The Order of the Elements 01 - Breaking Point (26 page)

“Still…”

He put his finger to her lips to silence her. “I really didn’t mind. Please don’t feel embarrassed or as though I was put out.”

Phoebe couldn’t argue with emotion. He felt no regret or irritation at her actions. One day, if she was brave enough, she would search his memory for what she had said.

He brushed her hair back and took the empty bowl from her hands. “I have a few things to do, so I’m going to step out while you clean up. I’ll be back in twenty minutes to take you down to training.”

Phoebe nodded. He brushed her cheek before getting up and disappearing behind the door to the hallway. This was getting very confusing for Phoebe.

19. Pushed

Time passed quickly, as it sometimes has a tendency to do. Six weeks flew by, and it was now midway through August and the Earth Season. The intense training schedule left little time and energy to think about or do anything else. When Phoebe and the others weren’t spending endless hours in the training arena, they often went right to their rooms to rest. Phoebe lived for Tuesdays. Tuesdays were the one day she had only half a day of training.

Her weekends had been filled with extra training. Dorian dragged her and Ethan to the arena to continue even on their days off, which meant all six of them ended up going—mention extra training and Jared, Evan, Cynthia, and Lucy were in for it. Much to Phoebe’s surprise, they weren’t the only ones there on Saturday and Sunday. Just about everyone else spent their free time doing extra training as well. She was mystified by this until one day when Dorian gave them a rare break and she realized that there wasn’t much else to do.

The Haven was a beautiful place for sure, but it lacked entertainment. Training and chores typically filled everyone’s days. Even going for a walk was less than satisfying, with their options being limited to the same places they’d already explored over and over; no one was allowed in the tunnel unless they were traveling from one safe place to another or going out to scout the surrounding area.

The Annexus was huge, offering several places to explore, but after six weeks, even that lost its excitement. After repeatedly walking the same hallways and seeing the same rooms and the same scene out every window, the place felt more like a prison. A beautiful prison, but a prison nonetheless.

Phoebe tried not to complain. After all, it wasn’t anyone’s fault that they were stuck here. It was just the way things were. Freedom and safety were not always easily meshed. Here they had safety, but no freedom. Outside this mountain, they had freedom, but no safety.

One day, if they succeeded in their mission, there would be a balance between the two, but for now things were the way they had to be. Phoebe really had no room to complain anyway. She had only been here for a little over six weeks. Everyone else had been living like this for nineteen years. Even though she dreaded every hour of training, she had to admit that it was better than unprofitable boredom.

The long hours of training also had other benefits. Phoebe was getting quite proficient at using her powers, as was everyone else. She could conjure up a raging storm within seconds. One day she had accidentally made it storm inside the training arena instead of outside, which had caused Jade to gnash her teeth furiously, but after the room and all its occupants had been dried, she grudgingly admitted that it was quite impressive.

Phoebe still couldn’t produce lightning; even so, she was due to move onto ice next. Evan was just as good as she was, although his storms lacked the intensity of hers because, unlike her, he didn’t have a trigger to give them the angry edge.

Kali had still not given up on Dorian. Ever since classes with Cassius, it had been getting more difficult for Phoebe to block thoughts, and Kali’s fantasies were difficult to avoid. Dorian tried his hardest to avoid Kali, but he was right—she was very insistent. Phoebe looked forward to the Earth Tournament, hoping she would be paired with Kali so she could finally let control of her anger go. But the Earth Tournament was still not for another five weeks, and she wasn’t sure her self-control could last that long.

She discovered there were tournaments once a season for each Order. It was basically an elimination tournament where students combined all they had learned into scrimmages against one another. Trophies were given to the person who made it all the way through. Phoebe could care less about a trophy; she just wanted to test her skills, preferably on Kali. She had given up on trying to like Cassius’s niece, or at least ignore her, because the girl made it impossible.

“What are you thinking about?” Evan asked, taking in Phoebe’s expression.

He could always tell when her thoughts turned sour. “Just thinking over the past few weeks of training,” she replied.

