Forgotten Elements

Artemis

This fucking headache would be the death of me. It was relentless and only growing worse. I refrained from rubbing my temples like I wished to do. Reed, somewhat, knew about the recurring headaches, but he didn’t know how frequent they’d become. In my mind, there was no need to worry him or anyone else when there was nothing to be done.

I had Parker check it out last week, and he looked lost after he scanned my energy, telling me he couldn’t find a cause. He said there wasn’t an outside source causing them, and they shouldn’t be happening. I didn’t bother bringing up the weird dreams I’d been having lately since I figured it would yield the same result.

Ever since I turned twenty-seven almost a year ago, I couldn’t remember my dreams, but I had this weird feeling they were important. Well, that had been the case until a few months ago. I began remembering bits and pieces, but they made no sense. The most vivid one was a small clearing surrounded by various hued and sized trees and blood. There was so much blood.

As if headaches and frustrating dreams weren’t bad enough, my connection to my spirit animal was off.

Some days, my connection was tenuous, and I struggled to summon energy from her. On other days, my claws would randomly appear when I definitely hadn’t summoned them. It was like she was going through mood swings.

She’d go between being lethargic and almost depressed—something I hadn’t known spirit animals could feel—to feeling anxious and irritable, making me think of a caged animal pacing inside its prison.

I just hoped we could keep it together and be here for Harmony.

We were on the western side of the mainland, and I stood on a beach with fine, pale yellow sand, staring at the vast ocean. In the distance was one of the many islands, and if I wasn’t mistaken, it was one of the five villages. I had this strange urge to go there, and I had no idea why. It wasn’t like I was in the mood to explore. None of the other villages interested me, just this one.

Wyatt and Reed were kneeling beside yet another body. This time, it was a petite woman.

All of this was complete bullshit.

These elementals had come into this rite of passage expecting to have the experience of a lifetime and grow their powers. They probably spent many years eagerly awaiting their chance, only to be betrayed by their own and killed in a horrific manner by a power-hungry monster.

No one deserved to be killed like this. Except Kain. I’d be okay with him getting drained to death.

The wind whipped my hair around my face as the temperamental weather started riling up. Call it intuition, but I had a feeling this wasn’t normal, but the beginnings of an oncoming storm, and not a natural one.

There was far more to this than simply draining the magic from a couple dozen elementals. Wyatt and Reed pointed out how the bodies were connected in a web of strange magic that was inherently wrong. Even I was able to sense it once they pointed it out, and summoners weren’t nearly as sensitive to magic as the other races.

Reed’s wristband beeped and flashed with an incoming “call” from Koa. I could only hear half of the conversation, but from what I gathered, Harmony and Parker had gone off on their own without telling anyone—Wyatt muttered under his breath about how nice it was when no one listened to him—and how the keys were connected to the cursed sisters.

“The what-whats?” I muttered, looking between Reed and Wyatt who clearly knew who they were. Reed’s body became stiff as he repeated the name as if he were hoping Koa would correct him. Wyatt’s expression was grave as he closed his eyes. Whoever these women were, they had these powerful men nervous.

How was it that they knew who these women were but not me?

I wasn’t given the chance to ponder this new development, not with the stabbing pain in the base of my skull. It was so agonizing that I touched the back of my head, half expecting to find a knife jutting out. But there was nothing there.

My clenched teeth just barely held back any sounds of pain that would alert the others to my torment. I turned to face the water since I had little doubt my expression showcased my agony. Just in case either of them looked my way, but I doubted they would.

Claws shot out of my nails as my spirit animal chafed against me again. I leashed her, even though I’d never had to do that before. None of the summoners had to. It wasn’t like our spirit animals had anywhere to go. And yet, here I was, leashing her because I didn’t know what to expect from her lately.

Reed eventually hung up and began explaining how Gabsrielle was a cursed sister. Once again, that strange name made an appearance. A hiss slipped through my clenched teeth, halting Reed’s explanation, and had him and Wyatt joining me on the beach.

“Are you alright?” Reed asked, coming to stand before me.

After taking several deep breaths, the vice clenching my head eased enough for me to be able to breathe normally and smooth out my pinched expression. “It’s better now,” I murmured, which technically wasn’t a lie. It was better than it’d been moments ago.

My life would be a whole lot fucking easier if I could lie. I would’ve been the best damn liar in all the worlds if that had been the case. Maybe that was why I was born with the inability to tell a single lie. I’d tried multiple times over the years as if it would suddenly change, but it was like the words were choking me. They refused to come out, no matter how hard I tried. It was serious bullshit if you asked me.

