Forgotten Elements

Before any of us could react, he slammed his hand to his bleeding forearm again. All of us were blasted backward, and my shoulder painfully slammed into the ground. Seth took advantage of the situation and drew sigils faster than I’d ever seen, each movement efficient and with a flourish. When he activated the sigils, a bolt of electricity surged through my body, knocking me back to the ground, my back arching as I locked my jaw against the agony. With my energy so low, I struggled to fight off the electricity by connecting to the earth—something that should’ve come naturally, but this time, I had to focus.

When I finally shook off the spell, I sat up and was horrified to find Ari on the ground, convulsing. A high pitched and pained shriek left her lips as her body locked up. She already had some blood speckling her clothes, but most of it was dried. Now, she had fresh blood staining her clothes from multiple cuts littering her body. I sent more roots at him in an attempt to pull his attention from Ari, but the attempt was weaker than before and he easily evaded it.

Another blast of electrified magic hit all of us again and knocked me back to the ground. My head slammed into a rock, and my vision went fuzzy for several moments as pain bloomed in the back of my skull. The effects of the spell were twice as hard to shake off this time.

My limbs shook as I struggled to stand. All the while, Ari’s blood-curdling screams filled the air as Seth stood over her and sent spell after spell her way. Blood trickled from her lips as she writhed in the grass, her eyes squeezed shut as if that would ward off the pain.

He drew another cut down his forearm, this one appearing deeper than the others. I was connecting to the ground below him—ready to create a chasm—when he began coughing up water. Metallic blurs flew through the air and impaled Seth, drawing blood. A gust of wind immediately followed, knocking him back until he slammed into an invisible barrier of compressed air. All the while, he was somehow still choking on water, but that all stopped when he dipped a finger into his blood and drew a hasty sigil.

My legs gave out, and my knees slammed into the soft grass. Fighting off those spells had sapped what little strength I had left in my body, same as the others. I was still in withdrawal from being away from the Land of plenty, not to mention everything else I’d been through lately.

A woman came from between the trees, her blonde hair whipping around her face as the wind picked up. I may not have recognized her face, but I’d recognize her magic anywhere with the hints of ancient energy.

This woman was Emmy: the elemental cursed sister.

I’d felt an ancient energy that was somewhat similar to hers coming from Seth the moment he attacked us. It was something I never noticed before. Either he hid it well, or I hadn’t been paying attention when it came to him.

Emmy’s gaze briefly landed on where Ari was lying broken on the ground before returning to Seth. He sent another wave of the same toxic electrified spell at her, only for it to crash against a wall of air she created with a flick of her hand. She followed the move up by turning her bracelet into another dagger, which she threw at him. As it embedded itself in his leg, it was accompanied by a familiar sizzling sound, letting us know the bronze-colored metal was indeed lead. He let out a pained grunt as he yanked it out, but Emmy used the moment of distraction to her advantage, moving closer.

Her movements were quick and efficient, showing decades, if not centuries of experience. She dodged a punch thrown her way, using his momentum against him and flipping him to the ground. Her hand came down over his mouth as her magic rose, and more water poured from his mouth as he choked. This time was a little different, with steam coming off the water, and even at this distance, I could feel and sense the heat. Not only was she drowning him with no water around, but she was boiling the water—which wasn’t something a Mythic elemental was able to do.

Emmy didn’t waste time; she turned the metal twining her arm into a long dagger that she used to plunge into his heart. She didn’t stop with just a single stab: she stabbed him over and over, the aggressive movements showcasing her rage.

None of this shit made sense, not Seth attacking us and wanting Ari dead or Emmy showing up and her apparent hatred of Seth. Did they know each other or something like that?

The wind died down as she backed away from Seth’s body, breathing heavily.

Before any of us could get over the surprise that had settled over us, I heard approaching footsteps and felt a light buzzing in my chest. “Your friends will be joining us shortly. You better explain this mess to them before they get the wrong impression. When someone attacks me, I defend myself.” Emmy’s warning couldn’t be more clear as she casually leaned back against a tree that now had a large crack down the middle of it. Despite the prospect of fighting multiple men at once, she appeared unconcerned and at ease.

