“Hey, Holden,” I said, not wanting to prolong the inevitable.
He spun around, and his brown eyes practically sparkled. “Valerie! You look…amazing. How are you?”
I licked my lips and exhaled slowly. “Thank you. I’m very well, and yourself?”
He narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Don’t go getting all formal on me. We’re not strangers, you know.”
I popped a hip and crossed my arms. “We’re also not as close as we used to be.”
“A damn shame,” he muttered, the adoring smile still clinging to his lips. “Shall we walk?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
He strode up the bank until we were nearly shoulder to shoulder then led me back into the sea of festivities. I scanned the throng, looking for Cade, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.
We paused in front of a food stand, and Holden smiled at me. “Funnel cake?”
I blinked. It had been so long since I’d eaten something overly processed and blatantly unhealthy that I’d almost forgotten the taste. I was used to Cade’s all-natural, intensely delicious masterpieces.
“No, thank you.”
“Come on, Valerie. Live a little!” He then turned to the stand worker. “Two funnel cakes, please.”
I rolled my eyes and looked away. He tried to hand me the extra cake, but I refused to take it. I was annoyed he hadn’t listened to me.
After he paid, we continued walking.
“So, how’s Sienna doing?” he asked, taking a bite of his sugary treat.
I smiled but immediately felt sad thinking of his cousin. “She’s good. She’s taken to the Revolutionist lifestyle quite well, with ease and enthusiasm.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “But?”
Of course he’d see right through me. I was unfortunately rather transparent when it came to hiding my emotions.
I sighed. “But…she’s avoiding Xavier, and I don’t understand why.”
Holden laughed out loud. “God forbid someone not love a Landston!”
“I’m serious, Holden.”
“Me too!” he said, laughing some more.
“I actually think she does love him,” I continued on, despite his comment. “But she seems to be terrified of commitment. Any idea as to why?”
His laughter finally died down and he shook his head. “Uncle Marco had their family traveling all over the country with the navy. This past year was the first time we got close, and she never mentioned anything about a fear of commitment.”
“Yeah, but it’s obvious how much it terrifies her. You’ve seen how she hops from guy to guy.”
Holden shrugged. “Maybe she’s just not ready to settle down.”
My lips pursed, but I let the subject slide. I’d figure it out on my own somehow.
“Anyway,” I said, cutting to the chase, “what information do you have to share with me?”
He took another big bite of funnel cake. “A location, and a date.” After swallowing, he added, “Their next target.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
We’d never had information like this before. This could be our moment, our chance to see if the Revolutionists would sink or swim. If we could get to this next target in time, we could save the entire human city and maybe even kick some serious Elitist ass.
“When and where?” I asked, determination hardening my tone.
Holden merely smiled.
I cocked my head. “Surely you’re not going to keep it from me.”
“I won’t, but I don’t want to cut our time short. I know once I tell you, you’ll run off before I can even say goodbye.”
“Because this shit’s important, Holden. If we can get there in time to stop Nicholai from—”
“Unnecessarily killing people just for the sadistic fun of it?” he asked, interrupting me. “Yeah, I remember what he does. I watched him kill my father, my coworkers, and one of my friends.”
I stayed silent.
I’d been there that day, too. The image of Holden’s tear-streaked face as he yelled crazily through his gag would forever be burned into my memory, along with the lifeless stares of the dead.
“There are so many people,” he continued, “people I cared about, who are just…gone. They’re dead, and they’re never coming back. But you and me…we’re still here, and I still care about you so much.”
The familiar pain of guilt welled up inside of me. I was forever wishing on stars I could’ve just been what that boy needed me to be, wishing I could’ve loved him back, wishing life could’ve been so simple and perfect—but it just wasn’t. The stars had aligned for me and Cade instead, and I’d already given him my heart.
“I’m sorry, Holden—for all you’ve lost and all you’ve been through—but I can’t be with you. You know that.”
He rolled his eyes. “Because of Cade.”
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure if I could ever have been with Holden again anyway, even if Cade hadn’t been in the picture. The rift between us had already widened too far, and there was no way to safely bridge the gap.
“God, I hate him,” he muttered with a glare. I’d barely heard it, but there was no mistaking the venom in his tone.
“Holden,” I said, wanting to comfort him and stick up for Cade at the same time. “You don’t mean that.”
He shook his head and turned away.
I supposed I didn’t really expect him to deny it. He and Cade had never seen eye to eye, and even I didn’t like romantic competition—like Loren Marlowe, for example. Her infatuation with Cade was mercifully one-sided, but it still made my blood boil just thinking about her.
The fire opal necklace tucked into my tank top started to vibrate and glow, fighting hard to contain my Fire element. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down.
Holden seemed to be doing the same thing as he heaved a frustrated sigh. “Come here.”
He pulled me off to the side of a game stand where two guys were shooting mini basketballs at plastic hoops. There was nothing but woods behind us, and the whole festival sounded quieter. Suddenly, I felt nervous.
He braced his arms on either side of my head and leaned in so close his breath tickled my ear.
“Wellsfield. Parker Center. One week.” Then he pulled back, forcing his lips to smile and his feet to back away. “Enjoy the festival.”
