by Anna Webb
Normally, Eva’s discomforted reaction would have been enough to make Jamie back off, but he’d had enough of her bad temper. He pressed his advantage. “Jason isn’t here. And beating me a hundred times over isn’t going to change the fact he beat you in the Elemental Trials.”
“He didn’t beat me,” Eva snapped furiously. “His team beat mine, but I could’ve killed him in that Arena. I would’ve killed him if Allyra hadn’t interfered.”
“Seriously, Eva?” Pete said incredulously. “Is that what all this is about? Jason?”
“You have to let it go,” Jamie said, more gently now. “That’s months ago now. No one even remembers it anymore.”
His words did nothing to calm Eva. Her fingers were clenched at her side, and an angry red flush had risen to her cheeks. Jamie steeled himself for a punch thrown at his face. While he’d suspected he was on the right track about Jason, Jamie was nonetheless surprised by the level of fury the subject had invoked in Eva. Through the overactive grapevine at the Elemental Trials, Jamie had learned that Jason and Eva were old enemies, both vying for Marcus’s attention—Jason as his protégé and Eva as his lover. But Jamie had honestly believed all that had been put to bed now that the Elemental Trials were over. Apparently, he was mistaken.
Eva stared him down, her breaths quick and sharp. Then the anger seemed to seep out of her. She narrowed her eyes at Jamie, but when she spoke, her words were calm and measured. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Jamie Thiessen.”
“Really? Is that why you’re almost shaking with rage.”
Eva shrugged carelessly. “I’m not angry. I’ve got nothing against Jason. In any case, he’s Allyra’s problem now.” She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Jamie. “And you’ll soon be wishing I had killed Jason. That is, if you want Allyra to live.”
“I don’t know, Eva, sounds like you’re still harboring some rage there.”
“We’re a team,” Gemma said quietly. “We can talk this out if you want.”
Eva laughed. “I don’t know how Jason wormed his way into the center of this conversation, but I really have nothing more to say about him. I meant what I said—I just want us to become a stronger team. And what better way to expose one’s strengths and weaknesses than one-on-one combat.”
Gemma shrugged, giving up, and Pete just rolled his eyes again. Jamie studied Eva carefully, but her poker face was firmly back in place, and she met his eyes will cool indifference.
“Fine,” Jamie said eventually. “If all you want is to improve us as a team, then prove it. You obviously know how an Inferno might defeat an Oceanic—so show me.”
Eva grimaced. “The whole point was to offer you an opportunity to innovate and learn.”
“Well, maybe I’m not the quickest of students. So, in the interest of time…”
“Understatement of the year,” Eva muttered. “Okay, listen carefully, because I’m not going to repeat myself.”
“Yeah, whatever. Spill.”
“You’re too focused on the Fire Element being just fire.”
Annoyance flooded through Jamie. Eva was testing his patience, which already felt thin and frayed.
“Are you trying to be cryptic? I’m an Inferno. We mold and control fire. What else is there?”
“Fire is not just flames and smoke. The Fire Element covers more than that. I don’t just control water. I can control ice and steam, waves and raindrops.”
“But all that is still just water.”
“Sure, but out Gifts are really just about manipulating energy. Our respective Elements only define the box in which we’re able to do so. Other than the Elementals, Infernos are considered to be the most powerful of the Gifted. Because Infernos have the biggest box to play in. The Fire Element is about manipulating heat energy, and these days—how do we get heat?”
“Gas?” Pete supplied.
Eva groaned dramatically and slapped the palm of her hand to her forehead. “Do you ever bother to think before you open your mouth, or do you just blurt out the first thing that pops into your head?” she asked, exasperated. “No, not gas. Think!”
“Electricity,” Gemma said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Eva’s eyes lit up. “Yes!” she exclaimed, pointing at Gemma. “Exactly. Electricity. I’ve been told the stronger Infernos can sense electricity everywhere, in the overhead cables, in our walls, in our appliances.”
Jamie nodded slowly. He could sense electricity just about everywhere. It had become so commonplace he barely noticed it anymore, relegating it to the back of his mind.
“Electricity isn’t as malleable as fire,” Eva continued. “Almost invisible except for the strongest Infernos, and I hear you’re powerfully Gifted.”
The last bit was aimed at Jamie. There was an unspoken challenge there, written into the intensity in Eva’s eyes and the ironic twist on her lips.
“Electricity and water don’t mix…” Gemma said quietly.
Eva tapped her nose with a grin.
“Which is how an Inferno defeats an Oceanic,” Jamie concluded with a smile.
So simple. How had he never thought of it? Possibly, he conceded, because, until six months ago, he’d never spent much time thinking about how he might use his Gift as a weapon.
“Now,” Eva said with her eyebrow arched. “Can we please get back to it?”
* * *
Jamie turned the key in his hand. It was big, unwieldy, and definitely rough around the edges. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a long way from the lump of metal it had started out as. Forging the metal into a key had taken longer than he’d expected; it had been intricate work, requiring delicate and skillful manipulation of his Gift. He’d spent many nights laboring over it, and now, after a full month of frustration, it was finally ready for him to test in the lock.
