AetherBlood

by Alexis N Sage

  “Well, look who finally decided to show up!” Nola yelled over the table, “We’re two drinks in already. Better catch up!” She raised her glass in the air and took a sip of whatever red concoction was filling the cup.

  Ruby tried to deny her but the AetherBorn was already ordering another round for everyone who had just come in, and she knew there was no arguing with Nola when it came to having a good time. “Where are Ren and Elena?” She asked, leaning over the table.

  “They’re by the bar,” Jake said and pointed in their direction, “Been there for a while now. My dad just went to see if they’re making their way back a minute ago. Maybe your Fire bodyguard can lend him a hand.” He let out a low cackle which she chose to ignore.

  Ruby moved her slim body from side to side trying to see them over the bobbing heads in front of her. Spying on Ren was an easy task, his shaved head gleamed under the pot lights, and the black mesh shirt he wore stood out amongst the loose tanks and board shorts like a sore thumb. When she turned to Elijah, she realized the two of them were the only ones not dressed like the rest of the locals. Elijah’s cuffed shirt and tie were something she’d be used to seeing in Cyril’s office, not at a casual dinner by the beach.

  “We don’t come out here much,” Elijah leaned over as if reading her thoughts, “Ren just thought it would be a nice change from Westerlake for all of you.”

  “Right. It is! I’m just not used to so many people.”

  “Of course. Jake filled me in a bit about your entire situation back home.”

  “Situation?”

  “The AetherBorns,” he whispered the word as if she might take offense to it, “and the center and such. Can’t be easy.”

  “Well, it’s no ocean waves and sunshine that’s for sure. But we make it work. At least we’re trying.” She looked over toward Ren and Elena again, “How’s it going? The meeting, I mean.”

  “Honestly, not that bad. A little awkward at first but for two people that haven’t seen each other in years, they’re getting along quite well.” He shifted his gaze from her to the bar, “Elena is kind of great, actually.”

  “You sound surprised?”

  “I am a little. Ren’s parents always painted her out to be some kind of monster but now that we’ve met her–”

  Ruby thought back to when she first met the mayor. She could see why Ren’s parents would not want her around their children, especially since they were against the elders and their iron fist ruling. But she had to admit that Elena has come a long way since then, adapting to the peace treaty almost immediately. Ruby couldn’t help but wonder if her eagerness to unite the houses stemmed from wanting to reconnect with her family. Whatever the reason was, she couldn’t help but agree with Elijah now. This Elena was in fact kind of great. “Now that you’ve met her, you see how awesome she is.” She completed his sentence.

  “Bingo. And Ren is almost giddy with having her here so that makes her good in my books.” He flashed a protective grin that reminded her of Liam.

  “So, how did you two meet?”

  “Me and Ren? Oh geez. It was so long ago I barely even remember. Some bar I think.” He shifted in his seat, raking his bronze fingers through his thick head of hair as he tried to recall the story. “It was probably a place like this one. Or some other crazy scene. Ren was big on the party scene back then.”

  “And you?”

  “I was getting over an ex. You know us Waters, we don’t live down a heartache easy.”

  She glanced at Jake who was having a discussion with Liam opposite them and hoped that his heartache was long gone by now. “Ren helped? With the heart I mean?”

  “Oh yes! He was a wonderful distraction! So wonderful I stuck around for another ten years,” he winked and laughed.

  “Ten years? Holy crap. That’s like–”

  “About the lifetime of some small animals actually.”

  Her drink nudged itself deep in her throat when she laughed, causing her to cough up the entire contents of her mouth onto the table. She was still trying to wipe it down when she heard a pop at the other side of the table followed by a rackety clang on the floor. She looked up to see Liam’s stool lying sideways, his hair a mess and his eyes on fire. His fists were shaking, and he would not take his gaze off Jake, who was smirking in front of him. Liam’s fists raised and she could see smoke begin to trail off him. She needed to calm him down right away or everyone in this bar was in trouble.

