Bound by Earth: The Nature Hunters Academy Series, Book 1

by Quinn Loftis

  “It’s going to be okay,” he told her.

  She nodded but knew she wouldn’t feel better until Shelly was no longer in Tucker’s clutches.

  They jogged to the foyer where she’d entered with Zuri. Zuri came over and motioned for Tara to follow her. Elias kept holding her hand, and the pair ran to the front doors. The gnome was still there. One of the double doors was open. The gnome wore a look of hatred on his face as he crouched just inside the door, staring out at something. Tara, Zuri, and Elias joined him.

  “Send Tara out.” Tucker’s voice came through the opened door loud and clear. Though Tara recognized it, he didn’t sound the same as before. His voice was sharper, harder.

  “You won’t leave this land alive. But how you die, quickly or slowly, is what I’m deciding right now,” Jax said. “Don’t hurt an innocent human and sentence yourself to a long, painful death.”

  “You’re a fool if you honestly think I would let you capture me,” Tucker said.

  “And you’re an even bigger fool if you don’t realize that you have already been captured,” Jax returned.

  “I WANT TARA!”

  Tara jumped at the sound of Tucker’s sudden roar. Next to her, Elias’s body tensed.

  “I won’t let him have you,” he said in a voice that promised violence and death.

  “And I won’t let Shelly be hurt because of me,” she countered.

  “Is she even here?” Tucker asked. “If I’ve wasted my time coming here, I will be very put out. And I might be tempted to do something rash, like break this little girl’s neck.”

  Tara heard Shelly emit a squeal of pain, and she couldn’t take it anymore. She jerked her hand out of Elias’s and ran for the open door. She made it just a few steps outside when a strong arm closed around her waist and pulled her back.

  “Stop,” she yelled, her voice sounding hysterical even to her own ears. The person holding her didn’t pull her any further.

  “Tara, don’t you dare give yourself to this traitorous vermin,” Shelly yelled. “I will kill you if you do.”

  “Shut up, Shell,” Tara growled.

  “I will not,” Shelly snapped. “You don’t get to decide to rescue me. If I want to remain captured, then that is my choice. I can be a hostage if I want to.”

  “Do you realize how dumb that sounds?”

  “Or it’s a genius way to make him think I will be compliant.”

  “And now you just gave your plan away,” Tara pointed out.

  “Or so you think,” Shelly said. “I don’t need you to rescue me, Tara. I’m tough. If you put yourself in danger, I will annoy you for the rest of your life.”

  “You already do that.”

  “But I had plans to give you a break when we graduated.” Shelly let out a yelp when Tucker turned her and slapped her hard across the face.

  “Shut the hell up,” he barked at her. Then he turned back to Tara and his face softened. His demeanor changed so fast it gave Tara the creeps. “Have they hurt you, babe?” Tucker asked, his voice full of concern.

  Tara’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’m going to cut your balls off for touching my best friend because you are a spineless, gutless, ridiculous excuse of a man. Don’t pretend like you give a damn about me. If you did, you wouldn’t be hurting one of the very few people in this world that I care about.”

  “I’ll let her go if you come with me. It’s up to you what happens to her,” he said. “I just needed your attention. Tara, these aren’t good elementalists. You need to come with me where you will be safe.”

  She tried to take a step forward, but the arm around her held her fast. “Let me go.”

  “Can’t do that, luv,” Elias’s voice said near her ear. “I can’t lose you, but I can promise you we will get Shelly. I give you my word.”

  “You’re not going to get her,” Shelly said as she tried to slap Tucker but missed when he shoved her away from his body. Then he spun her, yanked her back against him, and wrapped an arm around her, locking her arms to her sides to prevent any further strike attempts.

  “This looks bad,” Shelly said as she stared up at Tara. “But I’m just pretending to be subdued.”

  “Sure you are. You’re a badass,” Tara said.

  “Damn straight.”

  Tara saw people step up on either side of her. She turned her head slightly and saw that Ra was now standing on their right, and Liam and Aston were on their left.

