Elemental Release (4 page)

“Our Unmanifested Councilmembers need to be diplomats,” Davison said. “Each will be assigned a city-state as their home base, and they will complete four six-week internships in each city, among the citizens. They will find out the attitudes of the people concerning Councils, government, and Elementals. They will report their findings to their Airmaster every three days via the functioning Airmaster in their assigned city-states. We all will use their reports to learn how we can better serve the people in the Union.”

The screen behind him faded into nothing. “That is our duty,” he said, and I felt the stirrings of pride inside me. “We have not been given these talents to hurt others, or only to serve ourselves. We must learn how to master the elements so that we can better the lives of those we lead. I believe this completely, and I expect all Elementals who go through this Academy to subscribe to this philosophy as well.”

He let the microphone drop from his mouth as whispers began. He allowed only a moment of conversation before saying, “That is your assignment for this afternoon. Meet in your Councils and decide if the relationships are working, if you trust each other, and if you can adopt this important philosophy of serving mankind.”

He laid the microphone on the table, a clear indication that this lesson had ended. Gabby stood, but she didn’t make eye contact. She linked her elbow through Liz’s, leaving me to follow them—and Isaiah and Cat, who had their arms wrapped around each other—as the unpaired Councilmember.

Back in Gabby’s
apartment, I took my same spot on the couch. We all looked to her to lead the meeting, and she cleared her throat before glancing at me.

I gave her a single nod, something I’d done in the past as a way to tell her,
You can do it.

She straightened her shoulders. “What did you think of the Supremist’s speech?”

“I’m on board,” Isaiah said easily, his arm sliding around Cat on the couch next to me. “And me and Cat trust each other one hundred percent. So there are no issues there.”

“How about you, Adam?” Gabby asked.

I took a deep breath, already knowing she didn’t want me to leave the Council. It was a huge ego boost, one I definitely needed. “I like his proposal about the Unmanifested internships. I think it’s a great way to begin rebuilding trust between Elementals and Unmanifested.” I paused, sure she wanted me to comment on being her most trusted advisor. I wanted to be exactly that for her. “And I trust you explicitly, Gabby. I have a lot to learn still, about airmaking as well as Council politics, but I think this partnership is strong now, and will only get stronger.”

She blushed and looked at her shoes. “I agree,” ghosted from her lips. “Liz?” she asked, her voice regaining strength.

“I am ready to do what the Supremist has asked,” she said. “I believe his philosophy is correct. As an Unmanifested, I’ve felt the gulf between me and Elementals.” She focused on the floor. “Not you guys, but….” She trailed off, and I knew she’d felt that from us. Probably from me the most. I hadn’t made an effort to get to know her since we’d chartered, mostly because…well, I didn’t have a reason.

Maybe because I’d spent so much mental energy trying to mend things with Gabby, I couldn’t try to form a friendship with Liz too.

“I’m sure we can all do a better,” Gabby said. “And we will.” She glared at each of us. “Right, guys?”
“Right,” we all said.

Liz’s blush deepened. Gabby clapped her hands. “All right, then. I guess we’re done here.” She immediately moved to Liz’s side and engaged her in a quiet conversation. Isaiah and Cat excused themselves, and I went with them, not quite ready to keep working things out with Gabby in front of Liz.

We ate dinner as a Council, at Gabby’s request. The dining hall had been redecorated, and clearly, the Firemakers had been asked to keep their Councils together at mealtimes. The rectangular tables had been replaced with circular ones, with only five chairs stationed at each.

I listened to Gabby and Liz tell stories of growing up in the southern barracks in the city-state of Crylon. I liked the way Gabby laughed, and the fire in her eyes, when she spoke of her childhood. I was hungry to learn everything about her, and the pieces of her life, before I’d met her.

So I adopted Isaiah’s usual mute manner, and just listened. Gabby kept glancing at me, and I thought she probably wanted me to contribute to the conversation with an experience of my own. But I didn’t want to tell her anything about the twelve years I’d spent in the sentry training program. I chuckled, raked my hair out of my eyes, and smiled at her whenever she looked my way.

After dinner, I told Gabby I needed to take a walk, and that I’d catch up with everyone tomorrow. I’d never spent so much time around others, and I craved the solitude and independence of my sentry life. Even in the Outcast settlement, I’d been able to get away from the village to hunt or fish. I enjoyed having the silence I needed to hear myself think.

I soared to the beach, to the same spot where Airmaster Rusk had brought me. I settled on the sand as I admired the moonlight on the rolling waves. I closed my eyes, letting the gentle breeze coming off the water tousle my hair and whisper through my soul. I took a deep breath in. The intense emotion, the needling worry, the troublesome fears I had melted away under the calming air.

