by Aspose
Gale inhaled slowly. “It sounds lovely…but we have company. They would feel left out,” she improvised. She wasn’t going into a muddle of strange, touchy-feely wind elementals without backup.
“Bring them!” Ether suggested happily. “We’ll wait here.”
“Oh. Okay.” Gale wouldn’t say she fled, but she did back warily away before speeding off. Her heart pounded as if she was being chased, and she did bare her teeth at her bodyguards as they reached the palace. She had to grit them to prevent nervous chattering as she stormed into the throne room. She ignored the curious glances of the others and glared at Nitro. “A word?”
He rose, mildly concerned as he followed her to the side of the room. “What happened?”
She took a deep breath to cool her unreasoning temper. “Your bodyguards are useless! I was practically mugged by a bunch of girlie winds.”
He blinked. “Mugged?”
“They were blowing through my hair and fingers!”
He relaxed. “Oh. Where are they now?”
“They’re outside now, waiting for me to bring my ‘friends’ to visit the wind city, which I did not know about.”
“Hm. A moment.” He left her pacing as he conferred with the bodyguards. When he returned, he was very calm. He took her hand and led her to the others, ignoring her demand to know what was going on.
Still holding her hand, he addressed the group. “My lady has been invited to visit the Celestial City. It’s only a short distance away, and she would very much like you ladies to join her. Of course, you would be accompanied by your husbands, if they like.”
Gale widened her eyes and squeezed his hand in protest. He placed it on his arm and covered it with his so she couldn’t escape. “It will be good for you,” he said firmly. “I’ll be there for moral support.”
“I would love to go,” Cara spoke up.
“When do we leave?” Alicia wanted to know.
“For a short time only,” Raze replied to Kira’s inquisitive glance. “I don’t want you exposed to the cold much longer.” His gaze dropped to her stomach, his expression tender.
She smiled shyly and twined their fingers. “Okay.”
Great. It was a party, Gale thought rebelliously. She knew she was nervous, and she did like the idea of reinforcements, but she would have preferred time to bolster her courage.
Nitro sent a message to the waiting girls that they’d meet them at the city and opened a portal to the city gates. He escorted his stiff wife through and paused so she could drink in the gated metropolis. The entire structure appeared constructed of pale green crystal, and the walls shimmered with the colors of the aurora: blue, purple, green and pink.
With Nitro and the other elementals there, the girls were slightly less exuberant. Oh, they swirled politely around Gale, who flinched, but kept their greeting to the non-wind elementals to light touches of the hand. They understood that other elementals had different boundaries, but they clearly thought Gale was one of them. From her expression, she was about to lash out in self-defense, and he didn’t want her introduction to society to begin on a sour note.
He drew Gale protectively closer, his gender and married status causing the ladies to give him more space. That and they clearly feared his reputation. “Gently, ladies,” he admonished. “My wife was raised among earth elementals and is unused to our customs. She needs time to adjust to our friendly ways.” The story would be useful, would give her time to adapt. He had confidence the rumor would spread quickly.
Gale’s eyes narrowed. She clearly didn’t enjoy being left out of his plan.
Icy made big eyes, clearly astonished. “Oh! I had no idea. You were an orphan?” She frowned, probably wondering why Gale’s “foster parents” had never tried to find an air elemental home for her. It was almost unheard of for a child to be raised isolated from their own kind. It led to difficult social integration later on.
“Hm. We thank you for your understanding,” Nitro said firmly. “Shall we see the city?”
The interesting thing about air elemental women was, unlike human society, even rivals held hands or linked arms as they walked. Not touching was only practiced when one feared others.
After an awkward moment of the ladies wondering what to do about Gale, the one called Ether stepped forward and firmly linked arms with her. She had an almost militant, motherly air about her as she patted Gale’s hand. “Relax, my lady. We won’t let anything happen to you. You’ll like the city. We know all the best shops.”
Gale gradually relaxed…a little. Her former human friends helped by clustering around her as they walked the glass streets, ogling shamelessly. Apparently this city was new for them, too.
