by Toni Cox
Elemental Rising
Toni Cox
Copyright © 2016 Toni Cox
Copyright © 2016 Toni Cox - Maps
Cover design by Fire Quill Design
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the written permission of the author constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are all used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locales or persons living or dead, are coincidental.
Contents
Also By Toni Cox
Acknowledgments
The Olden Paths Of Shadow Hall
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Glossary of Names
About the Author
Also By Toni Cox
The Elemental Trilogy
Elemental Rising
Elemental Betrayal
Forbidden Elemental
The Elemental Short Stories
On Fire
Midnight Tales
Jasmine In Love
Luke
Resilient
Acknowledgments
Elemental Rising was a journey I could not have gone on by myself. It was a team effort and some people in particular deserve special mention.
Joshua Cox, for being my biggest critic and his vivid imagination.
Inge Kuhn, for proof-reading the manuscript and her (much appreciated) constructive criticism.
Darren Cox, for all his patience even when I worked long into the night or over weekends and for his editorial services.
This second edition would also not be what it is today without the support of Ashleigh Giannoccaro, Sian Claven, Deborah Du Plooy, Poppet and all the wonderful Indie Authors who I have come to meet over the past year. Thank you.
For my father
The Olden Paths Of Shadow Hall
1 - The Axis
2 - Lofty Run
3 - The Median
4 - Lower Walk
5 - The Oval
6 - The Garland
7 - Traveller’s Way
8 - The Ascent
9 - Hallows Entrance
10 - The Steep
11 - Sky Pass
12 - Warrior’s Walk
13 - Legion Crossing
14 - Lake View
15 - Amberath Path
16 - The Slope
17 - The Royal Steps
18 - The Treads
19 - Hasty Rung
20 - Ivy Tunnel
21 - Annoll’s Path
22 - The Extension
23 - The Span
24 - Lover’s Lane
25 - Fleeting Steps
26 - The Ladder
27 - The Fall
28 - Urudal Steps
29 - Oaken Stairway
30 - Dark Rise
31 - Embril Steps
32 - Leafy Stairway
33 - Alandir Steps
34 - Forest Steps
35 - The Notch
36 - Aberath lane
37 - Fern Steps
38 - Altar Steps
39 - Conemar Bridge
40 - The Light
41 - Allsteps
42 - Sleepy Stairs
43 - Mossy Stairs
44 - Stone Bridge
45 - The Rocks
46 - Zigzag Lane
47 - Romance Cove
48 - Winding Lope
49 - The Circle
50 - Rosy Steps
51 - Lily Lane
52 - Wisdom Steps
53 - The Spiral
54 - Kemir’s Bridge
55 - Red Steps
56 - The Arrow
57 - The Spoke
58 - Short Flight
59 - Winding Stairway
60 - Narrow Lift
61 - Morgen Stairs
62 - The Up
63 - The Climb
64 - Maple Stairs
65 - The Round
66 - Pebble Way
67 - Birken Way
68 - Shadow Walk
69 - Armoury Alley
70 - Archery Lane
71 - Rocky Place
72 - Oaken Drift
73 - Hollow Hill
74 - Cedar Path
75 - The Rise
76 - Evergreen Hill
77 - The Blind Trail
78 - Badger’s Place
79 - Linden Way
80 - Blackwood Drop
81 - Tunnel Way
82 - Stony Lane
83 - The Elder Gate
84 - The Worker’s Lanes
Prologue
The air was thin at this altitude, but her lungs were used to it. It was thrilling to fly so close to the sun. She rose a little higher, beating her wings faster and faster as the resistance dwindled. Then, once the air could not sustain her any longer, she folded her wings and dove towards the ground. Wind stung her eyes as she raced downwards. She whooped with joy, but the sound was snatched away by the wind before she could hear it.
About a mile from the ground, she spread her wings and levelled out. The forest below was just a green blur as she sped past and the mountains in the north were still too far away for her to notice. She focused instead on the many lakes that dotted the land below like so many diamonds sparkling in the sun.
She made a turn, circled one of the lakes below, and then carried on towards the north. The sheer speed at which she travelled, took her breath away, but that too she loved. She covered miles in an instant, but it felt like she was flying for eternity. Nothing could ever compare to the thrill of swooping low, brushing the treetops, nor the peace and tranquillity of gliding above the clouds, warmed by the closeness of the sun. She felt whole, at peace with the world. She had everything she ever desired right here, right now. This was where she truly belonged.
