Just Breathe (39 page)

Scarlet had stolen Gavin’s necklace, Zoe’s trust, and worst of all, countless innocents’ lives. But the one thing she could never take away was also his and Zoe’s strongest weapon: their Water.

Chapter Thirty-nine

September 23

Spring Equinox

Trapped in the total blackness of sensory deprivation, the Dreamweaver reached out tentatively with her mind into the nothingness surrounding her. Realis was a cold, dark, dangerous place. She yearned for the comforts of home, deep within the safety of the Dreaming.

Her Dreamsense picked up a sudden quake in the Balance. The usual mix of red, blue, yellow, and green in the grid of her otherworldly vision succumbed to red dominance in both the living and dream worlds.

The Elemental tides had shifted. With the transfer of power, desperation climbed her gullet.

She mentally pushed against the theta-dampening helmet drilled into her skull.

Zap!

The lead screws and quicksilver glue held tighter than ever. Hot trickles of blood oozed from the drill holes and diffused only a hint of warmth through the watery tank. She startled into inactivity to avoid another jolt.

Hands and feet bound, eyes covered, nose intubated for breathing, and body suspended in water by titanium-iron alloy chains, she was powerless to perform the duties of her station. The helmet suppressed all but the most basic brain functions and surged with excruciating energy bursts when she attempted any thought beyond the mundane. Passive processing of information was her only relief.

Over the countless weeks she’d spent in this horrific place, she’d mustered and saved enough strength to make a few tries at escape. Though she had connected with some Wæter Elementals via the liquid within her deprivation tank and managed to open a portal for them to slip into the Dreaming a while back, it hadn’t been enough. The punishment for that sin had stung for days, but worse than the pain was the knowledge that she had failed mankind.

The Dreamweaver sensed the Veil’s membrane slip open against her will, and a couple Fyres stepped through the gate into Realis. A flurry of movement, followed by evil cackles, shattered the silence.

“Gavin doesn’t have a clue how hopeless his pathetic battle to save the Dreaming is,” Scarlet said. “Without the Dreamweaver, the Dreaming will fall, regardless of what the Fyres do. It can’t sustain itself without her. I’m gonna get off so hard watching that godforsaken place die a long, torturous death.”

Laughter from the guards followed.

Scarlet was right. With the Fyres controlling the Balance and no one to oversee Australia’s Dreaming, chaos and death were givens. With nowhere to go when they fell asleep, the Wyldlings would die of dream deprivation. And with the imminent collapse of one of the seven realms, Fyres around the world would gain the foothold they needed to climb their way to power in the other six.

The Dreamweaver bowed her head. Rainbow Serpent must be so disappointed in her.

Tears seared the corners of her blind eyes. A shocking current beat her mind into submission.

She wanted to go home.

* * * *

The first thing Zoe’s brain registered when she awoke from her disturbing, blood-etched dreams was the comforting warmth of the heavy body blanketing her from behind. Next was the scent of cedar.

After the confrontation at the dock last night, Gavin had brought her back to his house and made love to her for an hour. He’d been so tender, so careful, so loving. Neither spoke. Didn’t need to. Every touch said what words couldn’t.

The sex had been pure acquiescence. Surrender. Trust.

She smiled.

The blissful, warm memories went kaput when the shouting began down the hall.

“Without a Wæter Archelemental to make the tithe to Aqua, nothing you do will matter. Wyldlings are dropping like flies, and we can’t stop it.” Byrn’s voice, thick with rage, hotter than usual. At least the closed door muffled some of the volume.

Gavin tensed behind her, the muscles of his chest hard and unforgiving. His hand navigated the folds of the sheets to smooth her long hair, then he sat up and kissed her neck.

She rolled to her back. He started out of bed, his Fire tattoos darkening to deep, shadowy red. They always glowed when Fyres were near, but today they seemed to suck light right out of the air. Almost looked like they were bleeding. She swallowed over a dry throat. “What’s with your tattoos?”

Naked, he glanced at the door, his beautiful but weary face distorted by angry, jagged lines. Visions from her violent dreams came back to haunt her. She already knew the answer. The change in color was a sign the Fyres had gained control.

“Byrn’s right. There’s no Wæter Archelemental to buffer the Fire Incendius receives from the tithes he’s collecting. When the Fyres have taken everything they can, the Aers will fall, then the Erthes, and finally, the Wæters.”

