“Are you two ready?” he asked as they finished stripping down to their summer clothes.
“Ready?” Sean asked. “Are you asking if we’re ready to fly back to London? Or are you asking if we’re ready for the three of us to take on an entire army of Fire Warriors once we get there?”
Xander smirked. “Let’s start with the first one.”
Sean shrugged. “Then sure, I’m ready to go.”
A shimmering bubble of pressurized air appeared around the trio moments before Xander started flying north. At first, the ocean rolled lazily below them, but they quickly picked up speed. Soon, the white-capped waves were passing in a blur. A thunderous boom split the air as they reached supersonic speeds. Despite the bubble suppressing most of the noise around them, the sonic boom physically shook them all.
The flight was exhilarating to Xander. No matter how alive he felt under the ocean when he was connected to the Water Elemental, the air was where he belonged. He had known the rush as a child when his family took their first airplane flight, and he was able to look down on the miniaturized world over which they flew. Now, flying by only his strength of will alone, the pleasure saturated his very being.
With a broad smile on his face, he chanced a glance over his shoulder at his friends. Sean and Jessica couldn’t have come from more different worlds. Sean and he had been best friends since they were young. Though Xander eventually outgrew the comic book fascination of his youth and Sean didn’t, it made the heavyset man that much more interesting to be around. Jessica, by contrast, was a gorgeous sorority girl. She cared about her look and reputation in all the ways Sean didn’t. Yet Xander could see the gleam in Sean’s eyes when he looked at her and knew there was more going on than what would have been readily obvious to an outside observer.
As he looked from Sean to his ex-girlfriend, Xander didn’t see the mirth on her face. The frown was practically etched on her skin; its downturned corners carved craters into her normally smooth complexion.
“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.
Though he didn’t think it was possible, her frown actually deepened.
“You may have let Sean off the hook earlier, but he wasn’t wrong. We’re three people, about to start a war with the whole Fire Caste. Please tell me you have a plan.”
“She makes a solid argument,” Sean added before Xander could respond. “You may be all Superman right now but we’re Jimmy Olsen, sidekick reporter. We’re the people that are going to get creamed while you’re being all invincible.”
Jessica sighed and shook her head. “Sean may be a tactless jerk,” Jessica said, “but he’s not completely wrong. We can’t just go flying into the city and hope for the best. We need a plan.”
Xander’s smile faded, as he suddenly felt outnumbered. “I’m working on a plan.”
Jessica reached out and gripped Xander’s ankle. She used it for leverage as she pulled herself forward, until they were flying side by side. “Don’t lie to me, Xander. We dated for a long time. You’re a spontaneous guy, and I loved that about you. But you’re not a planner. You’re more a ‘wing it and hope for the best’ sort of guy. You were the type that decided Friday during class that we should go rent a cabin on the lake for the weekend, and you’d walk out of class right then to see if there were even any cabins available. But if I asked you to plan a romantic dinner for our anniversary or Valentine’s Day, there was a good chance we were going to wind up ordering off the ninety-nine cent menu at McDonalds.”
Sean laughed from behind them. “Dude, she’s right. Remember when you planned your parent’s anniversary party? You invited their friends and then totally forgot to pick them up at the airport because you went on a date with some bimbo instead? They were pissed.”
Jessica turned sharply toward Sean. “I’m pretty sure I was that bimbo, Sean.”
Sean laughed nervously. “Awkward. Well, I’ll just stay out of the conversation for the rest of the flight then.”
“You guys aren’t wrong,” Xander said. “I suck at stuff like this. It’s one of the reasons I wanted you two with me on this… trip, or whatever we’re going to call it. You guys not only keep me grounded during all this insanity, but you’re also the brains behind this operation. Without my aunts and uncles around, it’s up to just us, and that scares the crap out of me.”
