Tainted roots

Not even a minute after the figure dove into the water, the rain suddenly stopped. One minute it was a torrential downpour and the next, it was clear skies and the sun was shining.

A pair of hands grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands away from my ears. Looking up I met Koa’s gaze as his focus drifted over my face. He brushed a finger over my ear and came away with my blood. I wasn’t the only one, he too was bleeding from his ears. A pounding headache throbbed at the base of my skull, only worsened by the incessant ringing—the only sound I could make out at the moment.

Remembering Koa had been stabbed, my attention dropped to his left thigh as did my hands. A sigh of relief escaped when I saw it was nearly healed. Now that I had calmed down, I realized by the placement of the wound and how quickly he healed, that he was never at risk of dying or being seriously injured. Not even close. The realization eased some of the tightness in my chest, but not completely.

With my lack of hearing, I hadn’t heard Harmony coming up behind me until she tapped my shoulder. Thankfully I didn’t embarrass myself by jumping. Harmony knelt beside us with small cups of what I assumed was tea. She offered one to me and the other to Koa, gesturing at her bleeding ears. I was right about it being tea, only the earthy-tasting herbal blend was cold rather than hot, which was a little jarring.

As I took another long drink, I noticed Koa’s blood covering my hands. My body tensed and my stomach heaved at the sight and smell of his blood. I set down my cup in the wet sand and began scrubbing at my hands, frantically trying to remove the blood. Koa’s hands captured mine, stopping my panicked scrubbing. Taking the wet rag Harmony offered him, he began wiping my hands free of blood with gentle strokes, pressing a kiss onto my clean palms.

Muffled sounds began to filter in. It was near impossible to make anything out, everything sounded like it was coming from a distance. I heard Seth’s voice, and from the way his soaked gray shirt was splayed open, revealing his wound, I’d say he was swearing. Across his chest, was a long and deep slash, dripping blood down his chiseled abs. Harmony knelt in front of him, rubbing something on the gash. Parker was kneeling next to her and pressed his glowing hands to the bleeding wound. The glow trailed from his hands and followed the wound until it met in the middle, stemming the flow of blood.

Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention. The three men Seth had been fighting, were sitting up drinking the same tea Harmony gave me. They all apeared to be confused and disoriented, but they were back to normal. No black veins or eyes in sight, and their skin now had some color. A glance at the other two confirmed they too were back to normal—well as normal as they could be after what they went through. They did appear out of it, like they’d just woken up after going on an extreme bender.

I was pretty sure I made out a couple of Seth’s swears as Harmony wrapped his chest. After wiping off the excess blood, Seth discarded his torn and bloody shirt. Using the blood coating his hands, he painted sigils on his arm—his movements were faster than Ander’s, and the sigils he drew had more flare and elegance that came with age—a gray long-sleeved Henley materialized. Fucking blood mages and sorcerers, with their ability to make clothes and other items they’ve touched materialize at will. As he turned away and pulled on his shirt, I caught sight of his five permanent sigils along his spine.

The muscles in his back bunched and coiled as he pulled his shirt over his head. There was no denying how sexy he was, even when he had no tact, as Aylee phrased it. My appreciation of his looks was more clinical, I noticed it, but it didn’t do anything for me.

I pushed myself to my feet, stumbling a little. A groan escaped when I caught sight of the sand caked to my bare legs. Made all the worse, with the sand being wet. “Motherfucker.” Heaving out a sigh, I wiped at my legs. At least this was normal sand and not the crushed glass in the Mirrored City.

“What?” Parker yelled, or at least that was what it sounded like.

I was also pretty sure Harmony shouted back, “Who are you talking to?”

“Who the fuck was that asshole? And how the fuck did they do that?” I shouted.

We kept shouting things back and forth, barely able to make out what the others were saying when I heard a muted whistle through the shrill ringing. It was difficult to make out Seth’s next words, but I was pretty sure he said, “Just shut the fuck up and wait a few minutes for your damn ears to heal.”

If that had been what he actually said, he was right. Within the next couple of minutes, the once-muffled sounds became louder. The ringing was still there, but less shrill and more muted.

“Who was that? That shit wasn’t normal, and what the hell was up with their faces?” I still yelled.

“She has to be an elemental,” Parker said, wiping the blood from his ears.

“She?” I asked.

Parker nodded, pushing his wet hair from his face. “It was hard to catch any details, but that was a woman.”

“I’m sorry, but no way she’s an elemental. Not if she was the one to cause that storm.” Harmony shook her head, scrubbing at her face. I trusted her opinion on elemental's capabilities over Parker’s. If she said that woman wasn’t an elemental, then I believed her.

