Elements (Tear of God Book 1)

by Henri, Raymond

  The darker night grew, the harder it was for Mink to select his footing. The gentle rises and falls of the foothills did make for easier passage than the terrain at higher elevations. He navigated the shadows of the landscape, wondering when one of Georra’s seven moons would clear the horizon to illuminate his way. He remembered seeing at least three of them last night when he got up to relieve himself. It could be hours until their light would aid his travel.

  BY THE time two moons had crested beyond Mink’s right to the north, he was breathing hard and caught his eyes closing too long when they blinked. He was unmistakably fighting off sleep at very high speed. He worked up the nerve to try some boost bar, wanting to see what effect would come from only one small bite.

  It tasted like rot. He almost stopped running to retch, but it went down smooth enough and almost instantly shook him awake. One more slightly larger bite of the foul, crunchy bar and he was hyper enough to sprint with reckless abandon. He doubted he could free fall faster. He might actually be able to beat a Lightning user in a race. Maybe even that rotting Blin.

  His yellow-festooned tree on the horizon beckoned, daring for him to increase his speed. He decided to see how fast he could go. The Regenerative Cells effect would kick in if he couldn’t handle it, even if he did accidentally bounce for a quarter mile or so. He broke through to a speed where it felt like he was standing still, watching the environment fly by. He checked his hubris with the reminder that hundreds of thousands of Elementalists were probably capable of traveling faster. Still, he knew he’d have no problem maintaining this speed for the rest of the night.

  In the quiet, dark hours of the morning, Mink reached the forest. Or, rather, struck his first tree. It came out of nowhere. Mink hardly had time to take inventory of his injuries as he careened off the first tree and into a couple of others like a hotshot ball. He rose carefully, shook off the pain, and laughed at himself. Judging from the position of the moons and absence of dawn over the range, he had a few hours left of this night. Still amped from his sampling of the boost bar, Mink decided to press on more carefully through the forest.

  Jumping up the final slope to the tree took less effort than running, and helped him control his path. At last, he reached his tree guide and patted it appreciatively, taking in its unique nature. The limbs, upon closer inspection, were deliberately bent to one side, probably by a Wood user’s Manipulation effect. Judging by its sun-faded and tattered look, the yellow sailcloth had been tied around it years ago. This tree had obviously been dedicated to use as a landmark for travelers in the wilderness. Having reached his first checkpoint ahead of schedule, the approaching morning opened up with possibility.

  As Mink looked out toward Octernal from atop the Great Barrier Range, he saw the tree served for travelers on both sides. Pockets of cities spread out over his country before him. Beyond them, close to the horizon and still quite far from Mink, Protallus City lay shrouded in the early morning mist and deep purples of dawn. Even with a sense of how fast he could run, it was difficult to understand how he was going to reach the Capitol in time.

  Mink allowed himself another bite of boost bar and hurried on, eager to leave the mountain and have the space to sprint again. Halfway down the mountainside, he thought one more bite would probably increase his focus on the trees. Several miles of forest still lay at the base of the mountain until he could reach the first clearing. It took the better part of the sunrise to make it through the forest.

  He wasted no time getting into a sprint once he reached the low grasses that stretched beyond him toward the first towns. At this rate, he figured he’d be in the Capitol that night. The sleepy border towns were slow, pastoral places. Squat barn domes made of octagonal panels were hunched amid flower pastures. Quaint single-level mudhouses cooled under grass thatch roofs. A stark contrast to the looming stone ramparts of the border wall that once held back oceans.

  By the time Mink reached Riverpark, there was a good chance Gyov would be awake. Even if just in passing, it would be so great to get her attention! To have her see him actually using an effect, that alone would make the trip worth taking. It looked like things were finally starting to go his way.

  It wasn’t long before he reached the hard-packed Soil of the main road connecting his city with the outer towns. Cities of Wood, stone, and glass heralded Mink’s return to civilization. Traffic got heavier the farther in he went. Wood users on their Wooden sleds, Body users either pulling carts or running solo, and Lightning users with Flash Feet cracking by on bolts of Lightning went about their daily commute. One putrid-faced Body user passed, shooting Mink a look that made him wonder if it was obvious that he wasn’t really a Body user. Or maybe he was going too slow for the guy’s liking? Mink decided he just always gave people that look.

