Elemental Faith

by L. M. Somerton

  Dominic nodded. He quickly found a spot behind some rocks to stuff their packs and coats. Then, following rough directions given by the two witnesses, they jogged toward the start of the trail.

  It took about half an hour to reach the point of the rock fall, which lay at the foot of a steep crag to one side of the path. It was obvious that the fall was fresh, with dust still hanging in the air. Evrain bent over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. The uphill run had been demanding. They had stayed together as a group, slowing when they needed to allow everyone to keep up.

  “Can you take a look?” Nate asked. “You’re more sensitive to the earth than I am.”

  “Sure.” Evrain sat on the damp ground, removing his gold bracelet. Dominic crouched next to him, his presence lending Evrain strength. He couldn’t know who might show up to witness what he was doing so he placed his hands on his knees to keep them still and projected his senses into the ground.

  He channeled, sending tendrils of power between the rocks, searching for pockets of air or flows of water. “Three people. Alive. I think they were beneath an overhang, which protected them to a certain extent. I can’t tell if they’re injured or not but there is a significant mass of rock around them. Getting them out isn’t going to be easy.” He looked to Nathaniel for direction.

  Nathaniel paced up and down, examining the rock fall. Damon, who had come to sit next to Dominic, jerked and moaned. Dominic put an arm around him, steadying him.

  “I think I can see a way,” Nathaniel said. “At the side of the fall, there’s a boulder big enough that if we move it, they’ll have a way out from the space they’re trapped in. I can probably nudge the boulder enough to give it some momentum, but I’ll need you to hold the rocks above where they are, until the people get out. You understand what I mean?”

  Evrain nodded. It was a good plan and he could see that it could work, but holding the weight of rock in place would take significant power. “I won’t be able to hold it for long,” he said, reaching for Dominic’s hand. “There’s a lot of unstable debris above them. I can create a layer of thick air to protect them, but wouldn’t it be better if you did that, Nathaniel? Air is your strength.”

  “You have a lot more power than I do, Evrain, and a lot more experience channeling through Dominic. I think it’s best you do it, if we don’t want those people squashed like bugs. I’ll deal with the earth.”

  “Okay. Give me a couple of minutes.” Evrain knew full well that Nate was more than capable but he trusted the older warlock to do what was best. He intertwined his fingers with Dominic’s, closed his eyes and focused on feeling his way through the rocks. He prayed that there wouldn’t be another tremor to shake things loose before he had time to manipulate the air. Muttering under his breath, he coaxed and cajoled the unwilling element to cooperate, building layer upon layer of air until a cushion of protection formed above the void where the three people were trapped. He squeezed Dominic’s hand.

  “Okay, Nathaniel, Evrain is ready,” Dominic said.

  Evrain was vaguely aware of Nate working through the earth, loosening the ground beneath the large boulder, encouraging it to shift in the tiniest of fractions. Evrain tensed as the pressure bearing down on his protective air shelf increased. He relaxed his shoulders and let his power flow through Dominic, focusing his will and binding the air in place.

  Nathaniel grunted and the boulder moved a few more inches, opening a gap big enough for a person to get through. He ran to the base of the rock fall to peer through the opening.

  “Come on, get out!” He pulled the first person from what could have been a tomb. “Quickly, if there’s another shock everything could come down on top of you.” The woman got clear, then an older child appeared, closely followed by a man with a blood-streaked face. All three staggered clear of the rock fall.

  “You can let go now, love,” Dominic whispered.

  Evrain withdrew his hold on the air as carefully as he could but the moment he relinquished control, an avalanche of rocks and small stones bounced and tumbled to the ground, bringing the overhang with them. The space the family had been huddled in was completely buried.

  “There are people coming up the path,” Dominic said. “Can you stand?”

  Evrain nodded, though his head was pounding. “How’s Damon? How are you?”

  “Damon is fine. A bit shaky, and I’m perfectly okay. You, however, are white as a ghost.”

  “You’ve never seen a ghost, so how do you know?”

