Warrior from the Shadowland (14 page)

Now,
she was paranoid that she was becoming a drug addict, though.  Elementals
didn’t get addicted to human substances, as far as she knew.  But what if she
was the first?  Ty never underestimated the strange and terrible things that
could happen to her.  In fact, she stayed up most nights considering all the
ways that her life would probably end the next day.  It was another reason she
devoted so much energy to her research.  Searching for the Quintessence
distracted her from her own thoughts.  Not even her cousins understood how
fragile her grip was getting.

Gion
studied her expressionless face for a long moment and then resumed his smooth
pacing around the perimeter of her cell.  “I’m a bit surprised that you managed
to elude the men Parald sent after you this afternoon.  There were six of them,
after all.  And the Water House has never been known for its physical
prowess.”  His gaze skimmed down Ty’s rounded body as if he was deducting
mental points at some fitness spa boot camp.

Ty
didn’t react.  There was no point.  She wasn’t an athlete.  She was a scholar. 
But, they both knew that Ty’s curvy shape was so rare among Elementals that men
fought for any woman who had it.  When you tossed in the Water House crown, Ty
was a person who other Phases would kill to possess.

Literally.

She
surreptitiously rubbed her hand against the fabric of her pants.  The tips of
her fingers had gone numb.  Not good.  One of the symptoms of an attack.  Oh
God.  She was trapped in this cage and she was about to lose it. 
Claustrophobia pressed down as her pulse kicked even higher.  If she had a
panic attack in front of Gion, it would be even worse than the normal
humiliation and helplessness that she felt when the terror finally passed. 
Gion would tell Parald and Parald would know she had a weakness like this.

He’d
come for her.

“If
the Air House can’t keep track of its minions maybe you guys should invest in
one of those invisible dog fences.”  Tharsis suggested.  “Ya know, the kind
that gives the little fellas a zap when they wander too far from home.”

Gion
kept his eyes fixed on Ty.  “Imagine my shock when I learned that a half a
dozen men came after you today and then they just vanished.”  He snapped his
fingers.  “Into thin air, if you’ll pardon the expression.  How can that be? 
Even with Uriel fighting, you shouldn’t have been able to escape.  And what on
this Earth have you done with the bodies?”  His smile was all sharp, cutting
edges.  “It’s like a mystery novel.”

Ty
couldn’t get out of the Plexiglas cell, but Gion couldn’t get in, either.  She
was beginning to see that through her panic.  He was one of the most powerful
Phases alive, but even he was stymied by the plastic walls of her cage.

Unless
Gion wanted to suck all the oxygen out of the room or something, they were at
an impasse.  And he would never kill her outright.  Parald wanted her alive too
badly.

Oh,
Gaia.

Ty
would rather be buried alive in a Plexiglas coffin than see Parald.  What if
Parald came here?  Why was Gion here alone?  He worked for Parald.  The entire
Air House had to know she was vulnerable.  They’d get her.  Maybe this was some
kind of plan to make her crazy.  To trick her.  Parald could be anywhere.

She
was going to lose control.  She was too weak to stop it.

Her
silence annoyed Gion.  Ty could tell.  It always had.  He was a man who like to
battle with words, every nuance of his tone and phrasing inflicting tiny wounds
in his victims.  Ty didn’t play along.  She left him dissatisfied.  “What
happened at that hospital, Tritone?  How could you possibly have stopped them? 
Did someone help you?”  He tilted his head.  “I know it couldn’t have been
Job.  Since he was so clear that the Water Phases should stay in the Elemental
realm, I imagine he has no idea you’re even here.  All alone.”

Gion
was right about that.  He’d always been annoyingly clever.  Ty had no idea why
someone so powerful and brilliant would follow Parald.  If he’d wanted to, Gion
could have taken over the entire Air Kingdom by Thursday.  Thankfully for everyone,
that didn’t seem to occur to him.  Parald was evil, but Gion was so much more
capable than her former Match.