He nodded, not convinced but knowing that she wouldn’t go into more detail. She really was partly focused on the past few weeks of training, especially combat training. Ever since Phoebe had learned how her talent could give her a leg up in fighting, she had progressed quickly. She could meet just about anything that was thrown at her, because she could anticipate it before it came. The only time she was beaten was when Dorian or Breanne used their superior strength or a move she was unfamiliar with. Trainees weren’t allowed to spar with anyone besides those two instructors until the tournaments. Their partners were only for learning and mastering each pose and maneuver.

After six weeks of intense physical training, Phoebe’s muscles had hardened and were now showing their defining lines. However, she was still no match for Dorian. He didn’t look as strong as he was, because his muscles were not huge and ostentatiously bulky. But he was as solid as a rock, and she was sure he could easily lift four or five people at once without even straining himself.

Phoebe could lift just a little over her own body weight, and she had only managed that a few days earlier. She wasn’t the only one who looked different; everyone in their group was looking more solid. Ethan, Evan, and Jared were showing the most changes out of their little group. Phoebe was sure they had each filled out at least two sizes. They
were
going to have the huge, bulky muscles by the time training was complete.

Cynthia was basically the same, toned and strong, but her figure remained streamlined. Lucy had lost none of her delicacy. She still looked as breakable as ever, but after watching her spar, Phoebe knew she was far from it. Lucy was also a fast runner; Evan and Jared were only able to keep up with her because they had much longer strides than she did. The rest of them fell behind after a minute or two of trying to keep up.

Cassius had recently encouraged everyone in the Haven to secure their belongings because Ethan was now able to shake the entire mountain. Lucy’s concentration was improving, and Jared’s talent was advancing; he no longer needed to touch someone to read them, although ten feet was his limit right now. Dorian had complimented Cynthia about how well she was doing with her Element one day, and Kali had imagined setting her head on fire.

Dorian barely said two words to Kali if he could help it, and apparently he had talked with Breanne, because she now handled anything Kali didn’t understand in combat training. Ever since Kali had realized that Dorian wasn’t going to help her anymore, her feigned ignorance had come to an abrupt halt.

Phoebe was able to reach farther with her Truth Seeking, and for longer periods of time, but it still drained every ounce of energy that she had. She was starting to explore memories, but that was tricky and cost her a good deal of energy as well. She now had to take a refreshing solution the morning after her lessons just to be able to make it through the day. When she was instructed to read Dorian’s thoughts, he had, in an attempt to make her want to bury her head in the sand no doubt, taken to thinking about how she acted after her lessons and how it came to be that he was always beside her when she woke up.

He, of course, thought this highly amusing. Phoebe, on the other hand, found it horribly embarrassing. She was apparently very whiny and demanding after her lessons, insisting that he stay “or may his life end in some horribly tragic way.” She also reached around like a two-year-old wanting to be picked up until he was by her side. He let her see the memories, but she could never hear the thoughts or feel the emotions attached to them; he was very good at hiding those. That made her wonder if it bothered him. He never seemed to mind, but she could never be sure of anything with him.

During these past weeks, something truly amazing had happened. Three weeks after they had begun training, they were dismissed early. Dorian was actually excited about something. When they got outside, they saw that everyone watched the tunnel entrance expectantly.

“What’s going on?” Phoebe whispered to Dorian, even though it felt criminal to break the silence.

“Watch,” he whispered back, anticipation on his face.

She did watch. Within ten minutes, figures started to move out of the tunnel. They were all extremely dirty. There was a tall, powerfully built man, two sickeningly thin figures, one clutching something to her chest, and two very short, emaciated figures clinging to the taller ones.

Phoebe wondered why everyone was standing back so far; only the elves were at the tunnel entrance to help them out. Everyone else was on the other side of the river, where the homes and shops were, staying at least four hundred yards from the entrance.

“I don’t understand,” she replied, completely confused.

Dorian didn’t tear his eyes away from the people at the tunnel and the elves who were now escorting them to the Annexus. “The biggest one, there, he’s a scout; he brought a family back with him.”

