Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 (6 page)

“I can, too. It’s strong,” said Taylor, smiling.

Well, at least someone was happy about the whole mess. I cringed each time another lord spoke up. The last to comment was Ainessa, who gave the others a contemptuous gloat. “I told you he has power. We’re here to see if he can use it, remember?”

How
could someone else — make that a half dozen people — feel my power when I couldn’t? It didn’t seem fair. How could I know they were telling the truth? This could all be a scam meant to get me to stay in Faeresia.

Rayla was the first to elaborate. “I’ve been where you are, Travis, so I know what you must be thinking. We’re nuts, right?”

I laughed. Leave it to Rayla to say it like it was. “Pretty much, cuz.” The blood left my face. I was so used to calling Rayla my cousin, the endearment slipped.

She didn’t seem to mind as she gave me a smirk. “Well, I was wrong. Being this close to you with the others here is like standing next to a generator. Your power pushes against mine.”

“Fine,” I said, not wanting to argue about something I couldn’t prove. “Anyone here want to show me how to use it?”

The lords straightened at the challenge, and Rayla shook her head, giving me a withering look. Before I could comment further, a gust of wind knocked me over. I landed on my hands but jumped to my feet, not wanting anyone else to take advantage of my awkward position. I no sooner found my balance before the earth moved under me. Somehow, the old song Mom used to listen to on the weekends played in my mind. I hardly thought Carol King had this scenario in mind writing “I Feel the Earth Move.”

None of the lords seemed to intend me harm, but things could change in a heartbeat. I studied the concentrating faces of my opponents one by one, while dodging their attacks. A chill attached itself to my toes, spreading up my legs in lightning speed. My tissues tightened with panic. I shot a look to Luke, whose barely there smirk told me I was right. The water lord was the first to use a personal attack against me. No surprise. From what I had heard, the guy jumped the gun on everything.

Ice crusted over my shoes, anchoring me to the grass. No matter how hard I struggled, my feet wouldn’t move. Luke laughed, taunting me. I did the only thing I could think to do. I bent over to pound away my shackles, but the ice climbed up my hands, cementing me in a very uncomfortable position. Hamstrings weren’t meant to stretch this much.

The onlookers laughed with my attacker. At least Rayla had the decency to keep hers to a low rumble. Irritation turned to anger, which soon ignited to furor. A red hot heat started from my belly, taking my body by storm. My back began to sweat first, followed by my neck, then my hands. My feet were the last to thaw, but eventually, I broke free from my frigid prison.

The fire inside me swirled, tinging my thoughts with hatred and vengeance. It was only the cool touch of my sister’s hand which took me out of the haze. I blinked to bring her into focus. She stood directly in front of me, only a foot away, searching my eyes as if she didn’t know me. For a moment there, I didn’t know myself.

Finally, she gave a relieved smile. Her gray eyes soon filled with excitement. She shoved my shoulder and gave a loud whoop. “That was awesome!”

Others came to congratulate me, but I wasn’t so sure I deserved the honor. If what I’d just experienced was power, I didn’t want it. The feeling reminded me too much of when I’d been out of control under Lambert’s guidance. I’d done things I wasn’t proud of, things I wished I could change.

When I glanced at her, Ainessa was frowning. All others in the group showed their enthusiasm for my show of strength — but not her. Why? Without a word spoken, she turned and walked out of the arena. The moment she passed the gates, I asked, “What’s eating her?”

Jett shrugged. “You’ve shown your element, my boy, and it doesn’t line up with hers.”

I slumped in relief until Luke spoke up. “Preposterous. Consider who his sister is. Merely because he shows a capacity for one element does not mean he lacks ability in others.” Zach nodded immediately and was soon joined by Finn and Taylor.

Rayla took longer to agree, but she eventually conceded. Voices jumbled until I couldn’t make out everything being suggested. One comment caught me off guard, though. Cassie joined in the conversation. I only noticed her when she stood by my side. Her face filled with anger. “Why don’t you leave him alone?”

