by Jae Vogel
The elementals, on the other hand, were in a worse state. The cup was designed to trap elementals inside it, but the nymphs had magnified its ability by their generation of a power cone. The focus of the cone ended up being the cup, instead of Dion. When the apex of the cone touched the cup, it pulled them into it. Now there were permanently trapped inside the cup, which was a hunk of fused metal after the heat flash.
Dion heard a rumble behind him and turned to the wall at his rear. It was dematerializing as he stood there. Whatever force the nymphs used to keep it in place was gone since they were trapped inside the remains of the cup. The wall became translucent, then transparent and finally it was gone. What remained in its place was the room on the other side, which was filled with supplies for the store.
And the members of the chess club with their Naiad girlfriends.
The young men were hazy and acted as if they’d just waken from a deep sleep. The rubbed their eyes and looked around, unsure where they were. The Naiads, on the other hand, knew exactly what had taken place. They were angry. Dion found himself facing a group of confused guys and a furious collection of young women in swim team tracksuits. He could see the fire in their eyes.
“Where are they?” the Naiad called Cynae demanded. “We want them.”
“There was only three,” one of her sisters roared. “We’ll have to divide them up. I’ve got a beach infested with lamprey’s I want to introduce them to.”
“They’re sealed in the cup I used,” Dion said. “The cup overheated when they tried to trap me too. It’s at the bottom of the shark tank.” He pointed to the mass of metal at the bottom, some heat still waffling up to the surface.
The Naiads formed a group around the tank and looked in.
“They can’t get out from it,” Cynae pointed out. “Unless some idiot allows them to leave. I don’t think too many people will attempt to enter the this tank.”
“It has to be cleaned sometime,” another one of the Naiads said. “What if someone finds the cup and doesn’t know what it holds?”
“I don’t think we can risk letting them out,” Cynae agreed. “At least not this century. Who wants to go in there and get it?”
Four of the elementals leaped into the shark tank and dissolved into their water from the moment they hit the surface. The water churned as they went to the bottom of the tank and returned to the surface. The only thing Dion could see was the melted mass of the cup rise to the surface. Once it was on the top of the water, the Naiads returned to their human form and climbed out of the tank, water dripping everywhere. The shark had moved away from them when they hit the water, as it instinctively knew to avoid the water elementals.
“So how do we decide who gets to take care of them?” Cynae asked the four Naiads who’d sank to the bottom of the tank to get the melted cup.
“I’ll hold it for now,” the one who grabbed it from the tank said. “Someone else can get the honor to dispose of it when this is all over. I’d like to dump it in the Sahara Desert, but we’ll put it to a vote.” She unzipped a pocket on her tracksuit, slid the mashed cup inside it, and zipped the pocket back up.
The chess club had stood in amazement while the elementals transformed as they hit the water. It was hard to say anything to a girl you’d fallen in love with who was forced to see you hauled off by what they assumed were security guards. They stood there, mouths open and quiet. The elementals were still gathered around the tank, their anger only a few degrees lower.
“So can anyone tell me what happened before I arrived?” Dion asked them.
“I was in an ice cream parlor with James when the three of them came and ordered us to come along,” Cynae said. There were three of them and I didn’t know what they might do to James, so I came along. The next thing I know we were here. I don’t remember a thing until you broke the barrier they used to keep us here.”
“Is that pretty much what happened to the rest of you?” Dion asked the other Naiads.
They nodded.
“They were the fall back plan in case you changed your mind,” Dion explained. “I would expect we won’t have it easy once we leave this place. My uncle is determined to keep me from meeting up with Salacia Delphi.”
“Did I hear someone call my name?” a voice from behind the cluster of chess club guys called out. The bodies parted and women who appeared to be Greek and in her thirties stepped through the crowd.
Chapter 13
“You are Salacia Delphi?” Dion asked the woman.
“I don’t know any other ones,” she responded. She wasn’t very tall and her hair was short and curly. She wore a dress with a suit jacket over it.
“How did you end up here?” he asked her. “I’ve been waiting all day for you outside your store on the other end of this part of the mall.”
“Sorry, I was late. Traffic on the interstate and I had to pick up some parts from the shipper. I got here an hour ago and was on my way back to the store when three women in security guard uniforms pulled me aside and wanted to talk. Next thing I know I’m here. Is that what happened to everyone?”
“Yes. You were captured by some rogue elementals working for the guy who built the mall. I’m an elemental worker like you, but I can work all four elements. I already have full powers on the first two; I need your initiation to work the third.”
“All four? Haven’t run into anyone who could do that in a long time. You should try for the fifth if you can get all four. There haven’t been many people who could work the fifth in history.”
“My uncle is one of them, but he did it the wrong way by not getting his authorization to work the first four.”
“Not good,” she said to them. “I’ve heard bad things about people who went in that way to get the fifth. It never ends well.”
