by Aspose
“You can?” she whispered, overcome. At least that was something. She sat on her bed, exhausted. Out of habit she reached for her teddy bear. The fur rippled as she touched it, but she couldn’t pick it up.
Her cat chose that moment to stir. Stretching, she hopped from the back of the couch and headed for her litter box. Unaware of Gale’s presence, Huntress groomed and jumped onto the bed, leaping through Gale to settle on the bed in a contented heap.
Gale choked, “Huntress?” Her touch ruffled the cat’s fur. Annoyed, the cat leapt on the wide windowsill to watch the planes take off.
That was it. Gale fled, instinctively taking her cloud form and flowing under the door. She had to escape.
“Easy!” Frost said as he caught her shoulders, releasing her immediately when she twisted to escape his grasp. He opened a portal to Nitro’s house and stood aside, waiting.
Gale shot through the portal, grateful to escape. She shook with grief, raging at the Fates who’d stolen her future and her family. The cold, clean air helped. She looked back as Frost emerged behind her.
He let her take a last look at her old home. “Your family will still be there,” he soothed. “You need a break.”
She looked away, and he closed the portal.
Chapter 2
Nitro was stronger. With Blossom’s help, he’d spent the hours since Gale had left reacquainting himself with his home and his library. His daughter had protested, but the massive doses of healing energy she’d infused him with made him well enough to slowly stroll. He wasn’t at his old strength yet, but it wouldn’t be long.
The long years of captivity had left him claustrophobic, so Blossom had set up a sitting room in the great hall under the stained glass. He would spend a great deal of time there talking to Blossom and reading as he recovered. The Fates had allowed his mind to wander the world while he was imprisoned to prevent madness, and his travels had given him knowledge of history and modern technology. Still, old habits die hard, and it was easier to read a book than to explore television and other modern marvels. It would take time to adjust.
Freedom was enough for now.
He set his book aside as a portal formed and Gale and Frost stepped through. He stood, concerned by her grief ravaged appearance. Frost had sent the wind to warn him, but he hadn’t expected her to be this bad. He hurried to her side and put a supportive arm around her. “Sweetheart! I’m so sorry.”
“They think I’m dead,” Gale said numbly. “I can’t tell them otherwise.”
He and Frost exchanged looks. Frost grimaced and shook his head, indicating he wasn’t able to help her manifest.
Nitro sighed. “The Fates can be cruel.”
“I want to kill them!” Gale snarled. “I want to skin them alive! How dare they do this to me? They stole my life, my family.”
There was nothing he could say while her sorrow raged, so Nitro led her to the couch and offered her a glass of nitrogen wine.
“I don’t drink when I’m angry,” Gale said tightly, but accepted a cup of vapor tea. She stared bitterly into space while curls of vapor snaked over the surface of the cup.
Nitro nodded as Frost set down a tray of snacks. Her grief was dangerous. His son had done his best to keep her healthy, but she looked dull and underfed; a new elemental needed constant nourishment, and stress would rapidly deplete her. If she wasn’t naturally drawn to the cloud mousse and bowl of gently bobbing helium spheres, he would try to coax her. Maybe she would prefer a steam soup instead? The savory vapors might settle her nerves. She’d been feeding on raw elements and a proper meal would do her good.
Gale pulled herself together and frowned at the food. She tried a brightly colored helium sphere, chewing slowly as she tried to decide if she liked the sweetness. It was hard to adjust to new food when she’d never again enjoy mac and cheese or fried chicken. How could she get through life without ice cream and chocolate? How could she celebrate Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie or Christmas without sweet potatoes and cranberries? Regret choked her, and she looked away from the food.
“Can you make me visible to my family? Frost said you could,” she appealed to Nitro. The hope was painful, but she grabbed it with both hands. It wasn’t over yet.
Nitro looked regretful. “I am not at full strength yet, sweetheart. It will be a couple of weeks until I recover enough to help you.”
“Why not just show me? You did the mind thing and taught me how to make a sleigh,” she said earnestly, leaning closer.
He smiled sadly. “If you could give a child full knowledge of how to fly a jet, would you hop into it with him for his maiden flight?”
She sat back. It took a pilot nine months to a year to learn to fly, plus countless hours in a simulator and in the air to certify. Troubled, she admitted, “No. Not without an instructor and not without flight experience.”
Nitro nodded. “There’s a great deal of difference between knowledge and experience. Learning slowly is safer, and there are so many things you don’t know about your new body. You can do far more than you’ve dreamed, and your power has the potential for great destruction if used without discretion.”
She gave him a piercing look. “Could I cause an ice age?”
His gaze flattened, and he was brutally honest. “Perhaps. Hurricanes are certainly in your power. Storm winds, tornadoes, sandstorms…the cost of your anger without control could be catastrophic.”
She breathed deeply, taking in the implications. “It’s hard to imagine, but you have no reason to lie.”
“There are other factors,” Frost added. He’d settled onto the couch across from them and was tapping his fingers on some kind of tablet device. Could it be a computer? She couldn’t tell from that angle. “This house has been abandoned for hundreds of years; no one is likely to visit. Once my father makes his presence known, he will have visitors. Some will come seeking a strong leader to rule the divided Northern clans and bring peace to the warring factions. Others will want to destroy him.”
