“It should be here soon,” Cyril said after checking the arrivals board behind them.
“Yeah, girl, chill!” Zag yelled out, ducking out of the way to avoid the empty coffee cup Nola chucked at him. “Yo, that’s straight up littering.” He walked off to throw the cup in the garbage.
“And that’s how you get rid of him. Good to know.” Nola chuckled and went back to reading her book.
With the exception of a few polite exchanges, the group was quiet, and Ruby couldn’t figure out if it was the fear or the exhaustion that was making them brood. Jake had been especially silent since they left the motel, though out of all them, he was the only one that had a valid reason not to speak to her. She wondered if what she said had any effect on him but one glance in his direction proved otherwise. His steel blue eyes were fixed on her. Not in a possessive manner, it was the stare of someone who is longing for the impossible. Calculating how to get his hands on it. With one flick of her wrist, Ruby swirled the coffee in the paper cup he held, making it splash all over his blazer. He jumped back from the impact, trying to wipe the stain from his clothes without success.
She muffled a chuckle into her chest just as three figures appeared in the archway.
“Guys!” Zag yelled and bolted towards them, “Finally!”
He was still chatting up Ren and Elijah when she noticed the third person standing next to them. It was hard not to notice her. This is the great fighter they brought? Ruby thought, studying the newcomer.
The girl in front of them was one of the most beautiful girls she’d ever laid eyes on. Her blonde hair was scrunched in a beach wave that would take Ruby hours to recreate, while on her, it fell in effortless locks and framed her bright blue eyes like curtains. Eyes that pierced through the room with a glance. Ruby felt herself disappear, zipping up her leather jacket as high as it would go and tucking her head into the hood of the sweatshirt beneath it. She had no idea how this girl wasn’t cold in the mini dress she was wearing and doubted the knee-high boots helped much.
Completely impractical.
Her attention shifted in Liam’s direction and she ground her teeth in an attempt not to pull herself into him. He was watching the girl just as intently, trying to figure out who she was. A little too intently for Ruby’s liking.
“Sorry for the wait folks. It’s quite the ride from our place,” Ren waved when the three of them walked over.
“Next time, we fly.” Elijah added, tugging at Ren’s jacket sleeve. “I don’t know why you thought this would be more relaxing, sweetheart.”
“Oh, don’t be such a grouch!” Ren exclaimed, planting a soft kiss on the back of his hand. It was the first real sign of sensual affection that Ruby has seen from the two and she averted her eyes, feeling as though she had interrupted a private moment.
“Ahem,” the girl cleared her throat next to them.
“Right! Sorry!” Ren hollered, “Everyone, this is Sealie.”
The girl curled a loose strand of hair with her finger and gave a slight wave with her other hand. “Nice to meet you guys!” she sang, her voice as chipper as a fairy tale princess. She took a step forward, fixing her eyes on Liam. “Fire, right?”
“Uhm, yeah.” He said reluctantly and draped his arm over Ruby’s shoulder. “How did you know.”
“You have that Fire look about you,” she winked, and Ruby resisted the urge to throw a punch. “Me too!” Sealie added, flipping her golden locks over her shoulder. Her hand lit a flame to prove it and she blew it out with a wave.
Liam nodded, trying to look less uncomfortable. “Zag tells us you’re quite the warrior.”
“Oh, goodness! What have these silly boys been telling you? I mean, I’m not terrible but I doubt I’m anywhere close to you. How can someone even compare themselves to an elder. And such a young one at that!”
It was official; Ruby hated this girl.
“Maybe you two can spar some time,” Zag offered, “Wouldn’t mind seeing Liam getting his ass kicked by one of his own.”
“I think Ruby does enough kicking to last me a lifetime,” Liam smiled and pressed himself closer to her.
She found herself smirking against her better judgment, but the disappointment evident on Sealie’s face was worth it.
“But hey, if you’re up for it, I’m always up for more practice,” he added.
Her hand dropped his as instantly as her smile vanished. It took her a moment to regain her composure. She was being petty and childish, and it needed to stop. They had much bigger problems to deal with than her jealousy. He doesn’t mean it like that. Relax. She let her shoulders drop and picked up her backpack. “Have Ren and Elijah briefed you on what’s going on?”
“Oh, yes! Seems like you all have quite the situation on your hands!” Sealie chirped.
“We all.” Ruby corrected her quietly.
“Of course. Yes, of course. But don’t worry, between all of us, I’m sure we can handle it!”
The cheerfulness was starting to bother her. From the corner of her eye she could see Nola was just as annoyed and was already dragging her suitcase to the exit.
“I guess we should head to the hotel,” Ruby motioned to Nola’s disappearing figure with her head. “We can catch up more there. Zag did you get the list of Elementals?” She lowered her voice. She was so used to being discreet that even though they were the only people in the station with the exception of the ticket teller, she still felt the need to keep her voice down.
“Sure did! I have it in my bag. You wanna see it?”
“It’s okay. We can all look at it when we get to the hotel.”