When I lost his face in the crowd, my shoulders sagged and my whole body relaxed. I hadn’t realized I’d been so tense.
“Are you okay?” Cade asked, appearing from out of nowhere between the trees.
I startled, tensing up all over again. “Damn it, Cade!”
His smile brightened. “Sorry. Thought you’d be used to it by now.”
“Who could possibly get used to their boyfriend materializing out of the scenery?”
Without warning, Sienna rushed around the corner. “We need to go! Now!”
Cade frowned but adjusted his stance so he was ready to move. “I haven’t felt anything wrong in the earth.”
She thrashed her head, black hair shimmering. “Not in the earth, in the air. They’re being carried in on the wind!”
“Who?” I asked, spinning around and searching the darkened sky. “The Elitists?”
“Ever see a flying Elitist?” she asked sarcastically.
I’d never seen a flying anyone, actually.
Cade sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes widened. “Shadow Sect soldiers. One just touched down not thirty yards from here. Let’s move!”
According to Cade and Sienna, when Sect soldiers were around, the main goal was to get me as far away as possible. But, in my opinion, if Sect soldiers showed up at a public event, the main goal should have been to keep as many people from getting hurt as possible.
They tried to pull me into the woods, but I yanked my wrists free.
“No! We need to protect these Elementals. They’re Modernists. You know they don’t know how to fight.”
Cade reattached his hand to my wrist. “Who do you
think the soldiers are here for, them or you?”
I bit my lip. “I know, but—”
“He’s right, Val,” Sienna cut in. “You staying here will only make it worse.”
I looked behind me, where shadowy figures were drifting in on the breeze like spiders. I’d never seen anything like it. There were at least a dozen of them, more than the Sect had ever sent before.
“Come on,” Cade pressed. “Let’s get back to the truck. I’ll make sure there’s no signature to follow in the earth.”
Sienna nodded. “And I’ll erase it from the air.”
I had mere seconds to deliberate before they dragged me through the woods or the Sect started tracking us.
Their logic on leaving seemed sound, but my desire to actively defend was incredibly strong. Which would be the better choice? In my mind, leaving would be cowardly and staying would be noble. I mean, what if we left and these people got slaughtered like cattle? Then again, what if we stayed and I really did make it worse?
“We’ll lead the soldiers away,” I said finally.
It was the best compromise I could make.
Cade’s lips thinned, but he nodded his consent, as did Sienna.
“Find Holden,” I said to her. “Make sure he gets his people to safety.” Then I turned to Cade. “Gather our teachers. Tell them to run a scatter drill. I’ll skirt the perimeter of town until we regroup.”
He gave me a dangerous look, one that might’ve been frightening but instead jacked up the heat inside of me.
“You’d better not leave without us again,” he threatened. “This is not one of those times to be testing your luck solo.”
I stepped closer and curled into him, running my fingers through his disheveled hair.
“We’re a team,” I said, losing myself in the emerald depths of his eyes. “I’ll wait for you.”
He leaned his face into my palm and kissed it. “Don’t get killed.”
“You either,” I said, the words accidentally coming out as a whisper.
A second later, he was gone. I blinked, studying the woods as I slowly dropped my hands, but he was nowhere. Sienna had left already, too.
I turned back to the chaos of the frantic festivalgoers. From across the street, I was met with a menacing pair of eyes, pale compared to the black serpentine uniform the figure wore. The irises were almost turquoise in color.
Could it be Elise?
Fear curled in my stomach. If it was her, I wouldn’t know what to do. She was my cousin, the one who’d taught me almost everything I knew about stealth and survival, and I didn’t want to hurt her. But, she was also an agent of the Shadow Sect, and I knew she’d capture me if they’d ordered her to.
Even if it wasn’t her, I needed to get my ass moving.
I took a deep breath then sprinted back into the mayhem, and the Sect soldier followed, charging through the crowd as if the streets were empty. My anxiety level ratcheted up, and I pushed my legs harder. I may have wanted them to follow me, but I sure as hell didn’t want them to catch me.
When I hit the edge of town, I did as I’d said I would and circled around, giving Sienna and Cade time to catch back up.
Suddenly, two Sect soldiers appeared before me. I faltered, slowing to a jog as I veered toward the tree line instead, but another soldier emerged from the shadows. I halted and glanced behind me. The first soldier was still on my tail.
I was completely surrounded, and there seemed to be only one way out.
Taking a deep shaky breath, I ignited the flame in my right palm and the water in my left, prepared to fight.
Chapter Six
A net spiraled at me from the barrel of a strange gun, but I dove to the side and rolled. It was most likely made of that same element-proof rope no one could ever seem to overpower—no one except Nicholai, of course.
One of the soldiers lassoed a rope into the air, letting it fly at my head. I rolled again, moving a bit too close to the two enemies by the woods. They each grabbed at my arms, but only one caught hold. I yanked hard, whipping him to the ground before he lost his grip.
Another net flew into the air. I shot a fireball at it, but as I suspected, nothing happened. The rope was definitely element-proof. At the last second, I sprinted toward the soldier with the turquoise eyes. Elise or not, I had to stop these people from capturing me and destroying Center Allegheny for the third time in half a year. We hit the ground skidding, each vying for the upper hand.