He saw her curiosity. “Forgive me while I work and talk. I’m sending someone after your photos.”
She bit her lip as tears welled, grateful.
Nitro touched her hand in silent comfort. “Even if I should try to remain a recluse, I would be sought after. A king is not forgotten, and legends never die.”
Gale wasn’t sure what to think of that. “Do you want to be a king?”
He thought about it. “It’s what I’m called to do. It’s what my children are. I find satisfaction in governing.”
“There are headaches enough,” Frost said ruefully. “There are days I wish I could get lost for a few centuries and take a break, let the Western clans work out their own problems.” He sent his father an apologetic smile. “I get over it.”
Gale seized on the distraction; anything to take her mind off the wild grief. “Why couldn’t you? My country does things differently.”
“Not always with good results,” Frost pointed out. “Without a strong leader over the North, South, East and West, chaos and war prevail. The world suffers if elementals declare anarchy.”
“Not every monarchy is golden,” Gale insisted. She was angry, and would welcome an argument.
“Would it ease your mind to know that parliament limits our powers? We are answerable to them and the elemental council. If we abuse our power or betray our allies, the other elementals can declare war. My mother is a good example of this.”
Gale shook her head, indicating she didn’t understand the reference.
“Our mother, the South Wind, joined forces with the Oracle, a woman who wishes to wipe out our kind. She was greedy and wished to rule both the North and the South. The South Wind probably planned to betray the Oracle in the end, to claim the power they’d amassed. Instead she was defeated by the combined armies of the other elementals,” Nitro explained. “With her gone, the Northern clans are in chaos, because she’d already assumed a great deal of power and her death created a vacuum. There are a few str
ong leaders, and they will war with each other to gain control of the North.”
“Not the East or West clans,” Frost explained. “Blossom and I have them under control, and the South has a new leader establishing order. It’s mostly the Northern clans that are divided.”
Gale decided she’d had more than enough information on the clans for now. “All right. None of that will prevent you from teaching me what I need to know. What will it take to gain the power to speak to my family?” That was her bottom line. She needed to know how to contact her family, and she would do anything to make it happen. She’d survived boot camp, survival training and a nerve-wracking tech school. She refueled planes in flight, for that matter; she could handle whatever was required.
Nitro smiled. “Work with me. It will be my pleasure to teach you what you need to know.”
“When do we start?” Gale was raring to go. Her muscles tensed, ready to hop up and get to work.
Nitro gestured to the tray of food. “First you eat. You are a new elemental, and your studies will be strenuous. You need to take care of your body.”
Gale made a face, but determinedly reached for a plate. Frost got up and came back with a platter of more food; they must really expect her to tuck in. The food was light but surprisingly filling; she could barely finish her tasteless soup. While it was exotic and pretty, the meal was also bland. Apparently they’d never heard of salt and pepper, or any of the savory flavors she was used to.
It wasn’t like human food at all. Even though she couldn’t physically fit any more food in, her mind wasn’t convinced her belly was full without the familiar feeling of heaviness. She’d heard of people starving on a diet of lean rabbit while lost in the woods; was it possible to do the same on food made of air?
“Blossom prepared a room for you when you are ready,” Nitro offered. “It has the elemental version of internet, cable and a private steam room.”
“You have internet?” she asked, astonished. Wow, Blossom had some serious powers to set that up so quickly. Had she called in help? She was a queen, after all. She probably had people for that.
“We rule the airwaves,” Nitro said dryly. “While we can access human programming, I suspect there are many programs and movies you’ve never heard of. Elementals have been writing plays and creating literature at least as long as humans.” His emphasis implied that was a huge understatement, and Blossom’s giggle confirmed it.
Gale digested that news, feeling a glimmer of hope that she could at least watch movies. She could go to a theater and sit in the aisle, or even float as she watched the latest releases. It was a comforting thought.
“Feel free to wander the house and use the library. The house is yours.”
“Thank you for your generosity,” she said sincerely. “You’ve been very kind.”
“It was my pleasure,” he said with a warm smile. He rose stiffly, ignoring Frost’s aborted gesture of help. “I’ll show you to your room.”
Gale expected him to walk there, so when they rose in the air to the second balcony, she stiffened in surprise. It didn’t help that the effort clearly weakened him. She watched with concern as his nostrils flared, dragging in deep breaths without the indignity of panting. Since he didn’t seem in danger of immediate collapse, she examined the décor while he recovered, admiring the graceful arches and glass balustrade.
“This way.” Nitro walked with great concentration, his eyes on his path.
She matched his stride, counting doors until they came to the last one. He opened the door for her, so she preceded him into the room, ignoring how he gripped the handle. “Nice.”
The room was light and airy, a suite easily as large as her apartment. The bed floated, a soft, square shaped box of dense air topped with gossamer sheets and fluffy pillows in shades of green and gold. The chairs looked like wingback armchairs, but subtly molded to the body, she discovered as she tried one. A thought produced an ottoman and she laughed softly in surprise. There were a great many floaty garments in the closet, and a few that were softly quilted in rich fabrics. “Did Blossom stock the closet? That was thoughtful.”