“I’ve heard that too,” Dion agreed. “I guess my uncle is proof enough of it.”
“Well, now that we’re one big happy family here,” she said, “perhaps you can introduce me to all these fine young people.”
Dion quickly introduced her to the chess club and the elementals in the form of young women with them. He could see her eyes widen as he told her the story of what happened before she arrived. He neglected to tell her about her former husband, Captain Gabriel, who stood outside and wanted to see her too.
“I can’t believe what you did,” she said to him. “But you made the best decision anyone could’ve done in this situation. I’ll have no trouble granting you full water elemental powers, but we need to get back to my store so I can do it in the office.”
“Door is in that direction,” Dion told her. The combined group filed out through it.
As Dion, the last to leave, exited the store, a lady walked up to him and stared in confusion at the crowd who left it. “What is going on here?” she demanded. “I couldn’t get the door open and the maintenance crew is supposed to be on their way to fix it for me.”
The woman appeared to be light in complexion and small in size. “Do you work here?” Dion asked her.
“I own this place,” she snapped at him. “We just opened yesterday.”
“Don’t worry, we didn’t take any fish. Nice selection. Who came up with the design?”
“I did!” she snapped at him.
“The shark in the tank was a good idea,” Dion said to her as he walked away.
“What shark?” she demanded to know. Dion simply continued to walk with his group. His uncle, or the elementals, had made some changes.
The next group they encountered was his friends who’d stood outside and waited. Lilly ran up to Dion and tossed her arms around him, relieved that he’d managed to get everyone out of the aquarium store safely. The rest of them appeared to be calmed that his plans worked out.
“Everything alright out here?” he asked Sean and the rest of the group.
“No real problems,” the captain told him. “We had some kind of security guard come by and look us over, but he left after a few minutes. I guess we weren’t the c
riminals he needed to find.”
“Probably went back to the usual suspects,” Dion said. He was about to tell the captain his ex-wife was inside the aquarium store with the others when she stepped out from the crowd again.
Captain Gabriel had an instant look of relief on his face and walked up to Salacia. She stopped and looked at him with equal surprise. It was a special moment for both of them and they hugged.
“What are you doing here?” they said at the same time.
“I heard about your new store in this mall,” Captain Gabriel said to Salacia. “I had a bad feeling about it so I put out the word to some people I know to look into it. They did and told me it was built over the entrance to the abyss. I knew I had to get back here and make sure you were safe when I didn’t get a quick answer to the last letter I wrote.”
“As you can see, I’m safe and sound. No reason to worry about me. Those nymphs who captured me and the rest are locked away some place where they won’t get out very soon if at all.” She turned in Dion’s direction. “Why didn’t you tell me he was here?”
“I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for you.”
“It was nice of you. Especially after being trapped in that place. Come on, we need to get back to my office so I can give Dion his full water elemental powers.”
The group continued on their way toward the pool store. This time there were no further interruptions. Most people didn’t think it was odd an entire squadron of chess players and a swim team walked together to as they wound their way through the mall.
Outside the pool store, the crowd halted and Salacia turned to face the group with Dion at her side. “You have to stay out here,” she informed them. “What I need to do with Dion has to be carried out alone between him and myself. I’m going into the office and when we return, Dion will be a Water Element Master.
Dion and Salacia Delphi went through the door to the pool store and the rest waited outside.
A few minutes later the door to the pool store opened and one of the regular sales clerks stuck out his head. “Are you all here to see Ms. Delphi?” he asked them. “I think she’s going to be busy for a while. She just went into the office with someone. I couldn’t tell who it was, but she closed the door which usually means it’s intense and will take a while.”
“We’re waiting for her,” Lilly let him know, “but she told us to stay here. There is something she needs to do with a friend of ours.”
“Okay,” he looked and saw the Naiad sisters standing around in their tracksuits. “Say, if any of you want to come back and use the demo pools, it’s fine. I’ve had men come by all day and ask about you.”
“Thank you,” Cynae spoke for them, “but we’ll stay here for the time being.”
“So what happens inside there when he gets his full powers?” Emily asked Lilly. “You’ve been with Dion every day this week. Does he have to pass a test, get fingerprinted, swear an oath, what?”
“I have no idea. He’s never allowed me to go in there with him. I guess it’s too special for anyone else to see.” It was clear from the way she spoke that Lilly found it to be an irritation she wasn’t allowed inside.
“I still can’t imagine what we’re going to do with them all,” Emily mentioned to Lilly a little later as they watched the Naiads interact with the chess club. “Didn’t they say they need a large isolated body of water to thrive? Where are we going to find something around here that meets that requirement?”
“Dion seems to think there’s a way to make it work,” Lilly replied. “I’m not going to worry about it just yet. The boys in the chess club seem happy enough, glamor or not. And the elementals seem to like to be around them. They even know how to play chess. I heard one of them explain the rules of a game called ‘go’ to her guy. It should work out.”
