The Order of the Elements 01 - Breaking Point (23 page)

I don’t think that’s a good idea,
Ethan told her through their mental connection.

Don’t get noble on me right now. If you go, so do I.
Lucy’s decision seemed final, and Ethan wasn’t going to argue with her just then.

Not ever,
Lucy insisted.

Ethan chuckled at her stubbornness, and then asked the others out loud, “Why do you think we have some of the same stories and know about some of the creatures that are here even though they don’t exist in the Realm of Non-Magic?” It was something he had wondered about since noticing other similarities between the two worlds, such as the calendar.

“There used to be people who crossed over between realms, mostly people who had committed crimes here and were exiled to the Realm of Non-Magic as punishment. I guess they took stories with them and told them when they crossed over,” Jared said thoughtfully. “That was before Petrozan, though. Ever since he found out you two crossed over, he wouldn’t let anyone else go for fear that they would bring you back.”

“Since everyone lives for four hundred years here, does that mean we will too?” Phoebe asked. That was a good question. Ethan very much wanted to know the answer to that one.

“I don’t see why not. Magic extends life by hundreds of years. The elves and other creatures can live for thousands of years since they are innately magical,” Cynthia answered.

Ethan cocked his head to the side as he thought over the number of birthdays that were now stretching out before him. “Wait, shouldn’t people, like, age slower here? If our lifespan is four times longer, shouldn’t we be one fourth of the developmental size we are now?”

“Well,” Evan said slowly, “we’re all nineteen too, and we’re all roughly the same size.”

“I think I know what you mean,” Cynthia commented, chewing on her lip while she thought it over. “I think we probably develop at the same rate that humans would in the Non-Magic Realm. But once our powers kick in at fifteen, it starts to slow down our growth. Once our magic is fully matured at nineteen, it slows down the aging process considerably.”

“Wow.” Although Phoebe’s answer was simple, Ethan didn’t think there was a better reaction. He couldn’t imagine living for hundreds of years, especially when all his life he had only expected to live for a much shorter time. Although with them having to go against Petrozan and Esmeralda, he wasn’t sure he would even live that long. He decided that one day at a time was the best way to go for now.

It always is, even when there is no danger. Living for tomorrow means not living at all, Lucy responded to his thoughts. She had a point.

It was about ten o’clock before everyone rounded up their companions and headed to bed. Soon after, a sleepy silence filled the room around Ethan as Evan and Jared fell asleep. Ethan lay awake for a while longer, thinking of all that had happened that day. He had to figure out what the connection was between Lucy and him. It was obviously something strong.

Yep
, he heard in his head.

Of course she would be listening.
Still won’t tell me?
he asked.

Where’s the fun in that?

A hint?

I think you’ve had enough.

I have?

You’ll figure it out. Goodnight, Ethan. She sounded very sleepy.

Goodnight.

Then it hit him. What could be a stronger connection between two people than a connection of souls? That could only mean one thing. It had been so obvious. He was briefly distracted by wondering how stupid he was to not notice it before. Of course, he hadn’t realized that he felt
that
strongly for her or understood what it would lead to, but there was only one explanation:
Soul mates
.

Bingo. I told you it wouldn’t take long.

Seriously? That’s it? I mean, isn’t that jumping the gun a little bit? Ethan thought, completely shocked. What does that mean? Will music start playing for the happily-ever-after ending right now? Do I even want that?

It doesn’t mean we have to get married or anything like that. It just means that we were picked specifically for one another, and we make of it what we will.

By who? Who’s calling the shots here?

Part of what I can’t tell you.

How do you know all this?

I can’t tell you that, either.

This is really frustrating.

I know.

Is this involuntary? Do I have a choice in this?

No, you chose to care about me, only that leads to the connection. And you can break it any time you choose. Being soul mates doesn’t mean we’re required to live happily ever after together. Just that we can, that we have the most potential for it out of anyone else that we could choose to be with.

What about…well, I mean, does it even matter now…or does that totally get thrown out the window…or do I already and I don’t know it…? He was having a hard time coming to the conclusion of his statement.

