“Here,” he said, handing the book to Xander.
“How will that help?” Javier asked. “It’s just a map.”
“It gives me a starting point,” Xander explained. “When I was searching for the island before, I knew it had three volcanoes but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Now, I know exactly where to focus my search. If three volcanoes are erupting on this one island, it’s going to disrupt the water patterns around the island. It’ll send clouds of choking ash into the sky. I’ll be able to sense it and zero in on its location, since I know where to look.”
Though his body remained unmoved, his essence bled away from his physical form. He touched the water and became one with it. He skimmed atop the waves as he raced down the coast of Central America and around South America. Eventually, he pulled away from the coastline and jetted out across the ocean. The trip of thirty-five hundred kilometers passed in the span of a breath.
He could feel the island long before he reached it. The temperature of the water was scalding around its perimeter, where the lava flows intermingled with the crashing waves, ending in hissing magma as it hardened into a black crust. Xander wasn’t sure how close he dared get to the island while a part of the water, so his essence separated from the waves and dissipated into the air.
The air was choked with smoke and ash. He felt the cinders sliding through his body, burning away the oxygen around him. Xander dipped beneath the smoke belching continuously from the volcanoes and peered for the first time on Easter Island. He was surprised to see there was a fourth mount in the center of the island, something that wasn’t depicted on the map. He dipped lower, until he was nearly touching the rocky dome.
Stretching out his hand, he grazed the rocky surface. Immediately, the sensation of the Earth Elemental roared through him, knocking his incorporeal form backward. Xander released his spectral projection and raced back to his body.
He shivered as he returned and nearly slumped to the floor. Sean and Jessica caught him and helped him sit.
“I was there,” Xander said breathily. “I was on Easter Island.” He looked up at his friends and smiled. “And the Earth Elemental is there, too.”
Javier handed a few canned goods to Sean, who stuffed them into his backpack. The portly man slung the bag over his shoulder, grunting with the extra weight. Reaching out, he shook Javier’s hand.
“Thank you for this. It’ll really help out.”
“De nada,” Javier replied, glancing toward Xander. “If he can really end this, then it’ll be worth it.”
They both looked to Xander and Jessica, who stood over to the side talking to each other in low tones. They both wore smiles, making Sean even more curious about whatever they talked about.
“I hate to break up the good vibes,” Sean said loudly, “but we kind of need to get going.”
Xander glanced over and nodded. He reached out and grasped Jessica’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. They both turned and walked to Javier and Sean. As they grew nearer, the Hispanic man stepped cautiously back. Xander understood and stopped before reaching the group.
“We owe you everything, Javier,” Jessica said. “We wouldn’t even know where to go if you hadn’t helped us.”
Sean handed him back the shotgun. “I think you’ll need this more than us.”
Javier laughed as he took the weapon. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
“If you knew what we were about to go up against, you’d know why the shotgun was useless,” Sean replied dryly.
“Keep it,” Jessica added while Xander walked toward the front door. “Use it to keep this library safe. You’re the only person we’ve met that seems to be holding on to mankind’s history. That makes you unique. Just stay safe, okay?”
Xander walked outside as they finished their goodbyes. He appreciated all Javier had done, but he was having trouble connecting to yet another random stranger, even one that helped them on their way. It seemed far easier not to make personal connections. He already had enough to worry about with Sean and Jessica without being concerned about someone new. Even so, he knew there was something he could do to show his appreciation.
He kicked off from the ground and flew into the air. Most of the city was still inhabited, since the Fire Warriors hadn’t reached Trujillo yet. Even so, there was plenty of debris about, as though the city had suffered through recent looting. Landing in front of a hardware store, Xander stepped through a shattered front window. Most of the shelves had been looted, but it wasn’t hard to find what he needed.
He flew back to the library and landed, just as the others were emerging through the front door. Javier paused at the doorway nervously as Xander hovered above the gate leading to the street. He touched down on the sidewalk leading to the doorway, a heavy metal rod held in his hand.
Javier didn’t move as Xander approached. The Wind Warrior paused a few feet away from the man and held out the metal pole.
“To replace the one I broke when we got here,” Xander said. “Jessica’s right; you’re doing a good thing here. Keep yourself safe.”
“Thank you,” Javier said as he took the rod.
With a final nod, Javier closed the front door. They heard the telltale scraping of the pole being set in place.
“That was sweet of you,” Jessica said as they turned away from the library.
“I have my moments.”
Xander drew them into his summoned air pocket, and they lifted off the ground. They hurtled skyward before leveling out. With a sudden burst of speed, they left Trujillo far behind. The land shot by beneath them in a blur. Inky, black smudges lined the horizon in all directions, cities that were burning uncontrolled. Xander merely avoided flying too low, instead, keeping them above the clouds and high above the worries of those on the ground.
Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t help but think about the people still stranded below. Many were fighting for their very lives. Others, like those in Trujillo, had suffered through initial looting and vandalism and now had reached a status quo, one that entailed carrying a rifle and preparing to shoot anyone they deemed threatening. Xander thought of the mob on the cruise ship and wondered what sort of martial law they lived under, in an uneasy truce onboard the multi-leveled boat.