My legs shook as I finally climbed to my feet, feeling like they didn’t belong to me as I made my way toward the sound of heavy footsteps. Warmth filled my chest as relief came down the bond when Parker came into view. His face was wreathed in worry and panic as his eyes scanned over me. Once he spotted me, his pace increased, quickly eating up the distance between us. He swept me up into his arms, burying his face in the crook of my neck.

“I was so worried; I felt your fear and pain,” he murmured in my hair as he continued holding me.

I wanted to get lost in this moment with him, but with Seth’s dead body and Emmy here, I knew that wasn’t possible. After watching her fight, I’d rather not risk Koa attacking Emmy and pissing her off. With the brutality she killed Seth, I wasn’t too keen on ending up on her bad side at the moment.

“Seth attacked us.”

Parker jerked back, surprise splashed across his face as he stared at me. He opened his mouth, but he didn’t get a chance to speak. “What the fuck is she doing here?” Koa asked, pulling Jade behind him as his gaze bounced between Emmy and Seth.

“If you’re wondering whether or not I killed the bastard, the answer is yes,” Emmy said as Koa’s eyebrows pulled together. Other than some confusion, his expression wasn’t giving away too much. Emmy pulled her gaze away from Koa down to the dagger and began cleaning off Seth’s blood. Her lack of concern at killing Koa’s ally was still astounding. “My only regret is that I didn’t kill him slower. Next time.”

Koa had yet to say anything, but at least he wasn’t trying to kill Emmy yet. Jade stepped around him and pulled his attention down to her as she placed her hands on his chest. “I know how weird this will sound, but she saved Ari.”

“It’s true, Koa,” Starling added, turning to face her brother while remaining in Ander’s arms. “He was willing to kill all of us for a shot at Ari.”

Koa let out a low sigh as he wiped his hands down his face. “I knew there was something up with him,” Koa finally said, surprising nearly all of us—except Emmy, who was still focused on her dagger.

“What?” Starling blurted out, looking as stunned as I felt.

Jade hadn’t looked surprised by his comment, which wasn’t a surprise since before they had their mating ceremony, she made Koa promise to never keep shit from her again—her words.

“It was a comment Matilda made in the library,” Koa said, glancing over at Parker and me. At his words, a memory popped into my head of Koa’s weird reaction to something Matilda said—although I couldn’t remember it. “I’ve only heard one other use that phrase: Seth.”

“The Mythic named ‘Seth’ is dead and has been that way for quite some time by the sound of it,” Emmy said before we could ask any more questions. The dagger she’d been cleaning turned liquid and began trailing up her arm, reforming into the metal band. Even though she used this power earlier, it was still mind-blowing to witness.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Reed said from where he and Alora knelt beside Ari, who was unconscious.

Emmy pushed off the tree, heading for Seth’s body. “What was your friend’s eye color?”

Her question was so out of the blue that none of us answered right away, still baffled by her previous statement.

“Green,” Starling finally said, rubbing her temples.

Emmy squatted next to the body, gesturing for us to come closer. She angled his head for us to be able to see and pried one of his eyelids up. Gasps came from several of us when she didn’t reveal a familiar green but a deep brown, so dark it was nearly black.

“That’s not right,” Koa muttered, staring down at the body in confusion.

“I told you,” Emmy said as she let go of Seth’s head, letting it flop on the grass with a thump. “Whenever someone possesses a body, it’s hard for them to completely hide their true nature. Some parts will always slip through the cracks.”

“You’re saying the man we’ve been working with—who’s helped us on multiple occasions—has been possessing Seth’s body? Why would he do that?” Wyatt asked, letting loose a sigh as he scrubbed his hands down his face.

“Unlike with the other possessions, the moment he took control of Seth’s body, the real Seth’s soul was ejected from his body and sent into the afterlife. Unlike with the”—she said a word in the same lyrical language Thea had used—“these fuckers are way more powerful and for them and the previous soul to remain in the same body.”