  “I might have, but that’s beside the point. I’ve seen chalk with more color than you.”

  “The family, are they okay?”

  “Looks like the man has some cuts and bruises but the woman and the boy seem fine. It’s a miracle they weren’t killed. It would have taken an age to get them out by normal means and I can’t see how they could have stopped the rocks collapsing. You did good, love.”

  “I did, huh?” Evrain didn’t feel good, though a deep sense of satisfaction helped alleviate the nausea. “I did what Nate told me to. Where is he?”

  “Talking to some guys from the forest service.”

  “He was right to make me handle the air. His finesse with earth is better than mine, despite air being his strength.”

  “He knows what he’s doing. It might be a good idea for us to get out of here. I don’t think there were any witnesses to the miraculous rescue, but you don’t want to be answering awkward questions in your condition.” Dominic got to his feet.

  Evrain took the hand he offered and Dominic heaved him upright. Damon managed on his own though he had a green tinge to his face. “I wouldn’t have eaten so many turkey sandwiches if I’d known I’d be the power pipe for windy boy this afternoon.”

  Evrain snorted with laughter. “There you go, Dominic, apparently you’re my power pipe. Oh, and, Damon, I think Nate heard you call him windy boy.”

  “My ass is grass,” Damon moaned as Nate walked across to them.

  “It sure is. Later. There’s nothing more we can do here and we all need rest. We’ll take the easy path back to the lake, collect our stuff then head back to the car. Everyone okay to walk?”

  Evrain shivered. Now the adrenaline had left his system he was cold and shaky. Walking would at least warm him up again, even if his legs felt like jelly. “Sure, let’s go. I’m craving a fire and hot soup.”

  * * * *

  Two hours hiking followed by half an hour in the car and it was almost dark by the time they got back to Hornbeam Cottage. Evrain had never been so glad to see the old place. Dominic ran ahead to light the fire and put the coffee maker on. Shadow sat on the garden path yowling until they were all safely inside then she jumped onto Evrain’s lap the minute he sat down.

  “Someone was worried about you,” Dominic said. Shadow purred and nuzzled Evrain’s chest.

  “I’d say she was worried about all of us,” Evrain said. The cat gave a meow of agreement before flopping down onto his lap. A minute later, his phone rang in his jacket pocket. “Could you get that, Nate? Apparently it’s against the law to eject a cat from your lap.”

  “Sure.” Nate retrieved the phone then handed it over.

  Evrain thumbed the screen to connect the call. He held the phone to his ear, then immediately moved it farther away. “It’s Gregory… Nate, would you mind?” He handed the phone back with a pained sigh.

  Grinning, Nate took the phone. Evrain could hear Gregory’s ranting from across the room. When he eventually paused for breath, Nate attempted to get a word in.

  “Gregory, it’s Nathaniel. I’ll put you on speaker, so you’re not just giving me earache.” He took the chair opposite Evrain, leaving the phone on the table between them.

  “What in the hell is going on over there? You two have been slinging your power around left, right and center. Are you all okay? Coryn is unhappy and that makes me unhappy.”

  “We’re fine, Gregory,” Evrain said, more to prove he was alive than anything.

  �
�‘Fine.’ I hate that word. Someone better start with the explanations or I’m driving over there right now.”

  “There’s no need.” Nathaniel gave a concise but thorough account of their recent adventures. “Evrain is tired. Damon is now less green, in fact he has his face wrapped around a piece of leftover pie, Dominic has already recovered and I doubt you care much about how I’m doing.”

  “You’ve been around the block, Nate. You know better than to overextend yourself. Evrain does not.”

  “It was a tough ask, but nothing he wasn’t capable of. He needs to build up his warlock muscles is all. You have to stop playing around with his training and start taking some risks.”

  “Apparently. Evrain, I’ll text you some instructions…or Coryn will, I can’t work my damn phone. They make the keys way too small.”

  “Thanks for calling, Gregory. Now go back to doing whatever you and Coryn were doing and no, we don’t need details.” Nate disconnected the call. “That man worries more than my mother. He does know you’re all grown up now, right?”

