Sean slid beside her as best he could while being held aloft. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. Jessica buried her head in his shoulder and leaned into him.
Though he knew they had so much more to do, and that they were exposed hovering above the Thames, Xander let her cry for a few minutes until she regained her composure. He glanced past the ruined Eye and shook his head at the rest of the burning city. Westminster Abbey and Big Ben both burned freely and brightly. With so little else around them, they were beacons of red and yellow flames, dancing over their ruined and gutted corpses.
He hated that Jessica was right, that there was so much in the world he’d never enjoy because the Fire Caste had taken it away. He felt a much brighter hatred burning for the Fire Warriors below; the callous men and women who ran through the streets, indiscriminately setting fire to anything they could find. Sammy had once tried to convince him that the Fire Warriors weren’t evil. She explained that they were just fulfilling their imperative—the same imperative that was decided between the four Elementals.
The Flame burns the world of man down to the Earth.
He knew the line so well and hated it even more. Watching the city beneath him burn, he believed Sammy less and less. The people who killed his fellow Wind Warriors were the same ones burning the cities around the world. They weren’t misguided souls. They were evil and, no matter what it took, he would find a way to stop them.
Jessica rubbed her eyes one last time, but refused to look down at the ruined Ferris wheel again. She gestured for Xander to go. “Let’s just get to the far side of the city and figure out what we’re going to do next.”
They flew on in silence. Xander continued to glance down at the passing streets, trying to imagine what London looked like before all the chaos he was witnessing. He had seen London in pictures before, and in movies, but it looked nothing like its cinematic portrayal anymore. The power was out throughout the city, leaving it blanketed even further in darkness. With the smoke blotting out the sun above, he was sure it was like living through a nightmare for anyone still there.
The city seemed to spread forever toward the horizon, but Xander could see a distinct shifting from industrialized inner city to a more residential part of the city.
Smoke still concealed most of their view of the streets below. Xander could feel an itch under his skin, like a calling to land and fight. He had never really been much of a fighter and, even after the extensive training from his aunts and uncles, he still felt uncomfortable starting fights with the Fire Warriors. Still, something was burning within him. He didn’t know if it was the sight of London in ruins, Jessica’s sadness at having part of her future taken away, or a residual effect of being the newest—and only—Water Warrior. It wouldn’t have surprised him if his new hatred and eagerness for combat stemmed from the Water Elemental. Even thousands of miles away, he was still intimidated by the aquatic woman.
A loud crack split the still air.
Xander paused, his heart racing in his chest. Though he had only heard the sound before in the movies, it was unmistakable.
A second and third rapport sounded.
“Those are gunshots,” Sean said. “Someone’s alive down there.”
“We have to help them,” Jessica said.
Xander shook his head. “What happened to us having a plan? What happened to us not being spontaneous anymore?”
“Screw that,” she said. “Someone needs our help, and there’s no way we’re leaving them to die. Now, take us down.”
Xander nodded and smiled faintly to himself. No matter how much he agreed with Jessica and Sean that it was time to plan ahead instead of running into trouble half-cocked, he already felt relieved to finally be able to do some good. Flying over the city had started to make him feel helpless and useless.
The trio hovered above the smoky cloud until they heard a fourth gunshot. Quickly, they descended until the inky soot swallowed them.
Xander coughed as they passed through the smoke cloud cover. The soot clung in the air like fog, making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of them. They were nearly on the road before he could see the yellow painted lines emerging from the smoky fog.
As they landed, their wind kicked up the ash and burning embers into the air. It enveloped them like they were in a snow globe; the sparks and ash encircled the pressurized bubble of wind around them. The flakes slowly settled again as their feet settled onto the asphalt and the bubble faded away, falling on their shoulders and settling into their hair, adding to the illusion of winter.
Jessica pulled her shirt up and over her nose and mouth in an attempt to block out the acrid smell in the air. Distant, burning fires dimly lighted the gray fog, and it added an eerie ambiance to the already dangerous situation.
“I don’t hear anything,” Sean said.
Xander nodded as he searched for the source of the gunfire. Straining as he was, he still wasn’t able to find any sign of the mysterious gunman.
“Maybe they got him already,” Jessica added morosely.
“Maybe,” Xander said, “but I’m not leaving until I find out one way or the other.”
The street they were on was abandoned. Cars sat parked on either side, but many of the windows were shattered and others were marred with burns on their paint. A few, just at the edge of Xander’s vision, looked completely burned, with only their metal frame surviving the destruction.
“We need to move,” Jessica said. “If there were any Fire Warriors around, they definitely noticed our landing. They’ll be on us…”
She trailed off as a pair of glowing eyes appeared just beyond the limit of their visibility. The red orbs glowed in the fog, hanging around Xander’s waist level. Slowly, the eyes approached the trio.
As they got closer, the illusion of eyes was shattered, and Xander could see the glowing orbs for what they were. Two flaming spheres encompassed a leather-clad Fire Warrior as he marched out of the concealing smoke. The blond-haired man’s eyes lit with a similar inner fire as he eyed the Wind Warrior. He raised his hands over his head, and the flames glowed brighter in anticipation.