Spit it out already.

What about…love? He could barely think the word. Is that even part of it? Isn’t that supposed to be a gradual thing?

In some ways, yes. In other ways, no. Love is…patient. Vague answer.

You’re not telling me everything. There was more, Ethan could tell.

I can’t. I really wish I could. I know how confusing this is.

You care about me? That much?

From the moment I met you. Now sleep. It won’t seem so crazy in the morning.

One more thing: will it work? For us? Is that something crazy to ask? Will it work? Soul mates. How crazy. Is there an option of it not working, even if we gave it everything we had?

No, not crazy. Like I said, it’s not a requirement, but a definite possibility.

Phoebe and Dorian?

More than definite, if that’s possible. They just have no idea. Well, Dorian might, but he’s trying to protect her.

From what?

She was quiet.

Can’t tell me that either?

Sorry.

Lucy?
Ethan couldn’t see it any other way. Not now. Was that part of it? He couldn’t see her
not
being in his life, being a part of his thoughts.

Yes?

I’ll be here as long as you are.

Me too.

That was enough for him. He would be there, with her, always. It was never a choice he had to make. Lucy said he had a choice, but he didn’t want one, didn’t need one. He was hers, always.

Always.

His life had turned upside down in less than a week. But right now, he couldn’t imagine it any other way. Had he really lived in another realm for sixteen years? Had he really lived around things like cars, phones, electricity? It all seemed so surreal now, like a dream.

He was in the garden again and sitting on the bench, but the blond woman was not there. He knew she wasn’t coming tonight, and he drifted deeper into sleep, leaving the garden behind.

17. Blocked

Phoebe sprawled out in the grass beside the lake, staring up at the blue sky above her. Cynthia lay on her right side with her eyes closed, and Evan leaned up against a tree, staring off into the shimmering lake. That morning’s lesson hadn’t been too bad. They had managed to make it on time and made leaps in their progress summoning Elements. Phoebe had actually flooded the room, not exactly her intention—she had been trying to make a small puddle of water—but she had been able to conjure her Element without getting upset first, which was quite an improvement.

After Dorian dried the room with hot air, Ethan was able to shake the floor a couple of times, strong enough to make everyone in the room take notice. Evan made it rain for a few minutes—it had required a lot of concentration, so the look on his face had been entertaining—and put out the fireball that Kali was beginning to conjure.

Cynthia burned down a small tree that had been grown by Jared. Lucy, of course, had always been good with her power, only lacking concentration. She had sent a small tornado at Kali’s friends across the room. They screamed and ran for cover, causing the rest of the group to laugh. Kali, however, was not amused, and her eyes turned red while flames shot out of her hands, which scared Spencer, who once again lost his head and had to be taken away. Phoebe was waiting for Kali to throw the first punch. She could tell the girl’s dislike for her was mutual, but she was waiting for provocation to do something about it.

While everyone else trained with their talents, Phoebe, Evan, and Cynthia went outside the Annexus to walk around the little village for a while. There was a small shop that featured several elixirs for various purposes. Some were innocent and could change hair or eye color. Some induced sleep, and some, like the mixture Dorian had given them the night before, eased pain and healed minor wounds. Others enhanced Elemental powers for a few hours or heightened combat skills for one battle. A few temporarily induced happiness, and Phoebe suspected people used those when they were focusing too much on the things outside this mountain. There were even more elixirs that caused small explosions and created smoke screens. The person who was running this shop was nowhere to be seen, but a sign said that elixirs could be exchanged for the small service of going and collecting the ingredients needed for them.

Another shop featured beautiful clothing made by dwarves, and these could also be traded for services such as bringing food or supplies. Phoebe learned that the dwarves not only made clothing, but were also quite gifted in crafting metal and therefore made armor and weapons. She very much liked the method of payments here, where goods were exchanged for services and vice versa. It gave everyone a feeling of importance and belonging and made them show respect for others, because they needed one another.

