She became aware then of a whisper of fear. What would happen if she didn’t get out? Would she be consumed along with everything else inside this building? The fear grew, and all of a sudden she felt her consciousness snap back into its limited, contained form.
She was trapped somewhere inside, leaping from flame to flame, trying to figure out where she was. Don’t panic, she told herself repeatedly. Keep your fire form and you’ll be fine. She raced through the blaze, but like before, she couldn’t find exterior windows.
Then she heard creaking and groaning from somewhere above her. She braced herself—her mind, if not her body—even though she knew, logically, that nothing could hurt her in this form. Pieces of brick and concrete began to fall.
And then light streamed through an opening! Ridley shifted immediately into air and soared upward. She flew away from the inferno, into the clean, rushing wind, and up between the arxium panels. She whirled higher and higher before finally spinning around and looking down. As the wind tossed her about, she managed to make out tiny figures—people the size of ants—escaping one side of the blazing building. A blazing building that couldn’t possibly be saved from the kind of fire she’d sent racing through it.
She let the wind take her then, relaxing completely until she felt herself begin to fragment. Her magic mingled with the magic in the air, and she had the strangest feeling that it was pleased with her. You’re welcome, she replied. At least, that’s what she felt.
Now she needed to find the rest of her companions. Where are they? she asked. She soared over the ruins and rubble of what used to be the suburbs of Lumina City, becoming aware of the area she needed to aim for. The wind was already taking her there, so she made no effort to direct herself. Only when she saw Dad and the others standing in the overgrown remains of a park did she feel herself snap back together.
She steered herself down the final distance, dropping amid the tall grass on bare feet and almost landing on her backside. Her hands and legs shook, and she was breathing heavily even though her body technically hadn’t done anything since the moment before she became fire. There was no headache pounding behind her eyes though, which was amazing.
“Ridley!” Dad called the moment he saw her. He rushed toward her, but her knees had already given in, depositing her on the grass.
“Oh, man,” she gasped. “Anyone else feeling insanely hungry and exhausted?”
22
“So you’re saying I shouldn’t have done it?” Ridley asked several minutes later when Dad had finished shouting about how stupid and dangerous it was for her to go back inside the base. “You’d prefer it if I’d left that building intact so the Shadow Society could continue to experiment with new ways to torture and kill elementals?”
Dad exhaled loudly. “No, Ridley, obviously that’s not what I would prefer. I just wish you’d stop putting yourself in danger.”
“Dad, you have to—” Her eyes moved to the others standing behind him. All three—including Callie, who was now awake—looked awkward, as if they’d rather not be listening to this argument. “Dad, I appreciate everything you’ve ever done for me,” Ridley continued in a low voice, attempting to keep their conversation a little more private. “But you can’t protect me forever. I can’t stay inside a bubble and not do something—the right thing—just because it’s dangerous.” She didn’t add that the magic out here had seemed pleased with what she’d done. Dad might think she was crazy. She felt a little crazy herself, just thinking about it.
Dad rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Lowering his hand, he said, “Sometimes I wish you were still a little girl who had no choice but to do whatever I said.”
One side of Ridley’s mouth curved up. “Who says I always did what you told me to do back then?”
“I suppose that’s true,” Dad answered with a laugh.
“So, are you guys done?” Malachi asked loudly. “Because we need to decide what to do now.”
Ridley walked around Dad to where Callie was sitting on a weatherworn bench surrounded by grass that reached above her knees. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked
“I think so,” Callie said. “Just feeling really weak. It’s been a long time since I had a proper meal.”
“Yeah,” Ridley said. “I’m not feeling great either.” She looked over at Dad. “Do you think … should we go back to the hotel to get our bags?”
“Absolutely not,” Dad said. “Someone could be watching the hotel. That’s a risk we don’t need to take.”
Ridley nodded, a dull ache taking form in her chest as she thought of the picture frame in her backpack. But Dad was right. It would be silly to risk going back there when someone with arxium spray or gas might be lying in wait for them. “I wonder what happened to Ember,” she said quietly.
“The cat will be fine,” Dad told her. “She’s probably spent most of her life in the wastelands.”
“Okay, so we don’t really have any choice but to go back to the city, right?” Callie asked. “We don’t want to starve out here.”
Archer was about to answer when the air gusted unnaturally fast through the park, rustling the tall grass and whipping Ridley’s hair across her face. Her chest tightened and magic rose immediately to her hands. On either side of her, Archer and Dad pulled hastily at the air.
And then five, six—no, seven—people materialized in front of them. Four women and three men. One of the men, dark haired and maybe a little younger than Dad, took a step forward. Archer and Dad immediately raised their hands higher, while Ridley got ready to grab both of them and vanish.
“Hey, it’s okay, we’re friends,” the man said. “You saw us shift out of air right?” Then, without pause, his form became water. The water fell, splashed onto the ground, then leaped up again and returned to the shape of a man. “See?” he said as he reappeared. “Elemental. Anyway, someone called for help?”
Ridley blinked. “But … wow, that was really fast.”
