“You said you weren’t a very good cook,” I accused.
“I can make a handful of dishes pretty decently. In a month or two you’ll tire of the few meals I am good at making.” He smiled at me as he placed the glasses on the table.
“Well then, it’s a good thing I can cook more of a variety than you can,” I told him with a returned smile. “That way we don’t die of food boredom.”
Dinner was fun. I volunteered to do the dishes after we ate, but Carmon insisted on helping me. That turned out to be a good idea because I had no idea where dishes went in the kitchen yet. When we were finished, Carmon took me on a tour of our home. Our home. It was still weird to think about, and it was big. They even had a gym with weights, exercise equipment, and the works!
The house was beautiful, but it was missing something. It was missing pieces of them. Nothing really showed who, if anyone, really lived there. There were no pictures, no decorations. Their rooms were their own, but even then, they had few possessions beyond a limited amount of books, movies, and games. I guessed if you were gone all the time, there was not much use in extra stuff when you weren’t going to see it. I hoped Carmon would not be gone too often now.
It was late when the tour ended, and I called it a night for both of us. Carmon had not slept while we drove from Cambria to Mount Pickett. Somehow that boy could keep going and going and going. Though, I did notice that, like all humans, he was crabby when he became tired, so I wanted to put him to bed at a decent hour tonight. I wanted to have a nice day with him tomorrow.
“I’d like to know when you knew you loved me,” Carmon said as we readied for bed.
“I was furious with you for making me leave the hotel room when we learned of the Warlock’s plans, and for a while I thought, again, that I was just a duty to you. I knew you would come for me. You always do. I went on a few dates before we met, and I don’t think any of them would fight to the death for me or track me for days through vampire and demon infested forest. You always find me, and I never doubt you will. Which is great because I can hardly stand to be apart from you. You would have given your life for me on that mountain, and I just knew you held my heart,” I replied.
“I would have died for you,” he confirmed. I needed a subject change. I absolutely could not think of him dying.
“Will I still go to the academy at Mount Pickett when the new school year starts?” I asked him. I had been wondering what would change now, and what would stay the same.
“Yes. I would train you personally, but I might be called away for missions. I am planning to take some time off, but if they have an emergency they can’t handle without me, I will help. I will add to your training while I am in town, and you will stay at the apartment while I am gone. Otherwise, we will be here. Does that sound okay?”
Boy, he had really thought this through. It sounded perfect to me. We only needed to survive another week or two. Then, we would be good to go.
Chapter Thirteen
Carmon
So, my mate can breathe underwater. Am I jealous? I’m a Water elemental, of course I am jealous! But, like I told her, I’m glad drowning is one less way she can be hurt, or killed. She meant the world to me, and I refused to lose her. I agreed to take her with us to stop the Warlock. We still needed a miracle, but I decided I would rather have her by my side than lose her because she followed us. Maybe this new-found gift of hers could help us. It was worth a shot.
We spent the morning in the gym and swam in the pond on the property after lunch. It was a little chilly, but it was refreshing in the summer heat. Sylee loved showing off her new ability, and I loved seeing her so happy about it. I could not wait to help train her when she started at the academy. She would one day be a great extractor. I would make sure of it. It helped she had a lot of natural talent and a strong personality.
We were just getting back to the house from our swim when my team’s two SUV’s pulled up. My heart sank. I should have been happy to see them, but I wasn’t. Our families were here, which meant they’d found something we could use to stop the Warlock. That was good, but it also meant our alone time was over, and that was the bad part.
“We found something,” Adam announced, climbing out of the first vehicle.
“Great.” I tried to sound more excited than I was. “Let us change and then you can tell us all about it.”
We changed quickly while my brothers gave the Hamilton’s a quick tour of the house since they would be staying in it until we returned, if we ever came back. I hoped what they had to say would change the unease I had about this mission, and give me some hope.
Everyone gathered in the living room after Dalton made popcorn. Chris made a comment about this story being too outrageous for the big screen. One thing about Chris, he always tried to lighten the mood. It was going to be weird not living in the house with my brothers anymore, but I had loved the time Sylee and I had had together. Not to mention there were plenty of bedrooms for children, and guests.
“We found some information in a book in the Vault that we think will help us,” Adam began again, “It is a document called the Accords. It was written and signed by the leader of each race eons ago, but from what we could find, it was never put into action. Our plan is to do just that.”
He held the book out to me. It wasn’t really a book, but a document that had been bound to keep it together and around a long time. I started reading it, and let the world around me do as it pleased. They really had hit the jackpot of information. According to the document, which seemed to have been written right after the war began, the races had all agreed to put aside their differences and live in peace. Each had different items they agreed to do, and I could not figure out why it was never enacted. It was a complicated agreement, but with any luck, it would be what we needed to not only stop the Warlock, but also the war.
“Okay, so now that we have a basic idea of what needs to happen,” I said when I had finished reading half an hour later, “what’s the big plan?”
Everyone gathered back into the living room from their various locations at my words. Many were munching on snacks. The food looked delicious, so I stood up to grab something as Nathaniel answered my question.
