Discordia
An Elemental’s Prequel
L.B. Gilbert
Discordia © Copyright 2017 L.B.Gilbert
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Contents
Titles by L.B. Gilbert
Disclaimer
Credits
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Afterword
About the Author
Writing as L.B. Gilbert
Discordia
Kin Selection
Fire
Air
Forsaken
Books by Lucy Leroux
Confiscating Charlie
Making Her His
Calen’s Captive
Stolen Angel
The Roman’s Woman
Save Me
Take Me
Trick’s Trap
Cursed
Black Widow
Titles by L.B. Gilbert
Discordia: An Elementals Short
Available Now
Fire: The Elementals Book One
Available Now
Air: The Elementals Book Two
Available Now
Water: The Elementals Book Three
Coming Soon
Kin Selection
Available Now
Forsaken, Cursed Angel Collection
Available Now
Writing As Lucy Leroux
Making Her His, A Singular Obsession, Book One,
Available Now
Confiscating Charlie, A Singular Obsession Novelette, Book 1.5, Available Now
Calen’s Captive, A Singular Obsession, Book Two,
Available Now
Stolen Angel, A Singular Obsession, Book Three,
Available Now
The Roman’s Woman, A Singular Obsession, Book Four, Available Now
Save Me, A Singular Obsession Novella, Book 4.5
Coming Soon
Take Me, A Singular Obsession Prequel Novella,
Available Now
Trick’s Trap, A Singular Obsession, Book 5,
Available Now
Peyton’s Price, A Singular Obsession, Book Six,
Coming Soon
The Hex, A Spellbound Regency Short
Available Now
Cursed, A Spellbound Regency Novel
Available Now
Black Widow, A Spellbound Regency Novel, Book Two
Available Now
Haunted, A Spellbound Regency Novel, Book Three
Coming Soon
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with someone else, please send them to the author’s website, where they can find out where to purchase a copy for themselves. Thank you for respecting the author’s work. Enjoy!
Credits
Cover Design: Covers by Christian
http://coversbychristian.com/
Logo Design: Juan Fernando Garcia
http://www.elblackbat.com/
Editor: Cynthia Shepp
http://www.cynthiashepp.com/
Introduction
Discordia
A Fire Elemental, fae that eat the dead, and the apple that started the Trojan War...
Fire Elemental Diana’s first solo mission is a disappointing one—stop a pack of carrion-eating fae from eating tourists in the Everglades. But then a Greek God’s relic complicates her simple case.
Chapter 1
Her clothes hadn’t burned. Diana studied her size three sneakers. The entire house had burned down, and her clothes weren’t even smoky. And they didn’t have traces of turpentine, gas, or any other known accelerants.
The fire investigator had repeated that several times while talking to the people from her group home. He kept throwing her a squinty-eyed glance every time he said it.
She was still considered an arsonist. At least, it was what they had whispered behind her back. But she wasn’t in jail. They couldn’t figure out how she did it. No credible fuel source had ever been found. There hadn’t even been a convenient pack of matches lying nearby.
Of course, lack of evidence wasn’t an impediment to locking her up. Her group home may as well have been a prison. She had her own room with a single metal cot and nothing else, not even a desk. They probably worried she’d use it for kindling.
Her IQ is measured at genius level. They kept using it as an explanation for why they hadn’t found evidence against her yet. But it was only a matter of time before the lack of ceased to matter. Sooner or later, they’d put her behind bars in a real jail…and then she’d have to act.
How many would die then?
Diana shifted on the hard cot, her chest heavy. She didn’t want to hurt anyone again, but she couldn’t let them lock her up for real. Too many people would get hurt when she busted out.
What if she told them the truth—that she could start fires with her mind? Would they believe her, or would she end up someplace worse than prison?
There were footsteps coming down the hall, followed by adults conversing. She’d been told to expect her new caseworker around now, but they were always late so it probably wasn’t them. The social workers she’d been assigned were overworked and scattered. They had too many kids to keep an eye on.
This one was supposedly a specialist for problem cases, but Diana didn’t care. She knew what the counselors and social workers wanted to hear. And even if this one decided to make a project out of her, there was no real reason to be afraid anymore. Now she knew how to call the fire. It was under her control…well, mostly.
One thing was certain. No one would be able to lock her in a closet or a dark basement again. If they tried, she’d burn it down.