  “You have sentenced yourself to death simply for touching the human,” Ra said. His deep voice was so menacing that Tara shivered. “Give her to us and I will allow you to get a head start when you run,” he continued.

  Tara shifted her eyes back to Shelly and noticed her friend’s eyes land on Ra. They grew wide and her mouth dropped open. If her best friend’s life hadn’t been in danger, Tara would have laughed at the lust in Shelly’s eyes. She was definitely smitten by the muscular, stoic guy.

  Tucker ignored Ra and looked back at Tara. “Are you going to come with me?” he asked her.

  “Let me go you damn, impotent, son of a monkey’s ass.” Shelly growled as she tried to kick Tucker, but he held her fast. Apparently she’d finally been able to tear her gaze from Ra. Or maybe seeing him had made her want to try and get away instead of sacrificing herself.

  “She is not coming with you.” Elias answered Tucker’s question before Tara could. She made a note to kick him later for that.

  “Very well,” Tucker said and then literally tossed Shelly to another man who suddenly stepped from the shadows.

  His hands were covered in flames, and Tara was sure her best friend would burn the minute he touched her. Tara screamed and lunged forward, but Elias wouldn’t release her.

  “Shelly,” she bellowed, and her heart felt as if it were going to beat up out of her throat.

  When the burning hands grabbed Shelly, she didn’t scream. She tried to fight, but the man was too strong. He held her effortlessly. Instead of hurting her, he simply held her and then began to chant.

  “What is he doing?” Tara asked as she panted from trying to get away from the Neanderthal holding her. “Is he opening a portal?” The chanting reminded her of what Zuri had done when she’d brought Tara through the portal to the academy. There was a flash of light, and Shelly’s body went limp.

  Tara felt her legs go weak. Had Elias not been holding her, she would have collapsed. Her friend looked dead. There was absolutely no movement. “No,” she breathed out as tears fell from her eyes. “No! Shelly! Dammit, do something!”

  A portal did indeed appear. To Tara’s horror, all she could see were flames through the shimmering opening.

  “I’m sorry you’re making me do this,” Tucker said, but Tara didn’t take her eyes off the man holding her best friend. He turned to the portal and tossed Shelly’s limp body through it like a ragdoll. Ra roared an inhuman sound and flew through the air. A rush of heat hit her face, and Tara saw he was being trailed by a line of flames. At the same time, a huge sword bathed in fire appeared in his hand.

  Ra brought his sword down with such speed that the other man had no time to defend himself. One second, he was standing there, and the next he was headless, and his body crumpled to the ground.

  Ra turned to the portal and jumped toward it. Before he could pass through, it disappeared.

  “Shelly,” Tara screamed, and it seemed to be the herald of a battle because people suddenly erupted from the forest and from the door behind her. Bodies clashed in a torrent of swords, light, fire, and wind. The earth shook beneath their feet, and the sky opened up as sheets of rain fell, reducing visibility to almost nothing.

  “You have to go inside,” Elias said as he picked her up effortlessly. That was when she realized her fighting his hold had been a joke. He’d let her stay outside because he wanted to. Maybe he wanted her to comfort Shelly. Maybe he'd wanted her to see Tucker for what he was. But it was clear by his strength he could have taken her back inside without any trouble.

>   “We will get Shelly back, but I can’t lose you, Tara. You’re too vulnerable out here.”

  He carried her back into the mountain as the battle sounds went on behind her.

  Once inside, he put her down and an arm was suddenly around her. She looked up and saw it was Ittera, the headmistress.

  “I will keep her safe. You are needed out there.”

  “Elias.” Tara reached for him. Despite her anger at him, right or wrong, for Shelly, she didn’t want anything to happen to him.

  “I will make this right,” he said as he cradled her face in his hands. “I’m sorry, luv. I couldn’t let you go. I couldn’t.”

  “She’s dead.” Tara wept.

  “No, she isn’t,” he said, shaking his head. “He wouldn’t have put her in the underworld if she’d been dead. I can’t explain now, but I will. Just take comfort in this, she isn’t dead.”

