Playing With Fire (Power of Four Book 2)

by SF Mazhar

  “Those kids are the ones who have been protecting not only this realm but the human one too,” Aaron said, unable to hold back his growing anger. “And they’ve been doing it for the last fourteen years.”

  “It’s going to be different now,” Michael said. “With Hadrian back–” He paused, sucking in a breath. “Aaron, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

  Aaron held his anxious gaze. “I guess I’ll find out.”

  “You can say what you want,” Kate said in her usual end-of-matter tone. “You’re not leaving.”

  Aaron stilled for a moment, before reaching out to pick up his bag. “Yes I am,” he said.

  Kate stared at him and Aaron could see the realisation hit her then, that she could no longer force him into obedience. Her lips thinned and eyes started to water.

  “Aaron, please,” she begged.

  “I know you’re scared, Mum,” Aaron said. “Truth is, I am too. But we don’t get to sit this out. We’re not the only ones to have lost family. It’s happened to the others too but they’re fighting back and that’s what we should do.” He turned to look at his dad. “We’re Elementals. We need to help. We should help.” Chris didn’t say anything. Aaron stepped towards him. “Come with me.” This time, it was Aaron that was pleading. “We can all go back, all of us join the fight.” He took another step forward, inching closer to Chris. “Please, Dad, don’t fight me on this. You can teach me–”

  “No,” Chris said. “You’re not fighting. You’re staying here.”

  Aaron stared at him. His mum had yelled the same words minutes ago, but it was his dad’s quietly spoken command that tore his heart open. Aaron swallowed the rest of his words, pushing them deep down. He stepped back, not trusting himself to speak. The hurt was quickly turning to fury and he knew if he didn’t leave right now, he would say something all of them would later regret. He shifted the heavy bag in his hands and turned.

  “Don’t you dare, Aaron!” Kate called after him.

  “Sorry, Mum,” Aaron said quietly. “Come with me or not, I’m leaving.” He walked away.

  Sam and Rose followed him.

  “Where are you two going?” Michael asked.

  Sam paused and looked back at him. “With Aaron.”

  Aaron and the twins headed to the front door. They stepped out to find Neriah waiting for them.

  Aaron was taken aback at the sight of the leader of the mages, standing at his gate, waiting for him with a smile on his lips and a look of triumph in his eyes. It only served to further annoy Aaron.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, as he made his way towards Neriah.

  “Waiting for you,” Neriah replied simply.

  “You were that sure I would come?” Aaron asked.

  “I was sure that the boy who fought his way into a Q-Zone, a mere few months after coming to this realm, wouldn’t give up the chance to fight.”

  Aaron stopped just before the gate. “Scott told you?”

  “He had to tell me.”

  Aaron shifted under the intense gaze. “You should know I didn’t go into that Q-Zone to fight. I went because–”

  “Because your friends were there.” Neriah glanced at the twins before looking back at Aaron. “Yes, Scott told me that too.” He didn’t look mad. If anything, he looked rather amused. He didn’t say any more on the subject, though. He moved to allow the gate to swing open. “Come, we should leave.”

  Aaron held on to the metal gate but turned back to look at the house. The door was firmly shut. No one had come out after him. They were actually going to let him walk away like this, angry and hurt.

  Aaron caught Sam’s eye; his friend simply nodded his encouragement. They had spent the whole night discussing this decision. They had all agreed that no matter what happened, they were taking part in the fight against demons, against vamages – against Hadrian. Sam and Rose were human. They had no elemental powers, nor did they know how to wield a sword or use a gun, but they were willing to do whatever they could to help the mages defeat the vamages – the demons that murdered their parents.

  Aaron turned and pushed open the gate. He walked behind Neriah, with Sam and Rose beside him, all heading down the street.

  “Where’s Ella and Skyler?” Aaron asked, partly just to have something to say.

  “They’re waiting at the Gate,” Neriah said. His gaze went to the long table that sat in the middle of the street. Something flickered in his eyes but he looked away before Aaron could figure it out. “They don’t have much tolerance for Marwa.”