EVERYONE STOPPED TO STARE, INCLUDING ME. I lifted my hand to block the sun. Cassie stood tall in the dimming light glaring at no one in particular. I hadn’t seen her in at least a week. With her messy hair and streaked makeup she hardly seemed like the same girl. All thought of Travis left me as I took in my friend. The others could deal with my brother. I caught Zach’s attention,
then sent him a mental message. We’ll be back. Please, keep these guys under control.

I didn’t bother waiting for Zach to respond before I took hold of Cassie’s arm to pull her out of the arena. Cassie gave a huff, but she didn’t fight to stay.

With the day coming to a close, iridescent veins in the surrounding trees showed in the low dusk light. The bright sunsets back home could never compare to that of Faeresia, no matter the splendor I remembered. Cassie remained silent, her shoulders stiff, and her hands tight. When we’d nearly reached my apartment, I took a side road toward one of the many rivers which wound throughout the city. The breeze lifted strands of my hair, tickling my neck. I had so many things to say to Cassie, to ask her. I hardly knew where to start.

Without any other ideas, I went with the obvious. “So are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or should I start guessing?” Cassie didn’t laugh. Things were worse than I thought. “Seriously, Cass, I’m worried. Are you all right?”

Cassie had always been one for drama, so when her voice came out tired, nearly resigned, my insides coiled. “Take your pick. Nothing is going as I hoped. Mom isn’t doing well, and I don’t think I’ll ever have anything to offer Finn.”

I pulled my friend to a stop. A closer inspection showed dried tears on Cassie’s cheeks. Regret filled my throat. I should have made time to see her sooner. With all the decisions the fae wanted me to make, it had been hard to even have time to sleep. It didn’t help that Heath was gone. I hoped with all my heart he would return soon. Nothing would be right until I could see him. He’d know how to help Cassie. Unfortunately, I had no idea what to say. When I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, they began to shake.

Waiting for Cassie to spill was no easy feat. Platitudes trickled into my mind, but I wouldn’t let them sneak past my lips. “I asked Heath to look for Gibbit. Maybe he’ll know how to help your mom.”

A sharp sniff came from Cassie before she spoke. “When is Heath supposed to be back?”

Anxiety crept along my nerves. “I expected him already.” Cassie stared as if expecting more, her glacial eyes creased and her mouth tight. “He promised he wouldn’t try anything stupid, but I’m not sure he and I have the same definition for the word.”

Cassie’s lips turned with a hint of a smile. “He could find trouble in a convent.”

I grinned. “I know, right?” Getting Cassie to talk was the hardest part, hopefully. “So ... what did you mean about Finn? He adores you.”

A red scarf fluttered around Cassie’s neck. Closing her eyes, she trapped the two ends between her
fist. “He lost everything because of me. He was lord of fire. Now he’s nothing.”

I jumped right in, not willing to let her keep going down the depressing path she was on. “How can you say that? Finn doesn’t care about politics at all. To be honest, I don’t think a single fire lord does. It’s too stifling for them.”

Cassie hardened her mouth. She hugged herself, making me want to protect her. “He’s not happy. I can tell.”

My eyebrows shot up.
“Really? Have you suddenly acquired mindreading? The only reason Finn isn’t happy is because he knows you aren’t.”

Cassie turned toward the water, her hands dangling by her side. The soft tone of her voice barely carried above the tumbling of the river. “I’m not good for him. I’ve taken his status, and he’s losing power every day.” I stepped closer to hear better, my heart breaking for my friend. “Like I said I have nothing to offer him. I can
’t help with his new duties ... I can’t do anything.” She spun to stare at me. With a jerk, her hand shot to her throat. “What am I going to do, Rayla?”

A BIG PART OF ME WANTED to quit right now. Even though the fire inside me freaked me out, if it so happened I did have abilities with more elements, it would be worse. Having Ainessa out of the picture with no way to get back in became my priority. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I would do it in a heartbeat if it meant she’d be gone from my life for good.

