Element Wielder (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 1) (24 page)

CHAPTER 2

“So what do you suppose we do, Master K-ran?” asked Falcon. “The last time I engaged Shal Volcseck, he defeated me without lifting a finger, and he can sense Faith’s holy energy; it’s only a matter of time before he finds her.”

“Tell me, Faith,” asked K’ran. “How have you managed to hide from Volcseck all this time?”

“My father has managed to suppress my energy with his mind wielding, but my power has grown to the point where he can no longer suppress it. That is why I’m here. My father was hoping that a mind wielder of Grandmaster Zoen’s caliber would be able to help.”

K’ran bobbed his head, “A sound plan. Zoen is the strongest mind wielder I’ve ever known.”

Faith and K’ran continued to speak as Aya played with the single leaf floating above her tea. She couldn’t suppress a strange sensation that surged through her. She’d been so nervous about getting to know the man who had practically raised Falcon, and he had barely acknowledged her presence. For a second she mused that perhaps it was jealousy she was feeling, but she shoved it aside. Faith had been a great friend, and she had never been the jealous type.

She yawned as she set the mug down.

“Are you tired?” asked K’ran.

“Yes. A little. Is there anyplace where I can go to sleep?”

K’ran pointed toward a small hallway at the end of the cabin. “Go down the hallway and turn to the left. There’s a room there I use for the rare times I get visitors. You and Faith can share it tonight.”

“Thank you, sir.” She excused herself from Faith and Falcon.

Like the rest of the cabin, the room was rather simple. Two small beds were placed at the end of each side. A small painting of the sea hung between the beds. By each of the beds stood an old looking cabinet with a wax-dripped candle atop.

Aya threw herself on one of the beds. The soft cushion beckoned her eyes shut. Before she even realized it, she was fast asleep.

Aya was vaguely aware she was in a dream. She saw herself ten years back, running through a field of long grass. Her younger sister followed behind her.

“I hide and you wait here, got it?” asked Aya.

“No fair,” whined her sister. “It’s my seventh birthday. You have to be nice to me and let me hide first.”

“All right, Selene. But I get to hide after you, got it?”

Selene waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, yes. Now count to ten, and no peeking.”

Aya crouched and instantly lost herself in the long weeds. “One, two, three, four….” Even over her voice, she could make out her sister’s loud footsteps. “…nine, ten.” She stood up and glanced around. She was nowhere in sight.

She moved out of the grass fields and toward the pond. Her sister was so predictable. She always hid inside the old canoe.

“Found you,” said Aya. But when she peered inside the canoe there was nothing. The baffled girl ran back into the grass searching for her sister. She spent then next ten minutes running up and down, looking for any sign of her.

“Fine,” said Aya. “You got me. You can come out now.”

Silence.

“Selene! This isn’t funny. Mom and dad are expecting us back soon. Come out.”

“Aya, he’s got me!”

Aya’s face turned pale as she ran toward the cry for help. She came out by the pond. Across it she saw a brown and red blur. In his hands he held her struggling sister. At least she thought it was her sister. It was hard to tell from the distance she was at.

“He’s going to take me!”

Aya’s eyes widened in recognition. There was no doubt. That was her sister. She untied the rope and jumped into the canoe. With shaky, but determined hands she water wielded it forward, but when she looked up there was nothing. No blur. No screams. No sister. Only a piercing silence.

“Selene! Where are you, Selene?”

“How could you allow this?” demanded a thick voice.

Aya turned, saw her frowning father.

“Dad. I…I don’t know what happened.”

Her mother materialized behind her father. She looked down at her, tears in her eyes. “How could you have lost my little baby? You were the older sister. You were supposed to protect her, you wretched child.”

“I’ll find her. I’ll find her.”

Her eyes snapped open. “I’ll find her!”

She pressed her trembling hand over her mouth. Did anyone hear me? A calming breath filled her chest when she noticed the bed beside her was empty. Faith had not gone to sleep yet.

She caressed her temples, trying to force the visions of her sister away. It didn’t immediately work, but after a few minutes her breathing returned to normal.

Her nose wrinkled as the strong scent smoke filled her nose. She turned to the candle, which had burnt down to its core. Only a pile of watered down wax and dark smoke remained.

Aya picked herself up and grabbed the candle bowl, placing it gently by the window. Her heart skipped a beat as she made out the sound of footsteps on the roof. She broke into a smile. Only one person would be crazy enough to go to the roof in the middle of the night to stargaze: Falcon. This was her chance to be with him alone for a while and catch up.

She quietly made her way out the window and onto the wet grass. Sparks of lightning flashed in the distance, and a soft, but cold breeze moved through her black hair. The thought of going back for a blanket entered her mind, but she opted against it. She wasn’t planning to be out for too long, after all.

