“I want you to look upon the face of your daughter. Every day that you hang here on this wall for your betrayal, I want you to remember that I’m using this body to bring about the end of the human race. And, trust me—you’ll be hanging on this wall for weeks. I could have stripped you of your power and let you die in the heat within a day. By leaving you with your elemental powers, you don’t need much water to survive. I’ll make sure you get exactly enough sustenance to survive for a long time, dangling and wallowing in your disloyalty, thinking about the destruction of your daughter and everything you built as Lord of this clan.”
Balor shifted his eyes to the Elemental. “Go jump in a lava pit.”
The Elemental scowled. The expression was unusual for Sammy’s face, and it twisted it until it ceased to resemble the former blond. Lord Balor smiled at the illusion, since the woman in front of him no longer looked like his daughter.
“I’ll take great pleasure in your anguish and torture. And when the time comes, I’ll be here to see you die.”
Lord Balor turned his eyes away and stared at the distant, black stone wall. Frowning, the Fire Elemental drifted back down to the hard ground. The Fire Warriors that followed him everywhere bowed deeply.
“What is your wish, Master?” they asked.
“Take me to the surface,” the Fire Elemental said. “I wish to look upon the sky for the first time in millennia.”
As the Fire Warriors led the way onto the bridge and into the maze of tunnels beyond, the Elemental stole a glance backward toward the defiant Lord. The same sense of guilt washed over the Elemental, and it temporarily considered releasing the man. Frustration quickly erased the asinine consideration. It snarled and turned away, following the warriors into the pitch-black passageways.
Lord Balor watched the figure of his daughter disappear across the bridge before he dared to release the sob he was holding back. All that he had done was for naught. His daughter had been claimed by the Fire Elemental.
The Elemental walked in silence as they made their way to the surface. It had taken a host only once before claiming Sammy, and the results had been disastrous. The raw elemental power was far too great to be harnessed by a normal man or woman, even one blessed with the Elemental’s power as a Fire Warrior. The last warrior had survived less than a minute before the flames erupted from his chest, burning his body to ash and releasing the Fire Elemental back into its natural form. Sammy had been designed specifically to harbor the Elemental’s incredible power and so far, it had been a success.
The experience of living within a human frame was disconcerting. Aside from the biological issues that it hadn’t expected, the Elemental had been feeling unexpected emotions. It assumed they were artifacts of its host’s previous life—remnants of the woman’s soul it had destroyed to claim the body.
Whatever the cause, it would do all it could to crush those meager emotions. They were signs of weakness that it would not abide.
The dark tunnels began filling with light, reflecting off the slick stone walls. The closer they got to the surface, the brighter it became. As they emerged through the narrow chasm into the rock face, the Elemental raised its hand to its eyes and squinted against the brilliance. It hadn’t been above ground for thousands of years, and the glaring Southern California sunlight was blinding.
As its eyes adjusted quickly, it savored the warmth of the sunlight beating on its exposed skin. Reaching up, it removed its tunic and kicked off its boots. The Fire Warriors turned aside in embarrassment as the Fire Elemental removed its pants. It stood in its feminine nudity, exposed to the radiating heat.
The Elemental looked out across the desert. Its keen eyesight—far better than those of its warriors—could make out the towers and spires of the distant city of Los Angeles. General Kobal was correct; the earthquakes and natural disasters had ruined it. The city sat close to a number of fault lines, leaving it vulnerable to devastating quakes as more and more of the Wind Warriors were slayed. Many of the skyscrapers were sheared, leaving exposed pylons jutting into the sky like skeletal remains. Only a few of the buildings were completely intact.
The Elemental smiled wickedly at the sight of fires burning uncontrollably there. The denizens of the city knew nothing of the hell that prepared to march on them. The spotty fires within it were only a precursor to the inferno that awaited them.
Satisfied, the Elemental pulled its clothes back on and nodded to the Fire Warriors.
“Take me back to the castle. There is much to be done before we go to war.”
The Water Elemental marched from the pool. Though made of water, the spear in her hand glistened dangerously in the flickering, bioluminescent light.
Xander held his hands protectively in front of him. “Wait. We’re not here for a fight. We need your help.”
The Elemental released a hellish scream before swinging her spear in a wide arc. Xander dropped quickly to the ground as its shimmering blade passed inches above his head. Canting his head to the side, he saw Sean and Jessica frozen in disbelief at the enraged woman.
“Run,” Xander said.
His words broke through the spell that seemed to hold them in place. They turned and ran in opposite directions from the pool, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the Water Elemental.
As Xander turned his head back to the blue woman, he watched her shift her grip on her spear and drive it down toward his prone form.
He rolled quickly to the side, and the spear slammed into the sandy ground. It pierced the silt with a crash, sending sand flying into his face. Any hope he had that the weapon lacked solidity was dispelled. He kicked out quickly, hoping to knock her legs out from underneath her. As his leg struck hers, his foot passed through her calf without resistance. The water soaked into his shoe, but she didn’t seem the slightest bit unbalanced.