Zach had called the other lords into a huddle, making me wonder if he’d ever played football. I could go for a game about now. Truth was I could go for anything else about now. They took their time deciding on a plan, but I wouldn’t care if they kept going with the fire testing. The way I saw it, the more power I had, the longer I’d stay here. Definitely not what I wanted to do. My only hope was to fake it. At least with fire, I could learn to wield it. If I were like Rayla and had ability with all five elements, it would take me forever to get the basics of each one.

Without a word spoken, my next attack came. The air whipped around my face, pulling my hair free of the ponytail I’d fashioned at the last minute. The force of the wind pushed me back, as if trying to level me to the ground. My mind raced for a worthy defense. Fire needed air to grow, but how could it combat a tornado? If anything, it would make things worse. All I needed was to not be able to breathe or, worse, be incinerated. The difficulty between the two was probably why they’d chosen this element. I’d have to use something other than fire to get out of this one.

I reached inside, searching for any resource, but when I found a blazing ball of fire in my belly, I yielded to the wind. My body flew back a few feet until I met the ground with a thwap.

I’d never been a wuss, and I didn’t intend to become one now. With all my strength, I tried to stand, but I might as well have had an invisible hand pressing my chest to the grass. My lungs ached from lack of air, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t draw breath. The pounding of my heart drummed in my ears until it became a battle march. No one was going to take my life from me, especially not a pack of smirking fae lords. I imagined a tranquil bubble around me. At first, nothing happened. If I didn’t figure this out soon, I’d be out of it. Maybe to get rid of me was what these guys really wanted. Was I competition to them? Were they trying to take me out for something I hadn’t even known I’d done?

The fight in me kicked into gear and roared. I pushed with my mind, since I couldn’t do anything with my arms. A sliver of oxygen hit my lungs, which they greedily sucked up. More came, along with the release of the burden weighing me down. I jumped to my feet, raising my fists to protect my face.

No one was anywhere near me. In fact, not one of them had moved. They stared at me through the haze of a cyclone. A tube of calm surrounded me while the whole world between us came apart. Luke, in particular, looked impressed. Taylor wasn’t paying attention at all, identifying him as my a
ttacker. Zach had his arms folded, studying me with those wicked cool eyes of his. They belonged on a malamute or something. Finn had his back to me, and Jett nodded in clear approval.

As quickly as it had come, the chaos dissolved into a pile of dust. I couldn’t hear a thing. The bubble I had created hadn’t popped. A slow smile spread along my lips as I took a casual stance. Those suckers could do their worst, and I’d feel zilch.

Zach came to stand in front of me. His expression revealed a fat load of nothing, but his intimidation tactic wasn’t going to work. I’d faced down tougher than him.

He smiled. It wasn’t friendly at all, which made me wonder if he did the mind reading voodoo Rayla warned me about. I only had a second before my bubble became a shrink wrap meant to entomb. If I couldn’t breathe before, I couldn’t think now. My body didn’t seem to fit in the space around me. It was like I was in my own little black hole, and I was about to implode. Pushing didn’t help this time. Nothing did. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to have to worry about Lambert anymore. I wouldn’t be capable of thought in a moment.

The pressure released, and I collapsed, tasting dirt when I bit it. I could hear myself moaning, but I couldn’t move. I wasn’t even sure how my lungs or heart were functioning. My mind hadn’t let go of the movement of the fall, and it was as if the ground swallowed me whole.

“No more,” I said. At least I hoped it came out of my mouth before everything went black.

NOTHING CAME TO MIND, BUT I wasn’t about to give Cassie platitudes. “Have you gotten the test results yet?”

Since Finn and Cassie bonded, the doctors had pored over her, trying to figure out what the bond was doing. They had even been looking into reversing the process, just in case. If it were up to me, we would have al-ready done it.

The bond was supposed to improve power. With Cassie and Finn, all it was doing was killing her. No one had come right out and said it, but I could feel it in my soul. She was slipping away from me, and nothing was worth losing her. If she had a human lifetime to live, I wanted to make sure she could do it. Even if Finn went back to the mortal realm with her, it would be preferable to the alternative.