  “Guys! What is going on?” she ran over to him, placing her own hands over his fists and lowering them to his side. “What just happened?” Her eyes darted to Nola who only shrugged implying she was just as in the dark as the rest of them.

  “Nothing. We were just chatting, and your boy here couldn’t take a joke, I guess.” Jake said, a self-assured smile on his face.

  “What joke?”

  “It was nothing.” Liam answered quickly.

  “Clearly, it wasn’t nothing. You almost blew up in here.”

  “Rue, it was nothing. Not important. He’s a dumb kid that needs to watch his mouth but that’s all it was.”

  “Who are you calling a kid? Tough guy now that your bodyguard is here?” Jake teased.

  “Jake, cut the shit. You’re not helping.” She raised her palm in front of him in warning, “Will someone please tell me what’s going on here?”

  “Nothing is going on. We’ve been cutting this kid too much slack because of his little crush on you but he’s taking it too far. I don’t care who your dad is, next time you say anything like that again, I’ll kick your ass!” Liam was almost yelling, and it made her afraid for what he might do if she couldn’t relax the situation. What the hell did Jake say?

  She turned around to scold him for whatever foolishness he started but when her eyes locked on his she could see tears begin to drown them. Jake’s eyes were blue pools of wet when he finally spoke again. “You told him? About all of it?”

  Great. Now he was pissed at her, just what she needed at the moment. “Jake, look, it’s just–”

  “Forget it. Forget all of you.”

  He turned on his heels and started to walk towards the exit when his dad caught his shoulder, spinning him back around towards the group. Cyril lightly dragged his son back to the table, his cellphone clutched in one hand. He gestured for Elena and Ren to rejoin them with a quick wave of the arm. “We need to get back to the hotel right away. That was Harvey on the phone. Another Elemental has been killed in Sherfield.”

  Chapter 19

  Breadcrumbs

  The water swirled in the glass, picking up speed and shooting droplets on the table as Ruby moved her hand in circles over it. She has been toying with the cup for almost an hour while the lull of the train rushed by her ears, calming her senses like a meditative soundtrack. Her brain was on fire. Rushing through emotions and solutions until she felt like she was short circuiting.

  “Yo! Earth to Ruby,” Nola sang from across from her, “You gonna drink that or is it just display water?”

  She finally managed to lift her head and lift the corner of her lips, but the smile barely reached her eyes. “Sorry. Just thinking.”

  “Care to share?”

  “I’m pissed.”

  “Because of the murder?”

  “No. I mean, yes but no.”

  Nola’s face wrinkled as she stared at her, “Sorry, what?”

  “It’s just that we got no information in Dalhurst and while we were off getting wasted like a bunch of fools, someone died. An innocent Elemental that had nothing to do with this.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down. You know that’s not your fault, right? And we don’t know when she was killed so let’s not play the blame game here. We’re allowed to take a night off.”

  “No, we’re not! People are dying. We don’t get nights off until we catch that son of a bitch and put an end to it!” She bellowed, her fists slamming against the train seat. “This girl was almost our age. She was probably just some student and he butc
hered her. For what? We still have no clue!”

  “Look, I’m going to say this one time only and I really need you to listen. You’re spinning. You’re taking this way too personally and it’s going to screw you over.”

  Ruby raised her legs and crossed them beneath her, rocking a little from side to side to shift her weight. “How should I take this then if not personally?”

  “Like a leader. There’s no point wallowing in self-pity right now. You need to get ahead of him, and if there’s one thing I learned from the years I spent with Demas is that everything means something. You’re saying you didn’t find anything last time? Bullshit. You got a note from him. Then there’s the ash.”

  “There was literally nothing in the note that mattered.”

  “You sure about that? He wouldn’t write it if every single word didn’t mean something.”

  “I went through it a million times already!”

  “So, go through it again,” Nola leaned in, “everything means something.”