Farther along, they came across a shop that carried decorations that could be placed in homes or rooms. Phoebe, Evan, and Cynthia all picked out decorations for their rooms, and in exchange had gone to collect food and water for Margaret, the shop owner who wasn’t able to walk very well. The gnomes only hand-delivered food to those in the Annexus.

Phoebe picked out a beautiful picture that captured the beauty of the Haven. She had asked how the seller made the crafts and discovered that she hand-painted them with special paint made by fairies. Her talent was Crafting, and she could make just about anything. The trio had found her companion, Priss, an ermine, very cute and entertaining. Priss liked to prance around and clean her shimmering fur. Sapphire had enjoyed herself there. There were several other shops that they didn’t go into, deciding to settle down beside the lake instead.

Phoebe watched children playing on the other side of the lake while their parents’ companions watched them carefully. She wasn’t particularly looking forward to her lesson that night with Cassius. It was the first time she was going to be in close proximity to him since she had shouted at him. Even though he had been right, she was still disturbed by all the horrible things going on that she couldn’t do anything about yet. She didn’t think Cassius would be upset with her, but that still didn’t make their imminent meeting any more appealing.

She wondered briefly if this was the same sky everyone got to see or if it was enchanted for just people in the Haven. From what Lucy had said, it was dark all the time outside of the mountain, so Phoebe suspected that this sky was purely for them. Its purpose was most likely to keep things feeling as normal as possible here and not remind people too much about what was happening outside. If nothing else, it was best for the children. They were too young to worry about such things.

Evan stared off into space at something just over Phoebe’s shoulder. She turned her head in that direction and saw that Cassius stood out in the middle of the bridge. He surveyed the shops and homes and then looked at the Annexus. He also closely examined all the students milling about by the lake or shops. He locked eyes for a brief moment with Phoebe before turning away. Hot guilt bubbled up in her stomach. She turned back around to see Evan now staring at her, but he quickly looked away.

“So, what are you going to say to him?” Evan asked.

Phoebe didn’t need to ask who he was talking about. “I don’t know. ‘Sorry’ I guess. What else is there to say?”

Evan shrugged his shoulders and started picking at the grass around him. Phoebe wanted to know more about the prophecy. How were they going to get the rest of it? Why did Irena give it to Cassius in the first place? Did they even really need the rest of it? She was frustrated. Frustrated with sitting here doing nothing.

The problem was that even though these things had been described to her, she still had no idea what it was really like on the outside, and for some reason that bugged her more than anything. She had a burning desire to do something, but had no idea what she would find when she got out there. She didn’t want to think about the fact that she didn’t know if any of them would even make it through this. Looking at her two friends sitting here with her, she realized that she didn’t want to bring something like that down on them, either.

It was irritating all the way around. She sighed deeply.

“What’s up?” Evan asked.

Cynthia lifted her head to look over at Phoebe.

“Nothing, just aggravated is all,” she answered.

“As hard as it is, you have to try not to think about it. Nobody can do anything right now, and thinking about it only makes it that much worse,” Cynthia said, lying back against the ground. “Cassius keeps it nice here, as do the other Guardians, so people can live as normally as possible.”

“I know. I’m really going to try to focus on learning and try not to think about it too much, at least until I can actually do something about it,” Phoebe said, resolving herself to do exactly what she had said.

“Don’t forget about us,” Evan interjected, “your friends. You better make some time for us too.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I can squeeze you in.”

She was really beginning to enjoy and depend on her friends’ company. They were great, and they helped her and one another whenever needed. They had also vowed to help her and Ethan on their path of bringing down Petrozan and Esmeralda. She only hoped they weren’t going to be put in too much danger because of it. Thinking of Ethan, she remembered another question she had for Cassius. She was almost positive that Ethan was her cousin. He seemed too familiar and too easy to read to be anything else, but she had to know for sure, and she knew Cassius would be able to tell her. Phoebe wondered how Ethan was holding up in afternoon training today. Would he discover his talents? She knew she would feel his disappointment if not.