“The document says that the elemental race oversees the enforcing of the Accords. That means you boys,” Nathaniel said. I remembered reading that, so I nodded for him to continue reciting his plan. “The Warlock, along with the other races, is not adhering to the agreed upon conditions, so he either needs to get his act together, or you can decide on a discipline for him. My guess, and I am only throwing it out there, is that he is not going to like being told what to do. If he does not follow the punishment, you may, as the leading elemental, challenge him to a duel. When he loses, you would then choose a replacement for him. We would need to find the replacement soon after. We also need Life to sign off on the plan that puts you officially in charge, Cal. Plus, we have to sneak into his palace.”
Well, it was the start of a good plan.
Aunt Mercy, I called to my aunt’s link in my mind. Yeah, I had links to the elementals as well. Busy little brain.
Aunt Mercy responded quickly, and with orders. You will use the Accords and put the races in order, Carmon. This will bring balance back to the world. We’ve been waiting on you boys to grow up before putting this on your shoulders. It is what you were destined to do. You will need your mate at your side to do this. Your brothers will need theirs as well before this is all over, and they will find them soon, but first, you need to stop the Warlock.
“Life has given us the right to enact the Accords,” I stated to the group.
She also said you guys will find your mates soon, so heads up, I sent to my brothers only. There were mixed expressions from each one.
“Perfect, so now we have to slip into the Warlock’s palace without be detected,” Nathaniel stated, then guzzled his glass of water.
“Don’t worry, Nate, is it all right if I call you Nate? Nathaniel is just so lo
ng to say all the time, and you call me Cal,” I threw out there.
Nathaniel shook his head and smiled at me, “Call me Nate if you wish, Cal.”
“Great. Now that that’s settled, tell us about the palace. You said you’ve been there before, right?”
“Yes, a long time ago, but I imagine nothing has changed. The Warlock is powerful, but he is also lazy, gluttonous, and lacks imagination. The palace has a mote and waterways running through the bottom level. We could get in if someone were able to swim through the waterways and unlock one of the smaller side doors they use for sneaking around armies that have attacked the palace in the past. The only problem is, it is a long time without air,” Nathaniel relayed the information.
I shared a glance with my mate. “Let’s pretend that’s not an issue. Would that plan work to get to the Warlock?”
“Yes, with some minor adjustments that I am sure you guys know how to make. I will stay by one of you so I know what’s happening,” Nate said, then took his glass to the kitchen. When he returned his eyes lit up from an epiphany. “Just before you challenge the Warlock, you need to drink as much blood from the rest of us as you can. We will still have to fight other witches, but taking from all of us will keep us stronger as individuals. I will give you more details to help you fight him later. Right now, I say we get on the road.”
“Okay, let’s go,” I said, standing from my seat on the couch next to my mate. “Sylee your bag is in the closet. Are you comfortable packing my bag as well?”
She nodded to me and was off.
“Commander,” Ruby said, approaching me. “She’s not going with you, is she?”
“Ruby, I’m your son-in-law. I may not be the best son-in-law, but please call me Carmon,” I told her. “And I’m sorry, but Sylee needs to come with us. Life told me she would help me, and she does have a part to play in this. I know you want her safe. I do too, and right now that safe place is by my side. I need her help. I promise to keep her safe.”
“Keep yourself safe too, Carmon,” Ruby said resting her motherly hand on my left cheek. Then she gave me a hug. This time I was ready and accepting of her contact. If my mother would never hug me, I would take as many hugs as I could from Ruby.
“I will. Thank you, Ruby,” I said as she released me.
We left in one of the SUV’s minutes later. The Hamilton’s had been warned not to leave the property. They would be safe if they remained there. We drove North with few stops. We passed the time discussing all the possible problems we would have storming the Warlock’s palace and adding details to Nate’s original plan. It was a lengthy discussion. I also filled Nate and my brothers in on our discovery of Sylee’s new gift.
“Well, that gets us in then,” Adam said.
“Are you okay with doing the job, Love?” I didn’t want her to feel that she had no choice but to do it. It was the best plan, but she needed to be comfortable with it. I would not force her to do it. It wasn’t my favorite plan since there was no way for me to be with her if she ran into trouble. She would be on her own, and that made my stomach queasy, but I tried not to show it to her.
“I can do it, Cal,” she said from behind my seat. I loved that she went right to her place in the car. I missed seeing her, but she was where I could get to her easiest if I needed to. Sometimes she would lean where I could see her in the rearview mirror, and she’d wink at me. I loved that woman.
We drove a couple of extremely long days until we reached the Ridge Mountains again. I had hoped to never go back there, but here we were. Nate directed me to drive to a secluded pull-off along the main road on the east side of the mountain range. We would be walking to the palace now. That was fine with me. My head was killing me after so much arguing from Chris and Drew.
“Do you guys always walk so much?” Sylee asked as we followed Nate through the mountains.
“We do when we don’t ride our horses,” I responded.
“You have horses, too?” She sounded shocked.
“Yeah, they are in the stables at Mount Pickett,” I told her. “When we make it back, I’ll introduce you to Daisy.”