Not everyone was evil or totally wary of strangers. Javier had actually been incredibly helpful, once Xander had taken his shotgun away.
“It was good of the librarian to help us like he did,” Xander said. “It’s just nice to know that not everyone has become a real bastard during the apocalypse.”
Sean shook his head, something Xander could sense even without seeing his best friend. The Wind Warrior glanced over his shoulder inquisitively.
“He didn’t help us because he was a nice guy,” Sean explained.
Xander furrowed his brow but didn’t reply. He remembered the farmers in France and how they had reacted when he saved them from the Fire Warriors.
“He was scared of you,” Sean went on, as though someone had asked him to continue. “He may not have said it, but I’m sure he thought you’d kill him if he didn’t help us find Easter Island.”
Xander sighed. “I’m starting to think it’s my curse. No matter how well intended I may be, everyone’s just going to see me as another villain, won’t they?”
“Well, yeah,” Jessica said matter-of-factly. “You may save lives, but no one’s ever going to know about it. We have been living in an age where all our news came from either the television or internet. No one stands around in the back yard gossiping at the clothesline. We wouldn’t know anything was wrong if it wasn’t on Twitter or Facebook, or if your best friend hadn’t sent you a text. Except now, there are no phones to pick up and call your friends and families. There’s no electricity to watch TV. I doubt there’s even a working radio station in North America. We’ve forgotten how to spread information without a smart phone or a laptop.
“If all goes well and you defeat the Fire Elemental, no one will ever even know it was yo
u. If you fail, no one will ever know how close we came to saving the world. You’re forever going to be the silent, thankless hero.”
Xander watched his ex-girlfriend for a moment or two before replying. “That has to be one of the most depressing things I’ve ever heard.”
She smiled back at him. “You want fame? You should have been a rock star.”
The Wind Warrior turned his attention back to the horizon ahead of them, a faint smile painted on his face. The Elemental lay ahead, but he was glad to have his friends at his side.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The drumming of the Fire Elemental’s unkempt fingernails on its throne droned on monotonously. Kobal stared at the blonde woman nervously, certain he’d be the next recipient of the Elemental’s wrath.
It had returned to Los Angeles infuriated, breathing fire across the city as though its wanton destruction would satiate its anger. By the time the dragon perched once more on the penthouse’s balcony and transformed back into the naked blonde woman, the city, which had so recently been reduced to smoldering rubble, burned anew.
The Elemental let its eyes roam across the expansive room. Most of the furniture had been removed, leaving the space empty, save for the throne perched in its center. There had been expensive paintings on the walls, modern opulence. The paintings the Elemental hadn’t destroyed personally, it had had removed. Only one thing still hung on the walls, a full-length mirror, currently covered by a red silk sheet.
As a breeze blew into the room, the sheet fluttered as though something beneath it moved. The Elemental sat transfixed as it watched the billowing, silken cover.
“I have a report, Master, if you wish to hear it,” Kobal announced, breaking the stillness in the room.
The Elemental turned its attention to the burly, blond man. “I don’t wish to hear it. I know everything about the world I need to know. The Wind Warrior still lives and the Earth Elemental has stolen even my minor victory. Unless your report tells news of either of their deaths, it’s not in your best interest to continue.”
When Kobal remained silent, the Elemental waved its hand dismissively. “Leave me.”
Kobal seemed taken aback but knew better than to argue with his master, especially when it seemed so irritated. He bowed and left the room hurriedly, pulling the doors shut behind him.
“You’ve failed,” Sammy mocked. “Everything you’ve tried to do, all of your well-laid plans, all for nothing. I wouldn’t let you kill Xander and the Earth Elemental defied you. You have nothing.”
The Fire Elemental frowned, sure it had forced Sammy’s consciousness to the recesses of its mind. The fact she was back was yet another irritant. “Don’t you dare mock me. I am in no mood for you.”
The sheet billowed again in the wind. To the Elemental, it looked like a hand emerging from the concealed mirror and pressing against its covering. It shivered as though cold, though even naked, it would never feel the chill in the air.
“Can you feel it? Can you feel your empire turning to sand? I know you can. I can see it in your mind; it’s something you fear. Your great conquest of the planet has lost its momentum. Humanity is rising up against your warriors. You’re suffering defeat at every turn, if not from humans, than most definitely from Xander.”
The folds of the sheet seemed to take the shape of a face, mouth agape as it tried to push its way into the real world. The Fire Elemental scratched absently at its arm, as though soothing an itch. The marble tiles beneath its feet sizzled as the heat in the room intensified.
“Your kingdom is turning to sand, and you’re trying your best to hold onto it. But every time you close your fist tighter, more and more grains of sand are slipping through. You know where Xander is going. His only option is to go to the Earth Elemental to claim his power. If you were truly as strong as you claim to be, why not just meet him there? Why not be waiting in an ambush where you can destroy him once and for all?”
A gust of wind lifted the sheet, nearly revealing the mirror beneath. It remained in place only because Kobal had affixed it to the top of the mirror, pinning it to the wall.