He glanced over at Jessica, and his brow furrowed with concern. “I don’t really know what I’m doing here,” he said. “I’ve been fighting this whole elemental war on a wing and a prayer. The truth is, even my successes—like finding the Wind Elemental—are more because of you, Sean, and my aunts and uncles than they are because I did something well. Tell me, Jessica. Tell me what to do now.”
Jessica looked away from him and stared down, admiring the giant waves passing quickly below them. It was disorienting and left her with a sense of vertigo, but it gave her a chance to gather her thoughts.
“All right. You’re going to do two things for me,” Jessica said. “First, you’re never going to admit that again,” she said, poking him in the chest.
“Excuse me?” he asked, surprised.
Jessica turned her attention back to him. A stern determination flashed in her eyes.
“You don’t get to doubt yourself anymore,” she said. “I’ve always believed that you don’t stress the small stuff or the stuff you can’t change. What you’re doing may not be the small stuff, but you can’t change who you’ve become. You can’t pass off your responsibility onto someone else. You can’t wonder if you’re going to succeed because there’s no one else to pick up the slack if you fail.”
Xander felt the weight of his responsibility returning.
“People believe in you, Xander. A lot of people. Sean and I are risking our lives to stay by your side because we believe in you. Your aunts and uncles gave up their powers, their entire livelihoods, because they believed in you. Elementals, that I didn’t even know existed a couple weeks ago, gave you incredible powers and tasked you to save the world because they believe in you. It’s about time you started believing in you, too.”
Xander swallowed, unsure how to respond. He still didn’t feel comfortable with the idea that he was the last line of defense between the world and its destruction.
Xander licked his dry lips as he looked at Jessica. “I’m almost afraid to ask what the second thing is.”
She placed her hand on the side of his face and gently turned his head toward her. “We need you to not be you right now. The crazy spontaneous kid was awesome when we were together, but now it’s time to do the adult thing for a while. We need a plan. We’ll help you as best we can, but everything hinges on you. So wrack that crazy brain of yours for a plan, so we don’t go flying into the middle of a few thousand Fire Warriors with nothing but my arsenal of smarmy comments and a list of profanity that would make you blush.”
Xander smiled despite the stress he felt. He was forever grateful to have his friends by his side. Though it sometimes seemed counterintuitive, he was incredibly happy that he had people in his life that would be brutally honest. In a time like this, it was exactly what he needed.
“So I need to come up with a plan,” he said. “Any ideas where to start?”
Jessica shrugged. “Find something worth fighting for. You have to start with a reason.”
“Sammy,” he said without hesitation. “She’s the reason I’m doing all this.”
Jessica nodded as she released her grip on him and began drifting back to her normal spot beside Sean. “Then keep in mind that rescuing her hinges on us succeeding in London. So start coming up with a plan.”
By the time the trio arrived on the southern tip of the English Isle, the humor had drained from Xander. Though they were too far away from London to sense the Fire Warriors using their elemental powers, the weight of his responsibility seemed to radiate from the city in waves.
They had flown off confident, bolstered by his acceptance of the Water Elemental’s power. Xander had brazenly
agreed to save London from its destruction at the hands of the Fire Caste and, like normal, he had rushed to the rescue without truly formulating a plan.
It wasn’t long after they began speeding over the countryside that the inky smudge on the horizon became more apparent. Like a giant pillar of darkness, the heavy smoke rose from the ruins of London, staining the sky for miles around. It rose unimpeded until it reached the perpetual cloud cover, where it then blossomed outward like a mushroom cloud.
Xander’s breath caught in his throat as they approached. Even from a distance, the city looked like it had been struck by an atomic blast. His heart sank in his chest, and he fought the urge to vomit as the weight of his task settled onto his shoulders.
“Are you seeing this crap?” Sean asked. “Dude, I’m serious. You may be all Superman, but Jessie and I are just normal people. We’re going to get killed in there.”
“Shut it, Sean,” Jessica said. “You’re not helping.”
“I wasn’t trying to help. I’m trying to stay alive.”