He
arched a brow at her.  “See where your recklessness gets you?  You could be
safe at home, right now, if you used your pretty little head and listened to
the Council.  Although, I do understand the temptation to ignore those morons,
given your history with most of them.  And now this.”  He gave a sad “tsk” of a
sound.  “With our numbers so low, I’m sure the other Elementals won’t be
pleased that the Water House is responsible for more senseless deaths.”

Ty’s
vision dimmed.  Her respiration increased.

Deaths.

The
Fall.

Her
fault.

She
swallowed against the tightness in her throat, feeling like something was
obstructing her airway all of a sudden.

“Oh,
hell, yeah.  I want to see you go to Job with
that
argument, Guy.” 
Tharsis scoffed.  “In fact, I want to see you show your face to the Council,
at
all
, you traitorous son-of-a-bitch.  We’ll all stand in front of them and
see which of us they hold responsible for the highest death toll.”

“The
Council speaks for the Council.”  Gion’s pale blue eyes gleamed.  “We know that
they often
fail
to speak for the average Phase on the street, though,
don’t we, Tritone?  Sometimes, the masses place blame… differently than the
Council.”

Ty’s
throat closed off.  She could feel a suffocating sensation come over her.  She
was having a heart attack.  Did Phases have heart attacks?  She was going to
die.  She couldn’t breathe.  There wasn’t any oxygen.  Maybe Gion
was
doing
something to it.  Maybe he
was
going to kill her.  Oh, God.  There was
no air.  She was choking.  No air.

Panic
attack.

Panic
attack.

Panic
attack.

The
words flashed across her mind like a red, buzzing warning signal.

The
fear that she was falling into an attack just made everything worse, pulling
her down into an inescapable spiral.  Ty forgot about Gion and the jail cell
and everything else, except her growing terror.  Time slowed down around her
and everything vanished.

Nothing
was real but her fear and her fragmented memories.

Her
senses went haywire.  Sounds and images in her head blinding her.  Smells that
weren’t there assaulting her.  Invisible hands grabbing at her.

Screaming. 
The stench of death.  The pyres of the Fire House burning in the distance as
she tries to run.  The roar of the fountain.  Screaming.  The fury and hatred
in their faces.  Can’t escape.   Holding her down.  Screaming.  Hurt. 
Helpless.  Dying.  Too weak to stop them.  Screaming.  Calling for help.

She
was going crazy.  She was
already
crazy.  She should have died with the
others.

Her
fault.

Her
fault.

Her
fault.

Ty
stumbled backwards so the back of her legs hit the cot.  She fell onto it, not
really noticing, her heart racing in her chest and hyperventilation burning her
lungs.

****

Tharsis
saw her exterior shell crumble and knew exactly what was happening.  “Shit,
Ty!”  He shouted her name and pounded a fist against the plastic separating
their cells.  “Ty, stop.  Calm down.  Ty!”

Gion
stopped taunting and blinked in astonishment as Ty pulled herself into the
corner of the room.  He automatically tried to reach for her and swore softly
when his hand hit the Plexiglas.  Ty dragged her body across the cot and
huddled there, her back pressed against the space where the plastic walls met. 
Her hands covered her ears, trying to block out noises only she could hear.

“What’s
wrong with her?”  Gion demanded.  His eyes stayed riveted on Ty as she shook.

“
You’re
fucking wrong with her!” Tharsis roared.  “Get the cop in here.  Get the cop to
bring her pills.”  He ran a hand through his hair, enraged at the wall keeping
him from his cousin and at Gion for triggering her distress.

“Pills?” 
Gion repeated, blankly.  “We don’t take pills.  That’s for humans.”  He glanced
back at the cot.  “What’s happening to her?”  His voice was sharper, now. 
She’d pulled her legs up against her chest.  Hiding her face in her knees, she
made herself as small as possible.  “Ty?”

“
Just
get the pills!
”  Tharsis screamed.  “Haven’t you done enough damage?”

Gion
took a step back, his gaze still on Ty.  “I’ll get the pills.  Just watch her
and I’ll go get the pills.” He went striding out of the room.  How he planned
to explain his presence in the jail to Sullivan, Tharsis didn’t know and didn’t
care.