  Laughing, Evrain leaned back in his chair. “He’s worse since my grandmother was taken from us. She kept me in line. He thinks, and I’m quoting here, that I’m ‘undisciplined, lazy and lacking in focus’ when it comes to being a warlock. He takes great pleasure in trying to correct my attitude.”

  “Which is an endless source of amusement for me,” Dominic said, bringing the coffee pot and some mugs over. Damon followed with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. “I thought a splash of something warming would do us all good as no one has to drive again tonight. I’ll think about feeding us all in a while.”

  “No, we’ll get takeout,” Nate said. “I’ll go myself. I didn’t expend nearly as much energy as Evrain did. I’ll take that drink when we get back.”

  “Yum!” Damon exclaimed. “Can I come with you?”

  “You just want to get in the food before anyone else. Don’t pretend to be helpful.” Nate pulled Damon into his lap. “But yes, you can come so I can keep an eye on you.”

  Once they’d settled on the easy choice of pizza, Nate and Damon headed out.

  “Come here, love. We have half an hour of alone time before they get back.” Evrain beckoned Dominic with a crooked finger. After ejecting an indignant Shadow, Dominic straddled his lap, leaning forward for a quick kiss. “You should be resting, not thinking kinky thoughts.”

  “How do you know what I’m thinking?” Evrain laid a hand over Dominic’s crotch.

  “I can see it in your eyes and besides, nine times out of ten that’s what you’re thinking about.”

  “What about the other time?”

  “I’d give that an even three-way split between food, work and warlockery.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you that. Can we get back to kink?” Evrain pictured Dominic naked and bound.

  “No. Tell me how you’re feeling.”

  “We’re men, we’re not supposed to talk about our feelings.”

  “Evrain…” There was enough warning in Dominic’s tone to make Evrain think twice about being flippant. He sighed.

  “The fatigue is fading, so is the nausea. I have a slight headache, but that’s probably more to do with Gregory yelling at me. Overall, I feel good. It’s really satisfying to think I’ve done something worthwhile—we saved three lives today.” He pulled Dominic against his chest. “How about you? I channeled pretty hard.”

  “You did. But you weren’t holding back and I think that helped. You’re usually so aware of not trying to hurt me but this time you had to give it everything you had and it was easier somehow. You didn’t put your bracelet back on yet.”

  “Don’t need to at the moment. Using that amount of power is draining so I’ll be good for a few days. I hate to admit it, but I think Gregory is right. I need to build my magical muscles or the next time something happens I might not have enough fuel in the tank.”

  “You think there’ll be a next time?”

  “I know there will. It’s a matter of when, not if.”

  “Yeah, I guess I knew that already.”

  “Stop thinking about it and kiss me instead.” Evrain cupped the nape of Dominic’s neck with one hand.

  “They’ll be back with pizza soon.”

  “And in the meantime, I have different appetites.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  A few weeks later, Evrain was leaning against the kitchen counter scooping cereal into his mouth. Dominic appeared at the bottom of the stairs wearing hole-free jeans and a moss-green shirt that made his pale blue eyes stand out even more than usual.

  “You look edible,” Evrain said around a mouthful of granola.

  “Thanks. I think. Are you still okay to drop me in the city? I haven’t done any shopping for Christmas and it’s only a few days away now.”

  “I’m done. Got my last gift yesterday,” Evrain said, feeling smug.

  “That’s because you’re in Portland most days with easy access to all the stores. I’m up to my knees in muck and unless you want your gift from the general store in town, I need a ride.”

  “You can buy me lunch. Pete wants to see you so I thought we could all grab a bite together.”

  “Sure. Then if I’m done shopping, I’ll go catch a movie. I can’t remember the last time we saw a film and there’s bound to be some kind of superhero flick on as the schools are out.”

  “You just want to ogle men in spandex. I’m jealous. I’d bunk off but I have a big project due in before the holidays and I don’t want to have to work during my vacation time.”

  “Listen to you, you’re starting to sound like an American.”