  “Why is that?” Aaron asked.

  Before Neriah could answer, the sound of a door slamming shut made them turn around. Aaron gaped at the sight of his mum, dad and uncle Mike, hastily packed bags in hand, coming down the path. They looked beyond livid, lines of anger on their faces, eyes blazing. His mum blasted the gate off its hinges, without even touching it, before heading down the street towards them.

  Neriah stepped past Aaron, coming to stand before him. It took Aaron a moment to understand he was standing guard, protecting Aaron from his parents. The absurdity of the situation would have made him laugh if he wasn’t so keyed up.

  “What’s going on?” Neriah asked, directing his question to Chris.

  “What’s it look like?” Chris snarled. “We’re coming too.”

  Aaron’s relief was short-lived, because almost at once, Neriah shook his head.

  “I don’t want you,” he said.

  “I don’t care,” Chris replied.

  Neriah stared at Chris, before a half-smile came to his face. “I guess having you in Salvador is better than here.” He glanced back at Sam and Rose before meeting Chris’s eyes. “You three can take Aaron’s friends to Salvador.”

  “Why?” Kate asked quickly, stepping forward. “Where are you taking Aaron?”

  The panic in her voice made guilt surge in Aaron. He pushed it down.

  “Aaron will accompany me to retrieve his Blade,” Neriah replied.

  Aaron tensed, sharing a nervous look with the twins.

  “We want to stay with Aaron,” Sam said at once.

  “We’re coming too,” Kate added.

  But Neriah shook his head. “If too many go to get the Blade it will attract attention.”

  “Mike,” Chris called. “You and Kate take Samuel and Rosalyn. I’m going with Aaron.”

  Kate let out a noise of protest but Michael had grabbed her hand, already pulling her towards the twins.

  Neriah didn’t move, his gaze still on Chris.

  “You can’t come with us,” he said.

  “Yes I can,” Chris stubbornly argued. “You may be the oldest and the leader, but I’m an Elemental too. You can’t stop me. I have every right to come with you.”

  Neriah let out a humourless laugh. “You sure you still deserve to be called an Elemental after shirking your responsibilities for fourteen years?”

  Chris got impossibly close. His eyes were blazing, jaw clenched so tight Aaron was sure it must be hurting.

  “I’m going with my son,” Chris said very quietly, taking his time to say each word carefully. “Elemental or not, you can’t deny me that much.”

  When Neriah didn’t speak, Chris moved past him. He walked by Aaron without a word. He didn’t even look at him. Sharing a last glance with Sam and Rose, Aaron walked away, following his dad and Neriah to Marwa’s Gate, where Skyler and Ella stood waiting.

  ***

  Aaron walked in silence, the only sounds came from the crunching and snapping of leaves and twigs under their feet. Skyler and Ella were behind him, climbing up the path. His dad trailed them. Leading the way was Neriah. No one had uttered a word in the last two hours.

  Aaron shifted his bag; it was getting uncomfortably heavy at this point. He climbed the steep hill, panting slightly at the exertion. He could feel beads of sweat gathering under his collar. When he had followed the others out of the Gate of Marwa, there had been two portals ready. One led to the Cit
y of Salvador, which his mum, uncle and friends took. The other, Aaron had presumed, would take them straight to wherever the Blade of Adams was. Instead, he had passed through the portal only to land in the middle of a dense forest. They had been quietly trekking their way through it ever since.

  Aaron came to Neriah’s side when he paused, to let the others catch up. Then, when he continued forward without saying a word, Aaron couldn’t hold back any longer.

  “What’s with the nature walk?” he asked. “I thought the portal would take us straight to the Blade.”

  “You thought wrong,” Neriah replied.

  “Like always.” Skyler’s quiet comment came from behind. Aaron turned to glare at him.

  They walked for another few minutes in silence.

  “Why didn’t you set up a portal closer to the Blade?” Aaron asked.

  “Portals leave behind trails,” Neriah said. “And trails can be followed.”

  Aaron considered this. “Who would want the Blades of Aric?” he asked. “They’re useless to anyone other than legacy holders.”

