The Order of the Elements 01 - Breaking Point (11 page)

For most of the day, Ethan tried to set aside thoughts about the life he had left behind as he was thrown headfirst into one he didn’t understand. He tried not to wonder what his parents were doing or what his friends were thinking. He tried not to remember the wonderful birthday cakes his mother always made from scratch for him. He tried not to think about school or work or anything like that. It helped that he was distracted by the great time he was having. Being with his new friends was surprisingly easy, like they had been friends that had been separated for a while but now were reunited. Jared, Evan, Lucy, and Cynthia took the time to explain what every creature was and what purpose it had. There were so many that Ethan forgot most of them.

Dorian was always in their shadow, not interacting, but never far. He was nothing more than a protective entity. He didn’t really speak to anyone else either, only those who were brave enough to approach him. Ethan saw Phoebe occasionally watch Dorian with concern or gaze at him with interest from time to time before she would shrug and turn back to whatever she was doing. She seemed to be the only one interested in him; none of the others appeared to even notice he was there.

By sundown Ethan was exhausted, and his feet were aching by the time the six of them settled down by the lake. Dorian leaned against a tree not far away. The four companions ran to the edge of the lake to splash in the water, except for Beau, who watched from a few feet back.

Ethan had just closed his eyes to rest them for a minute when Phoebe screamed.

His eyes jerked open, and in two seconds he was on his feet, taking in several facts very quickly. The entire Haven had gone completely silent. Everyone was now standing, and Phoebe looked terrified. She seemed unable to move. Dorian stood in front of her with his arms spread wide, facing whatever was scaring her. Evan, Jared, and Cynthia had run back about a hundred yards, and Lucy was crouched behind Ethan.

The four companions by the lake scurried back to their Masters and hastily disappeared into their marks. Ethan could also see a shimmering silver shield that had erupted between Dorian and the ominous threat as he protected Phoebe. Then he saw the terrifying threat. Ethan stayed in front of Lucy protectively, although what he was going to do against this monster, he had no idea.

Its head was as large as a car, and by car, Ethan was thinking SUV. It was dark green with a large fin all the way down its neck and the portion of its back that stuck out of the water. It was a serpent, and its huge head slowly rose higher above the lake’s surface and gazed down at them all. Two more heads rose out of the lake on either side of the first, and Ethan froze completely.

If the monsters wanted to kill the students, it wasn’t going to be much of a fight. Dorian started backing up slowly, pushing Phoebe along. She cowered into his back and clung to his shirt. Ethan’s heart was pounding so hard he was sure it was going to jump out of his chest. Following Dorian’s lead, he began backing up too; Lucy moved with him and kept a steady hold on his arm.

Out of the corner of his eye Ethan could see Cassius and another man approaching. The serpents still hadn’t moved, other than to look back and forth between all of them. Dorian made it back until he was standing beside Lucy and Ethan and stopped. The shield stayed in place as Dorian dropped his arm to take Phoebe’s hand. She was close enough that Ethan could feel her trembling. She was as white as a sheet.

“What business do you have here?” Cassius asked, addressing the serpent.

Ethan didn’t think it could understand him, let alone reply, so when a hiss escaped the first serpent’s mouth he nearly fell over. His heart was still thudding quite fast.

“He said he is only here for Phoebe,” the man with Cassius said.

Phoebe trembled more violently, and Dorian once again hid her behind his body.

“What is your name, serpent?” Cassius asked, and Ethan wondered how he could go through formalities when the thing wanted to kill Phoebe.

Another hiss sounded, slightly shorter than the first.

“Syran,” the other man relayed. Clearly he was a translator for this strange beast.

“Do you come on your own, or on orders?” Cassius asked.

The monster hissed again in response.

“He is here of his own choice,” the man relayed to Cassius.

Dorian growled, “He’s lying.”

The serpent’s eyes shifted slightly to stare at Dorian, who seemed to expand in an effort to completely shield Phoebe from view. Ethan shifted to the right to help, and Lucy moved with him, not wanting to be in sight either. More hissing filled the air.

