Forgotten Elements

We ended up back in the mountainous village, visiting the cramped house of the woman who’d been taken while the harpies attacked. Sure enough, her front door had been ripped from the hinges, and blood was splattered across a wall—not enough for me to worry she’d been killed here—and traces of recent magic use from a powerful elemental.

When we went to the southern village where the man lived, we found the same results and magical signature.

“Are you sure you saw Neven take him?” Magnus asked, his forehead creased as he mashed his lips together in a firm line.

“Positive.” Koa didn’t seem the least bit offended at Magnus questioning his instincts. He casually leaned against a wall in the front room, out of the way of Magnus, Reed, Parker, and Wyatt as they wandered around the room. “I met the fucker a few years back. He made a lasting impression.”

“It’s been over a hundred years since I’ve last seen him, but his energy signature seems to have changed over the years—which I’ve never seen before,” Magnus murmured as he trailed his fingers over a burnt spot on the ground, the air stirring with a slight breeze, and I could feel his grounded magic.

“There’s a lot of energy signature changes going around,” Wyatt said as he stood and wiped his hands clean.

Before any of us could say another word, the ground shook as threads of frigid magic ran through the ground, air, and water. Magnus, Reed, and I nearly collapsed from the sudden icy invasion inside the elements.

“What the hell was that?” Jade asked, clutching at Koa’s arms once the ground stopped rumbling.

Even though the earth was no longer shaking, the equilibrium of the realm was now off. He was attempting to drain the realm, but this was vastly different from what the others had been doing to the other realms. The drain on the magic wasn’t slow and steady but a sudden pulsing tug that would lead to the realm’s destruction in days rather than weeks.

“He’s putting his plan in motion.” I shook out my arms, trying to shake off the numbing sensation the magic had brought over my body. “Wyatt was right: the kills he performed around the realm were sacrifices.”

“He would’ve needed to complete a final sacrifice to put the spell into motion,” Wyatt added, his eyes closed as he pressed his hand to the ground, and his magic filled the air.

Magnus swore under his breath. “He’s back on the island.” He didn’t need to say which island: we all knew.

Without needing any prompting, Wyatt made a portal, taking as much care as he had earlier. This time, when we arrived on the island, things were different. The barrier surrounding the island had fallen, and the weather was going crazy. Thrashing waves crashed onto the grass and splashed over our feet. Wind whipped at our hair and clothes, making it hard to communicate. The ground rumbled as a chasm formed in the grass nearly fifty feet to our left. On our right, a fire burned in the dead grass, moving like a coiling snake and like it had a life of its own.

We took off toward the former lake and the source of the chaos. The weather grew worse and more intense the closer we came to the lake. I didn’t bother connecting to the elements as they came alive, even though everything here was almost dead an hour ago.

As we ran, I silently cursed the flat landscape. While it allowed us to see anyone approaching us, it also meant we couldn’t sneak up on him, even though that was probably a moot point. With how he was tapped into the realm, there was no way he didn’t know we were nearing him.

The distance between the ocean and the former lake seemed longer this time around, which was weird since we were sprinting. I was at the back of the group, and Parker slowed his pace so he could remain by me.

As we neared the source, the sky abruptly got darker. A black cyclone surrounded the lake, the force of the winds almost twice as strong as the winds out here, looking like a solid wall of air. Magnus was the first to approach, and he appeared to struggle to make a gap big enough for him to fit through. Reed waved his hand at the winds that had resealed themselves and managed to make another gap that was a little more narrow than the one Magnus had formed. Reed waited beside the cyclone, allowing Jade and Koa to squeeze through.

Parker placed his hand on Wyatt’s shoulder, and they shared a silent conversation before Wyatt ducked through, and Reed followed. I raised my hand to make a new gap when Parker grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stop several feet away from the wall of wind.

He shook his head, not saying a word since I wouldn’t be able to hear him anyway. With the wave of his hand, he created a portal and yanked me through. We landed at the beginning of a forest with towering trees that I had yet to see.

“What the hell?” I demanded, whirling around to face him.

His focus wasn’t on me but up at the tops of the trees. “I sensed two trails of energy connecting to him: one from the web of magic connecting the bodies. I might be wrong but I think the other is from Neven. The man’s energy feels unstable, and I believe that’s why he’s been draining magic. I also think Neven was the one to summon him from the empty space and therefore, his tether to this realm.”

I followed his gaze and pulled up my magic until I saw the trail of energy he was referencing. The trail was a blue so light it was almost white. There was no doubt it was the same signature as what we found at both abduction sites. “What the hell is he up to? Why isn’t he on the island helping with the spell?”

Parker shook his head as he created another portal. “I don’t know, but it can’t be good.”

There were still several pieces that didn’t fit, some loose threads. Knowing the thing we were facing was once a Mythic didn’t explain why Neven would summon him or why he’d taken Ari. It was safe to assume he was one of the traitors helping the necromancers since he was working with the creatures, but besides that, I was at a loss.

I went through the portal first, landing on a beach that I was pretty sure was on the southern part of the mainland. Looking around, I was able to find the thread again, leading out over the ocean toward an island a couple of miles away. I didn’t sense any obvious spells from the island, but then again, it was hard to sense anything with the spell currently in effect.

“If we kill Neven, will that send the other guy back to the empty?” I wasn’t in love with the idea. While it would get him out of our hair, it was a bit like kicking the can down the road. Sooner or later, he’d come back. I didn’t want his possible return to be a sword hanging over mine and the younger elemental’s heads. We already had too many future problems waiting in the wings with that damn rift and those equally annoying keys that only seemed to bring pain.

