Zack: The wind, sky, fire, and he could manipulate sound.
Pearl: Her strongest ability was to be able to weaken the enemy by taking some strength from their powers; she also had the water and the uncanny ability to find and train donum you didn’t know you had.
André: Fire, forging any animal’s strengths, and water.
~ * ~
When it came to water, Nathanael was insistent we work alone together and after training, he’d lay my back against his chest and we would command it as one. To me, it felt like making love, though I had no idea what that actually entailed. I hoped it felt a lot like that. It was our way to stay connected, neither of us wanting to lose each other again.
Each day I struggled with trying to stay sane and normal, finding it difficult not to constantly look behind me, waiting for the impending ambush. It didn’t help that the warm air also brought with it a thickness that lay heavy, almost suffocating with the amount of evil trudging quickly forward. An untouchable army marched toward us. They had all the weapons and it felt like we had none. A whole hamlet forty kilometers away went up in flames over something as simple as neighbors fighting over a fence. Two lives were lost, then in the town over from it, four people were murdered. All we could do was rely on the Tovs out in the field to try and save some.
April was behind us and spring was in full swing. May began with warm sunny days and rain, which brought on the tulips and new beginnings. Well...at least that’s what the commercials said. Todd made him and Norma official by telling everyone, though we all thought it was official ages before—it made him feel better. Besides, it was nice to see Norma’s face light up when Todd was around, and he was good to her.
~ * ~
Todd was feeding Norma fries drenched in gravy when Angie threw a piece of tomato at him.
“Gross, you guys!”
“Ah! You’re just jealous,” Todd teased, throwing it back at her.
“No, I’m not. I have a man,” she declared.
“Yeah, where is he?” Todd sneered, kissing Norma’s cheek.
“He’s at work making lots of money to spend on me,” she threw back.
Todd laughed. “There’s no job in this world that would make him enough money for you to spend.”
She crossed her arms in a huff. We laughed.
Becky piped up, changing the subject. “Did you hear there was a triple murder in Carlton? That’s only twenty kilometers from here.”
That got everyone’s attention. Norma sat up a bit, leaving Todd’s embrace. “I know, it’s scary. Things are weird and people are always so crabby now. When I went to the grocery store the other day, Miranda was having a heated argument with Justin. They didn’t even notice I was there. I ended up leaving.”
I shook my head. “I know, Miranda’s been out of sorts lately. Even at work, she seems distant and flies off the handle at the littlest things.”
Norma looked down. “My parents have been at each other’s throats for weeks, constantly fighting about stupid things.”
Todd pulled her closer to him and kissed her head. “It’ll be okay, they’ll be fine.”
She gave him a weak smile.
Angie spoke, “It’s the air, I tell you. My parents are fighting too, and no one likes anything anymore. It’s gotta be something in the air.”
If you only you knew, Angie.
I thought to myself. “Well, guys, I got to go. English test tomorrow and I haven’t got a clue.”
Becky scoffed. “Yeah right, Saydi, you’d get A;s even if you only wrote one answer down.”
I laughed. “Bye.”
“Bye,” they all said in unison.
It was true about me studying for an English test, but I was excited to see Nathanael. It was our day to train together and he promised we’d work at the swimming hole.
Saydi, I have to cancel our date,
he mind talked to me. My heart fell.
I’m sorry, but another well blew. I’m on my way to the airport and I probably won’t be back for some time.
Define sometime,
I answered.
But he was gone. It was the normal course for him to hide his emotions from me because his brothers could feel him, but when he signed off that time it felt final. Done. Our hearts separated.
There was no need to sprint home, so my pace slowed in reflection of my mood.
When I got there, everyone was where they were supposed to be, talking strategy. It amazed me how they could talk strategy when they didn’t even know where the battle was going to be.
“What exactly is the strategy?” I asked no one in particular.
Dad answered, “We’ve all agreed the Pyre must be weakened before the catacomb can be revealed. We will fight until they are too weak and are unable to resist us.”
Pearle piped up. “It’s the only way. The Pyre cannot be strong when the catacomb is revealed. As much as we believe in you, we have to be prepared for everything. And Saydi, you may not be strong enough to destroy it. We can’t risk having them complete it.”
“My girl will destroy it.” Mom smiled at me.
“Yeah, see, Mom believes in me.” I stuck my tongue out.
They laughed and continued on with their conversation.
“Saydi, honey, I thought you were training with Nathanael at the swimming hole today?” Mom asked.
Back to my sour mood, I trudged through the living room. “No, he got called away and he doesn’t know when he’ll be back.”
“I’m sorry,” Dad called back. “But that’s kind of good news for me.”
Without looking at him I asked, “How’s that?”
“We get to work together. Nathanael took my job of teaching water.”
When I glanced at him, he had a huge smile on his face which immediately lightened my mood. “Okay,” I agreed.
He smacked his hands together. “This is great! I’m sure I won’t be as good as Nathanael, but now you can show me how far you’ve come.”
You got that right, nothing like Nathanael.
Dad was impressed with my ability to bring the water as high as twenty feet up and still maneuver it gracefully through the air, but he had a few tricks up his sleeves Nathanael didn’t. He showed me how to split the water into six different groups and how to command all six. He also showed me how Nathanael had done the fire thing that first time we worked with water. I learned how to put the flame in the middle without dousing it out, by encasing it in a glass, per se. It was fun and it kept my mind off Nathanael.
~ * ~
...”
Capture it, Saydi.”