Zoe’s mind raced. “How much time do the Wæters have to submit their tithes?”

“Twenty-four hours from the equinox, which hit around midnight last night. Tonight, the four gods will present their ‘winnings’ to Rainbow Serpent, and she’ll determine the Balance of power for the next six months.”

No time to waste. Zoe nodded and scooted out of bed. She tugged on shorts and a shirt and flipped a handful of hair over her shoulder. Working under the assumption that Whetu would find the door—a big assumption, true—Zoe quickly plotted out her day. She needed to prepare her army to storm the Dreaming, and she still had more recruiting to do. “I have to go out on the boat.”

Gavin was half into his jeans when he stopped dressing. “You can’t, Zed. It’s too dangerous. Stay here. Xanthos will watch over you.”

She tied her hair into a ponytail. Xanthos. Some help that guy was. She’d never even seen him. “Aside from work, I have a few things I gotta tend to that can’t be done on land. I know you’ll be busy, too. We’ll catch up tonight.”

He yanked the jeans to his hips, zipped with a jerk, then stepped over to her. “I won’t be around to help if you need it.”

“Who says I need help?” She smoothed over her apprehension with a grin. “You have your business to take care of, and I have mine. Don’t worry about me.”

His hand darted to her cheek, the Fire tats still flaunting that disturbing, slaughterhouse red. The original inked images had reformed into a bloody battle scene. Zoe shivered.

Gavin followed her gaze, frowned, and dropped his arm. “I
do
worry about you.”

Hot blood flooded her face, replacing the chill. “There’s no time for worry when you have to save the world. Come on. We both have a long day ahead.”

She grabbed his tee shirt and pulled it over his head. When his lips surfaced from the black fabric, she laid a long, lingering kiss on them. His hands slowly made their way out the armholes and curved around her, hugging her tight against him. Eager to calm those tattoos, she broke the kiss, twined her fingers with his, and channeled Water across her skin into his.

“If we live to see tomorrow, I’m taking the day off,” she said.

A grin shattered his stern expression. “You
never
take time off from work.”

“I will just this once. For you.” She tickled his abs under the shirt. God, what she wouldn’t give for an empty house, a Fyre-free Dreaming, and a whole week with him to herself.

He snatched her fingers to his lips and kissed the tips of each one. “I’ll stock up on hot fudge between slaying Fyre Elementals.”

She smiled and opened the door. “Perfect.”

They headed to the living room where Jack, Vexx, Byrn, Jet, and Whetu sat scattered around in chairs, on the couch, and across the floor.

“Nice of you two to join us,” Byrn said. “I was about to give you a wake-up call. Complete with special sauce.”

Vexx backhanded him across the chest. “Children in the room!” She nodded toward Whetu on the couch, then sat cross-legged on the carpet.

The television against the wall flashed images of wildfires, buildings burning to the ground, and handcuffed detainees wearing crazed expressions, screaming at police.

“…and riots have ensued across the country in the wake of this rash of arson and violent crime. Entire city blocks in Brisbane and Sydney have been evacuated. Amid rumors of martial law, the Prime Minister has sent Australian Army Reserve officers into every major city in hopes of calming this unexplainable sea of rage…”

Gavin slapped the off button on the TV. Zoe could tell by the muscles quivering in his cheek he could barely contain his anger. “What are we going to do about this?”

“I’ve contacted some Erthes who’ve agreed to assist with the more…physical situation here in Realis.” Jet glanced at the blank television. “But it’s only about fifteen or so Elementals. Against sneaky Fyres and thousands of rioters spread over an entire country, they won’t be able to do much.”

“Our best bet is to let the Wyldling officials handle what they can here, and trust that we’ll find the Dreamweaver so the Sentinels can take care of the Fyres in the Dreaming.” Jack met and held Zoe’s gaze.

A bitter taste filled her mouth. She nodded. Time for Zoe to pull her Wæter army together. As soon as the door opened, they had to be ready to flood the gates.

Whetu faced her and tilted her head to the side. She blinked, her now-yellow eyes a beautiful but shocking contrast to her dark skin. “I’m ready to start looking for the door.”