Parker had been typing something on his glowing wristband and paused, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked over at me. “Is there another natural source of elemental fire in this realm?”

“Yes,” I said slowly, confused as to why he was changing the subject, all the while wondering who he was messaging.

He powered off his wristband, and his gaze met mine. “Where?”

I took the offered crystal and pulled up the map, pointing to the tiny island on the top left. “In a cave at the base of the tallest mountain.” I’d yet to make it to that island or the one beside it. If the shit hadn’t hit the fan, I would’ve ended up there in a week. Even though I hadn’t made it to the island, I still knew about the fire. Magnus had warned us about it and how we needed to be careful around it. Elemental fire, just like water, deserved our respect and wasn’t to be taken lightly or used if you weren’t prepared.

“Do you think you can control and contain the fire?” Parker asked, rubbing his jaw as he considered me.

I hesitated as I ran my hands over my messy hair and took a deep breath. The thought of not only controlling the dangerous element without supervision but also containing it was terrifying. But it seemed like the fire was a key part of Parker’s plan.

“Yes.” I didn’t sound the least bit confident, and Parker hesitated, giving me a lingering look before he made a portal that took us to the island, the dark gravel shifting under my feet. After looking around and getting his bearings, he made yet another portal that dropped us off at the base of the towering mountain.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to be wasting all this magic on portals?” I asked, worrying about his energy levels after forming several portals in a row, even though he wasn’t showing any signs of fatigue.

“This is the fastest way I can think of to end this with what we have on hand.” Parker took my hand and led me around the mountain, searching for the entrance to the cave. “The fire will destroy the bodies and sever their connection to him, and once he’s cut off from them, we’ll sever his ties to Neven.”

My eyebrows shot up as I looked up at him. “Wow.”

Parker chuckled at my shocked expression, but it lacked his usual humor. “I’m more than a handsome face.”

It took us a couple of minutes of jogging around the mountain until we came across the cave. A ball of golden light appeared over Parker’s palm, and he sent it into the cave several feet ahead of us, illuminating the narrow space. I widened my senses, using my connection to the elements to see if there were any threats in the cave, but I found nothing.

The tunnel wasn’t wide enough for us to walk next to each other, so Parker entered first—more like insisted—and I was right on his heels. Parker sent the ball of light deep into the cave to check if anyone else was in there, but it soon returned, and Parker confirmed he didn’t sense anyone else.

Our pace was as fast as we could manage in the cave, all the while still remaining cautious. We didn’t have time to waste with how the others were on the island with that thing, and we didn’t know what was going on. I couldn’t allow myself to think about them for too long, nor could I let myself consider that he might’ve already killed them.

Our friends were resourceful, and if anyone could survive until we evened the odds, it would be them.

We didn’t portal to the fire to save time since it was a dangerous move to portal blind near elemental fire.

After several minutes—although it felt much longer with how we were in a rush against time—the tunnel widened into a chamber with a jagged and somewhat domed ceiling over fifty feet above us. In the center of the dark floor was a stone basin where the bright blue flames of the elemental fire sat. The fire was several feet wide and nearly twenty feet tall, throwing off waves of heat and magic.

It wasn’t as hot in here as it had been standing over the lava chasm, but it was pretty damn close. There wasn’t any wood or kindling underneath it to keep it lit. The fire was self-sustaining and near impossible to put out. The easiest way to douse this fire was with elemental water. The fire also happened to be elemental water’s weakness if used correctly and could evaporate the water. The two balanced each other out, stopping them from being unstoppable.

I’d seen elemental fire before in class, but that had been a tiny flame that was smaller than my pinky nail, making it easier and safer for us to grow accustomed to it. If I had the time and wasn’t beginning to sweat, I would’ve stared at the wild flame in awe. I also would’ve taken my time to carefully and safely connect to the fire, but as it stood, we didn’t have the time to waste.

As I neared the flames, I told Parker I needed a thick steel bowl. It wasn’t the best thing for containing the fire long term, but Parker couldn’t summon a bowl that was enchanted to contain it, so this would have to do. We only needed the fire long enough to burn the bodies.

Connecting to the elemental fire took me far longer than I would’ve liked. A big part of it was because I couldn’t touch the fire without burning my hands because duh, it was fire. When I finally formed a tenuous connection, I tugged on the smallest of pieces, and a ball of fire, no bigger than my palm, broke away. While it may not seem like much, with elemental fire, a little went a long way. Taking any more would only make it that much more difficult for me to control, and making it more likely the bowl would melt.

Parker held out the bowl toward me, and I directed the fire into it before taking the bowl from him. He conjured a lid, and I carefully placed it over the top. The metal felt warm, but it wasn’t burning or melting, so I took that as a good sign.

At my request, Parker took us to the lake of elemental water and conjured a bottle to carry some of the water before portaling us to the field. In the place where the rift once stood was Ander and Starling waiting for us.

“Is it done?” Parker asked, skipping the pleasantries.

“They sealed off the realm as soon as we entered,” Ander confirmed, his multi-hued eyes flicking back and forth between us.

“They sealed off the realm?” I repeated, frowning as I rubbed my forehead.

“That way he’s trapped in this realm,” Parker explained as he created another portal. “If I’m right, he can’t last long in this realm—in any realm—without a tether, and with that gone, he’ll be easier to kill.”