It had been a long time since Nitro had seen the city, and he enjoyed the towering, rainbow-hued frost flowers and cottony bushes. Vines with delicate white flowers climbed the frost flower stalks and twined up the buildings. Gale’s friends trailed their fingers over the smooth walls and smiled as the air elementals told them about this carved arch or that spire. It was a very old city and rich with history, and Gale was seeing it for the very first time.
A warm feeling settled in his chest and he brushed at it absently. Of course he was fond of her. She was in his care and he was sentimental. It was to be expected.
The tourist shops fascinated her. Much to the city girls’ surprise, Gale and her friends marveled at the delicate musical wind chimes and trinkets. He saw indulgence mirrored on the other husbands’ faces as they watched their wives exclaim over the toys.
“This one plays a full symphony!” Kira said excitedly, showing Raze.
“Look! It shows a picture of whatever you think about inside,” Alicia shoved a glasslike bubble at Surge. “Look!”
He smirked and took the ball, then showed it to his wife. She glanced at it and swatted his arm.
“Pervert,” she said fondly, rescuing the glass. “Did you see this, Cara?”
Gale’s attention was diverted to the pet shop next door. She tilted her head curiously as she examined the glass butterflies in the window. He followed her, watching her study the animals, realizing it was all new to her. Snow foxes curled in nests of bush wool, the fuzzy stuff from the bushes outside. White wind ravens perched on stands, watching the shop with a keen eye. There was even a batch of exotic ghost bobcats. Gale stopped in front of them and watched one of the blue eyed cuties yawn. Faint mist rose from her skin, and he stroked her back soothingly. She’d had a pet, hadn’t she? A cat?
She looked away and took a deep breath. “I miss my cat. Mom and dad have her now, but…”
He slipped an arm around her waist and nuzzled behind her ear comfortingly. “Would you like a kitten?” He’d love to get her a kit if it would make her smile. He was a wolf lover himself, but he could adapt.
She cleared her throat. “How do you even keep pets?”
“Remember the wolf winds?”
“Sure, but…oh. These are similar?”
“They are.”
She explored the shop, but returned to the kittens. She stared at them, biting her lip in indecision.
Nitro caught the shopkeeper’s eye and nodded. Gale protested weakly, but she left with the kitten in her arms. Nitro made arrangements for food, toys and sundries to be delivered to the palace and watched with satisfaction as Gale’s friends cooed over the new pet. He felt like he’d done something right.
“Smart,” Raze said, watching the ladies. “He’ll grow into an excellent protector, one she’ll be happy to take everywhere.”
“She doesn’t realize how intelligent his kind is, does she?” Tremor inquired. “She may not realize how to communicate with him.”
Nitro was startled that he hadn’t thought of that before. Had he ever seen her communicate with the wolf winds? No wonder she’d never bonded with them! He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Will I ever stop assuming she knows these things?”
“No, but it keeps things lively.” Surge grinned. “One day at a time, m
an.”
The kitten meowed and suddenly pounced, climbing onto Gale’s shoulder. She winced at his claws and tried to get him down. “Bad kitty,” she chided as he tried to climb on her head.
Before Nitro could assist, Ether retrieved the cat with a tsk. “You must tell him telepathically,” she said, then looked at the cat meaningfully. It settled down slightly.
“Your turn,” she told Gale, and plopped the cat in her arms.
Gale looked at the cat doubtfully, then frowned in concentration. Her eyes flew wide as she exclaimed, “He wants to play!”
Ether grinned. “Well, he is a kitten. Now that you’re his companion, you must set the rules. Be kind and firm and he’ll adore you.”
“Wow,” Kira marveled. “It’s like a baby Losee.”
Raze snorted. “Don’t tell him that. But speaking of Losee, we need to leave; you’re shivering.”
Kira sighed but didn’t contradict him. “I wish we could stay for the dance.”