And then what? Every time she’d run away from a foster home, some adult had called the cops and she’d ended up in an even crappier place.
Diana was still trying to think of a hideout that wouldn’t rat out a not-quite eleven-year-old when the door swung open. One of the khaki wearing “helpers” of the group home poked her head into the room. The new case worker was here, and she wanted to see her outside, not in the living room designated for these meetings.
She kept her groan to herself. This woman was going to be one of those.
Doesn’t matter. Inevitably, she’d be reassigned, like the others. Diana just needed to wait her out.
She was careful to keep her face blank as she entered the fenced-in backyard. It was an enormous one here
at the edge of town, so it took her a minute to get close enough to make out the woman’s face.
The social worker wasn’t what Diana expected. She had black hair that flowed down her back, and she was wearing black cargo pants. Her tank top was made of leather with a braided design in the shape of a sun. Instead of a briefcase, she had a leather backpack slung over one shoulder.
Diana squinted at her, deciding she looked like the cartoon Pocahontas would as a real person, minus the stupid dress.
Pocahontas didn’t offer a wide fake smile like the others. Her face was open. There was a hint of lift at the corners of her mouth, but it was subtle. Instead of saying hello, she nodded at Diana before thanking and dismissing her escort.
The woman waited until they were alone before finally speaking. “Hello, Diana. I’ve been looking for you for a long time. My name is Gia.”
Diana stared at the woman in confusion. It didn’t sound as if she meant Diana had kept her waiting.
Gia smiled. “That’s smart. You stay quiet and let the other person fill in the blanks. It works when you’re interrogating someone too. It makes people nervous. More often than not, they’ll fill that silence.”
Diana narrowed her eyes and kept her lips firmly sealed long enough to make Gia laugh.
“Does that mean you’re a cop?” Diana asked eventually, trying not to show signs of her incipient panic. Was Gia here to arrest her after all?
“No. I’m here for you, but not as a member of law enforcement. And not as a social worker either.” She met Diana’s eyes with a steady level look. “I’m your sister.”
Diana snorted aloud. That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. Not only was she an only child, but there was no way this woman was a relative of hers. She was a redhead with skin as white as milk, and Gia was dark haired with light cocoa skin.
The woman’s lips quirked. “We’re not the kind of sisters who share blood. Our tie is deeper than that. We share magic.”
Diana stopped breathing, anxiety coiling in her stomach. Was this woman crazy or was she telling the truth? Had someone discovered her powers? Was Gia here to punish her…or to kill her?
Gia stepped closer, her hands up with her palms out. “No, I’m not here because of what you did to your foster father, although that is how I finally found you,” she said.
Diana’s eyes widened so much they hurt. “Can you read minds?”
There was a wealth of understanding and warmth in the older woman’s eyes. “No. But I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s made me a very good guesser.”
With that, she turned and waved her hand over the ground. The once-solid surface rippled beneath her as if it had been quicksand the whole time. It looked like someone had dropped a boulder in a lake, only the water was earth and grass.
Diana gasped, trembling slightly as tears filled her eyes. “Are you going to bury me?”
Gia laughed. “No, little sister. Your abilities give you sovereignty over fire. Mine give me dominion over earth. We’re Elementals. We have two other sisters. Serin is Water and Aaliyah is Air, although she has chosen to step down when her successor is old enough.”
The Earth Elemental gestured to the rippling earth. “This is how I move from place to place. As long as I don’t have to cross oceans, I can travel large distances this way.” The hole in the center closed as the whirlpool coalesced into a little wave, abruptly striking to the right to swallow a little bush like a mudslide.
“It’s also how I defend myself.” Gia knelt to touch the ground, which rose to caress her hand like an obedient pet. “Our power comes directly from Mother Nature, who lives deep down at the center of the earth. She is the one who chose you to serve her now, just as She chose me many years ago.”
Diana had a million questions, but tears were clogging her throat.
“Where were you?” It was an agonized whisper.
Why was this happening now after Diana had already lost everything? Her mother and the apartment she’d lived in with her. And what I had to do in the last foster place…
Gia’s eyes were full of pain. It looked like she wanted to cry too. “I would have come for you sooner, but I couldn’t find you until after this last fire. It can take something extreme before She can see you. But I’m here now, and we can leave today. Or if you want to wait until you’re a bit older, I can come back in a few months or years—”
“I want to come now,” Diana interrupted.