Zoe’s heart skipped a beat. Was Gavin truly off the hook with Scarlet now? Or was Whetu bluffing?

Everyone turned to the little girl. No one spoke for a long moment.

Please don’t be bluffing.

Determination sparked Gavin’s eyes. “I’ll go with you.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Zoe rubbed her palm with a thumb. The name of the game was trust. While Gavin and Whetu were busy with the door, she’d focus on what she had to do to bring peace back to the Dreaming and
trust
that everyone else would do their part.

Gavin wouldn’t let her down again.

He
wouldn’t
.

But regardless of what direction Gavin went, Zoe’s path led elsewhere. Which meant she would have to face the fires of her past, present, and future alone.

Chapter Forty

Why had she told them she could find the Dreaming door?

Whetu was so eager to help the Wyldlings, so desperate to please Vexx and her friends, and so weary from the flashing images in her mind, she’d blurted out the words before good sense stopped her.

She, Gavin, and the Elementals had been scouring the town for over eight hours, but they’d turned up nothing. Not that she could concentrate with all the mental and verbal bickering. Their loud thoughts overwhelmed, distracted, pressured her further. Jet and Vexx had reached a point of desperation. Byrn was resigned to failure.

Gavin kept glancing at her in the rearview mirror, frowning.
Disappointed
.

And scared. The foreign Fire in his chest filled him with dark thoughts when Zoe wasn’t around. He feared where those thoughts might drive him tonight. His stood at the edge of sanity, overlooking a vast pit of hungry red flames. Whetu didn’t want to be anywhere near when he fell and that Fire got loose. She shivered and looked out the window.

The sun had gone down.

Soon the Wyldlings would sleep.

And die.

Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. She missed Papa so much. Especially now that the Air had claimed her.

Papa, please guide me. I want to help. I don’t know what else to do.

Her mind had sunk too deeply into the maze the last few days. She’d gotten lost, unable to pull back enough to see the bigger picture.

Vexx faced her in the backseat. “Maybe if you tried looking at the maze from a different angle. Share an image with me. I might be able to help.”

Poor Vexx. On top of facing the Dreaming’s deadline and preparing for the likely chance of Wyldling war, she worried for Whetu most of all. She genuinely cared about Whetu. The feeling was mutual. It seemed Vexx was the only person who understood her.

Whetu closed her eyes, reframed the maze in her mind as best she could, and mentally pushed a snapshot of it to her friend.

Friend
? Yes, Vexx was that. And more.

“Did you get it?” Whetu asked.

The Aer’s golden eyes lost focus for a moment. “Elevations… Urbanization… Industrial… Map… Map!” A light snapped on behind her concerned features. Vexx drew her phone from her pocket and began typing.

From the passenger seat up front, Byrn turned to them. Whetu cringed at the heat coming off him. It reminded her of the Fyres who’d captured and burned her. She ran shaking fingers across the scar down her neck.

Scarlet had hurt her and killed her beloved Papa, along with many other people. Whetu hoped she’d meet a painful death for her countless crimes.

Jet straightened beside her. Careful not to touch Whetu’s skin, she leaned over to peer at Vexx’s phone.

Vexx tapped the screen, widened the map view, and showed it to Whetu.

Whetu’s heart raced. How could she not have recognized it? The maze wasn’t a maze at all. It was a satellite map. The blind alleys, bottlenecks, and dead ends she’d deciphered had actually been roads, geographical features, and bodies of water as seen from far above the earth. With each layer she’d peeled back, she’d come closer to a street-level view.

Whetu took the phone and reviewed the details of the maze she’d stored in memory. She transposed the clues Papa had left her onto the map and tracked the lines to a neglected industrial area outside of Hervey Bay. Flashing the device back at Vexx, hands still trembling, she pointed. “Here. The door to the Dreaming is here.”

Vexx grinned and threw her arms around Whetu. “You did it! Gavin, take Boat Harbour Drive west toward Torquay. It’s in an abandoned warehouse.”

Jet snorted. “Abandoned warehouse? Could the Fyres be any more cliché?”

“What do you expect?” Byrn said. “These Australian Fyres
love
their American TV.”

Gavin tossed him a sideways glare, but the hint of a smile curved the corner of his mouth. Determination replaced the tension in his broad shoulders. “Torquay, here we come.”