“He said he is only here to offer his allegiance and protection.”

There was hissing from all of the serpents now.

“That’s why they are all here. The Water Guardians wish to remain faithful to their rightful Master.”

Cassius spoke again. “I know you are bound by oath not to reveal our location, but that does not stop you from coming to attempt to kill. Is that what you intend to do now?”

Ethan again wondered how Cassius could speak about this so calmly. Phoebe buried her head into Dorian’s back. The serpents hissed more fervently now.

“One at a time. I can’t understand you all at once,” the other man said.

The first serpent continued hissing while the others fell silent.

“Syran says that they would never betray us in any way. What the Wind Guardians did was a disgrace, but they are ready to fight for us, for Phoebe.”

Dorian growled again, “Lies.”

The serpent in the middle shook his head, and a soft hiss escaped.

“He is asking for your faith in them. To give them a chance to prove their loyalty,” the man relayed.

Cassius considered for a moment. “Dorian, I think we should allow them the opportunity they ask for.”

Dorian shook his head resolutely. Ethan was with him. Whatever this chance to prove loyalty was, it sounded like it involved danger of some sort; otherwise it wouldn’t have raised such a reaction.

“Dorian,” Cassius chided. “They must be given their chance. We cannot stand here protecting her forever.” He then turned back to the serpent. “You do remember, of course, that to cause a Master harm will result in nothing less than your death.”

The serpent nodded. No translation necessary. “Dorian,” Cassius pleaded, “you must give them this. Their added protection and allegiance will help us greatly.”

Dorian’s face showed how he struggled with an inner battle. Phoebe trembled behind him. It looked like it took every bit of resolve he had to turn his attention from the serpent and face Phoebe instead.

“Phoebe, if you don’t want to give them their chance, that’s fine. I won’t make you. But Cassius is right; it could help us greatly. I will be there to make sure you are never in danger.”

“Danger?” she whispered.

“You have to make yourself vulnerable before them, meaning you’ll have to walk to the edge of the lake, without my shield, but I’ll be there with you, I promise. Nothing will happen to you.” His voice was softer than Ethan had ever heard it.

“No,” Ethan said, surprised by his own voice. “You can’t just let her walk up there to them. They’ll kill her in a second.”

Phoebe winced. These serpents might have come with good intentions, but they were terrifying nonetheless. There was no way anyone there was a match for even one of them, and there were three!

“Not with me here they won’t,” Dorian growled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

“You said it will help?” Phoebe whispered again.

“I can’t lie to you. Yes, it will help us,” Dorian replied softly.

“Okay.”

Ethan couldn’t believe it; she was actually going to do it. Dorian turned back around. “One wrong move, serpent, and you will be dead within seconds,” he warned.

The serpent nodded. Dorian turned back to Phoebe and put his arm around her as he walked with her to the edge of the lake. Ethan couldn’t hear what they were saying, even with his new ears, because the blood roared in them, and his heart pumped loudly. Dorian supported Phoebe around her waist, and with a deep breath, removed his shield.

Ethan panicked when Dorian stepped back a few feet, leaving Phoebe in front of these monsters to stand alone. She trembled as the enormous serpent’s head bent down. Dorian was also shaking by the time the serpent made it down to Phoebe’s level. The serpent’s mouth opened, and Phoebe’s eyes closed.

Syran’s nose came within six feet of Phoebe’s head, and it looked like Dorian was having a very difficult time restraining himself from jumping in front of her again. Then, for five terrifying seconds, the serpent’s nose touched the top of Phoebe’s head. She looked like she was going to collapse.

A shimmering blue light left the serpent’s mouth and wound its way around Phoebe until it settled into a pattern around her bicep. The moment the light settled into her arm, she stopped trembling and opened her eyes. Syran raised his head back up and hissed.

“It has been done. Their allegiance has been given, and they cannot betray their Master without dying first,” the man interpreted.

