Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3)

by Cassandra Gannon

  Memory sharing.

  Phase-Matches saw bits and pieces of their partner’s pasts. They experienced the key moments, again, in a virtual rewind. Tessie must’ve relived the day Ty renounced Parald in front of the Council.

  Nia blinked. “I didn’t see that.”

  “You were kinda distracted.” Tessie shrugged. “It happened, though. Trust me. Right then, I knew Gion was sweet on Ty. No other explanation.”

  “I love Ty.” Gion said. There was no benefit in denying it. “I always have.”

  “Yeah, well, you’ve got a funny way of showing it.” Nia shot back. “You scared the hell out of Ty for years.”

  It aggravated Gion all over again that Ty had ever feared him. “I wanted Ty safe, so I did what I thought was best. I felt worse about my methods than you did, I guarantee it. I didn’t want her looking at me like I was a monster and refusing to talk to me, at all. Do you honestly think I enjoyed her hating me?”

  “Are you actually claiming that you’ve been protecting my cousin by being a dick?”

  “Do Chason or the Air House have her, right now? Has Parald even seen Ty since she renounced him? Has any deranged Reprisal crackpot gotten within ten feet of her without me beheading him? Have I ever done one thing to hurt her, ever?”

  Nia didn’t answer that.

  “No.” Gion answered for her. “So, if my methods are crude, at least they’ve kept Ty alive.”

  “You always do things the hard way.” Tessie muttered. She swung her legs back and forth. “Thank God, I’m here now to offer you dating advice. Tip number one: When it comes to gifts, girls like jewelry, not sheets of high grade plastic.”

  “Dating?” Gion echoed blankly.

  “What about the energy?” Nia pointed a finger at him. “Did you cook that up?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “If I created the energy, I’d be a lot less worried that something might go wrong with it. Right now, it connects me to Ty, but I don’t know why. If it stops, I’ll have to kill myself.” That was the stark truth, because Gion didn’t see any profit in lying to Nia. He wanted her on his side. Without Nia’s support, Ty would never agree to a Binding.

  Nia pursed her lips. “What about Parald?”

  “Fuck him.” Gion intoned. “He’ll be dead soon. No matter what else happens, I’ll see that bastard’s head on a pike for what he’s done to her.”

  Another long pause.

  “You love Ty.” Nia said as if she was testing the concept.

  “Yes.”

  “Really love her?”

  “For me, there’s only Ty. I give you my word on it.”

  Tessie made an “awww” sound.

  Nia still didn’t look convinced. “I’d like you to go to the Earth Kingdom, then, Gion.” She announced. “Job said that he’ll give you a home, there.”

  “How charitable.” Gion drawled, not the least bit impressed with this new tactic. “The man’s always been like a Santa Claus, hasn’t he?”

  “Oh, he’s way better looking than Santa.” Tessie complained good-naturedly. “Come on, Guy, think about it. If you move in with me, I’ll get you your own room. We can stay up late, braiding each other’s hair and watching soaps all night. It’ll be like we joined a sorority together!”

  He flashed her a feral look. Killing Tessie would end the world.

  It just might be worth it.

  “It would be better for Ty if you left the Water House.” Nia insisted. “You’ll be fine with Job. And nobody’s saying that you can’t see Ty, at all. If Ty wants to see you, she can visit. But, you going to the Earth House would give her some distance, so she can think.”

  “So, you can undermine me to her.”

  “Oh please.” Nia rolled her eyes. “Have you met you? It wouldn’t take much undermining!”

  “Gion.” Tessie leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Seriously, I think you should stay with Ty. I know that you love her. But, you really can stay in the Earth Palace, if you want. No strings attached. You saved my ass plenty of times. You’re welcomed in the Earth Kingdom with Job and me.”

  “Being roommates with Job is a heady thought. We’ve always been close. Oh, except when he Banished me.”

  “He Banished Parald!” Nia defended. “You and the other Air Phases just got caught in middle.”

  “Yes, that important distinction made my exile so much more tolerable.”

  “Job’s the one who enacted the amnesty law to take care of the Air Phases trapped over there with Parald!”

  “Amnesty which I have accepted.” Gion spread his hands. “Never let it be said that I don’t build bridges.”

  Nia crossed her arms over her chest. “I Don’t. Want you. In. The Water Kingdom.” She ground out slowly.

  “Well, it’s lucky for me that you’re not the queen, then, isn’t it?” Gion snapped, losing his patience. He wasn’t about to me muscled out of Ty’s life. Not even to appease her overprotective family. “Ty’s in charge of the Water House. She says I can stay, so I’m damn well staying. Get used to it.”

  Water Powers swelled, not a gentle wash of energy like Ty’s, but a great torrent rushing around them. Gion’s powers couldn’t connect with Nia’s, of course. However, Nia could break the “fair play” rules and use the Water like a weapon.

  Nia was still young, but she was strong. Only two Phases had ever successfully jacked a House: Gion and Nia. He didn’t underestimate what the girl could do if she got pissed enough.

  Gion actually felt his body’s liquids evaporating, drying him out from the inside, shriveling his organs and starving him of water.