“Perhaps another time,” he soothed. He smiled at Gale and nodded at the others. “Until next time.” He opened a portal, and they saw a glimpse of Hawaii as the pair stepped through.
“That’s so cool,” Gale said, watching them leave. “I’ve never been to Hawaii.”
“I’ll take you to see Kira’s house sometime,” Cara offered, “but first, I’ll invite you for coffee at my place. Have you ever seen the Garden of the Gods? It’s pretty cool. Alicia lives in Hawaii, too.”
Gale looked interested. “Wow! Lucky you,” she said to Alicia. She glanced at Alicia’s ice form and smiled. “Are you cold, too?”
“Nope, I’m good,” Alicia confirmed. “Cara’s immune to the cold, too.”
“Yes, but sadly, we have other commitments,” Tremor said. “I’m afraid we have to go, too.”
Cara looked disappointed. “I’d almost forgotten. Oh, well. What are you doing Tuesday, Gale? Alicia is coming over to help plan Kira’s baby shower, and we could use your input.”
Gale winced. “As long as there are no plastic babies in the ice cubes. I almost choked on one once.”
“Don’t be silly. Kira’s a fire elemental; she doesn’t do ice.” Cara grinned and hugged her friends goodbye.
“You know what this means,” Alicia said solemnly. “We have to do twice the shopping to make up for them bailing.”
The air ladies squealed in excitement and squired them to the real shops, leaving Nitro and Surge to follow.
Surge grimaced. “That woman loves to shop. She’s taken to shopping for the Orphans’ and Widows’ Charity now. She refuses to consider offspring, yet mothers everyone in the palace.”
“Trying to secure the dynasty?” Nitro asked curiously. It wasn’t a concern for him, but he knew others felt differently.
“Yes, but she doesn’t feel our relationship is seasoned enough,” he admitted, frustrated. “I don’t think she thinks I’ll be a good father.”
Nitro shrugged. “You have time.” Elementals lived hundreds, even thousands of years. He’d been a father for a long time and quite enjoyed it. He smiled fondly at the memory of his children as babies and small children. He’d enjoyed that a great deal. He caught himself picturing Gale round with his child and quickly broke that line of thought. She wasn’t ready to consider it yet.
“True.” Surge seemed disgruntled, but he was willing to talk politics while the ladies amused themselves. He might be as temperamental as the sea, but Surge was no fool. He would be a useful ally as Nitro rebuilt his kingdom, and Gale seemed to like his wife. She needed all the socialization she could get.
Chapter 5
“I’m not sure I want to go.” Gale sat on her bed while Nitro rummaged through her closet. She petted her cat, Booker, who was snoozing on the bed.
Nitro glanced at her, rejecting another dress as too formal. “Nervous?”
“It’s stressful being around so many people. I’ve had a long day,” she admitted.
“Then we won’t stay long.” He was determined to help her adapt, and he felt a strong encouragement would help. “Why don’t you try this one?”
She sighed and took the dress to the bathroom. “Why don’t you go alone? I could turn in early.” She came out of the bathroom in a beautiful gown made of gauzy layers in shades of gold, green and purple.
“I’d like you to overcome your fear,” he said softly, helping her with her hair. He was no lady’s maid, but he could manage a simple up do.
“Does it have to be all in one day?”
“No, but I would like to dance with you at least once.” He met her gaze as checked his work, his hands gently arranging strands of hair. His hand traced her cheek. “Unless you’d prefer to stay here?” He wanted to, but knew she wasn’t ready.
She pulled away. “You’re manipulating me.”
“Yes.” There was no point in denying it. He waited to see what she’d do.
She blew out a breath. “Half an hour, then I’m out of there.”
“Agreed.” Privately he hoped she’d have so much fun she’d forget her desire to leave, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.
The city square was decorated with thousands of twinkling lights, the buildings glowing with the colors of the aurora. Some of the local gentry were in attendance and Gale was slightly more comfortable with their formal manners. There was plenty of food, but it was the bland and sweet fare air elementals preferred. She accepted a glass of blue wine simply to tie up one hand to deter enthusiastic huggers. She watched the sparkling silver stars floating from the glass whenever possible. There were too many lights, too many people, and their voices blurred together.
