Dragon backpedaled, skidding across the floor. He stopped just short of the flame. There were no more exits.
"Draaaagon…come back to plaaaay…." I taunted from the circle.
He shook his head violently, then followed the room around, pushing people out of his way. I adjusted my weaves, sending them straight down into the Earth. The sand granules hit the floor, skittering across the concrete – unable to follow the energy further.
The Earth responded, and a slab of rock jutted up. It just barely missed Dragon, but certainly caught his attention. He ran faster. I concentrated, trying again. The next one caught him under his foot. The rock shot up at least as tall as he was. Dragon was launched across the room. He landed hard on his back, right in front of me.
I took a step back, dropping to my knees, and sending the last bit of energy I could muster into the Earth. The room shook, people and filing cabinets alike falling over. Cracks crept along the walls and ceilings.
Dragon stood. With a wary eye on me, one foot lifted. He was going to try running again.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I said, looking up at him. "Just stay still and you won't feel a thing."
His whole body tensed. I had to be quick before he decided to bolt.
Just don't go too far...
My energy hit stronger stone, and shot off in a different direction – to the west.
Oops, too far.
I could feel it, even from here. Several miles, cracking hard stone all along the way. I used what was left, localizing it. Right as Dragon turned, preparing to run, a large stone shot up in front of him. Another came up behind him. The rest were easy; one after another, until he was encased in a five foot diameter stone cage.
His voice floated up and over, "Hey! Let me out – please? I'm…I'm…claustrophobic. I'm sorry. I think my nose is broken." No one answered his pleas. "I have to pee."
The ref laughed, coming up beside me. He took my hand, raising it in the air. "Winner!"
Cheers and shouts echoed across the room. It would have been much louder if half the room hadn’t bailed. That was okay, maybe when they asked about the rest of the fight, the details would be exaggerated – make me look good.
The ref dropped my hand. I glanced at the lighter he held in his other hand. A zippo painted with the American flag. "I apologize for that." He shrugged. "Dragon – well, we all had our reasons for helping him."
I reared back my fist, hitting the ref square in the jaw. He went unconscious, slumping to the ground. The cheering stopped.
I turned to the crowd. "No more dog fights."
Everybody stared, but when I glanced their way, eyes flitted down to the ground.
I stepped toward the stone cage. "Do you hear me in there Dragon? No more dog fights! And if I catch wind of one, I'll intervene. Trap everyone involved – refs, contenders and audience alike in one of these stone cages!"
There was five seconds of silence and then a weak, "okay," from the other side of the rock.
Chapter 57
So Mote it Be
"Sir – there are some reports coming in. Weird activity northwest of here, within city limits."
Shawn paused on his way toward the stairs.
The Earth took that as a go ahead to continue, "A lot of fire—"
"You're on duty tonight?" Shawn asked, interrupting her.
"Yes, sir."
"Don’t call me sir."
She clamped her lips shut.
He sighed, looking at the full moon lighting up the inside of the deli better than a dozen candles. A full moon meant better control over powers – everyone knew that. There was bound to be some unauthorized practicing. "Get one of each of the other Elementals to stand duty with you tonight. Let me know if it gets any worse."
She held out a stack of handwritten letters that had been coming in nonstop the past half hour. "But the reports—"
Shawn took them from her, and threw them back down on her desk. "Otherwise, see to it that I'm not interrupted." He himself planned to take advantage of the full moon. Tonight, he needed perfect control over his powers. It was finally time to see Sarah.
* * *
When his boots hit the cave floor, an eerie echo bounced off the walls. The last of the Shades, save Sarah and Arianna, had made it out. Releasing the final few was a blurry memory. Even thinking of it now caused his palms to pulse in pain.
And here he was again, back for more. What do they call that? "Pussy-whipped," Shawn mumbled under his breath.
"What?"
Shawn jumped at Arianna's voice behind him. "Um, nothing." He rubbed his nose with the back of his arm. "Mind showing your face? That gas cloud…it's weird."
Arianna took form in front of him. Her black hair had an extra shine to it. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." He smoothed his shirt then glanced at the cave high on the wall over his shoulder. "Nervous."
Arianna's lips turned up in an unexpected smile. "Whatever happens – things will be as they were meant to be."
That was hardly helpful. Shawn realized he was biting his fingernails. He hadn't done that since…well, since he was a boy. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and his fingers hit something hard. "Oh, I wanted to leave something here, if that's okay."
He pulled out a wrapped package and handed it to Arianna.
She glanced at him, then pulled apart the folded edges of thick paper to peek inside. Both eyebrows went up, and she folded the package again. "You think this will help?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. That's not really why I wanted to leave it. It just doesn't belong to me."
"Fine." She set the package down on the platform by her feet. When she stood, she folded her hands in front of her. "I am ready now, Athame Wielder."
He swallowed, nodding his head. He unwrapped the hand with the least amount of damage, staring at his open palm. He doubted it would ever really look the same again.
In front of him, Arianna's form flickered; a sign of her impatience.
Shawn licked his lips. "I just wanted to…" he drifted off as he looked at her. Arianna's large, brown eyes were boring into him. He scratched the back of his neck.