  He took the exit toward home, trying to figure out what time it was and, therefore, the best place to find Gyov. His heart beat faster than his feet. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face. Her face! He could be standing a normal distance from her and her face would seem like it was right up next to his. Nose-to-nose almost. He was worried he might be slowing down a bit, so he took another bite of the boost bar.

  If the sun was any indication, it was probably around two of the second clock by now. Today was Grachnitok, the start of the weekend, so there wouldn’t be any school. Gyov could be one of two places: leaving home, or already at the lake park. It could get crowded at the lake park on a morning like this, and he would rather not attract much attention. Best to swing by her house first and try to catch her before she left.

  He had to slow down a bit through the neighborhoods in order to keep track of where he was, which annoyed him. He felt like he was losing precious time. Yard after yard, house after house passed by without him really recognizing any of it. Frustrated, he shot off to a main road so he could take his usual path to school. Then, from school to Dreh’s house, which is how he had found out where Gyov lived in the first place.

  He recognized the school grounds with a feeling of eureka mixed with dread. The eight-foot tall solid Wood fence blocked off, or in, as Mink perceived it, the sixty-four acre school property. Dead center of the trimmed-grass plaza sat the single-level octagonal stone building where Mink had spent most of his waking hours. He hated that he would still have to take one more class with five-year olds at the innermost elementary area, enduring yet another year of mockery for it. All grade levels studied in the same building, the grades separated into concentric circles. The nearer the students’ classes were to the outer walls, the closer they came to freedom.

  The entrance Mink had run through faced the Spirit wall of the school, just beyond the white flower garden the students used for meditations. The exit he needed would be around the right side of the school across from the Fire wall. All of the trees grew to the left beyond the Wood wall, which made his trip through the Air and Lightning sections of the yard a breeze.

  As he approached the flickering Eternal Flames and Body users’ training equipment beyond, a loud crack and bright light slammed him down with tremendous force. The pain only lasted a second, and he wasn’t damaged at all in spite of bouncing and sliding for a quarter mile. Mink lay on the ground in a daze, wondering if he had passed too close to a generator the Lightning students used for practice. He had been running for so many hours now, it felt weird to be on his back and motionless.

  “Blankey?” came Blin’s voice, the only sound Mink hated worse than his infamous nickname. “Who would have thought it was you tearing off like that?” Blin looked down at Mink and stood on his chest. “Come here, everyone! It’s Blankey! He was using Quick Legs! I think he found his Element.”

  Blin was probably thinking real hard about what he could do to Mink that would be as painful as it was embarassing. Only this time, Mink didn’t have Dreh around to cancel Blin’s effects. He did still have the Regenerative Cells effect. At least until it, and the Quick Legs effect, were canceled. If Blin was here, that meant Thoy would be close.
And Thoy was a Spirit user.

  “Unless,” Blin sneered in a low voice, “mommy’s the one who did this to you.”

  MINK STRUGGLED enough to satisfy Blin’s ego, but hesitated to break free. As a twisted benefit to a decade of bullying, Mink knew him better than Blin probably knew himself. Blin wanted to be strong, not fast. Lightning wasn’t the best Element for demonstrating strength.

  Blin spent an unhealthy amount of time dedicated to working out and picking on the only one on Georra who didn’t have an Element. To further overcompensate, he kept up an impressive training regimen in his Elemental use. Blin had a light olive skin tone, fair by even feminine standards. Everything about him, from his over-spiked macho hair to his six-buckle boots and matching jacket, screamed insecurity. Nyam’s Tunnel Vision effect brought all of these details uncomfortably close.

  Mink didn’t have time to be a punching bag today. All that boost bar had made him very antsy, too. Diverting from his course had turned out to be a huge mistake. Only a matter of time before Thoy would cancel Nyam’s effects and leave Mink not only helpless at the hands of Blin, but also incapable of completing his task of informing the High Council.