As she made her way north, she slowly became aware of another presence. She craned her neck to see behind and above her, but saw no one. The strange feeling of unease intensified, until she eventually realised the other presence was in her mind. She fought her panic as it started to probe her consciousness.
It felt immense and dangerous. Alien, yet strangely familiar. It showed her images of strange creatures, twisted and tortured. Faces of people, hurt and confused. Death and pain everywhere she looked. She fought the presence, to evict it from her mind, but as she struggled, she realised it was not her that was invaded, but rather that she was the one invading another. The realisation hit her like something physical and with it came an unpleasant tingling in her body. She was overcome by a sudden, terrible weakness. She beat the wings she knew were not hers, but they no longer listened to her command. Wind rushed past her face as she lost altitude. The tingling in her body intensified, until it was almost unbearable.
Her vision dimmed and her head pounded. She tried to suppress the nausea she felt as she fell, but bile rose to her throat, burning. Faster and faster she plummeted, driving the air out of her lungs. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. The ground rushed cl
oser and closer, the moment of impact only a heartbeat away. In her panic, she milled her arms, trying desperately to keep herself airborne, but she kept falling and falling, faster and faster. Then she hit the ground … and ceased to exist.
Chapter 1
Aaron stretched. He had not slept this well in years. He thought that he should be feeling angry, but he felt strangely elated and looked forward to the day. Pulling on his suit and shoes, he wished he had something clean to wear and then climbed out of his tent. As he opened the strings that held the opening together, he marvelled again at the softness of the fabric. He had never seen the like before.
The air outside was crisp and clear, the grass a little damp with early morning dew and the campsite was a bustle. Horses were being groomed, tents folded and stashed away, and everyone seemed to be busy with something. He noticed his kids were not up yet, so found a place to sit around the now extinguished fire. Someone wished him a good morning and brought him a cup of tea. He nodded his thanks to the stranger and took the cup gratefully. As he sipped the strange tasting, although pleasant, liquid, he thought about the last three days. It was hard to believe that so much could have happened in such a short time.
Thursday had been one of the toughest days in his entire life. Lisa had called him, and the kids, to her sickbed. She had told them all how much she loved them and then said it was her time to go away. The kids had cried. They had known it was coming, but one could never prepare for such a thing. Aaron had resigned himself to the fact that his wife would die and there was nothing he could do about it. Lisa had been diagnosed with cancer about three years ago.
The doctors had been hopeful. Over the last fifty years or so, there had been such advances in medicine that there were now few illnesses the doctors could not cure. Lisa first went through Chemo, twice. Then she had several operations, which failed. They tried every drug on the market to suppress the cancer, so that she could lead a normal life. None of the treatments had worked and she steadily became worse. Her pronouncement had therefore not surprised him, but it had not made it any easier to handle.
Then, on Friday morning, he had woken up to the sound of the vintage Mercedes starting in the garage below. It was a relic from the days when there were still roads through the countryside, built back in 2094. His great-grandfather bought it direct from the factory and Aaron had kept it out of nostalgia. He had been very fond of his Gramps. The Mercedes was decrepit and unreliable. They never used it any more. So, when he had heard the engine turn, stutter and then rev noisily, he thought someone had broken in and was stealing it. He ran downstairs in his sleeping shorts, but by the time he arrived in the garage, the Mercedes was gone.
He had sprinted into the street and watched as the car turned the corner into Main Street, Lisa behind the steering wheel. His heart had beaten wildly in his chest as he contemplated what she probably intended to do. It had taken him only a few minutes to get the kids out of bed. They dressed hastily and then jumped into his Lexus to track the Mercedes with their GPS.
Lisa was driving along the A36 towards Salisbury. They lived in Southampton. It was one of the smaller suburbs of Greater London. Although Salisbury was not far away, it could take two to three hours to get there because the area was now so built up. Concrete, high-rise apartment buildings covered every square foot of ground not covered by some shopping mall or business.
He’d put his foot on the accelerator and the electric engine whirred as it sped up and weaved through traffic. The Mercedes was slow. He had expected to catch up with it quickly. He’d even thought it would run out of fuel. There should not have been any in there to begin with. Aaron had wondered how Lisa had managed to acquire fossil fuel for the car. It was not manufactured any more.
An agonising three hours later, they had spotted the Mercedes ahead of them in the distance. They had passed Salisbury a while ago and where by then close to Shrewton, another suburb of Greater London. Confused, Aaron could not fathom where she was going, when she turned east. They had followed her, steadily catching up, but it wasn’t until she turned down the narrow lane towards the museum that they realised where she was headed. Stonehenge! It still stood, preserved as a natural history museum, amid the glass and concrete city around it.