A choked gasp came from Jade as she spun around and looked up at Koa in horror. “That’s what happened to you. Something was trying to take over your body and eject your soul. That’s why it was so different.” She clutched his shirt as the thought of that happening had her close to spiraling. Koa wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her in a tight hug, whispering soothing words to her about how he was fine.

“It would make sense that Seth wanted more of his friends on the inside,” Emmy confirmed.

“I remember wanting to talk with you that night, but Seth insisted we needed to go talk to someone and that we’d catch up with you later,” Starling said slowly, looking at her brother in horror. Finding out their ally was a liar had to be so hard on them. They’d known and trusted him for years.

“You still haven’t explained why. Why would he do all of this? Why did he possess a Mythic? What is he?” Wyatt asked, running a hand through his hair and leaving it in disarray. The frustration in his voice mirrored my own. We just went through hell; the last thing we needed was this bullshit.

“He wants the rift open.” Emmy shrugged and gave us a look that said it should’ve been obvious.

“This is why I hate dealing with this bitch,” Jade grumbled against Koa’s chest, her voice muffled. “Why?”

“Because he and his friends are trapped in the prison realm. They’re the reason the cracks formed in the first place.”

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. This fucking prison realm was the gift that just kept on giving. First, we found out the keys opening it were created by the cursed sisters, and now we find out someone we trusted was a prisoner there.

“That’s why he had to possess Seth,” Gemini murmured as she mended Ari’s cuts with Reed and Alora’s help.

“Wait a second,” I said before anyone else could speak, holding up a hand when I realized Emmy’s word choice only moments ago. “You said are and not were. Seth—fake Seth—is dead, you killed him.”

Emmy shook her head, pressing her lips together. “I wish. All I did was sever his connection to this realm and send him back to his body in the prison realm. The only way to kill him is to do so when he’s in his physical body. And unfortunately, the only way that’ll happen is for the rift to open.”

“Once the patch on the rift vanishes, will he be able to come back and possess someone else?” Ander asked, trailing his fingers over Starling’s back. The thought of him returning had my body going cold.

“It’ll take him a little while to regain his strength, but yes.”

“I still don’t understand why he attacked Ari in the first place,” Reed muttered as he used a wet rag to clean the blood from her face. Ari was still out cold from who knew what combination of spells he used on her.

“He said something about how we shouldn’t let her turn twenty-eight,” Alora said, taking the blood-soaked rag from Reed and handing him a clean one. “He also called her a threat.”

“Ah, her twenty-eighth birthday—the most important one in the early years. My first twenty-eighth birthday was quite special. But it was my second one that was one to remember,” Emmy said with a secretive smile that confused the hell out of me.

“Inside joke. You’ll understand it soon enough.” Emmy shrugged at our bewildered expressions as we glanced at each other, hoping someone would understand her cryptic remarks. “Was she there the first time we met? I don’t remember seeing her. She wasn’t at the beach either.”

“We were trapped in the bathroom.” To this day, I still had no clue as to why the door wouldn’t budge.

Emmy nodded as she pursed her lips and stared off into space for several long moments. “You called her Ari earlier, but I doubt that’s her full name. Just out of curiosity, what is Ari short for?”

“Artemis,” Jade finally said after sharing a long look with Koa.

Emmy made a noncommittal sound as she rubbed her chin and looked at Jade. “Interesting choice of a nickname. That wouldn’t have been my first choice.” Emmy shrugged as if she didn’t care either way. I almost wanted to ask what nickname she would’ve chosen, but I figured she probably wouldn’t answer.

Without saying another word, she turned and began walking down the path toward the end of the forest, only to pause and glance back at Starling. “Gabsrielle told me to tell you not to worry. ‘Seth’s’ attack didn’t hurt the baby.”

“Baby?” Jade’s voice rose in pitch, her eyes wide as she shifted her focus to Starling.

“No way,” I whispered, realizing this was why Ander was suddenly so overprotective.

Emmy chuckled, stopping us from saying more as she began walking away from us. “I’ll be seeing you all again.”