The Order of the Elements 01 - Breaking Point (54 page)

I can’t see a thing! How do they know where we’re going?
Lucy could easily clear the air in front of them if they would let her.

I don’t know. You should probably ask. Maybe they aren’t asking you because they don’t want to strain you or something.

As if,
she thought. “Phoebe, I can clear the air ahead of you if you want to be able to see better,” she said.

There was no reason to worry about whispering. Jared would alert them if there was anyone within hearing range.

Phoebe’s hand tightened around Hector’s, and he answered for her. “We don’t want to clear out too much of the smoke while all we’re doing is flying. When dawn comes we’ll need you to do that so we can find a place to land. But in the meantime, I know where we’re going.”

Probably don’t want to draw attention to us, Ethan thought.

Probably,
Lucy answered.

Cynthia was doing something extremely strange. She was sitting on Beau with her back straight, her head tilted toward the sky, her eyes closed, and her arms spread open wide with her palms up. She even had a small smile on her lips as her shoulder-length, sandy blond hair fanned out behind her.

She was the only one without a job to do yet, and therefore she was free to let her attention wander. Jared was sensing for anyone who might approach. Ethan was keeping the shield around them, which served the dual purpose of keeping enemies out and keeping Lucy’s fresh air in. Phoebe was channeling. Hector was guiding them, and even Evan had a job—monitoring Phoebe.

So, all of them who could see Cynthia were bewildered.

“Cynthia, what are you doing?” Lucy hissed as if Cynthia was going something obscene.

Evan and Hector both turned to look at her, and confusion creased their brows.

“I’ve never been outside before. Can’t you guys feel it? The freedom. I’ve never gone this far or this fast. It’s amazing.” Her voice was filled with bliss.

Jared frowned. “Look around you, Cynthia. Do you call this freedom? Smoke so thick we can’t even see through it? Ground so parched and dry that it can’t sustain life? Moving in stealth because we can’t be caught? What kind of freedom is that?”

Cynthia opened her eyes, and her face fell as she turned to look at Jared. “I didn’t say it was perfect freedom, but it’s more than we’ve ever been allowed,” she said harshly.

“Allowed? Allowed? Are you kidding me? Five Guardians who have risked their lives to keep us safe so we can have basic human rights? You call that imprisonment?” Jared growled angrily.

Cynthia’s eyes flashed red. “I call being stuck in a hole for my entire life and living in an illusion imprisonment. Not everything is perfect. Freedom comes at a price.”

Jared’s laugh was filled with anger and cynicism. “Yes, your idea of freedom only comes at the price of any sense of morals or justice. Why don’t you just run along and pay the price for your freedom if it’s so important to you?”

Cynthia’s nostrils flared, and fire shot out of her hands briefly before she brought her anger under control. “I’m not stupid, Jared. I wouldn’t betray anyone like that.”

“Sorry.” Jared’s tone was anything but sorry. “I just thought you might like freedom that was, I don’t know, actually free,” he replied with acid dripping from his voice.

Cynthia’s hand clenched, and her eyes flashed again as she opened her mouth to reply, but Ethan had had enough. Now was not that time for arguing, no matter who was right.

“Enough. We have plenty to worry about without adding any arguments to it. Everyone will kindly keep their opinions to themselves until this is over,” Ethan said firmly.

Cynthia and Jared both glanced at him briefly before turning to stare in opposite directions. Evan turned back to Phoebe, and Hector studied Cynthia with concern. Ethan wished he could hear what Hector was thinking, because from the look on his face it appeared that there might be something very real to worry about. Although, it was hard to tell with Hector; maybe Ethan was just overreacting.

Still, he had never heard Jared so angry. Sure, he’d argued with Ethan from time to time about one thing or another. Actually, debated was a more accurate description of what they did, because no one’s voice was ever raised, and they never criticized one another or got angry. They simply debated over certain issues, and sometimes Ethan would concede defeat when Jared made a point he couldn’t debate further and vice versa. They were always very civilized and friendly.

What had happened here, though, would have most definitely culminated into an angry battle between Cynthia and Jared. And even though Ethan had only known Jared for about six months, Ethan knew that was the most hateful he had ever sounded in his life.