What if Gia forgot she existed or something happened to her, and she ended up alone all over again?
She hurriedly stepped forward and took Gia’s hand before the woman could change her mind. “Where are we going?”
Gia squeezed her hand, her expression warm. “To my people. I think it’s the best place for you at the moment. I always stop by to check on my extended family, so I will be able to visit you. There are many who have skills similar to ours. Theirs are not as strong but they’ll be able to teach you many things. You’ll train with them, and then eventually with me, until you’re ready to take up your position serving the Mother.”
The ground rippled again. This time, the center opened and dropped, like it was being pulled down in a cyclone from deep below.
Diana swallowed hard, but she followed when Gia stepped toward it. The earth whirled around their feet, and they began to sink. It was like being in an elevator made of sand and soil.
Gia opened her bag and pulled out a knit scarf.
“I had this made for you,” she said, wrapping it around Diana’s neck. “The ride is a little chilly until you get used to it.”
Diana wanted to tell her that she never got cold, but bit her tongue. The scarf was nice and she didn’t remember the last time she’d received a gift, let alone something new. She rubbed a bit of the soft wool against her cheek.
“What is it that Elementals do exactly?” she asked, eyeing the quickly receding sky above with trepidation.
Gia held her hand as the earth started to close over them. “We kill monsters.”
Chapter 2
Ten years later
The vampire jumped onto her back and clung with inhuman strength, like a smelly preternatural limpet.
Diana suppressed her disgust as its rotted clothes made contact with her back.
Ugh. Was that slime? Where the frak had this bloodsucker been sleeping during the day?
She rolled her shoulder, shifting her weight to flip her attacker off. The revenant sailed over her head, landing in a wet thump on the alley floor in front of her.
Diana flicked her wrist, pointing her katana at the vamp, but it barely registered the threat.
The creature was too far gone for speech. It had been turned and then abandoned by its vampire creator. Without any guidance, it had never learned how to hunt. Starvation had driven it mad. In most cases, a revenant destroyed itself by walking into the sun on accident, but this one had adapted and learned. It survived by preying on vermin and other small animals.
Or at least that’s how it had made it this far. A few days ago, it had graduated to feasting on the homeless, which was why Diana was here. Taking care of the vamp on her own was one of the many tests Gia had set for her as she neared the end of her Elemental training period.
The last decade had changed everything about Diana’s life. She had started out in a small town near Puerto Vallarta with some of Gia’s clan. The Earth Elemental was too old to have any immediate family members living, but she kept close ties with many of her mother’s descendants. By the time Diana arrived, there was an entire network of them scattered all over Mexico. All had been willing to open their doors to an underage Elemental.
Such ready acceptance had been jarring after years of abuse and neglect. Diana had initially stayed with a grandmotherly curandera, or healer, named Amalia who had a little fire talent.
Amalia taught Diana the rudiments of her healing craft, but others contributed. Some had come to visit her, but when she’d gotten older, she’d begun to travel to
see them.
Her combat training had begun in earnest three years ago, mainly under Gia’s tutelage, although each of the Elemental sisters pitched in. Right now, she and Gia were in Chicago, where the revenant had been preying on the populace.
Diana had found the vampire easily. The mindless creature wasn’t trying to hide. Ruled by its hunger, it had cut a wide swath of destruction through the downtown homeless population.
The vamp hissed and hooted pathetically. It took a lot to stir her pity these days, but Diana had a knot in her stomach over this one. She knelt, careful to keep the tip of her blade pointed at the revenant.
“I’m sorry this happened to you. There is no fixing this. But die knowing I’m going to track down the vamp who turned you. If it turns out no one has staked them yet, I’ll do it.”
The revenant’s maker deserved that and more. Letting a vampire turn into this was criminal.
“Ssss.” The revenant was struggling to get up—its shuffling crab walk was going to haunt her.
Diana swung her blade in an arc. The metal sung as it rent the air, lopping off the unfortunate’s head in one swoop. It rolled away, stopping when it hit a dumpster with a wet smack.
She stared at the headless corpse for a while, wondering who the young woman had been in life and if she’d wanted to be a bloodsucker. Human groupies who lobbied to be turned were far more likely to be abandoned than humans from vamp lineages.
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