  Twisting onto his side, Mink tried to stand up in the direction of Blin’s weight bearing leg. Quick Legs sent both of them into a tumble over some yards of grass. There was no telling how much of a toll the fall took on Blin, but thanks to Regenerative Cells, Mink only got dirty. Concerned that the Soil might weaken his mother’s effects, he set his mind to avoiding going to the ground anymore.

  Mink rolled to his belly and stood up properly. He scanned the Lightning wall of the school beyond the glow of the Lightning Imbued stone pillars, to find Thoy with his unmistakable bowl-cut and big glasses, hobbling closer. He was followed by Boun, a long-haired Fire user, and some other guy wearing clothes two sizes too big. Thoy was overwieght and slow, but he only needed his sight to perform effects. Mink saw with Tunnel Vision that Thoy was chanting, although he was too far away to hear what effect he intended to use.

  The shock of being rolled wore off of Blin and he sprang to his feet, running straight for Mink as he chanted in the speed-talking manner of a Lightning user,

  “I move on a bolt of Lightning.

  It carries my feet in a flash.

  My legs control the direction.

  The Lightning goes where they so choose.

  Contained, nothing electrified.

  My foot touches to end the bolt.

  All Lightning adds to my speed.

  Hasten my movement when I point.”

  Mink couldn’t take the chance that Thoy’s chant would target him and cancel Nyam’s effects. He had to interrupt the chant before Blin could stop him with Flash Feet. He sprinted straight for Thoy, who gave out a yelp. The thundercrack of Blin’s Flash Feet came to Mink’s right just a step before he would have reached Thoy. Quickly changing direction to his left, back to the open Air section of the yard, Mink felt the wind of Blin’s arm narrowly missing a punch.

  Thoy’s chant was interrupted this time, but he would surely start over and now Mink was forced to run away from him. Blin zig-zagged enough from Mink’s left and right to disorient his sense of which side the thundercrack was coming from. Given that Blin had seven years of Flash Feet training and Mink was essentially self-taught for fourteen hours following his mother’s crash course, he was woefully outclassed. He hadn’t tried reversing direction before, but this was the perfect time to try.

  The thundercrack pattern was random, but never less than two on the left. Keeping up with Blin using Tunnel Vision would send Mink into cartwheels, so he had to rely on his hearing. Immediately after the first thundercrack to his left, Mink set the side of his foot in front of him and spun his hips to step behind. The g-force wrung his organs queasily, but they recovered before he made his next step. He caught a glimpse of Blin’s shocked expression as he darted by on his way to Thoy, who stood about fifty yards from the Enervated pillars. Mink knew he could reach him in three seconds.

  Thoy was chanting again, flanked by Boun and his friend. Blin didn’t have any trouble adjusting to Mink’s new direction, and Mink wished for a moment that his mom had thought to chase him as part of his training. Evading proved to be more difficult than chasing. Thoy stepped behind the other two for protection as he chanted, recognizing that Mink was headed back his way. Time was about as short as Blin’s temper.

  Clearly the faster runner, Blin criss-crossed in front of Mink while hitting, kicking, and generally herding him off his path to Thoy. Mink avoided Blin by keeping up his speed and randomly altering his stride and direction. After a couple of long seconds, Mink was finally a sprint-stride away from Thoy. If he zoomed past Thoy by just a few inches, he could be sure to interrupt his chant.

  Mink aimed for the side Boun stood on, since Boun being a Fire user could only strengthen the effects put on Mink. He had no idea about the new bully’s Elemental affinity. Whether Boun flinched, or Mink’s aim was off, or both, didn’t matter. Mink slammed hard into Boun before knocking Thoy flat. Sliding on his face and shoulders for several feet before he was able to get his legs down, Mink heard Thoy scream over the thundercrack of Blin’s approaching Flash Feet.

  “I have bad knees, you rotting puppet!” Thoy rolled on the ground, howling. It would be a while before he could chant again.