Training with the Cleaners was extremely regimented. Every minute of the day was accounted for, and they were never allowed to explore without an escort, and at night, they were confined to their rooms. All of which meant he’d achieved little by way of information, which was particularly maddening because he realized on the very first day that the information about Emma that he so desperately wanted lay hidden within the Archivist’s books. He’d caught a glimpse of all the names contained within the book and realized that Emma’s name was surely just above his own. If he could just get a few minutes with the book, he would finally know, with certainty, whether his twin was still alive. And given that the Archivist collected and filed all information for the Gifted, he might even find more information regarding Emma’s current whereabouts.
Tonight was the night—he just had to make sure his teammates were well and truly asleep. The night was deep and still, and he slipped silently from his room, wishing, not for the first time, that he had the stealth of an Atmospheric. He moved toward the main door but stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of Eva’s voice.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He fumbled for a suitable excuse, but lying still not one of his strengths. “Midnight snack,” he said eventually.
Eva flicked on a lamp, and a low light flooded over the room. She gestured to the couch next to her where there was an open box of chocolates and a glass of wine. “Join me then.”
“What’s the occasion?” Jamie asked.
She shrugged carelessly. “Who needs an occasion for wine and chocolates?”
Jamie popped a chocolate into his mouth and shot her a disbelieving look.
Eva stared back, but when he refused to back down, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Fine. I’m just tired of this—the constant arguing, the endless lessons. Being stuck in this room.”
He took the wine from her and swallowed a big mouthful. “Yeah,” he said, “you won’t get any arguments from me on that point.” He glanced at her. “It might help if you stopped jumping down Pete’s throat every time he opens his mouth.”
“I know…”
“What’s really going on, Eva?”
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She shrugged again. “I don’t know. I just feel out of sorts.”
Abruptly, she leaned into him and pressed her lips to his. Jamie froze, shocked and unsure how to respond.
Eva pulled away. “Sorry,” she said, “don’t be awkward, I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s okay,”
She turned to him, her green eyes bright. “But you’re not with Ally anymore, are you?”
Jamie shook his head.
Eva raised her eyebrows and wriggled them at him, all the while grinning dangerously like a Cheshire cat. “So—I’m open to a purely physical relationship if you are.”
More uncomfortable than he’d ever been, and turning an unbecoming shade of crimson, Jamie let out a low hiss and then grimaced. “Yeah—I’m not really the physical relationship type…”
She leaned over and planted a deliberately sloppy kiss on his cheek. “No, Jamie Thiessen, I didn’t think you were. You are way too vanilla for your own good.”
They sat in contemplative silence for a while, the atmosphere surprisingly companionable.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” Jamie offered eventually.
“About what?”
That was the thing about Eva—her temper was of legendary proportions, quick to flare but generally just as quick to die away.
“What I said about Jason,” Jamie clarified.
Eva shrugged off the apology. “Whatever, it’s fine.”
Jamie thought about letting it go, which was probably the wiser option. Let sleeping dogs lie, as it were. But, in the end, his curiosity got the better of him.
“What did he do anyway? For you to hate him that much.”
Eva sighed and stared straight ahead, her eyes fixed on some random point in the darkness, her mind a million miles away. For a minute, Jamie thought she might just ignore his question.
“Promises were made,” Eva said eventually. “They weren’t delivered upon.”
As answers went, this one was particularly disappointing. “Please don’t tell me you were also one of his conquests,” Jamie said. “First Gemma, now you. Is there anyone who hasn’t fallen for his dubious charm?”
“Do I look like someone who would fall for Jason’s cheap words and empty promises?” Eva scoffed.
“I didn’t think Gemma looked the type either, and apparently, I was very wrong.”
“Gemma might not fit the profile now, but rewind a couple of years, and she was just a lonely, vulnerable girl, desperate to run with the cool kids.”
“If he didn’t break your heart, what was it?”
Eva sighed heavily, tracing her fingers around the edge of her wine glass. “Marcus found me and Jason at pretty much the same time. We were similar—a little lost, a lot lonely, and looking for our places in the world. Then Marcus came into our lives and opened up a whole new world. We were both ambitious, and suddenly, we had the opportunity to have it all.
“Our lives to that point hadn’t given either of us much opportunity to make friends. We were thrown together, and we became close. We promised each other we would climb to the top together. That two could achieve more than one.
“But, somewhere along our journey, Jason decided to go it alone. To climb over me instead of with me.”
“That’s it?” Jamie asked doubtfully. “You stopped being friends, so you try and stick a sword through him? Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you.”
Eva shot him a sidelong glance as she took a deep draw from her wine glass. “It is a good thing to keep in mind, Jamie Thiessen. You definitely want me as your friend and not your enemy.”
“That’s really the whole story? It’s really that simple?”