With a sharp flick of his hand, Xander sent a gust of wind streaming along the road. The bellowing wind moved with such force that it left a contrail behind it as it carved through the smoke and ash.
The howling wind struck the Fire Warrior with far more force than Xander had intended. The man screamed in surprise as he was lifted from his feet and launched into the air. He rose more than a dozen feet as he flew backward and disappeared into the fog once more. Xander cringed as he heard an awkward crash as the warrior landed somewhere out of their visibility.
“Whoa,” Sean said. “That’s one way to do it.”
Xander shook his head rapidly. “I didn’t mean to hit him that hard. I didn’t realize how much stronger my abilities were now that I had the Wind Elemental’s power.”
Sean placed his hand on Xander’s shoulder. “If it were me, I would have hit him twice as hard. That’s probably why you’re the chosen one, and I’m just your plucky comic relief.”
“Hate to break up your man-love,” Jessica chided, “but if they didn’t notice us landing, they certainly noticed that display. We really need to get out of here now.”
Jessica sighed disappointedly as another Fire Warrior emerged from the smoke ahead of them. The female warrior smiled wickedly as flames consumed her arm. They flickered and elongated until they resembled a burning sword emerging from her outstretched hand. The woman took a determined step toward them.
From behind the husk of a car to the trio’s right, a dark figure slipped out of the shadows. He was on the periphery of what Xander could see and was little more than a shadow, though the silhouette of the rifle in his hands was unmistakable. The man raised the rifle and squeezed the trigger. A gunshot rang out, and a bright light flashed at the end of the barrel. The flames immediately disappeared from around the Fire Warrior’s arm. She looked at the man in s
urprise before glancing down. From a hole in her dark leather breastplate, a small stream of red blood trickled down her front. In utter disbelief, she touched the wound with a shaking hand. As she pulled her hand away, her fingertips were coated in red. With a gurgle of surprise, she dropped weakly to her knees before collapsing onto the ground in a heap.
Xander had his hands up defensively but couldn’t bring himself to use his abilities against the stranger. Though the man was clearly dangerous, he was also the first person the trio had encountered that was fighting back against the Fire Caste.
Despite his better judgment, he took a tentative step toward the man. A few steps forward brought the man out of the fringes of the smoke and made him easier to see. Unfortunately, approaching the man also alerted him to Xander’s presence. The soldier, dressed as he was in British military camouflage, spun on Xander. The butt of his rifle was still pressed firmly into the crook of his shoulder, and he pointed its dangerous barrel at Xander as he approached.
“That’s far enough,” the British soldier said.
The barrel of the rifle never wavered; unlike Xander’s hands, which shook nervously. The man had a broad nose that had clearly been broken once before and gray eyes that matched the fog around him. His dark skin glistened with a sheen of sweat that seemed to attract the falling ash. It clung to his skin and buzzed black hair.
“I don’t know who you are,” Xander said, his voice reflecting the nervousness he felt when staring down the barrel of the soldier’s rifle, “but we’re not here to hurt you. We’re on the same side.”
The man’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t reply. Instead, his gaze drifted to the end of the scope on top of his rifle, and he squeezed the trigger once again.
“What is the meaning of this?” the Fire Elemental asked in surprise at its own reflection.
The crystal blue eyes were bloodshot, rimmed with red, but didn’t bear any semblance to the smoldering, fiery eyes it normally bore. They looked practically like Sammy’s once again.
The Elemental rubbed its eyes furiously and could feel the irritation behind the eyelids. When it opened them again, a haze of smoke rolled from the sockets and the eyes were once again burning embers. It shook its head and continued staring at its reflection, assuming the eyes would once again change back to their unusual natural state.
“Freeze,” the police officer said as he reached the sidewalk.
Entranced as the Elemental was with its appearance, it hadn’t heard the human approach from behind. It turned slowly toward the man and stared at him unblinking.
The pistol in the officer’s hand wavered at the sight of the Fire Elemental. It was once again naked, the clothing having not survived the transformation into the dragon. The man’s eyes inadvertently drifted over the muscular female body, but he stepped back with a start when his gaze fell on its face.
“Put… put your hands where I can see them,” the officer said. He raised his pistol once again, pointing it at the Elemental.
The Elemental looked down at its arms, hanging by its side. “Can you not see them now?”
The rumbling voice coming from the diminutive woman startled the police officer, and he squeezed the trigger on his pistol. Three shots rang out in rapid succession.
As quickly as the bullets were fired, the Fire Elemental radiated a superheated aura. The bullets struck the edge of the aura and began melting. They turned to pools of liquid nearly a foot away from the Elemental’s skin and fell to the ground in a puddle of metal.
The police officer stared in amazement as his mind began to recognize what happened to the rounds he had just fired. His legs shook as he stared at the demonic woman. Slowly, he lowered his arm and, bending at the knees, set his pistol down on the ground. He raised his hands defensively before him and started to step off the sidewalk.
“Please don’t kill me,” he said.