The kick gave Xander the chance to get his legs underneath him, and he quickly stood. The Water Elemental snarled at him as she ripped the spear from the ground and advanced on him once more.
“I don’t want to fight you,” he said as he backed down the hill, away from the pool. “We’re not whoever you think we are.”
“You humans are all alike,” the Water Elemental said. “Your promises are hollow.”
Wind began swirling around Xander’s feet, driving the sand away from him until he was standing on cleaned cobblestones. The Elemental thrust her spear forward. With a quick wave of his hand, he caused a gust of wind to knock the tip of the spear harmlessly aside.
“A Wind Warrior?” she asked incredulously. “You dare defile my home?”
The Water Elemental didn’t give Xander a chance to respond, thrusting again and again. He turned the blade aside repeatedly, though her thrusts grew closer to him with each assault.
Xander didn’t want to hurt the Water Elemental. He didn’t know how this process was supposed to go—if this entire battle was little more than a test that he had been painfully unaware of—but she seemed intent on killing him.
She thrust again and another gust of wind knocked the tip of the spear wide, passing just over his exposed shoulder. She released the spear with her backhand and the fingers flowed into a knife’s edge. Stepping toward him, she swung her hand and sliced into Xander’s shoulder.
He cried out and stumbled backward. Her hand changed back to fingers, and she grabbed the shaft of her spear for another thrust.
A rock flew through the air and slammed into the Elemental’s torso. It passed cleanly through her body before lodging itself in the sand behind her. Her body rippled as concentric rings rolled away from the impact point.
The Water Elemental and Xander both turned toward Sean, who stood near the edge of one of the ruined buildings ringing the central park. Reaching down, he picked up another rock and prepared to throw it.
“I thought I told you to run,” Xander said.
“You did,” Sean said. “But you’re also the only thing holding back the entire freaking ocean
. If she kills you, Jessica and I are going to get crushed under tons of seawater. So, if it’s all the same, I think I’ll stick around and fight.”
The Elemental glanced dangerously at Xander before hefting her spear over her shoulder like a javelin, turning her attention solely on Sean. She took a step forward and launched the spear toward him.
Xander heard the roar of the wind as a vortex lifted one of the larger stones from the rubble and launched it into the air. The stone passed between the Elemental and Sean just as the spear reached him. It splashed harmlessly on the limestone block, collapsing back into water that dripped onto the ground.
Xander felt his anger growing. When the Elemental tried to kill him, he was caught off guard. With the power of the Wind Elemental, however, he had the means to defend himself. Sean and Jessica were normal humans and were far out of their element going against the enraged woman. It was his fault they were even there, in the heart of a ruined city. He wouldn’t let them get hurt, or worse, just because they were loyal friends.
Another rock flew through the air, striking the Elemental on her back. The ripples hadn’t begun to fade when a second, and then a third rock struck her. Jessica and Sean threw handfuls of stones at her. There wasn’t a shortage of rubble around them, and they knew it would keep her distracted.
Angrily, the Water Elemental shifted her attention back and forth between the trio. Tilting her head backward, she stretched her arms out wide. Xander immediately felt a heavy weight settle over him. At first, he assumed she was attacking him directly. It took a moment to realize that the pressure was coming from the vortex keeping the ocean at bay. The Water Elemental was trying to flood the city, crushing all three of them to death.
Xander’s eyes flared white as he actively focused on reinforcing the whirlpool’s perimeter. Incredible power poured through him, and the force of the water quickly resided.
The Water Elemental’s head shot forward and she stared at him in disbelief. “That’s not possible. I will kill you and your friends for this insult.”
“I’m getting really tired of your threats,” Xander said angrily. “This ends now.”
Xander thrust his hands toward her and hurricane winds struck her liquid body. Air bubbles forced their way through her porous skin and settled within her transparent body. With a thought, he filled the bubbles with more and more air, expanding them deep within her. Her body swelled awkwardly, and she lurched backward.
With a clench of his fist, the bubbles swelled and popped. Her body exploded in a spray of water that coated Xander and all the ground around him. As quickly as it had arrived, the Wind Elemental power within him receded and he sighed with exhaustion.
The wet ground squished under Sean’s shoes as he walked up behind Xander.
“Did you just blow her up?” he asked. “I mean, you really just blew up an Elemental, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t mean to,” Xander admitted. “She threatened you guys and a got a little defensive.”
Jessica sniffled as she walked up beside him. She wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve.
“So what does this mean?” she asked. “I didn’t even know you could kill an Elemental. What happens now?”
Xander shrugged. “I know exactly as much as you guys do.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have blown her up.”
“Thank you for that,” Xander said.
“Um,” Sean said, tapping Xander on the shoulder. “I’m not entirely sure you did kill her.”
Xander looked at his feet and noticed beads of glowing blue water rolling over the sand. Droplets merged with one another before rolling toward other globules of water. When they had merged into a shallow pool, they coalesced into a woman’s lower legs.
“She’s coming back,” Sean said.
“Do something,” Jessica demanded.
“Like what?” Xander asked. “I already blew her up. What more do you want?”
Sean snapped his fingers. “Bubbles.”