  “What about this kill? What did she mean?”

  “Maybe it wasn’t about her at all. Have you even considered that?”

  “Well, we know it was Demas. She was an Earth and then there was the ash again. But why cut her? Cyril’s guy on the force said there were almost twenty cuts all over her body. Sam’s body had nothing on it. It was like he just fell asleep and didn’t wake up.”

  “Yeah, but Sam’s family was looking for him, right?”

  “Uh huh–” Ruby nodded, trying to follow Nola’s reasoning. She could see her mind going through every scenario and was grateful to have another opinion since she was getting nowhere herself.

  “And this girl was some student that wasn’t even from Sherfield.”

  “Yeah, and?”

  “So, if he didn’t draw attention to killing her, she might not even have been found. No cuts, no news. And if there’s no news–”

  “Then we wouldn’t know about it.” Ruby added, “he’s leaving breadcrumbs.”

  “Ding! Ding! Ding!” Nola sang.

  She sank deeper into the seat and let the rumble of the train hitting the tracks settle her into a more comfortable position. “That’s actually a pretty good point.”

  “I know. I’m not just a pretty face. Kind of brilliant here!”

  “Okay, let’s get over ourselves a bit, huh?”

  “Hey, I’m not the one sitting around powering up water jugs like some emo magician!”

  “I get it, alright. Geez.”

  “Just sayin’, don’t be lame.” Nola smiled and dipped her finger into the glass, “We need you.” She said and flicked drops of water at Ruby’s face.

  “Oh, you’re in for it now!” Ruby yelled, grabbing the glass from her hand. She got up from the seat, ready to pounce on Nola when the ceiling speakers hissed, and an automated voice vibrated through the train car.

  “Next stop: Sherfield! Please make sure you have all your belongings before exiting the train. Thank you for riding Union Rail and have a great day!”

  Their gaze met when the speakers settled back into silence.

  “Here we go again,” Nola rolled her eyes and got up, reaching for her bag in the compartment above the seats.

  “Hey, Nola?” She said before grabbing her own luggage.

  “What’s up?”

  “I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “Yeah, me too. Even though you are kind of a pain in the ass sometimes.” Nola laughed and shoved her down on the seat before running out the door. “Better get your act together for this one, princess!”

  Ruby watched her disappear down the hall, her white hair bobbing like a water buoy.

  Easier said than done.

  Chapter 20

  Sherfield

  They waited until the crowd of people getting off the train was mostly gone before making their way down the Sherfield railway platform to the exit. Even though they were still inside, Ruby could already feel the cold air seeping into her bones. She couldn’t believe what a change a two day’s ride north could make and eagerly zipped up her leather jacket, wishing she had packed a warmer coat for this trip. Unlike Dalhurst, Sherfield was a freezer almost all year round with the exception of a few weeks deep into the summer when the sun managed to defrost the barren lands. Her hands turned blue as soon as they exited the train station, and the cold air hit her face like a sucker punch in a boxing match.

  “I think the van is just around the corner!” Cyril beckoned, tucking his jacket collar up to warm his face. Despite not wanting to be petty, she was glad that he was suffering alongside her.

  Liam unzipped his coat and slipped one side of it over her shoulder, the heat off his chest warming her instantly as she buried herself in his body. The perks of having a Fire boyfriend and the mobile furnace he offered. She couldn’t wait to get into their room and take full advantage of his burning flesh. Luckily, there were no five-star accommodations in town, and they were staying in a small motel that suited Ruby much better. She didn’t need the added pressure of feeling out of place on top of everything they already had to deal with.

  Everyone in their group shivered as they galloped down the street to the pickup point Cyril had arranged for them. Everyone except Elena who had managed to change into appropriate attire on the train and was casually strolling behind them in a red, down puffer with a fur lining and a massive hood. She looked like a drop of blood against the blank landscape of Sherfield.