“I hope so.”
An hour later, as the shadows in the parking lot grew long, Salacia Delphi and Dion emerged from the pool store. Dion had a big smile on his face, as did she.
“Congratulate the new Water Element Master!” she announced to the crowd. There was a loud applause from the group, which caused the shoppers to turn in their direction.
“So, you can now make the water elementals do what you want?” Dennis asked Dion as he walked back to his friends.
“I can do a lot, but nothing that breaks my own personal code,” he explained. “I have no intention of making the Naiad sisters leave any of you.”
There was a collective sigh of relief from the crowd as the chess club heard the news. There was some concern about what might happen when Dion became full master of the third element.
“Only leaves one element mastery you need to obtain,” Captain Gabriel said. “You should be able to get it quick.”
“I plan on being here tomorrow for that one. It’s important that I obtain it because it will be the last elemental power I need before I acquire the fifth elemental ability.”
“Did you see what is happening in the parking lot?” Sean said. Emily stood next to him and turned to see what he pointed at through the window.
Karanzen was back.
Chapter 14
Karanzen’s officers were outside and looking in the far end of the parking lot at Dion’s van. There was a tow truck already out there hooking up to it. Five of his officers were around the van attaching the jack to it while they worked to get something off it. It was a bright and sunny day outside and the group inside the mall had a clear view of what was happening.
“Looks like someone has taken an interest in your van, Dion,” Dennis said. “Why would they just appear out of nowhere to mess with it? Did you not pay a ticket or something?”
“It’s my old friend, Officer Karanzen. He must realize I have the third elemental power and wants to keep me from here tomorrow. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Outside, Officer Karanzen had one eye on the entrance to the mall and the other on his men who were taking care of the van. The tow truck belonged to the mall. It came in handy when a car wouldn’t start or one needed to be moved.
Every now and then, someone would leave his or her car in the lot and it would sit there for a week. The mall was supposed to trace down the ownership, but it was far more trouble than the security department wanted to waste. It was much easier for the vehicle to simply disappear from the lot. There were plenty of places in Scipio where you could part out a car or truck for a decent amount of money and they knew where to find every one. Most of the time the owners of the cars didn’t show up. Sometimes they were stolen and no one knew whom they belonged to if the license plates were switched. It was easier to get them off the lot and to a scrap yard.
So the mall owner’s big plan had failed again? Karanzen laughed to himself. He thought he knew how to keep that kid from the Elemental Grandmasters, but every plan he’d came up with didn’t work. Dion saw through every one of them somehow. The swim team plan might’ve worked if Dion was an average American male, but he wasn’t. The security chief had to give him some credit: bringing those idiots from his high school into the mall was a stroke of pure genius. In one sweep, he’d eliminated the only rival he had in the water elementals and increased his own group in size and capacity. Too bad he hadn’t had that kid in Korea, he might’ve returned with the men under his command, but it was best not to think about that place.
Karanzen had watched the second plan bungle when the mall owner sent out another wave of water elementals after the first plan failed. At least there was a fallback plan, too bad it didn’t work. He’s sat and watched on the security cameras as the group of three nymphs rounded up the couples who were wandering around the mall. They took them to that aquarium supply place which only opened up yesterday. He was surprised to see them apprehend the pool storeowner. He almost bet against Dion succeeding when he entered the aquarium store. However, he’d emerged victorious as ever when everyone strolled out of it less than an hour later. The place had been locked against intruders; the real owner couldn’t get inside
it and was on her way down to see him when the doors opened.
Minutes later his phone had rang and he received the go ahead to do it his way. About time. Just that he couldn’t keep them out the last two days was no reason to let them in today. It was the mall owner’s idea to stage the fake barricade at the mall entrance this morning and make them think they’d entered the mall by their own subterfuge. He was supposed to hang back and let Mr. Big’s fiendish plan flawlessly execute. Although the flashback to Korea hadn’t been part of the plan, but it gave him the cover he needed. His men still thought an ‘episode’ was why he’d allowed the kids into the mall today.
“You ready to tow this thing off, Boss?” It was Izzy behind the wheel of the tow truck. He was anxious to wrap things up for the day and head home.
“Just hang tight,” Karanzen told him. “I need an excuse to call the cops. Little punk comes out here and gives me some lip; I’ll have all I need to have him arrested.”
“I still say you should just call them anyway and worry about a reason later,” one of the other security officers said to him. “I’m sure we could find something to plant in this van. Don’t you have all kinds of fun things in that safe in the office?’
“Shut up!” Karanzen snapped at him. The safe was common knowledge among the guards, but he didn’t like them talking about it. “We’re going to do this my way and avoid any problems down the road. The cops will make the arrest and he’ll be banned from the mall forever.”