  Blin shot every which way in such a small area that he was able to surround Mink with a disorienting and deafening roll of thunder. Every time he tried to stand, Blin knocked him down. Looking over while he was on his back, Mink watched Thoy’s friend tend to him. This must’ve made him an Air user, which meant he couldn’t heal injuries very well, just aid in strength, energy, and pain management. Mink must have hit Thoy pretty hard to cause that much whimpering.

  Mink kept trying to stand, but not because he thought he could. He knew keeping Blin on this task would buy him a little more time to think. The stomps and kicks didn’t hurt long. Meanwhile, he kept an eye on Thoy to avoid being disoriented by the thundercracks. Boun and the other guy couldn’t Attack Mink for fear they might Attack Blin, too. Their Elements drew power from Blin’s, so anything they did would hurt Blin many times more than Mink could hope to achieve.

  Blin didn’t have to worry about hitting the other two, because his Element would only give them more strength and power. However, his Attacks would hurt Thoy. Mink needed to find a way to get to Dreh. If he was close enough to Thoy, he’d have time to catch his bearings and make a break in the direction of Dreh’s neighborhood through the fence opposite the Fire wall of the school. The Eternal Flames would light the way, if Mink could find them.

  After Blin struck Mink from Thoy’s direction, Mink used Quick Legs to scoot and roll on his side toward Thoy. He took advantage of the resulting bounce to set his feet under him. Stepping toward Thoy, Mink stopped hard against Blin. He had become slower from all the knocks to the ground after all. Blin stopped him from falling backward by grabbing his neck with one hand. Then he chanted,

  “I bring Lightning into this world.

  My power makes it manifest.

  Newly formed flowing from my palms.

  I can mold its shape with my hand.

  My Lightning provides energy.

  By my intention be defined.

  My creation ends with a fist.

  Create Lightning upon my point.”

  Mink listened helplessly and struggled to breathe as Blin chanted Charge, the Lightning Materialization effect. Blin poked the finger of his free hand right against Mink’s chest. Lightning rushed into Mink’s Body from both of Blin’s hands. Even as any damage caused healed immediately, the constant flow of electricity was unbearable. Boun and the Air user each took one of Mink’s hands, drawing greedily from the excess Lightning, and adding to their strength.

  MINK WRITHED in agony. Blin bent him backwards, trying to get him on the ground. Muscles stiffened by the electrocution and constant state of healing held Mink in an awkward arch. Boun and the Air use
r stretched out his arms and helped push him down. The pain was all Mink could think about.

  In a desperate attempt to free himself, Mink kicked Blin off of him, momentarily forgetting all about the Quick Legs effect. Both of them shot through the Air in opposite directions. It happened so fast, Mink thought it was something one of the bullies had done. Blessedly pain free, he looked back down. All eyes were on Blin.

  Tracing their line of sight, Mink found Blin flying feet first in a lower, farther arc than his own. Mink flew back-first in more of a seated position, higher but a shorter distance. He wasn’t concerned about his own landing because of the Regenerative Cells effect, but he felt compelled to judge where Blin may land. He watched as Blin, apparently oblivious, headed straight for the school’s training equipment in the Body section. Tunnel Vision gave Mink a new perspective on the Wood climbing equipment and balance challenges students used to improve their strength. The cagey forms with their protrusions and climbing bars became a matrix of bone-breaking dangers.

  Blin broke through several bars and handles before his momentum slowed. Then he flipped and spun over several more. As Mink made his own rough landing, he was certain Blin had at least a couple of broken bones. He almost felt remorse, but more so he knew Blin had done it to himself. Mink rose to his feet and saw Blin’s companions rush to help him, seemingly unconcerned with Mink at this point.

  This was the distraction he needed to get off the schoolyard. Next, he had to find the way out of Thoy’s sight and over to Dreh’s house. There was a drainage ditch that bordered the school’s property on the side of Dreh’s neighborhood. The small Wood bridge that crossed over it just beyond the fence would be his best bet. The fence could also help conceal him from Thoy if he made it in time. He traced a line from the Eternal Flames in the yard to the exterior wall of the school grounds.