Airmaster Rusk would be proud,
I thought as I meditated. Soothed, I flew back to my balcony. I landed lightly and peered through the glass. The living room sat empty, but the door to my bedroom was closed.

I slid open the door and heard soft music filtering from the bedroom. I sighed as I exited, closed the door, and soared to Gabby’s balcony.

Her apartment lay blanketed in darkness, but her door was unlocked. I made a mental note to tell her to secure her quarters even as I slipped inside.

Her couch was just as comfortable when lying down as it was when I’d sat on it earlier. I listened to the even sound of her breathing, using it to lull myself to sleep.

As usual, I woke before dawn. Grateful—for once—for my habit of rising early, I stepped into the gray light of morning. I ducked to the side of the balcony when I heard the shower start inside Gabby’s apartment. I pulled the door closed and lifted myself on a cushion of air to my own terrace.

The bedroom door was open; Isaiah’s snores filled the space. I decided to mirror Gabby, and I got in the shower. I took a few extra minutes standing in the hot water to complete my morning meditation. Airmaster Rusk had said to come to my classes with a clear head, and I was determined to give him a better performance today than I had yesterday.

Before breakfast, I knocked on Liz’s door, hoping she’d answer and not Cat. I didn’t want to think about what she and Isaiah were doing in that bottom bunk. Thankfully, Liz answered, rubbing a towel through her frizzy hair.

“Morning,” I said, clasping my hands behind my back.

“Oh, Adam.” She threw the towel behind her and shuffled her feet. “Did-did you need something?” She glanced down the hall, clearly looking for something. She didn’t find it, so she returned her eyes to mine.

“I thought we should get to know each other,” I said. “Since you’ll be sending your reports to me, and well….” I toed at the floor, wishing it would swallow me. “Well, I haven’t been real friendly to you before now. I apologize for that. I’ve been—”

“Gabby told me,” she blurted, and I found her thoughts.
I hope he’s not mad. Gabby said he’d been dealing with a lot since he left his sentry life. She doesn’t know exactly what, but I know their last Unmanifested died at the cliffs.

Liz stared at me with wide eyes. I attempted to put on a smile. “Oh, okay. So Gabby told you about Hanai?” My throat narrowed when I said his name.

She nodded, and I did too. “Okay,” I said again. “So we’ll just go from here.”

“Sure,” she said.

I stepped back. “Are you ready? Want to come to breakfast with me?”

She fingered her wet hair, her pale cheeks taking on some color. “Give me five minutes.” She invited me inside, and I waited on their couch—just like mine—while she finished getting ready.

After breakfast, I met Airmaster Rusk in his office, where he stood wearing an identical set of robes and that same silly grin as yesterday. “Adam,” he said, and I got the impression he was truly happy to see me. I didn’t know what to make of his reaction toward me. I was used to being regarded with fear, loathing, even admiration. But no one was ever truly happy to see a sentry. After I’d abandoned that life, I’d become a fugitive and a traitor—at least in my brother’s eyes. Even Davison hadn’t ever looked at me like he was pleased to see me.

“Airmaster Rusk,” I said. “I have made my list.” I handed him a slip of paper, which currently held three items:
1)
Grieve for the death of Hanai, 2) Overcome the powerlessness I feel to change my circumstances, 3) Bridge the distance I’ve put between me and everyone else.

“Part of it,” he said after examining the page. He glanced into the sky. “I know, I know,” he muttered, but whether it was to himself or an air current, I didn’t know.

He looked at me, tucking the list into a pocket of his robes. “Come, let us begin. This morning, we head to the cliffs.”

Soaring over the land, I easily found the acreage that had been burned when Gabby had battled Alex. Blackened tree trunks and charred brush extended over the edge of the cliffs to the east. Airmaster Rusk seemed to understand that I wouldn’t want to revisit that site, and he flew further west, closer to the train tracks.

When he touched down, I couldn’t feel a whisper of wind. I wondered what we were doing out in the middle of nowhere, but I kept quiet.

Rusk surveyed the land, dropped into a crouch and pinched the soil between his fingers. Apparently satisfied, he glanced at me. “Sometimes, Adam, you will not have any currents with which to transform. These are times when you must create.”

I glanced into the clear, blue sky. Halfway into summer, and the sun had warmed the day already. Especially out here on the cliffs, which were made from mostly rock. “Okay,” I said. “I think I can do that.” I met his gaze. “I think I’ve done it before.”