“Human emotion is never that simple. Jason and I have a long and complicated history. I really don’t want to get into it.” Eva shook the wine bottle, and finding it empty, she sighed. “Well, this probably means it’s time for bed.”
She stood up and stretched. “Good night, Jamie.”
He nodded, turning her words over in his head. “Wait!” he said sharply, and Eva stilled, her hand poised on the handle to her bedroom door.
“What?” she asked.
“Is he going to hurt her?” Jamie asked quietly.
A look of understanding settled over Eva. He didn’t need to clarify further, to say Allyra’s name.
“I don’t know,” she said hesitantly. “Jason will always do what’s in his best interests, collateral damage be damned. Right now, he needs Allyra to win The Five Finals, but after that…” Eva shrugged apologetically. “Once he gets what he wants, all bets are off.”
Chapter 9 – Allyra
Three weeks passed with the blink of an eye. The days had settled into a kind of routine. Mornings with Master Akerman, who continued to be sarcastic and shrewd, but training sessions with him were guaranteed to be worthwhile learning opportunities. Afternoons, of course, were spent sparring with Jason, who continued to be a bastard. He was constantly mocking her, prodding at her, searching for a weakness. Allyra tried to give as good as she got, but scathing retorts had never come to her easily. Three weeks of forced proximity to each other had done nothing to improve the level of trust between them; if anything, they’d only succeeded in fueling the animosity they felt for each other.
At least they weren’t embroiled in their prank war anymore, so that was one less thing she had to worry about. It had escalated until it resembled an actual war. By that point, they had dropped any pretense at subtlety. The soaring climax had occurred when Jason used his Gift to set fire to her bed—with her still in it. Luckily, she’d woken in time to use her Gift to blow the flames back at him. The result had nearly burned down the entire Elemental wing.
As punishment, they’d received three straight nights of running laps from an exasperated Mr. Akerman. Only after eight hours with no sleep whatsoever, when they were both exhausted to the point of collapse, did Jason and Allyra come to a silent and fragile truce. They still hated each other, but now they were mature enough to suffer that hate in relative peace. These days, they barely bothered to talk to each other, which she rather enjoyed. At least it meant that she never had to think up any witty retorts to his sharp tongue.
In between all the training, there was barely time to fit in meals and sleep, but despite her every intention not to trust anyone at The Five Finals, Allyra had managed to make a few friends. It turned out that not everyone in this pit of snakes was deliberately plotting to kill her.
Chi as well as Henri and Adriana could all be counted amongst her friends. It was hard to know whether these friendships would survive beyond the forge that was The Five Finals. But, Allyra was grateful for anyone to take her mind off the constant anxiety of waiting for the First Final.
Allyra wasn’t the only one affected by the stress and uncertainty, and as the days passed, an undeniable restlessness seemed to permeate through the air. Different people dealt with the anxiety in different ways. Some got louder and more obnoxious with every passing minute, and others just retreated further and further into themselves.
Chi definitely fell into the latter group. He was sitting next to her, reading a book while eating forkfuls of salad, a dreamy and preoccupied look on his face, looking every inch the scholar and nothing like the hardened fighter he was supposed to be.
Henri was sitting across the table from Allyra, talking like a runaway train, bouncing from one subject to another in an utterly tangential manner, making it almost impossible to keep up with her. Adriana sat next to Henri quietly, nudging her from time to time to remind her to slow down. The nudge would always result in a quickly muttered apology from Henri, and in the brief lull, the two would share a fond look or twine their fingers together below the table.
Their relationship was quiet and undemonstrative, but for anyone who cared to look, it was clear they loved each other deeply. They had built the type of bond that would make them strong Competitors in The Five Finals.
The door to the dining room opened, and
Marcus swept in like an icy north wind, instantaneously freezing any and all conversation. As it did whenever she was in the same room as Marcus, a shiver worked its way up Allyra’s spine—it had become an all too familiar feeling of wrongness. Even Chi looked up from his book at the sudden silence in the room.
Almost unnoticed, the other four Council members followed Marcus in, taking up their positions beside him. The power of Marcus’s presence somehow made them smaller and more insignificant in comparison.
Marcus cleared his throat. “We are a week away from the First Final at the Terra College, and tonight we will begin with the challenges. As has already been explained to you, each pair may only participate in one challenge before each Final. The losers are instantly eliminated, while the winners gain an advantage for the next Final. Now please stand if you would like to issue a challenge.”
Only one pair got to their feet. Allyra recognized them as the Fifths from the Terra College. Don and Clara were a Terra and an Inferno respectively. He was massive and hulking, while she was quick and deadly. Together, they were the perfect combination of strength and speed and were amongst the favorites to make it to the end of The Five Finals. It was unsurprising that they were willing to issue a challenge—this early in The Five Finals, there were plenty of weaker pairs that Don and Clara probably believed they could beat easily for an advantage in the First Final.
Marcus raised his eyebrows. “Only one pair?” he asked, a mocking edge to his tone. “Being conservative has never won anyone The Five Finals.”
He turned to Don and Clara. “Who would you like to challenge?”