Nitro was in his element in the bright flurry of elementals. Clearly being with others relaxed and invigorated him; his imprisonment must have been hell.
It wasn’t his fault she found the throng overwhelming, but she did resent his pushing her to come. It would have been fine if he’d wanted to come alone.
He noticed her stiffness and gave her glass to a passing waiter. “Dancing might help.” He took her in his arms and floated above the dance floor as others were doing, leading her in a simple slow dance. “Better?”
She was aggravated enough to be candid. “Not really. This isn’t really my thing.” She felt bad when he glanced down, but he’d pushed her into a corner. “I would rather not do this again for a while.”
His eyes sparked white. “Has it been so great, this change? Are you willing to adapt at all?”
“Unfair,” she cautioned, her temper rising. His feelings were hurt, so he was lashing out? Okay, she could cut him a little slack, but if he pushed, he wouldn’t like it.
“You aren’t the only one having difficulty,” he growled. “I was in a frozen hell for centuries. I’m not willing to remain in isolation for anyone.”
“You weren’t asked to,” she said evenly.
“Yet you are my wife. Will we ever present a united front? I’m trying, but I struggle with your fear of society. She was treacherous, but at least the South Wind…”
“And there we go. You don’t get to compare me to your ex, ever. Telling me that I rank somewhere below an adulterous slut of an über-villain is low.”
“Be careful what you say. She was the mother of my children,” he warned. Dark wind swirled around him like smoke.
She backed up, uncaring that they were the center of attention. No one was dancing now. “You know what? I think that’s the trouble with you. You’ve been top dog for so long, no one dares to tell you that your crap stinks. Welcome to the real world, your majesty.” Her vision was turning white, and she suspected her eyes matched his burning gaze.
He reached for her and her power buckled inside her, breaking free. She felt him reach out to govern it and rejected him, shoving away with a surge of power. It was so powerful, it pushed her to somewhere else entirely.
THE ORACLE SAT on a padded bench in her temple, glaring at the blank wall. In over a thousand years, the Sight had never failed an oracle. Ther
e should have been a moving mural between columns of swirling galaxies. What if her power never returned? What was a seer without sight?
Her hands gripped the bench. Her people, so loyal, could turn on her. Her chief of security was devoted, but would he feel the same if she had no power? Would his reverence fade? He was powerful and ambitious, a lethal combination.
She paced, the white linen of her toga swishing angrily. She still looked like a girl of nineteen, but she worried she was aging. Few knew that her long black hair and perfect olive skin was maintained by siphoning the youth from her lovers. She felt no regret about the years she stole; she was ninety and the last of her line unless she conceived a child. Despite a veritable harem, it was one more thing she’d failed at.
Every one of her ancestors produced daughters and granddaughters who looked like them. They inherited the power when an oracle died, ruling with an iron hand…except now there were none.
The wall flickered.
The Oracle stared, her heart revving. Finally! A scene unfolded, flickering in and out of focus. She concentrated, her fist clenched as she willed it to clear. The images continued to blink, coming faster. She saw the North Wind, a powerful elemental, bleeding. His blood dripped into a cup, thick and red. She saw herself lifting the cup to her poppy-red lips…and then a child. The vision winked out and would not return, no matter how she tried.
She stopped, breathing hard. Blood of an elemental? She stroked the medallion at her throat, formed of metal stolen from three of the major elementals. Her ancestor had never managed to steal from the fourth. Was that it? Was the fourth elemental the key to power?
She summoned an air elemental, flinching when streams of smoke gathered from the four corners into the shape of a man. He had to be lying in wait to arrive that fast. How she hated men with power!
The male spoke from the smoke. “You called?”
“I have the key to giving the Northern Clans what they want. You can control the north…if you bring me the blood of the North Wind.”