  He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Tara could feel his pain and remorse. He hated that he’d allowed her friend to be hurt, but she could also feel his desperation and absolute need to keep Tara safe.

  Tara pressed a hand to his face. “I’m pissed at you, but I can’t yell at you if you’re dead. Do not die.” She ducked her head as she said, “I wouldn’t be able to recover if you did.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, princess. I’ve got too much to live for. Besides, the best part about fighting, so I’ve heard, is the making up.”

  She lifted her eyes to his. His words were playful, but the look on his face was serious. “I love you,” he said. “And I will be back as soon as I kill Tucker. Then we will get Shelly.”

  He released her and bolted for the open door. Tara’s arms reached out for him of their own accord. Her stomach twisted in fear as he ran out of sight.

  “He will be fine,” Itterra said. “He is a very good warrior.”

  “Is Shelly really alive?” Tara asked.

  “She must be for the very reason Elias gave,” the headmistress answered. “Tucker is hoping to use her as a bargaining chip to get you.”

  “What if he dies? What then?”

  “Then the elemental who Tucker served will continue with Tucker’s plan and attempt to get you using Shelly.”

  “Why do they want me?”

  “Because you are a soul bonded. If you do not complete the bond and do not join your soul with Elias, the darkness will consume you, and you will be a very powerful acolyte for the dark elementals.”

  Tara closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. I would never do that.”

  “You wouldn’t have a choice,” Itterra said. “It would happen whether you wanted it to or not.”

  Tara couldn’t imagine allowing herself to be motivated by evil. But then she thought back to her parents’ deaths and remembered the bitterness and anger that had completely consumed her. If not for Carol and Shelly, she would have allowed those feelings to eat her alive.

  “The battle won’t last long,” Itterra said. “We have the advantage. They are on our territory. The trees will help, as will the supernaturals that inhabit the surrounding forest.”

  Tara closed her eyes and pictured Shelly’s face. Her friend who was so full of fight and life. The image shifted to Shelly’s motionless form being thrown like garbage into the portal that apparently led to the underworld. Her best friend was in hell, and Tara felt completely unable to do anything to help her. What was she going to tell Shelly’s parents? What was she going to tell Carol?

  “It’s going to be all right,” Itterra said. “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but we will use every resource we have to rescue your friend.”

  “But you can’t promise me that she will be okay. Unless you can see the future, you can’t tell me with a hundred percent confidence that you will get her back safely,” Tara challenged. “I have no idea if she’s in pain right this very second. She may be alive, but she could also be suffering horrifically.”

  “She seemed like a fighter,” the headmistress said. “She will not give up.”

  “No, she won’t,” Tara agreed. But she also knew there were things worse than death. Shelly might live, but what would she have to endure? What kind of person would she be afterward? Tara didn’t know.

  Chapter 22

  Ra fought with a fury he’d never felt before. One foe after another fell at his feet from the wrath of his blade and the rage of his fire. He had no idea who the female was that the dark fire elemental had thrown into the underworld, but he knew that something about her called to him. The minute he’d heard her voice, he’d been trapped in a spell, unable to tear his eyes from hers. Now, she was gone, and all he could think about was destroying those who had hurt her and then going after her.

  He was dimly aware of the fighting going on all around him. He was surprised to see so many acolytes from the four disciplines working together. The earth elementalists from the academy were fighting hard, but they weren’t used to dealing with the other disciplines, and it showed. Neither was he, for that matter. An air acolyte zipped past him, caught up on the breeze. She threw out a fist as she passed, clubbing him on the side of the head. He snarled and hurled a fireball at her, but it was too late. She didn’t come back around to engage. Instead, she flew out of sight into the treetops. Another acolyte ran toward him, sword drawn. Ra put both hands on the pommel of his sword, uttered a spell, and thrust the sword outward. A huge column of fire shot out toward the oncoming man. The acolyte mimicked Ra’s gesture, and a fountain of water erupted from the man’s sword, meeting Ra’s column of fire halfway between them. There was a mighty hiss as an enormous plume of steam erupted from the two spells, blinding Ra, and most likely everyone around him.