“Perfect!” Sealie cheered, “I don’t know about you guys, but I am itching to get out of these clothes!”
Ruby rolled her eyes. Less clothes seemed to be the least of Sealie’s problems. Pushing the thought out of her head she followed Nola outside.
She glanced back only once, telling herself that it was to check on the group but knowing full well that she was only looking for Liam. Waiting for him to rush behind her.
The palms of her hands almost melted the suitcase handle when she saw that he was still chatting with Ren and Sealie, and she quickened her stride for a faster escape.
Well, you wanted a normal relationship. This is it. Congrats.
Chapter 35
Every single one I passed
Clothes laid in piles on the floor of the hotel’s bathroom while Ruby tried to find something to change into– though she was mostly tossing her belongings from her suitcase onto whatever empty space there was around her. She picked up a dress, eyeing it carefully before throwing it on top of a pair of jeans behind her. Why did she even pack a dress? This wasn’t a vacation.
“Rue? I’m gonna grab a snack from downstairs! You want anything?” Liam yelled.
“Sure. Yeah. Whatever.” She mumbled, pushing the door closed with her foot.
She was still upset. Meeting Sealie and her unbearable flirtation with Liam left her feeling inadequate. Up until now, Liam’s attention had been unwavering and her very limited experience with men left her unprepared for the jealousy she was currently feeling. Not just jealousy, raging anger towards Sealie. She needed to get a handle on it before she blew up on someone who was risking their life to help them. Flirting or not, Sealie came to help them and she needed to accept that. Liam loved her and she had to trust him. But first, she had to get her things off the floor.
The high-pitched creaking of the door sounded outside, and she grabbed a handful of clothes in her arms to tidy up.
“Oh, hey, Leah!” she stopped in her tracks, realizing Liam was still in the room. “You looking for Rue?” There was a mumble of words behind the door followed by light footsteps. “Babe! Leah’s here!”
Ruby waited until she heard him walk away before venturing out of the bathroom.
“Hey!” she yelled out to Leah who was awkwardly picking at her nails in the doorway, “You wanna come in?”
“Uhm, yeah, sure.”
“What? That? Just trying to pick an outfit. All good. What’s going on?” Ruby tried to sound as nonchalant as she could, hoping her poor acting skills were enough to convince Leah she was alright and not the mess of nerves she actually was.
“Nothing. Actually no. Something. I guess. I don’t know.”
“Seriously, what’s going on?” she gestured towards the bed in hopes that Leah would sit down. She didn’t.
“It’s probably nothing.”
“If it was nothing, you wouldn’t be here. So, spill. What’s up?”
Leah bit her lip before blowing a lock of fiery hair from her eyes. “I’ve been practicing.”
“Practicing what?” she was growing impatient with the back and forth. As much as she loved Leah, she wished the girl could be more open and frank with her thoughts.
“The animals. My connection to them.”
“You have? That’s great, Leah!”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool, I guess. After we talked, I called Myriam and she emailed me a bunch of excerpts that could help.”
“Did they?”
“Sort of. There was a lot to go through, and I kind of got bored,” she pulled the hem of her blouse, “and just kind of went for it. Figured the best way to nail this whole animal communication thing was to actually do it. And–” her voice cut off like she wasn’t sure she should keep speaking.
Ruby tried to read her expression. Was she scared of telling her or just plain scared?
“They’re afraid,” Leah finally said.
“Who’s afraid? The animals here?”
“Yep. Like all of them. Every single one I passed on the street was scared. Not like the way they are back home when something bad is about to happen. The ones here are terrified.”
“And you think it’s because of Demas?”
“What else could it be? I’m sure they’re picking up the energy from him and the deities. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
Ruby felt awful for asking Leah to even attempt this. She was so much more sensitive than the others and tapping into massive fear such as this was likely to break something in her. She never should have asked her to do this. “Are you okay?” she asked, knowing full well that there was nothing she could do if the answer was no.
“Uhm, just shaken up, I think. It was a lot.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I wanted to help.”
“At least we know we’re in the right spot,” she smiled.
There was a tap at the door, a few quick knocks followed by the twisting of the handle. “You guys good?” Liam poked his head through the door, “We need to get going.”
“Where?” Leah asked, tilting her head sideways.
“They found bodies. It’s all over the news.” He said and walked past them to turn on the television. “We’re too late. Again.”
Chapter 36
Zag and his map
A photo of the couple that was found dead in their small, rural home flashed on the screen and Ruby shivered before looking away. They looked so much like her and Liam. The same age, similar features, even the way they were posed holding each other resembled their behavior. She was hoping no one else was making the same connection. One look at Liam told her he was oblivious to the hint the murder left. Only she seemed to understand that this was a direct warning. If they didn’t back off, they were next.
“Waters,” Zag said from the corner of his mouth. “Died in their sleep.”
“That’s what the cops think happened?” Liam asked.
“Yep. Fools. Who just stops breathing in their sleep?” He shook his head as if insulted by the thought.
“They were suffocated?” she asked.
“Nah, girl. They literally stopped breathing. Like by choice.”