  If she kept it up, Nia could kill him.

  “I will absolutely see you dead before I let you endanger Ty.” She warned coldly. “I have been looking out for my family since I was little girl. Tharsis says to give you a chance and Ty’s become fixated on you, but I’m not so easy to win over.”

  Gion didn’t fight back against Nia. He couldn’t have, even if he wanted to, since he’d promised Ty that he wouldn’t harm her cousin or her niece. “I’m not a danger to you and your family, Nia. Especially not to Ty.”

  “So, prove it and go away.”

  His skin dehydrated like a mummy’s. Gion could see it shrinking against the bones of his hand. “I won’t leave the Water Kingdom, unless Ty herself asks to me to go. Not for anything. No threat, or promise, or prize would even be worth a chance of losing Ty. It will never happen.”

  “Did you miss the part where your blood is vaporizing in your veins?”

  “Did you miss the part where I’ll die before I give her up?”

  Tessie frowned, her eyes going from Nia to Gion and back again. “Nia,” she said worriedly, “don’t hurt him.”

  “She won’t.” Gion had confidence in that. He’d never been more thirsty in his life and his eyes burned like they’d been rubbed with sandpaper, but Nia would stop before she did any damage. Water Phases weren’t warriors. They were a peaceful, artistic House. Nia might throw her weight around, testing him, but she wouldn’t really harm him without a legitimate reason.

  Good people always got trapped by their principles.

  Nia glowered at him and pulled back on her powers. “If you want Ty, you’re gonna have to prove that you’re a better man than the thousands of eyewitness reports and character witnesses suggest.”

  Gion felt the liquid rushing back into his parched system, his body gratefully soaking it up. “Then, that’s what I’ll do.” He inclined his head.

  She snorted skeptically. Her absolute faith in his depravity coming through like a satellite feed.

  Murderer.

  The childhood taunt echoed in Gion’s mind. The horrible disgusting truth of it.

  Nia hadn’t said it. She hadn’t even been alive when Gion was a boy, but he still heard the word and it made him glance away.

  Suddenly, the electricity flickered. The florescent lights sparked overhead.

  Gion swore, feeling
the charge in the air that signaled an Elemental jump. “Stay back.” He ordered harshly.

  The computer behind the counter exploded, sending black smoke into the air.

  “What the hell?!” Steve yelped.

  Tessie’s eyed widened. “Chason.” Electronics always went haywire around Magnet Phases. She hopped to the floor. “Gion, it’s Chason.”

  “Stay back.” Gion stepped in front of them and pulled his sword free. People constantly asked why Gion wore the cape. Apparently, he was the only one smart enough to realize that capes both disguised any weapons you might have strapped to your back and also allowed you to pull them free easily.

  “Whoa!” Steve’s voice went high with panic as he took in the solid black blade. “Dude, you can’t have that in…” He broke off with a squeal as Chason, of the Magnet House appeared right in the middle of the Home Depot.

  Nia’s hand came down to protectively cover her stomach.

  The years since the Fall drained away everything healthy from Chason. And, in the past few months, he’d hit rock bottom. His gaunt face and gray Reprisal uniform gave him the look of a vengeful specter. Even his dark hair appeared faded, the purple streak at his temple less vibrant than it had once been. The rage and bitterness in Chason consumed him from the inside out, eating away at his vitality. The man was in a downward spiral that could only end in death

  “Word of advice, Gion. When you sneak into the human realm, don’t pick a spot where there are so many Phases waiting to call the Reprisal the second they see your famous face.” Chason’s amethyst gaze glowed with a triumphant, not-quite-sane light. He held broadsword in one hand and a grim smile curved his mouth.

  It took Gion less than a second to know that Chason was up to something bigger than his ordinary “ending the world” bullshit.

  They guy’s temper usually detonated like an A-bomb when he saw Gion. That lack of control had always been Chason’s biggest weakness. Now, Chason looked smug and in command of his emotions. Still crazy and dangerous, he wore a new, “I know something you don’t know” smirk.

  Gion didn’t like this. “Chason. Where are your Merry Men?” Normally, a phalanx of Reprisal soldiers surrounded Chason at all times. If he was here alone, then it was a personal mission. “Shouldn’t you be off with them, saving the universe so you can destroy it?” Gion extended his free hand, making sure that Nia stayed behind him. He could feel her wanting to push right into the center of the dispute.

  “Chase, for God’s sake!” She snapped. “Are you honestly going to do this in front of the humans?!”

  Steve cowered behind the counter, peering at Chason with ‘holy shit!’ written all over his face.

  “Oh man.” Tessie sighed. “Job’s gonna flip out when he hears about this.”

  “I don’t care about the humans.” Chason kept his attention on Gion. “Or Job. All I’ve ever cared about is my Match.” He arched a brow. “Do you know what it’s like, Gion, to love a woman and have her stolen from you? I remember we talked about this before, didn’t we?”

  “I remember that I stabbed you through the chest.” Gion shifted slightly, so he’d have a clear shot at Chason with the Air powers.