All three serpents disappeared below the surface of the water. Dorian was back to Phoebe’s side in a flash, but she seemed to be fine now. Ethan numbly realized that the adrenaline was leaving his system now that the threat had passed, and he felt like he could move again. Lucy stepped out from behind him, and Cassius made his way forward. Phoebe and Dorian walked back to where the rest of them were standing.

“It’s okay. Everything’s fine,” Phoebe said, smiling serenely.

The ring around her arm was a tattoo of a swirl of water. Dorian still had a hold of her. Ethan looked at him, confused. Hadn’t she just been scared to death seconds ago?

“Part of the connection. Once the Guardians give their allegiance to their Master, then they trust one another. They can’t betray her now. They would be killed before they even got the chance,” he explained as Phoebe nodded enthusiastically.

Ethan nodded, not totally understanding, but the part about them dying before they could hurt her or betray her sounded all right. It sounded like she was safe now; they all were. Slowly, people went back to their activities. They all seemed to know that it was safe. Cynthia, Jared, and Evan made their way forward.

“That was unexpected,” Cassius said. “I am amazed by your courage, Phoebe. To stand before them defenseless is truly an amazing feat. It has proved very rewarding as well; your protection has just doubled.”

Phoebe nodded as if she knew all of this already. Ethan couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t shown any powers, but at least he had faced a terrifying monster and hadn’t run screaming in the opposite direction. That was a good thing.

Things settled back down, and Dorian hovered around Phoebe until she decided she was ready to go up to bed. Dorian led them back through the Annexus to their rooms. They parted when the girls went into their room and the boys to theirs. Lucy smiled at Ethan before disappearing behind the door.

Ethan lay back on his bed that night as lights flashed in from the sitting room window. The celebration was still going on, but it was winding down. He was so exhausted from the long day and the lack of adrenaline in his system that he fell asleep quickly.

He was walking through the garden again. It was dark. He was looking for someone, not following after someone as he had been this morning. Ethan walked toward the fountain again and around it. There on the bench on the other side of it was a woman. Her back was to him; the only thing he could really see was her long, shimmering blond hair. He was in the same place, the same garden, but this was a different woman than the one with the red and golden hair he’d seen in his previous dream; he knew that. He sat down on the other side of the bench and watched her for a few minutes before he drifted deeper into sleep. He wanted to talk to the woman, but he was too tired tonight.

9. Pool

Phoebe stretched as she rose slowly from her dreams. Cynthia’s and Lucy’s slow and rhythmic breathing told her they were still asleep. Her joints popped and muscles prickled at the sensation of being used again. She figured she must have slept so deeply that she hadn’t moved. As she curled back in from her stretch, she realized that she was still more or less in the same position as the last one she remembered before she had fallen asleep. She vaguely remembered dreaming but couldn’t remember any details.

Even though this was her second morning of waking up in the Haven, it took her a few minutes to get her bearings, to remember where she was and why her mother wasn’t shouting about wasted sunlight. She could tell the sun had been up for a while; the light steaming in through the sitting room window was much too bright to be that of early morning sunrise. But she still felt exhausted.

Being terrified out of her mind had obviously taken a lot out of her. It might not have been such a blow if she hadn’t been able to feel everyone else’s terror along with her own. However, while Phoebe was doing incredibly well at suppressing the thoughts of everyone within range, she was not so lucky with emotions. She was still feeling them very strongly.

She supposed it was due to the fact that she had been feeling emotions her entire life without questioning it or trying to suppress them, so it was harder to keep them out now. Although, if she had to choose between having her head filled with unbearable noise or being tuned into the emotions of others like a television antenna, she would take the emotions any day, so she was grateful that she was not suffering any more than she was already used to.

Slowly, the events of the night before trickled into her mind. She rubbed the mark on her arm absentmindedly. She felt silly for being scared at all now. Of course, Dorian had said it was an inevitable part of the connection formed between the Water Guardians and herself. It was now impossible for her to be scared of them because they were unable to harm her in any way.

She could remember the way she had felt before the connection, though. The absolute terror, the way her heart had pounded so quickly it was literally painful, the doom in knowing that they were there for her, the way Dorian had thrown himself in front of her to shield her from the horrifying monsters.