serena's grasp as he rose to face this new threat. He thought the shadow meant to land square in the wagon, but its momentum was too great and it sailed up and over instead, clearing the wagon by a great margin. But as it did a clawed hand caught at Ensel Rhe's coat, pulling him along. Both went over the side and vanished into the fiery steam.