“Wait, what? You’re telling me they went to sleep and then decided to just hold their breath until they died? Both of them?”
“Uh huh. Newscaster said something about clenched jaws and whatever.”
“Well, maybe it’s not Demas then. Could be a coincidence.”
The video suddenly paused. In a brief moment, Ray was standing in front of the television holding the phone they were using to stream the news. “Oh, it’s him alright!” She hollered, pointing at the screen towards the floor of the crime scene. “See that? Ash.”
Ruby squinted her eyes and leaned closer to the screen.
“Nyx did that. They’re here. The ash proves it.” Ray said.
“That and the animals,” Leah whispered from the corner of the room.
Zag’s attention shifted to her abruptly. “What animals?”
“What? Nothing. Not important,” she brushed him off, her cheeks looking wind swept. “Assuming you know where these two were found?”
“Dude, do you even need to ask? Of course, I know! I already had them tracked on our way here.”
How could they let this happen again? They knew who Demas was after. Why did she let them go to the hotel in the first place? They should have gone straight to the couple’s home as soon as the train touched down in Coalfell. If she wasn’t so busy with her foolish jealousy, they could have gotten there in time to save them. Or at least to warn them. This was all her fault. Demas may have killed them, but she was the reason they were dead.
“I guess we should head over there?” Liam asked.
“We’re not going,” she said, her voice booming through the silence in the room. “It’s a waste of time.”
“But what if–” he started to ask but stopped, meeting her eyes instead.
She knew exactly what he was wondering. What if there’s another note? She didn’t care anymore. She was done playing this game with Demas. If he had anything he wanted to say to her, he’d better do it to her face.
There was another light knock at the door.
“I’ll get it!” Liam yelled, already halfway to the front.
She didn’t need to turn around to see who came in Sealie’s sugary voice carried through the room, making Ruby roll her eyes when it reached her. White knuckled, she kept her eyes fixed on the screen. “Zag, were you able to figure out where the portals might be?”
“We did!” Zag pulled a crumpled map from his back pocket and shot a smile in Ray’s direction before flattening it out in front of Ruby. “The red marks here,” he pointed at the scribbles across the map, “are where the plane is closest to us. At least from what Ray remembers,” he threw another grin in the AetherBorn’s direction and Ruby almost upchucked her coffee.
“That’s a lot of places. All of these could be used to portal through?” she asked.
“Basically,” Ray shrugged.
“So, he could be going anywhere next,” she said, her face contorting.
“Not exactly,” Zag smirked. “See these blue lines? That’s where the Elementals we know of live.”
“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down too much. It looks like at least, what? Twenty or so places they could be in? Maybe there’s a pattern in the type of Elementals he’s after?” She tried to recall the details of the last three murders. “Liam, what do you think?” she asked but there was no answer.
Her eyes turned to the door; a bowling ball dropped in her gut as she watched Liam lean his arm above him against the door frame while Sealie giggled at something he said. Her nostrils flared at the sight. Sealie let out another laugh, and this time her hand reached over to touch Liam on the shoulder. Within seconds, Ruby was on her heels and storming towards them. Was this actually happening? Now, in the middle of everything?
“You two have got to be kidding me!” she shouted, her fists dark with plasma at her side. “We are all busting our butts trying to figure this out, and the two of you are over here giggling like fools. That’s great!”
“Rue, we’re just talking.”
“Is it about Demas? Abou
t our impending doom? Because if it’s about anything else you’re wasting my time! You’re wasting all of our time!” She pushed a fist into the doorframe, the force of the plasma fueled hit shattering a small part of the wood. Sealie jumped back but Liam held his ground, his eyes trained on her, beckoning her to calm down.
She pushed her way through them, not bothering to say another word and ran down the hallway to the elevator. She could hear Liam call for her which only made her run faster. Let them figure it out for themselves. He betrayed her. She needed him more than ever right now, and he would rather flirt with some Fire from Dalhurst than help. She needed to get some air, to get out of the hotel that was making her feel caged in an impossible situation.
The elevator doors slowly closed in front of her, and she waited until the numbers started flashing their descent before letting her eyes flood with tears as she collapsed on the floor.
“Rue?” Jake’s voice sounded grim behind her.
She wiped the tears from her eyes quickly, trying to hide the evidence of her breakdown before turning to face him. He was only a few feet away from her, his blonde hair tousled by the wind and slightly wet from the stray drops of water the fountain expunged. She had sat on the ledge of the fountain in the hotel driveway for quite some time, hoping the sounds of its waters would drown out her hysterical tears.
“Oh. Hey. What are you doing here?” She asked, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.
“Came out to clear my head. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Everything’s fine,” she tucked her fists into her jacket pocket.
“Come on, stop bullshitting me. I’ve known you my whole life, remember? I know when you’re upset. Spill it.”
Jake sat down next to her, his hands floating awkwardly above his thighs. It was as if he was trying to decide whether to hug her or not. He stayed that way for a few moments before choosing to cross his arms instead. “So, what happened?” he asked again.
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