She looked at Archer, who said, “Yeah, I left a message yesterday afternoon. I thought you guys were days away.”
“We can move quickly when we need to,” the elemental man said. “And since the world out here is already ruined, we don’t have to worry about damaging anything with supernaturally fast wind.”
“And you knew to come right here,” Ridley said, “because of … the elements?”
He smiled at her. “Yes. All it took was a little listening. I’m Nathan, by the way.”
“Nathan, please tell me you guys brought food,” Callie said, “because some of us might pass out from hunger before we’ve all finished introducing ourselves.”
Nathan laughed and reached for a strap on his shoulder. He removed a backpack and said, “Food, medical supplies, some clothes, a few camping bits and pieces.” He looked around at his six companions. “We weren’t sure what to expect, so we threw in whatever we could think of as quickly as possible. There might even be some soap in Lara’s bag.”
Callie let out a sound that was part sigh, part moan. “I love you all already,” she said.
Nathan moved forward with a chuckle and placed his bag on the bench while everyone began introducing themselves. As Callie hovered near the bench and Nathan removed containers of food, Archer spoke with another one of the men and one of the women asked Ridley if she wanted to change out of her pajamas. “Definitely,” Ridley said with a laugh. She looked around for the nearest wall that would provide enough privacy for her to change behind, and instead caught Archer’s eye. He smiled at her, and suddenly all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and fall asleep. Later, she thought as she returned the smile.
“So, are you planning for us to get back to your community in less than a day?” Callie asked. Her voice sounded a little odd, and when Ridley looked at her, she realized Callie had half a sandwich in her mouth. Ridley almost started drooling.
“No, we can’t go that fast with those who aren’t elementals,” Nathan said. “Traveling so quic
kly requires giving ourselves over fully to the magic of the elements. Fragmenting ourselves, essentially. Those who don’t have magic within their own bodies can’t do that.”
“Oh, well that’s a relief,” Callie said as Ridley decided to investigate the food first and then change out of her pajamas. She didn’t say anything, but she was just as relieved as Callie. She had no idea now whether to expect any more headaches. “I’m still very new to this elemental magic thing,” Callie added. “Until a day or two ago, I’d never used it the way these two use it.” She gestured to Ridley and Malachi. “So I’m glad we can’t go too fast.”
“No problem,” Nathan said. “We’ll go as slow as you need to go. The point is, you’re safe now. We’ll be home soon.”
23
They reached their new home on the evening of their third day of travel. Inside what used to be a national park before the Cataclysm, the settlement was situated beside a lake at the foot of a mountain. Ridley couldn’t have imagined a more beautiful home if she’d tried. The sun had just dipped behind the mountain as they approached the collection of log cabins, and Ridley rubbed her hands up and down her arms to ward off the chill. It was definitely colder here than in Lumina City. A large bonfire had been lit a short distance away from the cabins, and several people were already gathered around it, sitting on blankets.
As Ridley and the others she’d traveled with drew nearer, two women stood and walked toward them. Nathan shouted a greeting to them, and they smiled and waved. Then the older woman came to an abrupt stop. “Maverick?” she called. Startled to hear the familiar name in this unfamiliar place, both Ridley and Dad stopped. A smile returned to the woman’s face, even wider than before. “Oh my—I can’t believe—how are you alive?” As she ran the final distance toward them, Ridley thought she saw fear flash across Dad’s face. But it must have been shock, because a moment later his expression morphed into an amazed smile. The woman—middle-aged with shoulder-length auburn hair and skin so pale it was even lighter than Ridley’s—threw her arms around Dad.
He returned the hug with a laugh, saying, “This is amazing.”
“It’s incredible,” she answered, stepping back, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I always thought you and Claudia didn’t make it.” She pulled back and smiled at Ridley. Blinking repeatedly and wiping away a stray tear that managed to escape, she asked, “And this is?”
Dad turned to Ridley. The emotions warring in his eyes hinted at some internal struggle Ridley couldn’t identify. “This … this is Ridley.”
“Ridley?” the woman repeated, staring at her. “Baby Ridley? You survived too?”
Ridley waited for one of them to say who the woman was, but the silence grew to the point at which it became awkward. “Dad?” she asked eventually, and the woman’s eyes shot toward him. “Are you, uh, going to introduce us properly?”
“Right, of course.” Dad cleared his throat and smile. “Ridley, this is Saoirse. We were good friends years ago before … well, there was that attack and we fled.” He looked at Saoirse again, his expression more serious now. “Is there anyone else? From our previous community? I never knew who survived.”
“Just the three of us,” she said. “Cam and Bria and me. Well, there might have been a few others who got away, but if so, I never heard from them again.” She looked around, pointed to the younger woman she’d been walking with—currently introducing herself to Archer, Callie and Malachi—and said to Ridley, “That’s Bria, my daughter.”
“Hey, you guys know each other?” Nathan said, walking up to Ridley, Dad and Saoirse. “That’s amazing.”
“Isn’t it?” Saoirse answered, beaming at him.
“How about we show our newbies around,” Nathan said, “and then you can catch up.”