  “Our enemies may not be able to use the swords,” Neriah said, “but if they found the Blades, they could stop us from using them.”

  Aaron felt like an idiot, so he kept quiet and continued walking. It was another half an hour before they came to a clearing. The group paused, bringing out bottles of water to replenish that which the sun had forced out of them. Aaron didn’t have any water; he hadn’t packed essentials like that. All he had in his bag were his jeans and tops, and an extra pair of shoes – all useless for quenching his raging thirst.

  As if to mock him, Neriah held out his empty bottle for Aaron to take. Aaron grabbed it, with every intention of hurling it into the air. Before he could though, Neriah held his fingers against the bottle and water began filling it.

  No matter what Aaron had seen these past few months, water magically pooling out of thin air stole his breath. He brought the full bottle to his mouth, letting the cold, cool water rush down his dry throat. He drank almost the whole thing before remembering his dad was there too, and in his haste to follow Aaron, probably hadn’t packed a bottle of water either. Aaron turned around to find his dad next to Ella, taking the bottle she was offering. He brought it to his lips and, like Aaron, he almost emptied the entire thing.

  Aaron turned and gave the bottle back to Neriah. “Thanks.”

  Neriah didn’t say anything. They continued walking. Aaron kept up with him, walking in step with the leader.

  “How can you do that?” he said. “The water? How can you make it from nothing?”

  Neriah smiled. “I’m not making it,” he said. “Water is my element. It comes to me when I ask.”

  “How?” At Neriah’s look Aaron quickly added, “I’m sorry, it’s just…I don’t quite understand how we can do...what we do.”

  Neriah’s eyes had that same glint Aaron had seen the day before when they were talking about legacies – a strange mix of anger and annoyance…and maybe a little pity.

  “Mages have what we call cores inside us,” he started, slowing his pace to allow Aaron to keep up. “Our core is what defines us, what decides which element we will have an affinity with. In a sense, our core is the root. It’s what makes us a mage.” He looked at Aaron and waited for his nod of comprehension, before continuing. “Our core pulls energy from the elements. The stronger the core, the more energy it pulls, making the mage that much more powerful. You don’t know your core is doing it, but it’s working all the time.”

  Aaron looked around him, at the trees surrounding him, the soft ground under his feet. “You mean, I’m drawing the power of Earth right now?”

  Neriah smiled. “Just as I am drawing water from the moisture in the air, the clouds overhead, and the lake that’s six miles west from here.” He chuckled at Aaron’s gob-smacked expression. “It’s an involuntary action, like breathing. You don’t think about it, you just do it. We do it from the moment we’re born. We practise while our cores are asleep. When they awake, they already have a store of energy.”

  Aaron tripped on the overgrown root at his feet, such was his concentration on Neriah.

  Neriah steadied him with one hand and continued. “Our core utilises this energy, giving us the ability to manipulate the elements. When I fill a bottle with water, I’m not making it out of thin air. I’m merely directing it from one source to another.” He gave a pointed look to the sky, where white fluffy clouds hung overhead.

  Aaron grinned. “That’s awesome.”

  “Glad you approve.” Neriah smiled.

  “So when I want to make the ground split open?” Aaron asked.

  “You’re not redirecting anything then,” Neriah explained. “You’re bending the element, making it bow to your will. It’s different.”

  “Not to mention difficult,” Aaron muttered.

  “It’s only difficult because you haven’t had much practise,” Neriah said. “You are a legacy holder. You are capable of much more than you think.”

  Aaron fell quiet. After a moment he looked around at him. “Does holding the legacy make your core stronger?” he asked.

  “It’s the other way around. Legacies choose those with a strong core,” Neriah replied. “But having a legacy connected to the core does give the holder an ability to manipulate their element with more ease.”

  Aaron shifted his bag uncomfortably between his hands. He certainly didn’t find using his Elemental power easy, but then again, he hadn’t started training until he was fourteen. Most mages started at ten, three years before their cores awoke.

  “Yesterday you said something about legacy holders giving power to the mages who share an affinity for their element,” Aaron reminded him. “I don’t understand that.”