Phoebe immediately understood and tried to examine the group more closely. It brought tears to her eyes. People were being helped; the proof was right before her. Someone, this scout, had risked his life to bring in this family of four.

Make that five, for seconds later the small bundle in the woman’s arms wailed, and Phoebe realized it was a baby, only a few weeks old. She also understood why everyone was staying far away. They could be carrying diseases inflicted by the Four Horsemen, and they had to be put in isolation. Only the elves were immune.

Phoebe’s hope was marred slightly. Would this family continue to suffer? Could they be carrying disease that would destroy them? Would the effort expended to save them be worth it in the end? She had to believe that it would be. She had to believe that they would be okay. She had to hold on to hope.

One Saturday afternoon, Phoebe and her friends sat beside the lake. They were in desperate need of a break, so Dorian had given them this Saturday off to relax. The sun was just nearing the midline of the sky. Ethan and Lucy still lived in their blissfully happy little world eighty percent of the time. They had advanced from hand holding to being glued at the hip whenever it was manageable. Right now was one of those times. They were sitting side by side in the grass around the lake, and every few minutes one of them would laugh. Evan, Jared, and Cynthia all watched them like they were crazy, and Phoebe tried to read them again, but as always, she was blocked.

“You guys do know that that is completely annoying, right?” Cynthia said.

Ethan looked over at her and smiled. “Sorry, does it bother you?”

“Of course it does,” Evan exclaimed. “You two look like an advertisement for a love elixir.”

Phoebe laughed; he was right. They looked at each other like they had never seen anything quite as wonderful as the other. Ethan glared at both of them. Then he laughed again.

“Are you two, like, having a silent conversation or something?” Jared asked, examining them both closely.

Lucy laughed. “Something like that.” Phoebe never really got over her voice. She so rarely spoke, but when she did it was amazing. Her voice was melodic, like music, and her laugh sounded like an instrument playing.

Phoebe shook her head, frustrated. They were keeping a secret, and she couldn’t figure it out. Phoebe heard Cynthia groan, and within seconds she knew why. Her sharpened senses came in handy at times like this.

She heard the clicking of heels against the cobbled stones, still about three hundred yards away. She also smelled sweet, burning incense. She knew that her intense dislike for the person approaching was what had led to the memorization of the sounds and smells associated with her. Phoebe could tell from the way the sound reverberated that Kali was heading right for them. She didn’t even need to turn her head to know any of that.

The clicking stopped as the cobbled street met the grass. Phoebe was never sure why Kali wore heels instead of their regular shoes; heels were not practical here. Phoebe could just see herself with them on and trying to walk outside. The heel would get stuck in a crevice in the cobbled lane and she would twist her ankle or it would sink down into the soft ground, making it impossible to walk.

One hundred yards to go before Kali would be standing behind Phoebe. She still didn’t turn and did her best to put on her mask of calm.

Fifty yards. Forty. Thirty. Twenty. Ten. Five, and Kali stopped. Two other pairs of footsteps also halted.
Great, she brought Kara and Beth along
. Phoebe could feel her hands clench in her lap. She still didn’t turn. Kali liked to pretend Phoebe didn’t exist, and likewise Phoebe did her best to pretend Kali didn’t either.

Kali was feeling smug, so Phoebe shot a warning glance at Lucy, who was very good at reading Phoebe, more so than she liked at times, but now was a time when it was convenient. Lucy nodded and faced Kali.

Cynthia’s back was also to Kali, and Jared already had a hand on her arm.

“Is there something you wanted?” Lucy asked politely.

A sickeningly sweet voice answered. “I was just here to talk with Cynthia.”

Cynthia turned slowly. Phoebe knew what was coming; she could hear the words in Kali’s thoughts already. Kali had been waiting for this chance, waiting for when they were alone.

“I was going to offer you the chance to sit out of the tournament. I know you don’t want to embarrass yourself. Why not save your dignity? I’m sure your family would hate to have you tarnish their reputation. Not that they have much of one anyway.” Phoebe could imagine the smirk on Kali’s face as she said that.