Why is this so hard?
"Yes?" she asked.
"Um…thank you, for…helping me."
Her eyebrows creased. "It wasn't you I was helping, Athame Wielder – what you seek to gain is just…a byproduct."
"Yeah," he mumbled, glancing down at his damaged hand again. "I know."
He took a deep breath, then extended his arm, palm over Arianna's head and whispered the words with a shaky voice, "In love and in trust, in peace and in wisdom, I release you, so mote it be."
A rush of wind circled around the cavern, picking up dust and water as it went. The stream tightened and converged where Arianna stood. Shawn squinted, ducking his head and shielding his open wounds against the elements. The noise was deafening. Finally, Shawn peeked over.
Arianna's large, brown eyes were still boring into him. He blinked. She was leaving, but on her own terms; not his. When he looked away, a final gust of wind and then all was silent. He straightened, resisting the urge to rub out the goose bumps on his arms. Drops of water hitting the still lake below echoed through the cave. Shawn didn't remember it being so…dark.
He took another deep breath. And that was the easy one, he thought.
Short, barely noticeable bursts of light danced across the wall beside him. They grew in size, highlighting Shawn's own, small shadow. He turned, squinting at the figure of light on the cave ledge, sucking in his breath.
Sarah.
His lips refused to form the name out loud. He couldn't move, except for his unwrapped hand, twitching out of control.
Sarah's Shade descended. As she landed on the ledge in front of Shawn, his hand twitched faster.
"Okay, then." She took her human form, crossed her arms, and met Shawn's blue eyes. "Justify your actions."
Shawn swallowed. "What?"
She eyed him, tappi
ng her foot. "It's why you're here, isn't it? You cannot obtain Akasha without a clear conscience."
Shawn pressed his lips together, tight. He knew he'd have to defend himself to Sarah; he just didn't think it would be right away. His practiced speech flew out of his head the moment he saw her. "It was the Great Rite," the words tumbled out of his mouth. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down.
Sarah's eyes grew wide. "The Great Rite isn't about rape. It is supposed to be consensual. And usually done metaphorically – with a knife and a Chalice."
His eyes met hers. "That's not how we did it."
"This isn't about us any longer," her words were clipped and full of fury. "You made sure of that when you raped Kaitlyn."
"I was…I mean, I am trying to end the cycle," Shawn's tone slowly matched hers. "But to do that, I need to be able to wield the same power as a Gaia. You know what kind of magical energy the Great Rite can invoke. Kaitlyn is strong; I needed to take drastic steps in order to tap into her power."
"Oh, there is no doubt you tapped her – on several occasions."
Shawn's face grew red. "Yes, but it was always within the circle of elements, and it always raised the energy I sought."
Sarah's voice went soft, "Yet it wasn't enough. She escaped, and you continue to seek more energy. What went wrong?"
He hesitated, trying to think back to the events before solidifying them with words. "It's like, I gained energy from the Great Rite – but so did she. I took precautions to make sure that didn't happen. I kept her weak. But, I don't know…" Shawn walked away, then back again, kicking the ground with the toe of his boot. "I keep going over everything in my head. I was wrong about a lot." Shawn's eyebrows rose, his clear blue eyes going glossy.
Sarah took a step forward. "We were right about some things, you know. The Seven did it all wrong. But there always has to be a balance." She laid a hand on his cheek.
He leaned into her touch.
Sarah continued, "It's a balance you can't maintain on your own; and neither can she. It takes both feminine and masculine energy. But you've tainted that."
Sarah morphed back into her gaseous form, and floated through Shawn. For a moment, her essence filled him, reminding him of what it used to feel like lying in bed, wrapped around one other until early afternoon each day.
She passed, leaving Shawn as empty as when he had lost her. He crumpled to his knees, hugging his chest as though he would fall apart any second.
Her voice echoed behind him, "You violated a sacred act, and it is not me that can offer forgiveness. You must seek it from Akasha herself."
Shawn nodded, throat too choked for words. He removed the Athame from its sheath on his hip. He wrapped the spell written down on a small piece of paper around the blade. He was right to think he would not be able to say it out loud – not this time. He touched the tip of the knife to the ground, his forehead, then his lips, and whispered, "Sarah."
Pain ripped through his abdomen and up to his chest. He held himself to the ground, resisting the urge to spin and grab hold of his former partner. There wasn't a roar as with Arianna, just a soft whisper of wind, and then he was alone.
Shawn returned to his body, feeling more hollow than ever. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He had freed the last of them, Akasha should be his. He slumped down on his bed, removing his shirt, shoes, and pants, then laying back.
Do I even want Akasha anymore, he wondered. What's the point? Sarah is gone for good.
He folded his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling, willing the ache in his chest to go away.
Just as he closed his eyes, the entire room vibrated. Shawn jolted out of bed.
An explosion?
No, the shaking continued, knocking his chair over. He left the room and ran down three flights of stairs in his boxers.
"What was that?" he asked the Earth on duty. "Earthquake?"
