Battle of the Elements

“Ugh, ow.” I moaned as we all sat together eating.

Bridgette poked at her food, “What’s up?”

“It feels like little dwarfs are pounding my head with hammers.” I rubbed my temples with my fingertips but the headache wouldn’t go away.

Melanie smiled, “Maybe there are little dwarfs in your head.” She said before she had another spoonful of her scrambled eggs.

Alex perked his head up, he had huge bags under his eyes – which was odd because we all went to bed early last night – and his hair was a mess, “Are dwarfs real?”

Jake scoffed, nearly choking on his water.

Bridgette shook her head with a mocking smile, “No, but there are other things.”

“Like what?” I asked, it was something I had never thought about before that now demanded my attention.

Melanie swallowed her food, “Elves, fairies, vampires,” she paused for a moment before nodding towards Jake, “werewolves. There are too many to list.”

“What about Black Magi?” Alex asked, trying to seem casual but failing.

Bridgette tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, “Not really much about them. They’re almost unheard-of.”

Melanie cut in, “But what we do know about them is limited. Like, they follow a certain religion – no one knows what it is – and are pretty much a giant cult. Their power relies on shadows and darkness.”

“Spooky.” Dane commented as he walked out of the bathroom in a towel that was wrapped around his waist, still wet from his bath.

My face burned red at his bare chest. His abbs were in full display and – from what I could see through my averted eyes – Bridgette was liking the show.

“Dane.” Alex said, as if asking if this was necessary.

“What?” Dane said jokingly, “I’m sure everyone here has seen a man’s chest before.”

I buried my face in my hands and shook my head. This was too much.

I could hear Bridgette laugh, then after a moment, “You can open your eyes now sweetheart. The big bad nudity is gone.”

We laughed as I saw that Dane was fully dressed. My cheeks were still red by the time we had finished – and woke Harrison up, which caused a few grumbles. My headache was gone after that.

Bridgette

We made the conclusion to go out looking for Camelia at night when civilians wouldn’t get caught up in the madness. For now though, Melanie and Jake were digging up information on Camelia and the rest of us were going to try and work out what we could do with her – killing a child was out of the question.

We were all walking out in the open, thinking silently about this girl when Alex suddenly bursts out, “We can’t kill her.”

“No kidding.” I said sarcastically. I’m pretty sure we all knew that wasn’t an option.

“What I mean is, she’s royalty.” He said.

Titania stopped dead in her tracks and spun around to face Alex, her hair almost hitting Dane in the face. “What?”

“She’s the dead princess.” Harrison said under his breath.

“How do you know?” Dane looked at Harrison and before switching his gaze to Alex.

Harrison bluntly said, “I worked it out.”

But Alex hesitated before answering, “I was out last night for some fresh air. The queen ran into me and she explained who her daughter was. Then, she asked me not to kill her, but to take her away from the kingdom.”

Titania nodded but there was hurt in her eyes, I had observed them long enough to know that she and Alex trusted each other with – almost – everything. It would have been like Melanie keeping a secret from me, no matter how small it is, I would still feel betrayed.

I turned to Harrison, “And you? Why didn’t you tell us?”

Harrison rubbed his temples with his fingertips, “I wasn’t sure. I just had a gut feeling there was more to the story. And when you started asking about his daughter last night, he got defensive – like he had something to hide. Also, like you pointed out earlier, the math didn’t add up.”

I understood this kid now. He wasn’t athletic, he wasn’t trained in combat. But he had one strength that was far more powerful than any sword: he was smart, like, really smart.

Titania stared at the high walls of the kingdom thoughtfully, “So, how will we get her out?”

We all thought for a moment. It would be hard, she was wanted and known across the entire kingdom for it. Plus, we would be working against her since the king said she wouldn’t leave. Then we would have to convince the king she was dead.

Alex

The plan was in motion. I stood in full view at midnight – once again – and waited. Two, purple eyes appeared in the darkness. Camelia. And she too walked into full view. She was almost the same as last night.

“I’m glad you came.” I said, clearing my throat.

“I had the feeling you wanted to discuss something of importance.”

“I do. I want you to come with us.”

“No.” she said in a steady voice.

“Please Camelia. We can help you. It’s what your family wants.”

“My family wants me dead.” She snapped, “Don’t you dare say they care about me. If they cared they wouldn’t have replaced me with a stupid clone. They wouldn’t have kicked me out.”

“It was your mother who came last night.”

She flinched, but didn’t say anything.

“She asked me to save you. She cares about you Camelia. She wants me to take you to a safe place where you can be free to do what you want.”

She looked as if I had just slapped her. Anger, confusion and hurt raged in her eyes, creating tears that pooled down her cheeks. “You’re lying! My other did nothing as my father tried to kill me! He sends guards after me each day, forcing me to hide in the sewers. You have no idea what they did! What they are still doing!” her voice was shaking as she sobbed.

I shook my head sadly, “No Camelia. I don’t. But this can be a new start for you. One where you don’t have to live in the sewers and feel hurt about your family. You can be free.”

She wiped her tears away, straightened her back and went back to her usual hollow self, “I gave you my answer. It has not changed.”

“That’s a shame. Really.” I said with a nod.

Camelia choked, she gasped for air but it didn’t come. Her face went bright red and I knew the plan had been set in motion. Aria was clearing all the air away from Melanie. Melanie turned from red to blue as her eyes were full of panic. I had to stop myself from telling Aria to stop before the young girl went silent and collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Then she started breathing and Aria, Bridgette and the others floated down from one of the rooftops on something that seemed like an invisible elevator – but it was actually Aria guiding them through the air. Bridgette nodded to Aria before Aria walked away. A gust of wind came out of nowhere and when I looked back at Aria, she was gone.