“Hey, don’t worry about the cold. Just get up here.”

It was Falcon, and he was talking to her. How did he see me? She was certain she hadn’t made a noise. But as she gazed up the roof, she saw that Falcon was talking to someone else; in fact, he hadn’t even noticed she was there. Instead he was sitting cross-legged on the roof. Besides him, Faith did the same.

“See?” said Falcon. “It’s not too bad.”

Aya felt a pit grow in her stomach. She quickly made her way back into the room. She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. Of course Falcon was spending more time with Faith, he had a lot of catching up to do, after all.

Aya was twelve years old when she met Falcon on their first day at Rohad. The five years after that they were inseparable. She didn’t know what to make of her feelings for him, but she figured she had more than enough time to figure it out. After all, there weren’t many other girls in Falcon’s life. There was the flirtatious Hiromy, but Falcon never paid much attention to her. But everything changed once they went to Asturia. There, Falcon reconciled with his long-lost friend, Faith.

Seeing Falcon and Faith together brought forth a symphony of mixed emotions. She didn’t know what to make of them.

No. Those feelings are not important.

She closed her eyes and tried her best to push them away. But no matter how much she mediated, the river of emotions remained.

~~~

Faith remained quiet as she gazed at the stars.

“What is it?” asked Falcon.

“Um…nothing, I suppose. I thought I heard someone down there.” Faith took a second look down at the grass below, but there was no one in sight. “I guess I’m just a little jumpy. That tends to happen when you get a psychotic chaos wielder on your trial.”

Falcon remained quiet.

“Sorry,” said Faith. “We spoke more than enough about him tonight, no need for me to bring him up again.” Faith wanted to kick herself for being so careless. Volcseck had killed Falcon’s parents. How could she have been so tactless?

“Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Yes?”

“Back in Sandoria, when Volcseck showed up, I almost lost control…again. The element of chaos almost took hold of me until you arrived.”

Faith thought back to that moment when Falcon’s anger overtook him and he began to change into some kind of monster.

Falcon continued. “The Ghost Knight suggested that when those feelings of chaos rage emerge, I concentrate my thoughts on someone I hold dear.”

“Oh, and who is that?” asked Faith. She quickly wished she could take the question back. Of course Falcon would think of Aya. The bond between them was inseparable. To Faith’s relief, Falcon didn’t appear to have heard her, or maybe he acted like he didn’t.

“When I was losing control and you touched me, I felt a peace I have never felt before. I think it was your holy energy spilling into me. I’ve demonstrated that I can wield most of the elements, including chaos, so maybe my body is more prone to taking in your holy energy than most people.”

“So you think we can use my holy energy to suppress the chaos energy inside you?”

Falcon ran his hand through his dark hair. “Maybe. It’s certainly something to think about, don’t you think?”

“Yes.” She yawned. “But I think for now I should go to sleep. I’m tired and I think better when I’m rested.

“Of course.”

Falcon jumped down first. He landed on the grass without making a noise. Faith doubted she could be that graceful. A childhood of falling of roofs could attest to that. Every time she found herself in high places, her heart rate quickened.

“It’s really not that much of a jump,” said Falcon noticing, the fear etched in her face. “What happened to that little girl that used to hop from tree to tree?”

“You forgot to mention that that little girl fell off more trees than she can count. I still got my share of scars to prove it.”

“Here, I’ll help you.” Falcon jumped atop a log and grabbed Faith by the waist. He hoisted her down to the ground.

Faith’s leg tangled with his and they crashed to the ground. She fell safely atop of him.

“I’m so sorry,” said Faith with hushed laughter. “I’m such a klutz. Are you well?”

“My wounded pride not withstanding, yes, I think I’m fine.”

She became quiet as she took in his gaze and musky aroma. She stared at his eyelashes, barely realizing how the curl of them made his eyes stand out.

Falcon reached out and brushed strands of her golden-brown hair back.

Faith’s entire world spun around her as she stood up. She nervously patted off the dirt that had settled on her white and pink jumpsuit.

“Sorry,” said Falcon. “I shouldn’t have dropped you like that.”

“No, no, no,” said Faith, sensing the presence of death around her. It was the same feeling she always got when that monster came for her.

Falcon waved his hand in front of her. “What is it?”

Faith hastily searched the forest for any clue of where he could be. No matter how much she scanned the woods, she saw nothing. “I thought I sens—” A hand reached behind her and clenched her throat shut.

“Looking for me?” sneered Volcseck.

~About The Author~

Cesar Gonzalez lives in Bakersfield, California, with his space-wielding son. To learn more about Cesar, visit his Web-site at
http://cesarbak99.wix.com/element-wielder

Don’t forget to sign up to his e-mail newsletter (which can be found on his website) to get updates on new releases.