“Ty.” 
Tharsis crouched down so he was cot level, even though they were still
separated by a good eight feet of space and a clear barrier of plastic. 
“Honey.  Deep breaths.  Remember what the doctor said.  You need to try and
regulate your breathing.  Accept that it’s a panic attack and work through it. 
Don’t fight it.  Alright?  And stay in the present.  You hear me?  Don’t think
about the past.  What you’re seeing is not real.  Focus on me.”

He
wasn’t getting through to her.

Fuck.

Tharsis
slammed his hand against the Plexiglas again.  In that second, he would have
gladly joined the Reprisal in killing every Air Phase in the universe.  It
didn’t matter that it would bring down the end of the world.  He’d have done it
willingly to punish everyone for what they’d inflicted on his baby cousin.  Ty
was completely closed off in her cell, reliving horrors she never should have
seen in the first place.  He couldn’t even touch her.

Tharsis
closed his eyes and laid his forehead against the plastic wall.  “Ty.”  He
struggled to keep his voice calm.  To reach her in her panicked flashback. 
“Honey, regulate your breathing.  In and out.  In and out.”  He breathed with
her like a Lamaze coach.  “Everything that happened in the Fall is over now,
Ty.  Stay here with me.  Stay in the present and don’t fight the attack.”

Over
and over, he repeated the instructions that the psychiatrist had given them. 
Even if she wasn’t processing the words, he knew she at least heard his voice.

Minutes
passed.

Her
frantic gasping for air calmed a bit.

Sullivan
came slamming into the holding area, taking in the situation with assessing
brown eyes.  “Shit.”

“That’s
what I said.”  Tharsis quickly stood up.  “She needs her medicine. She has
panic attacks.  Please.  Just give her the pills.  I know that she had them on
her when we were arrested.  She never goes anywhere without those damn things.”

“Yeah,
I got ‘em.”  Sullivan held up a bottle and rattled the pills inside.  “Actually
prescribed to her, too.  Which is a nice change of pace from most of the
junkies I arrest.”  He pulled his keys free and unlocked Ty’s cell.  “Just hold
on, kiddo.”

“Is
she alright?”  Gion hovered behind him, keeping most of his attention on Ty. 
“Her breathing is better.”

“Get
out!”  Sullivan and Tharsis shouted at him in unison.

Sullivan
glowered over at Gion, shaking his head at the cape.  “Who the hell is this
superhero guy?”  He directed the question to Tharsis.  “A friend of yours?”

“Hell,
no.  Don’t let him near my cousin.  He’s buddies with her psycho ex-boyfriend.  He
must’ve followed us here.”

“A
stalker.”  Sullivan made a face.  “Great.  I knew you people were trouble.”  He
pinned Gion with a deadly look.  “You move towards my prisoner and I will shoot
you.  Understand?”

“I’m
not going to touch her.”  Gion muttered.  “Just give her the pills.”

Sullivan
opened the door and went into Ty’s cell.

Tharsis
tensed, preparing for Gion to launch some kind of attack.

Instead,
the Air Phase just stood a few paces back and craned his neck, trying to keep
his eyes on Ty, around Sullivan’s large form.

“Kid?” 
Sullivan sat down on the edge of Ty’s cot and rested a hand on her bent head. 
“Hey, sweetie.  Snap out of it.”

Gion
stiffened slightly as Sullivan caressed Ty’s hair.  He actually took a step
forward.

Sullivan’s
gaze swung around to peg him with a “one more inch and you’re outta here”
glare.

Gion
stopped moving and frowned.  “Just give her the pills, human.”  He repeated,
flatly.

Sullivan
ignored that.  “Kid?”  His hand slipped down to squeeze Ty’s shoulder.  “You
want me to call an ambulance.  You can go back to the hospital.  I know how
much you like it there.”

There
was a pause.  Then, Ty murmured, “No ambulance.”

Tharsis
closed his eyes in relief when he heard her voice.

“You
want the medicine?”  Sullivan gave the bottle another rattle.  “I think you can
get through without it, but it’s here if you disagree.”

“Yes,
please.”  She held out a shaky palm and Sullivan dumped two blue pills into it.