Jessica looked past Xander. The overly confident exterior she normally exuded faltered as she stared at the distant city.
“Please tell me you have a plan.”
Xander swallowed hard as he stared at the smoke. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he didn’t.
The dragon soared over Los Angeles. Its shadow fell over the streets below, and its wings skimmed the rooftops of the buildings. It could hear the screams of surprise from the people below as they looked up at the monster of mythology gliding overhead. The Fire Elemental let out a roar that shook the windows nearby, adding to the fear and panic in the city beneath it.
It reveled in the fear it caused. The Elemental’s draconic ears could hear every scream as the people ran both from its presence and from the Fire Warriors who stormed into the eastern part of the city. With a flick of its forked tongue, the dragon tasted the ash, smoke, and sulfur lingering in the air. The taste grew in intensity the further the line of Fire Warriors advanced into the city.
The Elemental lowered its long neck and inhaled. The air ignited the furnace deep in its chest. As it exhaled, flames bellowed from its throat and poured from its mouth. Like a wave, the fire filled the streets below. Cars melted in the inferno and glass shattered in the windows of houses. The concrete and siding of the buildings dried and cracked before shattering under the heat. Home after home collapsed in its wake as it flew deeper into the heart of Los Angeles.
Satisfied with the destruction it had caused entering the city, it twisted its reptilian neck upward again and looked toward its real prize—the tall skyline rising from the center of the city.
Los Angeles had a surprisingly narrow skyline, with all of its skyscrapers closely consolidated. Only a few of the tall buildings remained intact. Most were merely steel girders and shattered metal that stretched toward the sky.
The Fire Elemental tilted its wings and gained elevation as it raced toward the city’s center. As it reached the skyscrapers, it arched its back and swept up the broken face of the nearest building. As it reached the lattice of pylons and girders, it reached out its massive, clawed feet and grabbed the metal cage. The power of its claws bent the metal between its fingers, and the top of the building groaned under the dragon’s weight.
It turned its long neck as it scanned the cityscape. Saliva dripped from its maw. Where it struck the concrete and steel of the building, the spittle sizzled like acid. Looking down, it saw people fleeing through the streets, climbing amongst the rubble and ruined cars that lined the road. It yearned to sweep down and crush them beneath its claws, to scoop the humans up in its maw and feel their bones crunch beneath its powerful jaws. Instead, it looked over to a rounded tower that wasn’t ruined. From within its depths, it could see heat signatures of people cowering in the offices. A wicked smile stretched across its scaled face, and it launched from its precipice. Leather wings spread wide as it soared toward the whitewashed building.
Tucking in its wings, the Fire Elemental picked up speed. It didn’t so much land on the building as crashed into it. There weren’t ledges for the Elemental to hold on to. Instead, it dug all four claws into the face of the building. Glass shattered as its claws pierced long bay windows. The clawed fingers gouged long lines in the concrete between each floor as it sought purchase.
The Elemental clamped its fingers down onto a ledge and balanced itself precariously. It swished its scaled, barbed tail, which slammed into the ground beneath it. Cars scattered from the impact, rolling end over end into the street before crashing into the buildings nearby.
Within the building, people ducked behind upturned tables and behind walls at the sight of the monster. Its red scales glistened in the sun, and the heat it generated turned the carpet near its body black. Smoke rose from the furniture near the window as it threatened to burst into flames.
The Elemental lowered its head until it could look through a shattered window. Despite their cowering, he could see the shapes of their bodies by the heat they radiated. It flicked out its tongue once more. The air was filled with the taste of sweat and panic. The scent was like seasoning for the meat, whetting the Elemental’s appetite.
One of the women in the room ran toward the door, but the dragon snorted and a jet of flame struck the wall in front of her. She screamed and ran back to the rest of the group behind the heavy furniture.