Parker let out a frustrated sigh as he tipped his head back. “She created that storm, bent the elements to her will.”

My clothes and hair dried the moment Harmony laid her hand on my shoulder. “I’m well aware of what she did, that’s why I know for certain she’s not an elemental. At least not a Mythic elemental.”

“I don’t remember Harmony being this difficult last time,” Koa murmured, coming to stand close behind me. So close, I could feel the heat from his body against my back, sending shivers and tingles down my spine.

Bitting back a snort, I shook my head. “Hey buddy, shut the hell up. You’re already on thin ice with me,” Harmony said to Koa, pointing at him without taking her focus from Parker.

I don’t know if it was from the bond, or because he was standing so close behind me, but I swore I felt him tense. Before I could reflect on his reaction, Harmony was speaking again. “Yes, controlling the weather is well within our capabilities as elementals, but not like that. If I were even to attempt creating a storm like that, there is no way I’d be able to focus on anything else. Much less, fight off countless Mythics and kick their asses. It’s just not possible, and I certainly can’t make any sounds remotely that loud.”

“Maybe it’s a skill that comes with age,” Parker suggested. Apparently, he was in the mood to argue with her today.

I knew elementals had the capability of creating storms, but it took an insane amount of power. Harmony was right when she said a single elemental couldn’t have created the storm and fought. So either there was a second elemental here controlling the weather, or she was something else entirely.

Harmony was unable to stay still, her movements not as smooth and fluid as usual as she yanked out her hair band and fluffed out her hair. “My grandmother is nearly seven-hundred years old and she can barely walk around while so. This isn’t a grow into it kind of power.”

Parker opened his mouth, most likely to argue, and she jabbed a finger in his direction. “It’s a moot point anyways, that didn’t feel like normal elemental magic, it felt older. Almost ancient, especially when she screamed.”

“I agree,” Seth murmured, staring at the calm waves.

Frustration ate away at me as I shifted from foot to foot. Why couldn’t we come across information that would solve all of our problems? Instead, all we found were new problems and questions we hadn’t even thought to ask.

“The way she held complete control of the weather and—”

“Don’t forget about how she swam off without resurfacing,” I added, cutting off Koa.

A mixture of both amusement and exasperation briefly filtered through the bond. “It reminds me of some of the legends about the deity elementals. They were said to wreak havoc when they were insulted, their moods as temperamental as the weather they controlled.”

There was no stopping my scoff. “No way is she a deity. They don’t exist.”

“I should’ve known you were a skeptic,” Parker commented, the corner of his lips kicking up. He and Koa were the only ones Harmony hadn’t magically dried off, and it wasn’t a coincidence either. Part of me thought she did so, because of how good Parker looked right now. He looked like he could do an ad for one of those human commercials. I didn’t even need to look over my shoulder to know Koa looked sexy as hell.

“Don’t worry Jay, you can remain a nonbeliever. I doubt a deity would show up in our realm, after not being seen for thousands of years.” Harmony’s frustration from before was gone, and in its place was confusion. “What was up with their faces? And their energy, it felt…it felt—”

“It felt off, almost unnatural,” Parker said, rubbing his chin as he stared off into space.

“I guess we can add that to the ever-growing list of shit we need to figure out,” I muttered throwing my hands up.

One of the men lying in the sand had gained enough composure to begin trying to push himself onto unsteady legs. His legs near instantly gave out and would’ve sent him sprawling on the sand if it weren’t for Parker, catching him with his magic and helping him stand upright. “We need to get them to a healer, their energy is weak,” Parker said, looking around at the others.

The man and the woman who hadn’t been affected weren’t in the best condition, but at least they could walk on their own. I hooked my arm around the waist of one of the men and helped support his weight as he stood. He leaned heavily onto me, and with his extra inches of height and muscles packed on his body, I had to tap into my wolf’s energy.

The beach was empty and quiet as we approached the beach houses, until several elementals came rushing from the houses, bombarding us with questions. Pissing me off in the process, it was clear that none of us were in the mood for this bullshit, they needed to learn to read the fucking room. Seth pretty quickly cut off their questions, all but demanding they show us the way to the nearest healer.

Two of the elemental women led us down the beach, headed toward the lake side of the beach, where a small run-down house sat—or at least that was how it appeared on the outside.

Pulling the man up the stairs was a feat in itself. His eyes kept drifting shut and were slow to reopen. The weight on my shoulder only increased, as did his breathing.

