Fate of Elements

by M. Stratton

  Slowly they spun around in their bubble until Erion had her around the waist, both of them facing me.

  “Milady, Raina, Queen of all other Kings and Queens, our God, I couldn’t have you clean up what is essentially my mess. I’ve loved her since the beginning of our time. If only I could have showed her better what love meant, things might’ve been different. Fare thee well. I cannot let one more drop of blood be shed by her lust for power—it kills me to see her do this to our people. Instead, we shall both perish.”

  Dayna’s struggles became more violent and Erion’s body shook. Their bodies began to shrink and become smaller under the pressure Erion built with his element, until they imploded into a bright burst of energy. They were gone.

  Utter silence followed. The Skeleton Key fell to the ground.

  Raina

  One Year Later

  I sighed and looked out over our land; mine and Hallet’s. No one element had their own land. We all lived together. It had been a hard year. The Air and Earth elements were in turmoil without their leaders. Ciel had taken over for Erion, and we had looked long and hard to find someone for the Earth elements. With everyone working together, once again, there was peace in our world.

  The magic, which was such an odd concept to me when I first arrived, was now second nature. With Hallet by my side, I was able to navigate all political history of this world. We were creating a new government, where elements relied and helped one another. Our leaders treated all elements equally and worked closely with me to troubleshoot issues this world had to overcome. But most importantly, the people could approach me. I did not sit on a throne and look down on them. I was in the midst of the rebuild, talking with those who knew more, and listened to those who had concerns. In the end, I was a god of the people.

  “Are you ready?”

  I turned from the window and looked at Hallet leaning against the doorjamb. His eyes swirled with all the colors of the elements, like mine did. It was still strange to look in the mirror, but that day, one year ago, when I fully came into my power, my eyes changed. I could mask them, make they like they used to be, but I thought if my eyes were half as beautiful as Hallet’s, I didn’t want to ever hide that.

  “I’m ready.”

  He held out his hand to me, and easily I placed mine in his. In a flash, we were at the Skeleton Door along with thousands of people. They parted for us to walk through. I felt a pang of sadness when I looked up at the door. Two of the skulls were different, their colors not as vibrant as the others. After Erion and Dayna had died, the skulls had gone black until new leaders were chosen. Then they slowly began to build their color again.

  Placing my hand on the door, I could feel its energy pulse with the rhythm of our world. I took a moment to myself before turning around to face my people.

  “Thank you all for coming. Today we honor those who have lost their lives in the name of peace. This world is so different from the one I used to call home. You’ve taught me so much, and what we have built together is nothing short of a miracle. I know there has been talk of me leaving. That my time here would be limited, and I would return to the world from where I came, that I’d walk back out through this very Skeleton Door. I assure you I won’t be leaving you. I can’t. There is no way I could leave you. This is my home. This is my world.”

  I turned and faced the door. I knew I couldn’t destroy it, and nothing in my power could seal it, but I could make it a monument to what had come before.

  Summoning my power, I wove thick branches around each other from the ground, building a large, living tree. Instead of leaves, clouds filled the canopy. Down the sides, water fell, creating a pond around its base. And from the core, a fire burned. All four elements together. As they should be.

  “Raina, Raina,” a small, out-of-breath voice called from the edge of the crowd. People mumbled and moved aside for the young boy to come to me.

  “What is it?” My gut clenched. The child was in such a panic, I didn’t know what could possibly have happened.

  “The key! The Skeleton Key! It’s gone!”

  “What do you mean it’s gone?” We kept the key in a glass case in a high tower of the castle surrounded by protective magic. The last thing we wanted was someone else getting their hands on the key and going back into my world.

  “I was up in the tower watching it, like I was supposed to do while everyone was here, and it just disappeared. Poof, it was gone. I didn’t do anything, I swear!”

  Looking over at Hallet, I smiled. It would seem the key had decided this was where I belonged also, here in Aimsir. My love, my world, my home.

  THE END

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read my Skeleton Key novella!

  All reviews are appreciated.

  If you would like to read more from the Skeleton Key series, please click on the link below:

  Skeleton Key Website

  Thank you to the readers and my team,

  both of which keep me going and make my dream possible.

  About the Author

  M. Stratton is an International Amazon bestselling author in the romantic suspense and mystery suspense categories for her Storm Series and Bender. She lives with her husband and son in Arizona, which is a big difference from where she grew up north of Chicago, Illinois. As an only child, she learned to tell herself stories to make the long winters go by quicker while dreaming of summer vacations. Now as an adult she still makes up stories to pass the time, but now she writes them down to share with other people. Stratton is a self-proclaimed dork who loves to make people laugh. Her inner rock star is always on stage performing to a sold out crowd, but she’s quiet and shy on the outside. She spends her days plotting new ways to surprise her readers.