She turned from the window. "Kind of, sir." She stared at his bare chest.
"Don't call me sir, and what do you mean kind of?" He grabbed a spare jacket lying on a nearby chair.
She snapped her eyes away. "The movement started close by. There is a fault line under the Rockies, of course – but I'm not aware of any under the downtown area."
Shawn's blue eyes practically glowed in the otherwise darkened room. "Show me."
The pair went outside, followed by an Air, Water, and Fire.
"There." The Earth pointed southeast. They peered through two tall buildings and could just see the rise of the Tivoli center tower.
The Fire stepped forward. "My element was raging there just before the earthquake." He squinted into the night sky. "But I don't see any smoke."
"All right, let's go check it out." Shawn started for the Center.
"Sir?" the Earth asked.
"What?" Shawn snapped at her, barely turning his head.
"Your pants."
Chapter 58
Groupies
I pushed my way out of the building, taking a deep breath of cold air. It bit at my lungs, but felt wonderful after a steamy fight in the catacombs. I stretched, trying to reinvigorate exhausted muscles. A cold wind blew; the air tasted of snow. The sweat beading my body would turn to icicles soon. I looked toward our observation tower. Around it, grey smoke from several cooking fires rose steadily upward. Against the pitch black sky, you wouldn't see the smoke unless you were looking for it.
I wonder if there will be meat tonight. My stomach growled, and I started for the amusement park.
"Artemis, wait!"
I cocked my ear. Artemis? Oh yeah. I smiled. Goddess of the Hunt. I turned, and waited for a small group of Fires to approach. "The name's Lucy."
"Right," the one in the front said. Three of them stopped in front of me. "Look." He scratched his neck, glancing behind him as if to ensure the others were there. "We were sort of…Dragon groupies. For a long time. And now he is…"
A loser, I thought.
"…trapped behind stone, at least until someone frees him."
I glared at him. Some groupies they were.
"Hey, I'm just a Fire. Fire can't burn through stone – not very quickly, anyway."
I sighed, glancing at the doors. Am I going to have to undo what I just did?
"Don't worry," he said. "We'll take care of it. Anyway, in the meantime—"
"For crying out loud." The girl behind him pushed him aside. "What he’s trying to do is ask if there is anything you need."
My gaze shifted to her. Her eyes went to her shoes as she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.
Why are they all so nervous?
"Because, you know – we can get it for you."
"Now that you mentioned it," I began. All three heads snapped up. "There is something you can do for me. Do you know what Akasha is?"
The boy in the back, who had to be two heads taller than everyone else, spoke up, "Shawn mentioned it. Said it was the key to bringing power back to the world."
"He told you that?" the girl asked, eyebrows raised.
He shrugged. "I take care of his hands. He's always burning them."
I stuck my bandaged hand behind me, hoping no one noticed.
"I thought nuclear was his plan," said the girl.
"Yes but, without a way to get more Uranium, something has got to power the plants."
I thought of Arnold, suddenly, wondering if this would convince even him. Accessing nuclear power without the risk of a radioactive byproduct. I furrowed my eyebrows. Does using Akasha create radioactive waste? I raised my good hand, wiggling my fingers. Not glowing yet.
The girl cleared her throat. They were all staring at me. "So, what is it you needed?" she asked.
"I need you to do something for me if you see Akasha," I said.
"What?" she asked.
"Run away."
Chapter 59
The Messenger
"You there, stop!" Shawn marched his way up the stairs with his small entourage of Elementals.
Th
e Fire, in the process of padlocking the door, turned and did a double take as the chief of One Less approached. The Fire dropped the chain on the ground.
Shawn picked it up, slowly wrapping it around his fist. "Who are you?"
The Fire reached in his pocket, producing the blue armband.
"I see," Shawn said, continuing to wrap the chain around his hand. "The camp is on lockdown, no one is supposed to be out past dark."
Chattering and laughs broke the tension as a group of women rounded the corner. Each bore a blue band on their arm. They stopped in their tracks at the sight of Shawn, then turned tail, disappearing back the same way.
Shawn glared at the Fire. "What happened here tonight? How many were here?"
The Fire wiped his forehead with his sleeve, which came away damp. Shawn had to look up to talk to him, but the Fire was thin and gangly. The scar running down his face curled his mouth into a permanent smile.
The only thing scars prove is that their bearers had experienced a moment of weakness, Shawn told himself.
The Fire was still not talking. Shawn finished wrapping the chain. His fist was more than double the original size, with his bandages and the makeshift brass knuckles. For good measure, he glanced over his shoulder at his entourage. Almost instantly each of the elements were called, putting on an impressive, tiny display above their palms.
The Fire stepped back. "Ok, look – I'll show you. Just don't shoot the messenger."
Shawn smiled as the elements dissipated. "Do you see any guns?"
The Fire swallowed hard, then turned to enter the building. He led them through the hallways, past the dilapidated bar, and down to the catacombs. He explained as he went, "Dog fights. It's where—"
"I know what the dog fights are," Shawn snapped. "I also know there hasn't been any for a while – and I didn't think they would get revived right as the camp went on lockdown."
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