And Cynthia, while she was generally more outspoken and edgy—beaten only by Phoebe—she’d never been so harsh to anyone, even Kali. It was very unsettling, and Ethan began to worry about the thoughts behind Hector’s careful observation of Cynthia and Jared. It looked like Hector came to some sort of conclusion, and he turned back to face north.

That was strange,
Lucy commented, and there was no further conversation between any of them for a long while.

Flying for hours on end was dull and frustratingly boring. From Hector’s random comments, Ethan knew they were flying over the Green Mountains. But judging by the occasional peak that they passed, the mountains were anything but green. Jared never once gave them cause for alarm, and he and Cynthia were both silent for the long, stretching hours. As time went on, it looked like Evan and Hector were watching Phoebe more closely, and Ethan could see why. Sweat was starting to run down her neck, and Ethan knew she couldn’t hold out much longer. She needed sleep.

Lucy had started amusing herself with stories from her childhood, and Ethan listened without even thinking about it. He couldn’t even begin to guess what time it was anymore, but he saw the small curve of the reddish-orange sun as it began to climb into the sky. The sun didn’t seem to bring any light with it—it was just hanging in the sky to announce its presence.

“It’s time to find a place to stop,” Hector said quietly.

Phoebe shook her head. “We can go another hour at least. Jared hasn’t sensed anything yet. We might as well keep going.” Her voice was weak, and Ethan heard the exhaustion and strain behind it.

“Phoebe, you need rest. It’s been at least twenty-four hours since you slept, and who knows how long since you’ve eaten anything,” Ethan said before Hector could try to argue with her.

If she was going to be mad at anyone, it would be better for her to be mad at Ethan. If she got mad at Hector, she might decide to just drop him, which Ethan didn’t think would hurt him, but it was best not to take the chance. Phoebe wasn’t the only one running out of energy. Shade was starting to tire as well. His companion was strong enough to go for several more hours, but Ethan didn’t want to push him if he didn’t have to. They still had two more—much longer—nights of travel ahead of them.

Phoebe shook her head stubbornly, and Lucy sighed. “We can go at least another hour. I’m fine.”

Ethan could see Evan roll his eyes. “Phoebe, don’t be stupid. Would you rather go until you drop both of us? I’d rather not break every bone in my body. You’re already going above and beyond. Let’s not push it.”

Phoebe huffed heavily and elaborately. “Fine. Lucy, could you clear out the air a little bit so we can find a place to stop?”

Cynthia and Jared both shook their heads and smiled. Evan and Phoebe had the closest thing to a bother sister relationship out of all of them, and they watched out for one another the way only a brother and sister could.

“Sure thing,” Lucy said as she smiled too.

Ethan’s hair ruffled as the wind that Lucy caused to stir around them cleared out the smoke and ash. The sulfur smell vanished from the air, and Lucy’s wildflower scent replaced it. Ethan hadn’t even noticed until that moment that every one of them was covered in soot and ash. Lucy had been able to keep them breathing fresh air, but the ash and smoke had still managed to thoroughly cover all of them. If nothing else, it worked as more camouflage, so Ethan tried not to be too upset about it.

As the air around them cleared and his eyes were better able to penetrate the darkness, he saw that there wasn’t really anything to see. The mountains below them were barren and devoid of any moisture. In the valleys, he could see deep trenches where rivers might once have flowed, but the river beds were cracked and dry and littered with the bones of dead animals. Thankfully, he couldn’t see anything that resembled a human skeleton—at least not yet. He tried not to remind himself that it was only a matter of time.

Lucy was thinking along the same lines. Ethan wanted to reach over to her as her thoughts turned to fear and apprehension, but with the large wingspans of Shade and Sapphire, it was impossible to reach her. He couldn’t even think of any words to soothe her with. There was nothing soothing about the world around them, and there was nothing soothing about the danger they were in. There was no way to comfort her other than to hold her.

Hector apparently found what he was looking for as they passed another mountain peak. “Over there, on the east side of that mountain, that flat section there should work,” he said to Phoebe as he pointed.

Phoebe turned toward the east side of the mountain that Hector had indicated without arguing. It was an improvement.

Or she’s finally realized how tired she actually is, Lucy thought.