  “Cross stabbed me, actually. And I forgive him. Anyone with a woman of their own would have done the same.” Chason watched Gion move, but he didn’t change positions himself. Purple eyes gleamed. “Now that you have Ty, I imagine that you understand.”

  Nia drew in a sharp breath.

  Gion’s gaze narrowed. “Parald is Ty’s Match. Not me.”

  “You want Ty.” Chason continued undaunted. “I know it and so do you. You moved into her House. You protected her from my men. You saved her from Parald.” He arched a brow. “Do you really think I’ll let you keep her, though? That I’ll ever let you have your woman, when the Air House took mine?”

  Gion’s mind went blank with shock. That insane bastard just openly threatened Ty’s life. He hadn’t believed that even Chason was that stupid. As far Gion was concerned, it carried death sentence. No one would take Ty from him.

  Gion focused on killing Chason with a savage intensity. Raising the black sword, he took a step forward, preparing to decapitate the bastard.

  “Not today.” The Magnet powers struck out and ripped the weapon right from Gion’s hand. It flew across the room, spinning in the air. Chason caught it by the hilt and laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant sound. “I want you to wake up every morning and realize that you have to get through another day with no hope, at all. None, Gion. Because, that’s what you did to me.”

  Gion didn’t bother to point out that he had nothing to do with the Fall. Chason wouldn’t care. “You should have just followed your Match, you fucking coward.” That’s what Gion would have done if he lost Ty. He could never face the world alone. There just wouldn’t be any point.

  “Oh, I will. But, first, you’re going experience what it feels like to have your soul ripped out.” Chason shouted back. “Your heart stolen. To design a tomb for your woman’s body, because that’s all you have left of her. To know that you won’t see her smile, or hear her voice, or touch her hair ever, ever, again.”

  Something horrible howled in Gion’s mind as Chason talked.

  “Chason, stop!” Nia shouted. “You go near Ty, and I swear to Gaia…”

  Gion slammed the Air energy into Chason hard enough to blast a hole straight through him. It was more energy than he’d ever used on anyone. The incredible concentration of power had Tessie cringing and blew Chason right off his feet. He hit the cement floor like debit from a F5.

  “Oh God.” Nia cried. There was no way Chason could have survived that. She started forward as if she wanted to help him, somehow.

  Gion grabbed her arm, hauling her back. “We’re leaving.” Not even the humans would be able to miss this one. They had to get out of here before the Action News trucks showed up.

  “You killed him!” She tried to shake him off. “You just killed Chase!”

  “He threatened Ty! What the fuck did you expect me to do?!” Nia had some picture in her mind of how Chason used to be, but that man had died with his Mara. Chason was an example what Gion feared might happen to Ty if Parald died before she was strong enough to handle it. Matches weren’t supposed to live without each other. The surviving partner rarely fared well.

  Gion didn’t exactly blame Chason for his wrath. If he lost Ty, Gion would throw himself into kamikaze rage, too. He’d kill himself anyway he possibly could. Anything to escape a reality without her in it. But, that sure as hell didn’t mean that he’d let Chason live long enough to strike out at Ty. Gion didn’t care how many charities the guy had once volunteered for.

  “He wouldn’t have really hurt Ty! He wouldn’t have really done that!”

  “Of course, he would’ve!” Gion roared back. “He lost his mind in the Fall. The man was a suicidal lunatic.”

  Off kilter laughter sounded, again.

  “I think the man is a suicidal lunatic.” Tessie whispered, her eyes on Gion’s surprisingly alive victim.

  Chason sat up, chuckling like a Batman villain. “Son-of-a-bitch. You really do love Ty. I thought I had a 50/50 shot at being right, but – Jesus!-- that’s beautiful.” He got to feet. “After all this time, I can finally, really, hurt you.” He grinned like a kid with a new puppy.

  Gion had no idea how Chason could have survived that blast of Air. He was more than willing to try again, though. After five hundred years of ruining everything important, Gion refused to fail at the only thing in life that mattered.

  Chason felt the Air energy gathering and snorted. “Don’t bother.” He tapped his chest. “You want to know what Kevlar is made of? It’s a polymer. Completely synthetic. Elemental powers don’t do jack-shit to it, hero.”

  Gion mentally cursed. Human bulletproof vests stopped Elemental energy? Damn it, why hadn’t he ever thought of that?

  “What goes on between you and Gion has nothing to do with Ty.” Nia jabbed a finger at Chason. “Y
ou have no business bringing her into this.”

  “Gion brought her into it.” Chason looked right at him. “Enjoy Ty while you can. You have no idea how empty the world can be until your woman is gone from it.”

  “If you come near Ty, I will burn your Match’s sepulcher to the ground.” As far as Gion knew that was the only thing Chason gave a damn about. In his racing mind, it was the one threat he could think of. How could you intimidate a man who had nothing left to lose?

  Chason’s eyes swirled like the epicenter of madness itself. “Then, I’ll build her another one. I’ve got nothing but fucking time on my hands, now.”

  “What the hell kind of solider targets an innocent girl?” Nia demanded.