Dad mind-talked across the ocean floor.
My mind choked. “Capture what?”
The crystal necklace floated past me, and struggling, I reached for it. But my hands made the water dance, taking it farther away.
“Capture it.” Dad’s voice was disappearing.
The sun broke through the waves above and a ray caught in my necklace, creating a blinding light that lit the ocean floor. A cave came into view, and as I walked toward it, the light followed my every step.
The light stayed behind as I entered the cave. It was dark at first, but as I moved forward, another light could be seen in the distance...things reached out of the darkness grabbing my arms and legs, tugging me back, pulling me away from the light.
“It’s not there,” the waves cried.
With all my power, I pushed forward, tearing away from each thing that tried to hold me back. The light was near and with one huge push, I burst out into it.
The circle of three stood in front of me, Nathanael at the lead. They all smiled crookedly. Nathanael walked toward me and reached behind, bringing my necklace forward. He looked at it, then me.
“Thank you. We don’t need your Spirit Light now.” With that, he lunged for my throat.
~ * ~
My body snapped up and I screamed and screamed. My light flicked on.
“Saydi!” Dad called.
I threw myself around him and he held me tight.
“It was...bad.” My breath couldn’t catch and my chest was pounding from the pain.
“Calm down, deep breaths,” he consoled.
“Is she okay?” I heard Mom ask.
“Another nightmare,” he told her.
“I thought those went away?” she questioned.
“They did. Saydi honey, breathe, slowly breathe.”
It took a good half hour before I could talk, and when I did, the words tumbled out so fast Dad had to strain to catch it all.
He soothed softly, “Okay, okay, lie down.” Then he covered me up. “I’m going to sit with her until she falls asleep,” he told Mom.
“Okay. Goodnight honey.”
Curling up, I said, “Night, Mom.”
The dream wouldn’t let go, hanging onto every fiber in me, tormenting me at every turn I took in my mind. It also didn’t help that it continuously reminded me that, even though Nathanael could feel my emotions, he didn’t ask me how I was. Something inside me felt wrong, horribly wrong.
For the next few weeks, Nathanael did talk to me, but it was all generic things, nothing intimate at all, only about his day. I let my emotions flow so he would feel them, but never once did he acknowledge them.
I couldn’t shake the horrible feeling even when Mora tried to reassure me that he was fine. The decisions she saw were solid and his mind was very much on the well situation. None of it felt right, him going away when it was apparent the battle was on the horizon. It wasn’t like him, not to mention that without him, the fear and loneliness took hold, leaving me walking around in a haze.
The Pyre were getting closer and strong. They were in the town right next to us, where the high school burned down, killing eleven. There were two murders and one rape. I begged my Dad to find Nathanael, because my nerves had me twitching in every direction at every little noise. I feared without Nathanael I’d be captured in a second.
“Dad, please! You have to go and find him!” I begged again.
“Saydi, I can’t!” he insisted.
“Why not?”
“I can’t leave now. What if the battle begins?”
“Please, Dad.” It wasn’t working.
“Saydi, please...”
I’m home!
The voice and words had me leaping at Dad and hugging the stuffing out of him. “He’s home!” I squealed.
Dad pulled back chuckling. “That’s good. I don’t think I would have been able to thwart any more of your pleas.”
Can you meet me at the swimming hole? I believe I owe you a date. I missed you and I love you.
I twirled around and sang, “I’m meeting him at the swimming hole.” The second I stepped out, my feet found the wind, taking me to the water’s edge in under a minute.
Nathanael was standing on the other side wearing his tight jeans and a t-shirt that hugged his muscles. One hand hung in his pocket. Barely able to contain my excitement, I waved. “Hi!”
Before I could take a step forward, the air in my chest seized, being replaced by a heart that quickened and searched desperately for oxygen. It reflected the panic of fear—a fear that froze me solid to the ground. Joshua, Job, Mr. Braxton, Father Lacombe and others stepped out from the trees behind him.
At first my mind wouldn’t comprehend what my eyes were transmitting.
It couldn’t be! He wouldn’t! Not with everything we did together, how he told us their secrets, everything.
Then with one look in his green/blue dead eyes, I abandoned any hope. The tears chafed and burned my skin. The love we had was shattered—shards broke free from the wreck inside me and coursed through my veins, dragging me down with each beat.
I crumpled under my own weight.
Unable to will my limbs to move, I watched in horror as Mr. Braxton stepped forward. “Oh come now.” He elaborately widened his arms. “You knew it was coming, all the training you’ve done.” The whites of his eyes were blood red. All of their eyes were.
The sound of leaves crackled under unknown footsteps from the woods behind and the fearful feeling of strangers approaching washed over me. It was done. I was being surrounded.
I studied Nathanael’s green/blue eyes, avoiding the blood red that seemed to swirl around within the whites. The shield over them hid any emotions or life they once held. The only thing left to do was pray I would die in battle and not be captured.
With a clap of his hands, Mr. Braxton sang out, “Ah! Here come some of your troupe. The rest will be here any minute.”
A small breath of relief escaped, knowing it was my side that came from the rear. Suddenly, I was heaved to my feet. “Saydi?” two Tov strangers said, taking my arms and steadying me.
I gave them a very weak smile.
Mr. Braxton kept yakking. “Well, Saydi my dear, you’re probably wondering how this all could happen? How could Nathanael crush such a perfect love?” The grin on his face was gruesome, while he paced back and forth boring into my eyes.