“Because you know that you don’t stand a chance against the two of them together? You struggled against Xander, relying on me to save your life. If you were to face them together on two fronts, you know they’ll destroy you. Your only hope is that Xander claims the Earth’s power but isn’t mature enough to use it to defeat you. That’s a weak plan predicated on a fallacy—that Xander won’t be able to use the earth power properly against you. We both know that won’t happen. The truth is, you’re scared because you know the truth.”
The wind died suddenly, and the drapery settled back over the mirror.
“You’re going to lose.”
The Fire Elemental stormed over to the mirror and ripped the sheet from its moorings. For a moment, it was startled by what it saw. It didn’t recognize the petite blonde woman at first, despite wearing her skin. Though disheveled, the glare in her eyes was defiant and the faint smile smug. At first, the Elemental assumed it was the internal reflection of Sammy. She had moved in the mirror independent of the Elemental before. Yet after a quick appraisal, it realized the defiant glare and smug smile were actual reflections of its own face. All her taunting had been a distraction from Sammy’s real efforts. Sammy had manipulated the body without the Elemental even being aware.
The Elemental howled angrily and drove its fist through the mirror, shattering the image. Reflective shards tumbled to the marble floor, splintering further. The image reflected was cracked and broken, with entire sections missing. Though the arrogant reflection of Sammy had been smashed, it could still sense her mocking in the shards that remained.
It grasped the metal frame of the mirror and ripped it from its fasteners, tearing holes in the wall in the process. The metal screeched as it twisted in the Elemental’s powerful grip. Taking great strides, it walked onto the balcony, ignoring the mirrored fragments falling continuously from the frame as it moved. In a swift motion, the Elemental threw the mirror over the balcony. It watched as it tumbled story after story until it shattered on the asphalt far below.
Its breathing was ragged and its heart raced. The Elemental reached up and brushed its hair from its face as it tried to calm itself once more.
The mirror was destroyed with no hopes of salvaging it. It wondered, not for the first time, why it had kept the mirror at all. It had been nothing but trouble, allowing Sammy an easy avenue through which she could communicate with the dragon. The Elemental gave pause as it realized that maybe it hadn’t kept the mirror because of some sentimental reason. Maybe it had kept the mirror because Sammy had wanted it to stay. The Elemental furrowed its brow as it wondered if Sammy had been manipulating it longer than it realized.
As it turned back toward the penthouse, it realized the room was remarkably quiet. No interior monologue broke its train of thought. Its host wasn’t constantly nagging to the point of insanity. It was, for once, quiet.
Kobal entered the room quickly. “I heard a crash, Master. Are you all right?”
The Elemental smiled wickedly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been better. Be a good man and clean up this mess. I don’t want a single sliver of mirror to remain in my kingdom. Do I make myself clear?”
Kobal nodded feverishly. “Yes, Master.”
He motioned toward the Fire Warriors behind him, who rushed into the room carrying brooms.
The Fire Elemental watched them collect the shards of the shattered mirror. When it was satisfied the room was cleared of that infernal contraption, the Elemental sat on its throne and savored the silence.
“Can you still sense the island?” Sean asked as they flew over the Pacific Ocean.
Xander nodded. After knowing what he was looking for and being given a general direction by the librarian, Xander couldn’t help but sense the three erupting volcanoes. They might as well have been neon signs above a nightclub, blinking emphatically toward Easter Island.
“How much lon
ger do you think it is?” Jessica asked. “I only ask because we’ve been flying for the past three hours and we hadn’t had a lot of chances to stop and pee.”
“Just drop your pants and go,” Sean offered. “It’s not like the pee is going to stick around once you go. The ocean can handle it, I’m sure.”
“It’s not that, jerk.”
“Then what? Are you worried someone is going to see you?” Sean spread his arms wide, motioning toward the endless ocean in every direction. “No one’s going to see you.”
Jessica frowned. “Except this’ll be the one time someone does. It’s bad enough if someone looks up from a boat and sees three people flying overhead. The last thing they need is a half-naked woman giving them a golden shower.”
Sean laughed. Even Xander caught himself chuckling at the thought.
“No, babe, you’re totally right. That would be absolutely mortifying,” Sean agreed.
“It won’t be too much longer,” Xander said. He closed his eyes and sensed the island once more. It was close, relatively speaking. Five hundred miles might have once sounded like a lot when he was planning a road trip, but they were flying faster than the speed of sound, over eight hundred miles per hour by his estimation. “Can you hold it about another half hour?”
“What is the alternative?” she asked.
Xander shrugged. “Golden showers.”
“I’ll hold it.”
The half hour passed quickly. The sky on the horizon turned from blue to black, laced with streaks of angry red. The island grew as they flew closer. The smoke from the erupting volcanoes choked the air, mixing near the water with steam as the lava crashed against the cold ocean waves. Between the nearest two volcanoes, a thin strip of white, sandy beach was visible, flanked by charred trees turned white by falling ash. Xander descended as they approached until they were able to right themselves and step onto the sand.
Earth God Page 19