They reached the parking lot a few moments later. The Mercedes was already parked close to the ticket office and they could see Lisa limp up the path towards the stones. Aaron had watched as she handed one of the armed guards her ticket. The kids had jumped out of the car quickly and ran after their mother. He followed close behind, not bothering with buying a ticket. They had argued with the guards for a moment, but after explaining the urgency, the men relented and let them through.
Lisa had reached the middle of the circle of stones by then. She had looked haggard, in pain and utterly exhausted. She’d turned towards them, but her eyes had been closed. Jasmin called out to her and Lisa opened her eyes. Aaron distinctly remembered the look of horror on her face when she saw them. They were only a few feet from her, when, suddenly, everything went crazy. It had felt like he was yanked off his feet, tossed into the air and then tumbled and thrown about. Then he had blacked out.
He could not remember how much time passed before they woke up here. Wherever here might be; he could still not quite believe it. The first thing he felt when he woke up was the pain. His head pounded and his body ached everywhere. He noticed Luke, Jasmin and Lisa lying a few feet away from him.
When he looked around, he discovered they were in a strange place; open grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see all around them, and the west was dominated by mountains so big he could hardly credit it. The air was cool and fresh and the sun dazzlingly bright. However, the most astonishing thing was the stones.
It was Stonehenge as it had probably looked like when it was first built many hundreds of years ago. It was made up of three rings within each other. The outer circle were tall, upright blocks of stone, each connected to its neighbour by a slab of horizontal stone laid across the space between the uprights, like a lintel. The second circle was made up of smaller stones, still each the size of a man, but small compared to the stones of the first circle. The stones of this second ring also stood upright, with their flat surfaces facing the interior of the ring. In the middle of the circle stood five massive columns, each made up of two uprights and a lintel. These stones were larger even than those of the outer circle. Each of these columns also had three smaller stones placed in front of it. The five columns formed more or less a semi-circle, leaving a bigger space facing towards the east, giving the impression of an entrance. An oblong, flat stone, somewhat like an altar, was placed almost in the middle of the circle, but closer to the central of the five columns.
He had struggled into a sitting position; he shuddered now as he remembered the pain. Luke helped Jasmin to sit up and then checked her to make sure she had no injuries. When Luke came to assist him to his feet, he declined.
“First Mom,” Aaron croaked; his voice rough and his throat sore.
Luke made his way over to his mother, cursing under his breath about his sore body. When he reached her, he put his fingers just below her jaw line and checked her pulse while Aaron watched from a distance. He felt very strange in that moment, concerned that his wife might be dead.
“I can feel her pulse. It was weak, but steady. But …”
“What?” Aaron scrambled to his feet and limped over to his wife.
“Dad … it’s not Mom.”
His heart skipped a beat as he covered the last few feet. He knelt next to the woman that was not his wife.
The girl was young, maybe a little older than Jasmin’s seventeen years. She was extraordinarily beautiful, and her ears had a slight pointiness to them that was rather peculiar. She had long, auburn hair spread around her face like a halo. Her eyebrows curved elegantly over her eyes. Her full lips were relaxed in sleep, but there was a slight frown on her forehead as if she was having a bad dream. She seemed familiar somehow, but he w
as certain he had never seen her before.
“Lady, wake up,” Luke said softly and shook her gently by the shoulders. The girl did not react. “She seems to be sleeping, but I cannot wake her.”
Jasmin made her way over to them, sat on the grass next to the sleeping girl, and gently brushed her hair back.
“She looks like Mom,” Jasmin said in her usual chirpy voice.
They argued for what felt like hours afterwards. Aaron was adamant that she looked nothing like Lisa and Jasmin argued that she felt like her mom, even if she didn’t look exactly like her. The woman was of little concern to him; he was sure it was not his wife and they had bigger problems. They were in a strange place, without food, water or shelter, or even another person in sight. Luke had lost his glasses. Jasmin was dizzy and Lisa was nowhere to be found.
The kids assumed they were at Stonehenge, nothing else made sense, but Aaron more felt, than knew, that they were very far away from where they had parked the car that morning. He walked around the stones periodically throughout the day, calling Lisa’s name, hoping they might still find her. As the light started to fade, so did his hope.
He felt helpless, exhausted and worried. He had never been so unsure about anything before and he did not know how to cope with it. Always there had been method and order in his life and he tackled everything with a self-assuredness others admired. This he did not know how to deal with.
“Papa, look,” Jasmin whispered as day turned to evening.
What Aaron saw then shocked him to the core.