  He blinked his eyes trying to clear his vision. When he did, he saw the cloud of steam still hanging in the air. He smelled something then … brimstone. A rending, snarling sound came from inside the cloud of steam. Then he realized the steam had turned into a thick cloud of choking smoke. He heard fighting and cursing all around him.

  When the smoke finally started to dissipate, Ra saw a large figure within it. He soon realized the figure was a fire element, its massive body writhing in flames. The thing’s eyes were as black as coal. It looked like a bonfire made into the crude form of a human man. The elemental's hand flew out and another portal opened. The acolytes who were still alive all turned and ran for the portal. Ra saw Tucker, the snake who started all this, jump through the portal and disappear. Elias ran up behind him but skidded to a stop when he saw the giant fire elemental.

  The elemental waved its hand, and a giant wall of fire sprang up around it. Ra knew he could pass through it to give chase, but the earth elementalist wouldn’t be able to without the proper protection spells. Even in his rage, he knew it would be foolish to attempt to take on the dark elemental or to go through the portal.

  “This is not over,” the fire elemental said, his voice so sinister that Ra felt it in his soul. It burned him from the inside out. And he imagined that what his friends felt was even worse.

  Just as quickly as he appeared, the fire elemental was gone. The portal closed, and nothing but a wisp of smoke remained. The woods went quiet. And Ra let out a scream of primal rage.

  The headmaster, headmistress, a handful of students, warriors, professors, Jax, Zuri, Liam, Aston, Elias, Tara, and Ra met in the great hall of the earth academy.

  “What can be done?” Tara asked. “How do we get her back?”

  Ra stepped forward. “Only a fire elemental or elementalist can enter the underworld. I will go after your friend.”

  “Why was she unconscious?” Tara asked him.

  “The fire acolyte put a spell on her. A form of protection for her physical form so she won’t die while in the underworld.”

  “Ra…” Elias started, but Ra held up a hand to stop his friend.

  “I will get her back, and if I cannot, then I will stay with her.” He looked at Tara and placed his hand over his heart. “I give my word as a warrior. I promise this t
o you, and if I fail, then may I forfeit the inheritance promised me in the afterlife by my Egyptian ancestors.”

  Elias, Aston, and Liam all spoke at the same time. “Ra,” “No,” “Don’t,” they said. He knew they understood what he was willing to give up.

  “Thank you, Ra,” Tara said as tears spilled from her eyes.

  Elias wrapped his female in his arms and bowed his head to Ra. “I owe you a life debt.”

  “Based on what I saw today, I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to pay up. The dark elementals are done working in secret. They are ready to go to war.”

  “I agree,” Terrick, the headmaster, said. “It is time we meet with the other academies and beseech the kings and queens as well. We need to work together if we are to stand against them.”

  Jax spoke next. He looked at Liam, Ra, and Aston. “Each of you is to go back to your respective academies and let your leaders know what has happened.” He then looked at the instructors who had come with them. “Can each of you begin to call your warriors from around the world?”

  They nodded in unison.

  Terrick looked at Ra and said, “Whatever assistance we can offer you and Crimson Academy will be yours.”

  Ra nodded and then looked at his three brothers. “I’m assuming you each will want to be there when I cross over?”

  The three males nodded.

  “Very well. I will contact you when it is time.” A second later, his instructor opened a fire portal, and they walked through it.

  Ra stepped onto the grounds of Crimson Academy and looked up. His headmaster and headmistress were waiting for them.

  His jaw clenched as he spoke. “War is coming. And I am going to the underworld after a female.”

  Tara was surprised to find out she’d already been assigned her own bedroom in anticipation of her recruitment as a student. Now, she lay on her bed, emotionally and physically exhausted. Her head hurt from all the crying, and her heart hurt even more.

  Elias hadn’t left her side. He didn’t stop touching her, holding her hand, stroking her hair, offering both of them comfort.