The sound of another net being ejected rushed to my ear. Quickly, I scrambled away from the soldier I’d tackled, but my legs still ended up caught.
Time to test my theory. I pulled a knife from my shorts pocket and slid the blade across the rope. A few tendrils let loose. Bingo. The ropes resisted the elements, but not manmade weapons.
I sawed faster and harder, but just as my feet were freed, my right hand was caught in a lasso, and the knife dropped to the ground. Wrapping the rope around my hand a few times for leverage, I yanked on it, jerking the soldier holding the other end down to the ground.
Untangling myself, I smashed a fist into the ground and sent a jagged trail of frozen spikes toward the woods. The icy blast knocked two of them off their feet and speared one through the thigh. The soldier cried out as blood spilled down the crystalline shaft.
Not waiting to discover his fate, I ran across the ice and into the forest. The three with good legs were hot on my trail.
I wasn’t sure what their elements were, so I didn’t know exactly how to proceed. It was possible at least one of them was an Earth, and if that were the case, they were close enough to enlist the entire forest to try to stop me. It was also possible one of them was a Wind and could slow me down considerably. That was problematic, seeing as I needed to cover a huge distance.
I moved to the outside edge of the woods, sticking close to town in case I needed to flee the trees. From there, I saw Modernists streaming through the streets. Half of them scattered into the forest, and half ran around in circles, unsure of where to go. Certainly, their houses didn’t feel like a safe enough option with the Shadow Sect soldiers patrolling outside. Wherever Holden had directed them to go, they were clearly too panicked to follow orders.
Pushing myself harder, I realized it was getting more difficult to gain speed. Suddenly, I saw the ground rising up, higher and higher, until there was nowhere left to go but up. Then the earth spilled over like a wave, piling on top of me.
Shit! I cried in my mind as I frantically fought to find a way out.
Putting my palms against the wall of dirt, I quickly sucked the water from the soil and turned the wave into sandy dust. Unfortunately, it still accumulated around me, essentially trapping me from the waist down.
The three soldiers surrounded me.
I knew it wasn’t wise to use my fire after dark, but I was running out of options. Blue flames ignited across my skin and baked the nearby earth into a hardened mixture of clay and glass.
“This is pointless, Valerie,” said the turquoise-eyed soldier. She removed her helmet, and beautiful blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders.
Elise.
Taking a deep breath, I amped up my flames. I could not be caught. Slowly, the glass started melting into a viscous pool.
Then it stopped.
I glared at the soldier on my right, who was obviously a fellow Fire. He was staring intently, concentrating hard on containing my flames. I threw a fireball at him. It didn’t hurt, but it was enough to break his focus.
“Enough, Valerie!” Elise said in an exasperated tone. “You should’ve cooperated with Exis when you had the chance.” She nodded to her companions. “Bag her up. She gets taken in alive.”
“The hell I do,” I muttered through clenched teeth as I boiled the soupy mess enclosing me.
The heat was enough to force all but the Fire Elemental back a few steps. I lifted myself from the ground and shot a row of icy spikes at him. They punched through his arm and shoulder before he had a chance to bloc
k them. He flamed up and melted them, but they’d already done their damage. Blood dripped from his fingertips onto the ground as he squeezed his arm tightly.
I started running again, but the earth began sucking at my feet. Growling, I rolled out an icy carpet across the terrain and regained speed.
Ahead, I noticed a strange movement between the trees, like the convex silhouette of something invisible—or, more to the point, like an Earth Elemental blending in seamlessly with the vegetation.
Cade!
I sprinted to the strange spot as fast as I could, balls of ice and fire soaring through the air behind me. The earth was no longer opposing my escape, so I knew Cade must have overpowered Elise.
When I got there, he immediately pulled me into an embrace behind a tree and put his finger to his lips. I nodded my understanding and kept as quiet as possible while still trying to catch my breath. Sienna suddenly appeared out of nowhere and touched my shoulder. My breathing was instantly quieter and easier. I smiled my thanks and amazement at her.
The two unscathed Sect soldiers approached the woods and looked around. Elise bent down and palmed the ground, snarling when she came up emptyhanded. She glanced at the other guy, who must’ve been a Wind. He put his hands into the air and slowly spun in a circle. After a moment, he shook his head.
Hell yeah, Sienna! I couldn’t help but squeal in my mind. She was making progress by leaps and bounds, and it was definitely coming in handy.
“Damn it, Valerie!” Elise shouted. “I know you’re out there! I will find you, and when I do, you will wish you had been caught sooner.”
She thrust her helmet onto her head and stormed off.
Cade held me tight for a few minutes longer, eyes silently drifting from tree to tree until he was absolutely certain they’d left. He and Sienna shared a nod, and we all heaved a collective sigh of relief.
“That was way too close,” she said, running a hand through her silky black hair.
“You were amazing, though!” I said, pulling her into a tight hug.
“She’s right,” Cade said from behind me.
I let go of Sienna and looked at him.
The Essential Elements: Boxed Set Page 62