  Also by M. Stratton

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  Alexia “Lexi” Hanson moved across the country to rebuild her life after the attack which almost destroyed her. She enjoys the simple things in her beach cottage. Life is finally complete.

  Noah Matthews is Rock & Roll’s hottest star and on top of the world. After years without a break, he finds the solitude he craves at his beach house. Enjoying his early morning coffee, Noah is surprised to see his neighbor sneak into his garden and crawl around.

  They never saw that fateful morning coming. Someone was watching them. Someone who thought Lexi belonged to him and would stop at nothing to have her.

  Lives are changed forever when they meet amongst the blooms in his garden. Even when things seem darkest, there is always light After the Storm.

  Eye of the Storm – Book Two: My Book

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  Caught in the Storm - Book Three: My Book

  What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?

  Kat Snyder has spent years chasing after the man who attacked her and left her for dead. It is her one obsession, and she won’t let anyone stand in her way. Now that they are getting closer to finding him, she begins to doubt herself and her need for revenge.

  Jackson “Jack” Taylor lost the only woman he truly loved. Now that he’s found her again, he’s not letting go and will do everything in his power to make her see they can have a life together. Together they search for the monster who has hurt so many women.

  The c
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  The Storm Series Box Set - My Book

  Includes all three above books plus two short stories where you learn more about the darkness behind the books.

  The Dana Marshall Files

  Volume 1 (Two short stories) - My Book

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  While Dana Marshall didn't have a perfect life, she did have a mother who loved her, a mother who encouraged her to be whatever she wanted when she grew up. They both had dreams of all she could accomplish, what she could do when she left this small town.

  Then her mother was killed and everything changed. What Dana Marshall wanted to do when she graduated was something completely different than what her and her mother imagined. Mama didn't have this in mind.

  Her life was destroyed when a monster killed her mother. Without protection, she fell prey to her alcoholic father. Taking her time, Dana did her research, saved her pennies until finally the storm blew in and scattered her problems to the other side of the county.

  The first kill is always the hardest.

  Kiss of Death

  After successfully killing two men and getting away with it, Dana Marshall had her next kill.

  Adrian Silva started beating his wife, Maria, before the ink was dry on the marriage license. When his stepdaughter became a teenager, his eyes turned to her. After an unsuccessful rape attempt, Yara Rivera took matters into her own hands. She attempted to kill him by putting boric acid in his whisky. He drank it, but lived. Sent to juvenile hall, Yara is unable to protect her mother. She knew there was nothing she could do but get her mother to leave Adrian.

  Successfully escaping from him, Yara protected her family with everything she had, leaving her listening for every bump in the night in their small apartment every night.

  With her file complete, Dana travels to Upstate New York to give Adrian her own kiss of death.

  Stand-Alone Novels – Romantic Thriller

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  Lily Walker is a single mother who wants nothing to do with men. Her goal in life is to raise her son to the best of her ability and give him the stable home life she never had. With her failed marriage behind her, the last thing on her radar is a relationship, especially one with a famous movie star.

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  Bender: My Book

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  Stormy Ryan has always felt more comfortable with her books than with people, and she loves to spend her days within the pages. When her second-hand bookstore is robbed for the third time in as many months, her employees quit leaving her to run the shop on her own. With the pressure of having to deal with her shop and people, not to mention the declining neighborhood, she is at the end of her rope.

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  With a Twist: My Book

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  The rules at The Club were simple:

  Keep your mouth shut.

  Keep your mouth shut.

  Keep your mouth shut.

  This was a rule Starr Fields could follow. After searching for years, she finally found what she thought was home. A place where she could go in, keep a bar between her and the customers, pour drinks, make good money, and go home. A place where she didn’t have to worry about her mama’s boyfriends thinking she was fair game. A place where she could simply be.

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  One glance was all it took for these two to know this was going to be more than a casual meeting. Their feelings were growing quickly as the air became crisp and the leaves changed color. As Halloween approaches, it would seem the unknown monster that hunted Starr wasn’t going to just watch from the shadows for much longer.

  Can Bryant be her Knight in Shining Armor and save her in time, or will she slip away as quickly as they fell in love?

  **Warnings: This book is intended for adults over the age of 18, includes sexual content, language and possible triggers for certain readers**

  This is a multi-author project; you can find all The Club books at http://www.theclub.website/

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  17 weeks... Surrounded by love, laughter and support.

  4 months... More time than they had before they walked through the door.

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  What would you do if one day all of your dreams came true?

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