Nitro inclined his head. “She knows the current fashions.”
Gale opened a door to what she assumed was the bathroom. There was a large glass cube instead of the shower. She went closer to inspect it. “Where does the water come out?”
Nitro leaned against the doorjamb in a semi-casual pose. “It’s a steam room. Once you close the door, heated cleansing steam comes out. It’s how we bathe.”
She silently contemplated the pearly disk set in the tiled wall, assuming that was the “on” button. “Interesting.”
“We use a similar process for cleaning clothes. I’m afraid you’ll have to wash your own until we have servants.”
She laughed. “I’m used to doing things for myself. No worries.”
He smiled faintly. “I will not ask you to cook, however. My children stocked the pantry to keep us both out of trouble.”
“You don’t cook, I take it?”
“I can, but simple dishes only. I suspect it will take a while before you learn the culinary arts of air elementals.” He moved slowly into the main room and paused with his hand on the door. “Feel free to find me if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you, for everything.” If she had to be trapped in this body, at least she had a good host.
Gale enjoyed the steam room. It was like floating in a lavender scented bath without the need to breathe. She fell asleep, enjoying the feeling of being cocooned in warmth.
When she awoke, she slipped into a comfortable silk dress. She found the remote and flipped through the channels, marveling at the interesting line up. There was even a cooking channel devoted to elemental cooking. At least that’s what she assumed they were doing, since the kitchens seemed more like labs than a chef’s domain. She watched with disbelief as a woman who looked like polished obsidian demonstrated how to cut limestone into paper thin slices for a stone sandwich. Gale's eyes widened as the woman crunched with obvious relish, followed by something called basalt balls rolled in sugar sand. As the credits rolled a sidebar showed a glowing fire guy in front of a huge open flame. The channel logo flashed, showing a cartoon chef holding a blowtorch in one hand and a kettle in the other.
“Watch the Fire and Kettle Network,” the announcer said. “See what’s hot.”
Okay. Gale grinned as her stomach grumbled. She could see this is going to be one of her favorite channels. She clicked off the TV and sought out the kitchen, thinking the elementals weren't that different from humans. In fact, she seemed to have landed around a decent bunch. Her own family couldn't have welcomed her more kindly nor done more for her. There was no way she could pay them back, but she looked forward to trying.
She was close to the kitchen when she heard voices from the dojo. Recognizing Frost and Nitro's voices, she would've stopped and said hi, but the next word stopped her cold.
“They will ask you to support their war on humans,” Frost said calmly. “Have you decided if you will back them?”
There was a long pause. “You know I have no love of humans. I'm not inclined interfere at this time.”
“Your new bride doesn't influence your decision?” Frost asked curiously.
“She has my gratitude for freeing me and I will treat her with honor. You will also notice that she is no longer human. We will behave as if she's always been one of us.”
Gale drew in a slow breath, unwilling to betray her presence. There was going to be a war on humans and he wasn't willing to stop it? Maybe he had a good reason. She thought for a moment and rejected that reasoning with growing anger.
“This spring was only the beginning. The record cold extended winter to an extra month in Fairbanks. I believe they would like to see another Ice Age. Of course, they will have to proceed slowly, since no one has your power.”
“They could if they were willing to work together. Such a thing is possible with the right leadershi
p. If they truly wish to reclaim the North, it would be simple enough to drive away the humans. Storms and mist would ground planes, avalanches could block roads and storms at sea would disrupt shipping. Alaska does not have food sufficiency, and it would only be a matter of time before the survivors were starved out. Take out the refineries and the gold mines and the economy would be in shambles. I'm sure others have already thought of these things,” Nitro said matter-of-factly.
Gale was furious. The things they were talking about would devastate her state and hurt her family. Eight months of winter had been tiresome this year, even for those who liked snow; she couldn't imagine many people would be willing to forgo summer completely. Her family’s business would be ruined and their lives put at risk. She wasn't going to allow that.
“You could prevent that,” Frost suggested. “If the other elementals object, the clans would be at war. Many lives could be lost.”
“I would need powerful motivation,” Nitro said with a grim laugh. “You will notice I'm hardly ready to step into power.”
“Not yet,” Frost agreed. “That time will come. Are you ready to begin again?”
The sound of wood striking wood began, and she assumed they were sparring. She crossed her arms and chanted her name, rank and social security number in her head until she calmed. She needed to blend in with these people until she had a good idea how to stop the coming war.
Maybe this was the real reason she'd been changed. Maybe this would be her new mission. She nodded as the idea settled; it felt good to have a purpose.
She glanced into the dojo and waved. “Hi. Just heading to the kitchen.” She made as if to go on, but stopped when Nitro called her name. She looked back in the room. “Yes?”
“Do you need assistance? Have you been shown where everything is?”
She frowned. “I thought I’d poke around until I found something.” She wasn’t eager to spend time with him, not now.
“I will assist you.” Nitro hung his staff on the wall.