  Evrain grimaced. “Say it’s not so.”

  Dominic grinned, shrugging into his coat. He bent to lace his boots. “I hope the sidewalks are clear. I hate slithering around.”

  “The pavements have been pretty good. No fresh snowfall for a couple of days has helped and roads in the city are fine now. It’s a shame because I’d prefer to be snowed in with you. I can think of plenty of ways to keep warm.” On the rug. In front of the fire.

  “I’ll bet you can. Did Shadow have her breakfast?”

  “Yes. Spent about ten seconds outside doing her business then shot upstairs. She’s in our bed where no doubt her lazy behind will stay for the rest of the day.”

  “I’m coming back as a pampered cat,” Dominic said. “Right. I’m ready. Shall we go?”

  “Okay.” Evrain got into his outdoor gear. “Ready.” In the depths of winter the main disadvantage of living at Hornbeam Cottage was the quarter mile trek along the path to the closest spot they could park their cars. The frigid air prickled against Evrain’s skin, his breath clouding every time he exhaled. He didn’t mind the cold. The Scottish winters of his youth had been no picnic and he far preferred the process of warming up than attempting to cool down when it was hot. He dug his hands deep into his pockets, wishing he’d remembered his gloves. He warmed in an instant when Dominic linked their arms.

  “I love it when it’s crisp and cold. Everything’s so much sharper and it smells fresh.”

  Evrain looked anew at the trees, every twig and leaf edged with crystals. The entire world sparkled.

  “It’s beautiful.” He could visualize new artwork for the campaign he was working on. It would mean starting again but he knew it would be better than his current effort. “Damn it.”

  “Damn, it’s beautiful?” Dominic bumped hips with him.

  “No…well, yes. You’ve given me a new idea for something I’m working on and it’ll mean starting over. Pete’s gonna kill me.”

  “How, with a Sharpie to the eye?”

  “Probably with bad coffee.” They reached the car and Evrain got behind the wheel. “Where do you want me to drop you?”

  “Somewhere I can shop in the warm.” Dominic relaxed into his seat. “Though I don’t just want chain stores, so that might be impossible. How about you drop me in Sellwood so I can explore the antique shops then I’ll head for Washington Squ
are.”

  “Nothing will be open in Sellwood yet. It’s too early.”

  “I’ll find a coffee shop and hang out for a while.”

  “Okay. Come by the office when you’re done.”

  Traffic was mercifully light. Evrain dropped Dominic outside a coffee shop before heading into the city. Despite the detour he was in the office by eight and spent a happy hour sketching his new design ideas before Pete arrived around nine. The morning flew by with Pete feeding into the new design ideas with enthusiasm, despite Evrain’s misgivings about his reaction.

  At two they stood back from the board, hands on hips, mirroring each other’s stance.

  “It’s good.” Evrain tilted his head for a different angle. “Crystal dust will make it great.”

  “It’s brilliant. I fully intend to take fifty percent of the credit.” Pete gave Evrain a hefty pat on the back.

  “You bought decent coffee—you’re entitled.”

  “Cool.” Pete’s stomach rumbled. “Where’s that hotty of yours? I need sustenance.”

  “Don’t call him a hotty, Pete.”

  “But he is hot. I’m simply stating the truth. No fake news here.”

  “He is, but no one is allowed to think that but me.” Evrain pinned Pete with a stare promising physical damage if Pete didn’t retract his statement.

  “Everyone thinks he’s hot, Ev. Male, female, animal, mineral, vegetable…it’s unavoidable.”

  “Pete…” Evrain’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He answered the call with a smile. “Hi, love, you just saved a life.”

  “What did Pete do?”

  Evrain laughed at Dominic’s insight. “Failed to connect brain to mouth as usual.”

  “I’m in the lobby. Am I too late to entice you out for lunch?”

  “Not at all. Pete’s about to start eating the furniture so your timing is perfect. Give us five minutes and we’ll be with you.” He ended the call. “You say one word to offend him and I will end you.” Evrain gave Pete a smack to the back of the head.