He led them to one of the larger log cabins where he gave Ridley and Callie a room to share and directed Dad upstairs to a loft area that had been partitioned into smaller private spaces. After finding a room with a small bathtub, Ridley had a quick bath—using her own magic to fill it and a heating conjuration to warm the water—before dressing in some clean clothes from the pile someone had left on her bed. The jeans were a bit long, as were the sleeves of the hoodie, but she was happy to be wrapped in something clean and warm.
After pulling on a pair of fluffy slippers, Ridley walked outside, hoping to find Archer. Traveling in a group of twelve had given them barely any time alone over the past few days. There’d been so many people to get to know, and so many questions to ask and answer, that she and Archer had decided to wait until they reached their new home before telling Dad they were together. She remembered the way her heart had skipped a few beats at the sound of the word ‘together.’ Such a trivial thing compared to the life-and-death situations they’d found themselves in recently, and yet it made her ridiculously happy.
Music reached her ears as she neared the bonfire. Someone was beating a drum with his hands, while someone else played a percussion instrument Ridley couldn’t remember the name of. A keyboard-shaped thing with a set of wooden bars. She took in the scene and almost laughed out loud. Wasn’t this what holiday camps of the good old pre-Cataclysm days used to be like? Sitting around campfires playing musical instruments? But the music was so enticing, so hypnotic, that she found herself moving her head in time to the beat instead of laughing.
She walked closer, aware of the magic all around her. Even after several days, it was still strange to see so much of it out in the open. The blue wisps glowing here and there as people made use of basic, everyday conjurations. A smile curved Ridley’s lips as she thought of Anika, Meera’s younger sister. She was always so curious about the way things were before the Cataclysm. She would be in awe out here.
But Ridley’s smile faded as the hollow ache that always accompanied thoughts of Meera filled her chest. She couldn’t get over the guilt of not having explained things to her best friend. Of not being able to say goodbye. Thoughts of Meera then led to thoughts of Shen, and Ridley wondered yet again where he’d ended up. She’d thought he might be here, but when she’d finally worked up the courage to ask Nathan while they were traveling, he said he didn’t know of any Shen.
Walking around the side of the bonfire, Ridley finally saw Archer. He was sitting on the ground talking to Nathan, but when she waved, he rose and walked toward her. “Isn’t this all so amazing?” she asked as he stopped in front of her and reached for her hand. “It’s so beautiful, and there’s magic everywhere, and no scanner drones to worry about, and no arxium smothering everything.”
He nodded, smiling, as his fingers wove between hers. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. The soft pressure of his lips made butterflies come alive in her chest again. They beat their tiny imaginary wings, refusing to calm down even when Archer pulled back a few inches. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know this isn’t exactly a private spot, but I couldn’t wait any longer.”
Ridley smiled as she leaned her brow against his. “I have zero problem with you kissing me right now. It’s possible I might have been dreaming about it since that night in the hotel.”
“Oh really?” Archer looped his arms around her waist, pulling her a little closer and giving her a roguish smile. “Want to tell me more about those dreams?”
She laughed. “Nope. That’s not happening.” Her arms snaked up around his neck, and she rested her cheek against his chest. And for some time, she simply stood like that, appreciating his arms around her, and the dancing light of the fire, and the drumbeat resonating through her chest and sinking into her bones.
“Well, isn’t this interesting.”
Ridley started at the sound of Dad’s voice behind her. She spun to face him, heat blooming in her cheeks. “Oh, Dad, hi. Um …” Though she’d been hoping to tell him about Archer as soon as possible, she suddenly couldn’t remember any of the words she’d planned to say.
With an amused expression, Dad looked down and began quietly counting something on his fingers. “Um, what are you doing
?” Ridley asked.
“Just counting the days since you told me, with great fervor, that ‘it’s really not like that’ with Archer.” His smile stretched wider, and his eyes twinkled in the firelight. “I think it’s been less than a week?”
Ridley bit her lip as Archer moved to her side and placed an arm around her. “It’s not like that, huh?”
“Okay, so maybe it was a tiny bit like that?” she said as the heat in her face intensified.
Dad laughed. “I had kind of figured that out.”
“So you’re, uh, okay with this?” Archer asked Dad, and Ridley wondered for the first time if he’d actually been worried about getting her father’s approval.
“Yes,” Dad said. “I know you’re not who the world thinks you are. Just … don’t hurt her, or I’ll be forced to bring out some conjurations you’ve never even heard of.”
“Dad,” Ridley groaned.
He laughed again. “Sorry, Riddles. As your overprotective father, I’m supposed to say things like that, right? Oh, there’s someone I haven’t greeted yet,” he added before Ridley could answer. He leaned sideways to look behind her. “Saoirse’s husband, Cam.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Ridley muttered.
“You two be good now,” Dad said as he walked past them.
Ridley covered her face with her hands and let out another groan. Archer’s hand rubbed up and down her arm. With a chuckle, he said, “You know he only said that to make you feel awkward.”
“I know. It worked.”
“Do you want to sit by the fire for a bit?”
Elemental Power Page 25