Ethan almost smiled at the sarcasm. She’ll never admit it, though. She’ll be stubborn until the day she dies.

Lucy winced. He’d meant it as an offhanded comment, and he had realized just a second too late that the topic of death was too sensitive to have even the most remote reference to it go unnoticed.

I’m sorry, Lucy. I didn’t mean it like that, Ethan thought in apology.

Lucy’s eyes were guarded; she was trying to hide her fear. Her hand stretched out in his direction, seeking reassurance, and pressure filled his chest as he longed to be close enough to least take her hand.

At the thought of danger, something started nagging at the back of Ethan’s mind. He felt like something very obvious was trying to make itself known, but for some reason he couldn’t figure out what it was. It was like a neon sign was floating in his mind, but the words were in a language he didn’t know.

The flat portion of the east side of the mountain seemed to come closer extremely fast. He hadn’t realized how quickly they had been moving until he saw the ground as it passed under them. The steady, slow beat of Shade’s wings was misleading. Within minutes of Hector spotting their resting place, they touched down.

As their feet hit the earth, Evan and Hector’s wings disappeared instantaneously. Phoebe stumbled but couldn’t seem to get rid of hers.

Shade’s claws and thick, padded paws hit the ground softly, and Ethan hastened to get off his back so the giant eagle could rest. Cynthia and Jared dismounted Beau and Pele and carefully avoided one another. Since they weren’t arguing, Ethan decided not to try to reconcile them at the moment.

He turned to help Lucy off of Sapphire. The knot in his chest loosened slightly as he helped her down and wrapped her securely in his arms. For the first time ever, she didn’t protest at his need to protect her and instead melted into his arms and leaned against him.

“I’m tired and hungry,” she said as she rested her head against the thick muscles of his chest.

Ethan kissed the top of her head. “I know. I’ll take care of everything,” he breathed into her hair.

“I know,” she sighed.

Evan and Hector were having some kind of trouble with Phoebe. Her glistening black wings were still firmly in place, and she seemed to be hyperventilating. Evan stood off to the side and looked lost. Phoebe’s eyes were wide, and as soon as she inhaled, her breath would rush out just as quickly.

“I can’t…get…rid…of them,” she gasped.

Evan’s brow creased with worry. “She’s freaking out! Maybe you should slap her,” he suggested.

Hector looked like he restrained himself from rolling his eyes with great difficulty. “Evan, don’t help.”

“Got it, sorry,” Evan answered sheepishly.

Hector grabbed Phoebe’s shoulders and forced her to look at him. “Phoebe, calm down. You can’t do anything until you calm down.”

Ethan tried to remember his basic health knowledge. “She needs more oxygen.”

Lucy pulled away from his chest and hurried forward a few steps and raised her hand. Phoebe’s hair started blowing in the whirl of pure oxygen that surrounded her. Slowly, she took in the oxygen and focused on Hector. Lucy stepped back to Ethan when Phoebe’s breathing had returned to normal.

“Now,” Hector said as Phoebe’s shoulders slumped and her face relaxed. “I know you’re tired, but just try to focus one more time to make the wings go away.”

Phoebe looked like she would rather do anything but use her powers again—like maybe punch Hector for even suggesting it—but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A minute later the black wings disappeared, and Phoebe’s knees gave out. Hector caught her and gently helped her sit down before he started issuing orders. Ethan didn’t argue because he didn’t have the first clue as to what to do.

“Evan, everyone will need water to drink and possibly to wash off with. Jared and Ethan, we need food and shelter and places to sleep. Lucy, continue with what you are doing.”

Cynthia scowled. “What am I here for? I’m obviously not needed,” she mumbled.

Jared turned and seemed like he was getting ready to argue with her again before he saw Ethan looking. Jared pressed his lips together in a thin line and turned back to what he was doing. He knelt down and placed his hands on the dusty, dry earth. “Evan, this ground is too dry. I need you to saturate it,” he said.

Phoebe’s head snapped up. “I can do it,” she said in what was meant to be an enthusiastic voice. But her exhaustion was beyond the point of being hidden.

“No, you can’t,” Evan said firmly. Phoebe scowled but didn’t object any further.

Evan knelt down and placed his hands on the ground as Hector scooped up Phoebe and moved her out of the way.