The Elemental smiled to itself as it inhaled sharply. The furnace within it boiled as chemicals mixed in its gullet. The furniture would be no obstacle once it exhaled. The flames were like fluid and would pour through every nook, burning the humans to death. It savored the scent of the humans’ fear once more, as it prepared to exhale its hellfire.
It began to exhale, but it felt like there was a bubble lodged in its throat. The boiling inferno in its gut was frozen in place, unable to burst forward. It strained against the pressure, but the flames refused to pour from its maw. Rearing back, the dragon withdrew its head from the floor and tilted its head skyward. It tried to exhale again and the flames willingly poured forth, spewing into the sky and scorching the exterior of the building. It looked back toward the open floor confusedly and inhaled once more. As it tried to exhale, it found itself faced with the same inexplicable block.
Furious, it slammed its claws into the wall, shredding large chunks of concrete free from the building. The debris fell to the street below, crashing into the sidewalk. It stared at the heat signatures of the people within the building, paralyzed as they were behind the furniture, and yearned to burn them to death. Instead, it turned so that its face was pointed downward and scaled down the front of the building. As its clawed fingers encountered the street, the red scales shimmered. The claws withdrew, forming white-tipped fingernails. The scales became smooth, alabaster skin. Its mane of barbs turned into flowing blond hair. The wings slid into the porcelain skin of its back.
Looking once again like Sammy, the Fire Elemental stood up from the crouched position. A cool breeze washed over its naked form, though it was oblivious to its nudity and hardly cared about modesty. It looked around the street, noticing people staring dumbfounded at the host body.
Though it noticed a human in a blue uniform rushing toward it, the Elemental casually turned away from the street and caught its reflection in the cracked glass window of the tall, rounded building.
The Elemental’s jaw slackened as it stared at its reflection. It reached up and ran its hand across its eyes. It leaned forward, staring in wonder at the crystal blue eyes that stared back at it.
The city stretched below the trio like a black smudge. Sooty black smoke billowed from over half the buildings in the city. The air was choked with ash and, even from their height, they could feel it burning in their lungs.
The mixture of black smoke and white ash blanketed the city in a false winter. Ashes fell like snowflakes and collected along the edges of the streets like snowdrifts.
Xander flew them far above London, high enough that the
Fire Warriors below couldn’t sense his powers. The smoke was thick enough in areas that the city was lost below them. Xander turned sharply to avoid a dark pillar billowing from a row of townhouses that burned as one.
In the areas that were devoid of the obscuring smoke, Xander could see small orbs of flames dancing as Fire Warriors ignited another building. Though he couldn’t hear the explosion, he could see the flames belch from the front of the shattered storefront window as the building ignited.
Flying over the city left Xander fatigued. He wasn’t sure how much of it was mental exhaustion after seeing the wanton destruction of London and how much of it was being deprived of the rejuvenating clean air he’d come to love while flying, but his eyes watered and his muscles ached.
The air above the Thames was cleaner than that of the rest of the city. With nothing left to burn across that wide stretch of water, it offered Xander a brief refuge.
“Look at that,” Jessica said breathlessly.
Xander stopped the trio in midflight as they gawked at the scene below. The Eye of London—an enormous Ferris wheel that had once illuminated the night sky from its perch beside the river—lay shattered and partially submerged within the Thames. The metal of its base still glowed cherry red from the flames that melted its support beams. The force of its fall shattered most of the cars that had once clung around the circumference of the wheel.
Xander heard a faint sob beside him and turned toward Jessica. He was surprised to see her wiping away tears from her eyes.
“Jessica?” he asked.
She waved her hand at him, annoyed at his attention. “I’m fine. I just… I actually had it on my list to visit London some time. I wanted to ride the Eye and now it’s gone.”
She fanned her face with her hand to try to dry away the tears. “I know it’s stupid, with everything else going on. It’s just… seeing the Eye like that reminds me of all the things that are ruined now. This is just one city. There’s no telling what else I had on my bucket list that I’ll never get to do now.”
Water Shaper (World Aflame) Page 7