Xander arched his brow as he looked at his friend. The upper legs of the Elemental began to reform. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long until the Water Elemental was complete again.
“You made bubbles when you first found out about your power,” Sean explained. “Can you make one around her?”
Xander nodded. He formed his hands into a rounded shape, with his fingertips touching. The air around the reforming Elemental shimmered. As he lifted his hands, the sloshing water and a layer of sand rose into the air and hovered just above their heads.
The water within the bubble quickly merged with the rest of the Elemental, forming a woman slightly smaller than the one they had faced moments before. The rest of her glowing water pooled beneath the bubble as though yearning to be included with the rest of the elemental form.
The Water Elemental opened her eyes, and their piercing glow stared down at Xander. Her angry visage was gone, replaced by a soft expression. A gentle smile spread across her lips.
“I yield,” she said, her voice flowing and echoing from within the bubble.
“Darn right, you do!” Sean said.
Xander didn’t know what to say to the Elemental. He hadn’t planned out a speech before they arrived and after they’d been so viciously attacked, he was at a loss for words. Part of him wanted to blast her apart again and again, to see how long it would take before she grew tired of reforming.
The Water Elemental leaned forward until her noise was pressed against the edge of the bubble. Her piercing eyes examined him, looking him up and down as he stood beneath her.
“Release me,” she said.
“Not on your life,” Sean interjected. “Or on our lives, as it were.”
She turned her attention to Sean, who quickly looked away.
“I already yielded to you. You have nothing more to fear from me.”
“Xander?” Jessica asked.
“It’s okay, guys. I don’t think she’s going to fight us anymore.”
With a wave of his hand, the shimmering bubble lowered itself back to the damp sand before it dissipated. The remaining water rushed into her, and the Water Elemental grew to her full height. She shook slightly, letting her translucent mane wave in the air as though she were floating underwater.
When her form was once again settled, she stepped calmly toward Xander. She stopped when she was only a few feet away from him and canted her head to the side, as though she were examining a curious insect.
“I sense the power of the Wind Elemental, but you’re not her.”
“No, I’m not,” Xander said. “The Wind Elemental gave me her power so I could continue the fight against the Fire Caste.”
Her eyes were cold and emotionless, but her face no longer showed the blatant animosity they’d experienced when she was first awakened.
“You’re… him. You’re the one we designed all those ages ago. You’re the one that will end the elemental cycle, are you not?”
Xander nodded, though he wasn’t sure how he felt about being “designed” by the Elementals. “Apparently I am.”
“And you believe you can stop the Fire Elemental from destroying the planet? You think you can save the world?”
“I don’t really have a choice any longer,” he said. “You all created me to harness the power of all four elements. It’s basically my destiny now.”
He stepped toward her, despite his better judgment. His shoulder still bled from the gash she gave him during their fight.
“The Wind Elemental believed in me enough to give me her power. She sent me to find both you and the Earth Elemental so you could help me as well. I’ve tried fighting the Fire Caste with just the wind, but it’s not enough. I can’t do this without you.”
Xander stared into her glowing, unblinking eyes, trying to find any semblance of humanity within her aquatic form.
“Please,” he begged. “We need your help.”
The Water Elemental turned sharply away from him and began walking back toward her pool. She loo
ked over her shoulder at the dumbfounded Xander, and he saw the frown lines at the corner of her mouth deepen.
“No,” she said flatly.
Entering back into the massive cavern that housed the Fire Warrior castle, the Fire Elemental felt a thrill of excitement. Its destiny had always been intertwined with the destruction of the world of man. After waiting impatiently for thousands upon thousands of years, it was finally coming to fruition. Looking upon Los Angeles gave the Elemental a keen sense of disgust toward the humans of the surface world. They had built great towers toward the sky as an edifice to their greed, while never considering the ramifications of their actions. The Fire Elemental was the sword of nature, the weapon that would be used with great precision to remove the head of the beast. The Elemental smirked. That wasn’t the best analogy. It did not intend to remove just the head of humanity. It would be the hammer that would shatter the body until nothing remained.
The Elemental stepped past the gaping hole in the bridge and looked affectionately toward the lava flow far below it. As it reached the far side of the bridge, it paused and looked up toward Lord Balor. The Fire Warrior escorts stopped behind the Elemental but refused to raise their eyes to the traitor.
Before a smug smile could spread across the Elemental’s face, it was struck in the chest by an unseen force. The strength of the hit knocked the wind from its lungs, and it gasped for air as the Elemental dropped to a knee. The Fire Warrior escorts rushed to its side, but it angrily shoved them away.
The pain had been exquisite but only served as a warning. The Water Elemental had been awakened. That cursed fool of a Wind Warrior had already found the next of the Elementals and even now bartered for more power with which to defeat the Fire Elemental.
The Fire Elemental threw back its head and howled in rage. Flames erupted from around its body. They shifted quickly to blindingly bright white and roared with the intensity of the sun. The lava river below bubbled and boiled in response to its anger. Magma sloshed far up the ravine walls as though it were climbing toward its master.
Water Shaper (World Aflame) Page 4