The Elemental bared its teeth toward the man and raised its own hands. The air shimmered just before flames erupted and rolled over its fingertips. It looked maliciously toward the human, feeling the sense of disgust it shared for the man’s entire race. One burst of flames would erase him from the face of the planet, leaving behind a pile of ash. It focused on creating a jet of flames aimed toward the retreating human.
A fog settled over its mind as it tried to concentrate on destroying the police officer.
Like it experienced when trying to kill the humans in the building behind it, nothing happened. No flames rolled from its fingertips toward the human. The flames that had been on its hands faltered, flickered, and died away. Only smoke rolled from its ash-covered hands.
In utter disbelief, the Fire Elemental stared at its hands. It raised its infuriated gaze toward the human, as though he were to blame for its inability to create its namesake flames.
“What have you done?”
The police officer shook his head in a panic. “I didn’t do anything, I promise.” The man looked over his shoulder toward his police cruiser parked across the street.
The Elemental reached down and dug its fingers into a large slab of concrete debris, its fingers piercing the hard stone with ease. Heaving, the Elemental lifted the one-ton slab and lifted it over its head.
“What have you done?” it asked again.
It slung its arms forward and released the concrete. The police officer ducked quickly, and the stone flew over his head. Despite its weight, it flew across the street before smashing into the hood of the police car. It crushed the body and frame, driving the heavy engine into the asphalt of the road. A sad horn sounded quickly before trailing off and falling silent again.
The police officer looked at his ruined car before looking back to the Fire Elemental. His eyes fell on the numerous other pieces of concrete around the Elemental’s feet. He turned and ran down the road as quickly as his feet would allow.
The Fire Elemental barely noticed the human fleeing from it. It was still staring dumbfounded at its hands. It tried to reignite the flames that had recently consumed the air around its flesh, but nothing appeared. It was as though the Elemental had been separated from the flames, which it knew was impossible. It was the embodiment of the Earth’s fire. So long as the core of the planet burned, then the Elemental could never be deprived of its power.
It turned away from the police car and caught its reflection in the fractured glass window. Gone were the smoldering red eyes, replaced once again with the all-too-human blue irises.
“This is impossible,” it said in frustration. “What is happening?”
“I’m happening,” a woman’s voice said from nearby.
The Elemental turned sharply, trying to find the source of the voice. The street around it was abandoned—the human’s having fled after the police officer.
“Who said that?”
“I said it,” the voice said again, seemingly right behind the Elemental. “Just like I’m also the one who’s keeping you from using your powers.”
It turned again and saw a human facing it. The Elemental nearly threw a fireball toward the human before it recognized its own reflection. It slowly unclenched its fist and snarled at the image.
It took the Elemental a second to recognize that while it was snarling, the reflection wasn’t. It maintained a stoic, tight-lipped facial expression as it stared at the Fire Elemental.
The Elemental furrowed its brow and raised its hand, but the reflection did none of those things.
“Who are you?” the Elemental asked.
The reflection smiled and placed a hand on her hip. “I figured you would have been smart enough to figure it out by now. You are a big, bad Elemental, aren’t you?”
“What are you? You can’t be me.”
“Oh, I’m not you,” Sammy said. “I’m the woman whose body you stole. Now get out of my body and give it back!”
Xander clenched his eyes shut as he awaited the burst of pain that was sure to follow. He’d never been shot before but had no doubt that the pain would be excruciating.
For a long moment, he stood perfectly still, his eyes closed and his brow furrowed in concern. It was a moment longer still before he realized he wasn’t hurt.
The thought that he might be dead flittered through Xander’s mind. He couldn’t resist a frown at the irony—that he fought valiantly against the Fire Caste and tried to save the world, only to be shot dead by a human.
Someone groaned behind Xander and the noise was quickly followed by a thud of something striking the asphalt. With trepidation, he opened one eye and saw the soldier still standing in front of him, but the barrel was pointed over Xander’s shoulder. He turned slowly, and his eyes widened at the sight of another Fire Warrior’s body sprawled on the ground. A slowly spreading pool of blood crept from underneath him and began flowing toward the gutter.
Xander turned his attention back to the soldier. “You saved my life. Thank you.”
As though reminding the soldier of an unresolved threat, the barrel turned back to Xander.
Xander raised his hands defensively, trying to show the man that he was unarmed. “Whoa, same team. Same team.”
“I saw what you did to the other man,” the soldier said in his crisp British accent. “You tossed him in the air like he was nothing, all without even touching him. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t shoot you too?”
Xander swallowed hard. “Because if I had wanted to kill you, I would have done it before you pointed that gun at me. And if you had really intended to shoot me, you would have done it instead of shooting the Fire Warrior behind me.”
The soldier didn’t pull the trigger, but neither did he lower his weapon. Footsteps resounded behind Xander, and he knew that Sean and Jessica were risking approaching the odd standoff. The soldier’s gaze shifted to the two newcomers but the barrel never stopping pointing at Xander, as though the soldier could sense the real threat amongst the three.
Water Shaper (World Aflame) Page 8