  “Each legacy keeps the power of their element alive,” Neriah said. “Your legacy is for the element Earth, so every mage that uses the power of Earth can do so because of your legacy. The legacies are what connects the mages. You are the legacy holder for Earth, so you share a connection with all those who use Earth as their element. I am the legacy holder for Water, so my legacy calls to all those who use my element.” He looked at Aaron. “But you and I also have a connection, through those mages that use both Water and Earth.”

  Aaron glanced behind him, to his dad, to see him looking rather annoyed that Aaron was talking to Neriah. Aaron turned back. “This connection is even more powerful when we’re related, right?”

  Neriah took a moment to answer. “Nothing is more powerful than blood,” he said quietly. “Our very cores connect to one another in the same bloodline. They act like links in a chain. When one core is lost, the chain breaks. The rest will stay connected but the link that’s missing will always leave a gap, one that can never be bridged.”

  Neriah’s voice held such pain, such heartbreak, that Aaron couldn’t look at him. He lowered his head, studying the ground as he walked. They headed deeper into the forest. Tall trees with thick branches were blocking out most of the sun, draping everything in shadow. Aaron followed close behind Neriah, but his thoughts went to his dad, thinking about him and about the brother he lost, the four-year-old son he felt die. They were two ‘links’ that had been severed from his bloodline chain. The only two Aaron knew about. He realised there must be more – many more. His grandparents, for example. Aunts, uncles, cousins, anyone in his dad’s family that died left a break in the Adams family chain.

  A pressure closed down on Aaron’s heart, making him breathless. His dad had been through so much. It was no wonder he was fighting so fiercely to protect him. The feeling of guilt was fast becoming unbearable. Aaron turned to look at his dad again.

  Something crossed Aaron’s mind.

  “Neriah?” he called, looking around at the Elemental by his side.

  “Yes.”

  Aaron faltered, before pushing on. “Do you have family?”

  Neriah almost stopped in his tracks. Then he pushed onwards but didn’t answer for several long minu
tes. “Only Ella,” he finally replied.

  Aaron had guessed as much. He remembered talking with Ella, the day he had found out that the demon Hadrian had actually been a mage once. He recalled Ella telling him the story of The Mage Who Fell – how Hadrian had given up his purity to become a hybrid, a vamage. It was when she spoke about Neriah that Aaron had asked if he was her father.

  Uncle...Maternal. The only family I have left.

  If Neriah had a wife and kids, Ella would have mentioned them.

  “You said you’re the legacy holder for Water,” Aaron started. “But if you don’t have any kids, who will your legacy go to? What if the legacy doesn’t choose Ella?”

  Neriah turned to look at Aaron and even in the limited light, Aaron could see the glint of amusement in Neriah’s eyes. “No one’s had the nerve to question me about my legacy,” he said.

  “Sorry,” Aaron said quickly.

  Neriah’s deep chuckle echoed in the woods. They continued walking in silence for long minutes before Neriah spoke.

  “I’d thought about it, once,” he confided. “I had the usual plans – marry the girl I love, have kids, set up a home.” He fell quiet, the very air around them spoke of Neriah’s remorse. “Some things are not meant to be.”

  Aaron didn’t know how to respond.

  “Our powers are our own,” Neriah said, and his voice was back to its usual strength. “No one can force us to give our powers, our legacies, away. Only through free will can our powers be given to another.” He turned his head to look at Aaron. “When the time comes, I will choose to give Ella my legacy.”

  Aaron frowned. “I thought you said the legacy chooses who to go–”

  Neriah held out a hand, halting Aaron. He had come to an abrupt stop. Aaron stood still as a chill washed over him. Behind him, he heard footsteps stop as well. Neriah’s face was in shadow, his body perfectly still. Then he cursed.

  Before Aaron knew what was happening, a hand grabbed his arm and hauled him back. He stumbled in the darkness and looked up to see his dad’s tensed and worried form next to him. Chris’s hand was curled around his arm, tight enough to make Aaron’s hand tingle in protest.