Bridgette held a blanket in her hands as she gently scooped Camelia up and wrapped her in the blanket. “She won’t be asleep for long. I can get her out of here and meet you there tomorrow. I gave you the map?” she looked at Titania.

Titania nodded quickly.

“Then I should get going. Melanie and Jake are going to come with me. I hope you’re ok to convince the king she’s dead?”

“We will be.” Dane said.

Then Melanie Jake came around the corner with three horses and they each hopped on one and rode out of the walls and to freedom.

Titania

The next day, we were on our horses and leaving the high walls behind us after delivering the news that Camelia Rose was dead. The king had believed us without hesitation and the queen sat in her high throne without any emotion. We had done our job – sort of – and I was glad to be gone.

I gave the map to Dane. We were headed to a small area on the outskirts of the kingdom. There wasn’t a town there but Bridgette obviously knew that.

I was relieved to be away from the kingdom. It’s huge, prison-like walls were suffocating and the armed guards set my nerves on edge even though I had never done anything to displease them.

I closed my eyes. I felt Apollo’s fur underneath my fingertips and took a deep breath of fresh air.

We arrived at a small arrangement of timber houses – around ten at most. In the middle of the houses was an old, stone structure with no walls or door, but four columns holding up a heavy roof. In the middle of the structure was a pedestal with six little statues that had one thing in common, they were all in the shape of a human and had no face or clothes or any indication to whether it was male or female. The first one was standing in the centre, it was holding a sword but. The second figure had two animal ears and a tail – a Beasta. The third was a woman, she was holding four things in her hands: a flame, a flower, a water droplet and a cloud. She was an elemental.

The fourth was a figure – like the first and third, it was plain – was holding its hand out and was holding a ball of blue in its hand – magic. Wizard.

The final figure was a cloaked figure that looked to be bowing. It was far away from the other figures and was a dark shade of black. Black Magi.

There was a tree behind them. Near that tree lay smaller figures. Wolves, tiny people – fairies – and figures with giant red vines on their skin, they were the Sirebeasts.

Humans, Beastas, Elementals, Wizards, Sirebeasts and Black Magi.

There was something engraved on the pedestal but I was too far away to see.

Dane led us to a large building at the end of the ‘street.’ It was worn down and timber like the other houses but it was significantly bigger and had a small sign above the door with a word painted on it:

L I B R A R Y

I walked into the building and almost immediately felt calmer as the smell of books filled my nose. There were rows upon rows of shelves with leather-bound books jammed into every corner. In the middle of the chaos of shelves and high stacks of books was a clearing with a few tables and chairs. In the middle of that, was a desk with a few candles and – once again – lots of books. A girl popped out of one of the shelves cheerfully. She had large glasses that made her hazel eyes look ten times bigger than they actually were. Her caramel hair was pulled loosely into a ponytail that rested on her shoulder. She was pale and scrawny but despite her appearance, was holding two giant stacks of books that seemed higher than the building itself.

She looked at us for a moment before walking casually over to one of the tables and setting down the books and mumbling something about ‘reading later’, then she looked up at us, as if suddenly remembering we were there.

“Hi!” she said in a bubbly voice, “My names Katy. You must be here to borrow a book. You’re the first clients I’ve had in three years.” She skipped over to the desk and sat down in a worn stool, “So, what kind of books are you into?” she asked, searching the papers on her desk.

Dane stepped up to the desk, “We’re not here for books. Did two girls come here earlier yesterday?”

Katy looked up from her papers and pushed her huge glasses up her nose with a serious look on her face. “Come with me.” She said, her voice was no longer bubbly as she walked through the maze of shelves and came to a door. She opened the door to reveal a dimly lit room with a bed in each corner – four beds all together – and a desk, a small bookshelf. To one side of the room was a tiny kitchen with a small table. Bridgette sat on the table eating a piece of bread, she smile when she saw us.

An elderly man was sitting at the desk with a pen and paper, he was carefully writing something I couldn’t see.

“Grandad, these people are here to see Bridgette and Camelia.” Katy said to the old man. He turned, he was tall but frail and squinted through his rectangular glasses. He nodded and went back to his writing.

Bridgette put down her bread and jumped off the table, “Melanie and Jake are showing Camelia around, making her feel comfortable in her new home.”

Alex looked at her doubtfully, “This is her new home? What about school?”

“Relax. This place may not have many people in it but it’s all she can get at her level of control. Edward here,” she gestured to the elderly man at the desk, “teaches the local classes here. She’ll probably know more than you do in a few years, Alex. She can experiment with her powers here all she wants.”

“No she can’t. What about the people here? They’ll hand her in.” Alex said. I agreed but didn’t say anything, it was best for me to keep quiet here, I wasn’t exactly great when it came to controlling your power.

“Alex, not to make you think you’re in the ‘lion’s den’ here but, the only people who live here are Magical beings.”

Alex face dropped, “What?”

“There are only a few people here, but they are all magical so,” she pondered for a moment, “”Don’t piss anyone off.” She said quaintly.

Jake

I sat on a boulder in the woods, watching Melanie and Camelia talk about whatever it was they were talking about. I began thinking of my younger sister. She would be learning to hunt now, no more nibbling at mother’s food like she did when we were little.

“Jake?”

I pushed my thoughts aside, “What?”

Melanie looked at me with a look that meant, ‘are you dim or something?’ “Camelia was wondering about you. She asked about your family.”

“Should I tell the whole story?” I asked, looking at Camelia.

Camelia nodded hesitantly.

So I told her the story of my upbringing…