“So, did Harmony and Parker sneak away to fuck? It’s been a long time coming, pun intended.”

While I was curious to know why those two snuck off, I mainly asked to take the focus off of me. Reed, Ander, and now Koa were annoying big brothers that I loved, but I didn’t always want to have someone hovering over me. There was nothing any of them could do; some days, it felt like I’d never be rid of this headache. Not only that but if I gave them an inch, they’d take a mile and would wrap me and the others in proverbial bubble wrap. Their damn protective instincts would go into overdrive if we didn’t push back against them.

“Harmony is too smart and damn stubborn to fall for his lines,” Reed said with a snort.

My lips twitched at how wrong he was. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

“I hope they don’t hook up,” Reed said with a sigh as he ruffled his hair. “If we think they don’t get along now, just wait until they have a one-night stand and start awkwardly dancing around each other.”

“Who said anything about a one-night stand?”

“There’s no way,” Reed said, rubbing his jaw. “Yes, there might be some tension between them, but that’s it.”

I gave him a look that told him how naive I thought he was. “I’m about to be right for the third time within the span of a year.”

“There’s no way Harmony’s fated with someone who lives for riling her up.”

“You make it sound like she’s a hothead and always angry,” Wyatt said with a chuckle. Unlike most in our realm, he’d seen the few moments Harmony lost her temper, so he wasn’t under the naive assumption she was always sweet and level-headed.

“I bet you your favorite dagger that I’m right.”

A frown creased Reed’s forehead as he stared at me. “What favorite dagger? I don’t have a favorite.”

“Yes, you do. The one with the dragon carved into the gold handle.”

He’d always made sure to have it on him when he traveled and never kept it in our weapons room.

The confusion vanished from his expression in an instant. “Fine, deal.”

I fought a smile at his reaction. There was a time he would’ve never bet that dagger, even on a sure thing. Interesting.

“Should we follow the web to the next body?” Reed asked, not bothering to be subtle in changing the subject from his dagger.

“We should go to the nearby village.” I pointed to the island as if they didn’t know where it was.

Both men were confused by my statement, and they weren’t the only ones. I didn’t understand this pull I felt, but I’d never find out unless we went there. “I see no point in checking any more bodies. We already know they’ll yield the same result. Wouldn’t you rather figure out why they’re going after young elementals rather than the older, more powerful ones?”

“Right, I forgot how little everyone else knows about the retreats or this realm,” Reed muttered as he rubbed his jaw.

“We all know about the building energy in Mythics that begins in the months leading up to our twenty-eighth birthdays, getting ready for our aging to settle.” Even though it wasn’t a question, Reed glanced between us until we nodded.

“And that energy takes almost a year to settle,” Wyatt added with a sigh as he crossed his arms. “Yes, we know.”

“Which is why he’s going after them first. Not only do they have the boost in their energy, but they’ve been channeling it into the surrounding elements, strengthening their connections, and in doing so, growing their power. The magic of this realm is one of the purest in the known realms, and that’s why we’ve been coming here for centuries.”

“Wait”—I held up a hand as I turned my full attention to Reed—“so you’re telling me he’s been at an all-you-can-eat buffet of juiced-up elementals. How much more powerful are they compared to you?”

At thirty-two, Reed was fairly powerful, more so than others gave him credit. They saw his carefree, smart-ass, playboy demeanor and assumed he was weak, but that was far from the truth. Just because he didn’t throw his dominance and strength around like Ander and Koa, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t or couldn’t kill with ease.

“Based on sheer power, they’re stronger than me, but they lack the refinement to truly control it. If we come across another traitor, I should be able to handle them. Their arrogance and lack of control will be their downfall.”

“If they get a boost from the land and the settling energy, how hard is it to adjust once it’s gone?” I toyed with the ring looped around my necklace, feeling a soothing buzz of magic. It had become a comfort in these past months, somehow soothing my frazzled nerves at times and keeping me from feeling alone.

Reed released a long whistle as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, it’s a bitch leaving this realm. I could barely walk for at least ten minutes afterward. Some can’t handle the loss of power, which is why they never leave the realm. After so many years here and bonding to the magic, they’ve become intrinsically tied to this realm.” He didn’t finish the statement, but he didn’t need to. If they left, the loss of the connection to this pure magic would probably kill them.