“How long do we have to walk?” Sylee asked Nate. I could not stop the small smile from coming to my lips. She had never walked so much in her life as she had since meeting me.
“Depends on how much trouble we run into.”
“Stay by me, Love. If we’re attacked, you need to be my shadow,” I ordered, my smile vanishing.
“Yes, Commander.”
We walked for a few hours without incident. Then I remembered something I shouldn’t have forgotten as we snuck up on a pair of witches. I heard them talking and closed my eyes as I realized my mistake.
“I feel a Light nearby, Sloan,” a voice said.
I’d forgotten the stronger witches could feel my power. I had been doing well about remembering, but now I had forgotten. As had everyone else with me it seemed since no one had mentioned it during our drive. It was a new development in the last six months since my twentieth birthday. My Life power, though everyone thought it was my Light blood power they felt, had matured on that day, and now I could not contain it. We were going to have to rethink our plan a bit. I would not be able to sneak into the palace. At least not with everyone else. I would endanger them all.
“Keep going. I’ll take care of this,” I told the group, and I did. Once I was finished, I caught back up to our little group.
When Sylee and Nathaniel needed a break, we stopped for a few minutes.
“I am assuming we all know we have a problem,” Nate started the conversation.
“What problem is that?” my mate asked.
“Carmon,” was Nate’s reply, inclining his head in my direction.
Sylee looked at me questioningly as she ate some candy. “What did you do, Cal?”
“Nothing, Love. I did nothing.” She looked at me with eyes that said she didn’t believe me. “My Life element, however, matured when I turned twenty, and now most higher level witches can feel when I’m near.”
“The question, I guess, is do you go into the palace before, or after, us?” Chris asked.
“Before,” I replied. I’d been thinking about it, and no other way made sense.
“I agree,” Adam replied, and Nate nodded. “At least we can get one person in there to scope out the situation. If you go in first, they will search for others with you. They won’t find anyone. If you go second, they will find us.”
“You’re assuming he gets caught,” Sylee stated, eyes narrowing at my brother. “I don’t think I like that.”
“Chances are I will be caught because they will know I’m coming. I cannot fight my way in very well. That’s why you’re swimming in. I will take out as many guards as I can,” I told the group.
“Do you think they’ll take Cal to the Warlock, Nate, or keep him as far from the witch as they can?” Drew asked.
“They’ll keep him separate from the Warlock. The Warlock will never admit that he is afraid of Carmon, but he is. That is why he placed the mark on Cal’s head. When we make it into the palace, the first task we need to complete is to locate Carmon, and take him to the Warlock. Have any of you boys used your elemental power to make people obey you?” Nate asked.
“Yes,” I replied, “but only one or two people at a time, and always humans, but I think we can make witches obey, too.”
Nate nodded. “You should be able to. You are the most powerful race, even if you are halfblooded.”
“So, we either make them move out of our way, or kill them, to get to the Warlock after we’ve retrieved Cal,” Drew restated the plan. “Works for me.”
“Sylee, Love.” I took her hands in mine. “Adam is your lieutenant. You do everything he says, when he says to do it.”
“Yes, Commander,” she replied. This time there was no sarcasm with it, but a respect for my rank.
“I know asking you not to worry about me will be pointless, but I do not want that worry to affect you when you sneak in th
e palace. You have a job. You will need to focus on that. After you have opened the door for the rest of the team, your job is to help find me.” I looked her directly in the eyes. “Love, you will have to kill again. Can you do that?”
“Yes, Cal,” she replied, and I saw the determination in her eyes. “I will do whatever I need to do to protect my family. I don’t just mean my family at the house, but yours as well.”
“And we will protect you, Sylee,” Jeff told her. “If you’re injured, don’t worry, I will know and I’ll heal you as quickly as I can.”
“You will always be able to remain in contact with me,” I told her. “And remember when you meet up with me, you’d better have plenty of blood in your beautiful body to share some with me,” I said with a wink in her direction.
“I will.” She smiled back.
I wished I could have left her behind at the house. She was too innocent for this job, but I needed her. We could not pull it off without her. I had to rely on my brothers to keep her safe because I wouldn’t be able to. I couldn’t dwell on that thought any longer, or I wouldn’t be able to leave her side.
“How much farther, Nate, and in what direction?” I asked.
“That way,” he said pointing due north, “three hours walk. You’d best be going now. We will wait five hours before following, and we’ll travel slowly. That should give them enough time to check for your accomplices. I don’t want to wait any longer than that.”
“Okay.” I rose to my feet. Sylee hopped up right beside me. I grabbed her hand and hauled her around the corner of the outcropping of rock we’d used to hide ourselves while we rested. When we were hidden around the rock, I slowed and pulled my mate to me. This was the first of many missions we would do together, and I doubted I’d be ready to send her into battle each time. I didn’t doubt her abilities. I doubted my ability to not hover over her every second.
I stepped back so I could look her in the eyes. “I have faith in your capability to protect yourself, but please, please come out of this unscathed. If I lose you, I fear what kind of man the world will have to live with.”
Life and Water: The Elementals: Book One Page 20