  “Remind me again why we couldn’t just fly in?” Elena asked, her eyes casting an indifferent gaze towards Ruby.

  She didn’t bother answering but simply lifted up her pant leg slightly to let the silver of the dagger’s hilt catch the light. No one was letting them on a plane with a weapon.

  “Right,” Elena nodded, not entirely satisfied with her answer.

  They turned the corner and spotted the black van parked across the street, awaiting their arrival. The sign in front read ‘Okenos’ and Cyril eagerly waved to the driver who looked like he had been asleep for the last few hours.

  Ruby’s face turned white when she caught sight of the van.

  There, in the middle of aSherfield street, leaning against their rented van stood Ray. Her purple locks hung in pieces around her face, framing its paleness. She looked up when she heard them turn the corner, her eyes beading under her bangs as she smirked. “About time you showed up. I’m freakin’ freezing out here!”

  Ruby dropped her suitcase to the ground and pushed herself away from Liam. She ran across the street, her hands palming together as she got closer. Fire burst between them. It anchored itself to her fingers. Swallowing the anger in her and turning it into a weapon. She was going to burn this girl down where she stood.

  Her steps were faster now, running in Ray’s direction. Ready to strike her. Ready to kill her if needed. Her hands shifted to fists, each one holding a ball of fire. She was almost in front of Ray when an arm reached around from behind, clutching her waist and pulling her away. Heat warmed her back. Not her own, someone else’s. Liam’s. “Not here,” he whispered in her ear and continued to hold her steady, “too many eyes.” He nudged her ear with his nose, and she turned in the direction of his eyes to a row of taxis lining the street.

  Goddammit!

  “Jake, can you grab Dominik and make sure she doesn’t go anywhere?” Liam asked, pointing his free hand at Ray.

  To Ruby’s surprise, Jake didn’t bother shooting back a sarcastic remark but motioned for the tall knight to join him. The shock of seeing Ray in Sherfield overpowered any other emotions they had before. Jake and the knight walked carefully over until they were on either side of Ray, each grasping one of her arms.

  “No, thanks boys. I’m not really looking to date right now.” She mocked, but their hold only strengthened.

  “You’re coming with us. Now get in the van.” Ruby said and rested a cold glare on Ray’s face.

  “Well, obviously. That’s why I came here.”

  Ray rolle
d her eyes and shook the knight’s hold off her, climbing into the van and plopping herself comfortably on one of the seats. She lifted one of her legs and rested her boot against the seat back in front of her, tossing a cat-like grin in Ruby’s direction. Before climbing in behind her, Ruby reached down and pulled the dagger out of the holster, pressing the tip into the back of Ray’s neck. If she had to spend a van ride with a traitor, she was going to make sure it wasn’t a comfortable one.

  Chapter 21

  You’re going to kill her

  Ray was flush against the hotel room wall, her hands outstretched on either side and held in place by ropes of black plasma. The room had quickly filled with the smell of burning flesh as the plasma ate its way through her wrists. Her purple hair was plastered in patches across her sweaty face, and she was breathing faster than an Olympic runner.

  “Let me go! I’m trying to help you!” she screamed but Ruby did not budge.

  Instead, she buried her feet into the floor and shot two more plasmic ropes to wrap around Ray’s ankles. The hit was instantaneous, making Ray yelp out in pain as the plasma penetrated her skin. “You think I’m going to believe you? You think any of us will believe you?” She yelled, tightening her fist and twisting it as it pulled out the air from Ray’s lungs. Her breaths were desperate now, shallow and full of begging. “Tell me where he is!”

  “I–” Ray tried to speak but could not get the words out, “I–”

  Ruby let go of the hold on her lungs, “Speak.”

  “I don’t know. I’m here to help you. Are you actually that big of an idiot?” Ray shouted.

  “Wrong answer,” Ruby said and twisted her fist once again, feeling her power intensify as she grabbed hold of Ray’s lungs.