Inside the house was a cramped front room, filled with shelves. Potted plants, dried herbs, and flowers dominated the nearest shelves. Floor-to-ceiling windows took up most of the side walls, giving a gorgeous view of the beach. Just how I liked it, a view of the stunning scenery, without being in the sand. Along the back wall, were tables containing full bottles and jars.

The elementals led us to the back corner of the room, where a closed door sat. As soon as we stepped through the doorway, I was bombarded by strong and intense scents, of burnt herbs and various floral scents. My nose stung, forcing me to breathe through my mouth.

Along the wood-paneled wall were small beds, low to the ground and empty. A desk sat beside the doorway, where a dark-skinned woman was crushing herbs and petals with a black mortar and pestle. As soon as we entered the room, her motions ceased as her dark eyes swept over our group. Her brows pushed together as she glanced at the elemental women that had led us here. “More blackouts?”

One of them nodded and the healer sighed as she shuffled through jars. “Lay them on the beds. I’ll take care of them.”

After helping them onto the beds, we left her to do her thing in peace. I doubted we’d be able to get anything useful from them, even if they weren’t practically asleep.

As we headed down the warped steps, a light patter of rain started up. My pulse skyrocketed, wondering if the mystery woman was back. “It’s normal for the weather to be off after being controlled, it’s just trying to find its equilibrium,” Harmony said to me, looking unconcerned.

Seth’s reaction was almost the opposite. He didn't appear concerned, but he kept looking around the beach and up at the sky. “We’ve stayed here too long,” his voice was quiet, almost like he was afraid someone was listening.

After a short debate about where we should go next, we ended up choosing the Riverfront town, wanting to stay in the Water court for now. I stepped out of the portal onto soft luscious grass, at the edge of the town. In front of us was a half a mile-wide river, full of green water—not a nasty green, but a deep and beautiful green. White walking bridges were built over it, connecting the two sides. Wooden buildings and shops lined either side of the river, with glass, wooden, and metal wind chimes hanging in front of the shop doors, clacking and chiming every time a door opened, or a breeze blew through. Sitting in the open windowsills of some of the shops, were various shells and river rocks. Large flat stones were embedded in the grass, forming a path for us to walk along.

The town had a relaxing aura, at odds with what we just experienced at the beach houses. All I wanted to do was lay down in the grass, listen to the rushing water of the river, and just forget about all my problems. Was that too much to ask?

We came across a gap in between the buildings, where a few picnic tables sat near the water. Koa sat backwards on a bench, with his elbows resting on the table behind him. His legs were spread apart in the annoying, but somehow sexy man spread. Parker joined him, opting to sit on top of the table. Naturally, Harmony and I chose the mature route and sat at the table several feet away. Seth didn’t pick a table, choosing to stand facing the river.

“I want you guys to keep an open mind,” Parker randomly said, breaking the silence that had settled over us. He rubbed his jaw as he considered his next words. “Her screech reminded me of a story my mom used to tell me when I was little. It’s not an exact match with the lore, but it has enough similarities. These beings in the stories were called banshees.”

Harmony scoffed. “Banshees are a human myth.”

“Like vampires?” Koa asked, a small smile gracing his lips.

“First you were saying she’s an elemental, now you’re claiming she’s a banshee. You’re all over the place today,” I commented, unable to hide the aggravation in my tone. I was with Harmony in the belief they were just myths. The last thing we needed was another myth to become real. Adding another mythological species to the list was not on my bucket list.

Parker groaned, looking off to the side as his hands gripped the edge of the table. “I’m not saying she’s a banshee. I’m saying the power she displayed reminded me of one.”

Throughout our conversation, Seth had been looking at something on his wristband. He powered it off, finally turning to face us. “Stay here, I’ll be back within a few hours.”

Before he could ditch us again, I shook my head and said, “Nope, you can’t just ditch us with an order to stay, without giving us some sort of explanation. That shit doesn’t fly with us.”

Instead of getting annoyed, or display any of the reactions I’d been expecting, he rubbed his jaw in quiet contemplation. “I need to speak with Mistress Janara about the blood I found in the Dusk court. Give me a few hours to see what I can find out.”

Before I could ask why he didn’t go to Mistress Raven, seeing as Dusk was her court, he turned and strode off. A couple of hundred feet away from us was another bridge, which he took to the other side. While I was pleasantly surprised he gave us some sort of an explanation, I was still irked he left us again.

What was the point of being in his group, if he kept leaving us behind during the investigation?

“Does he do that a lot?” Parker asked, breaking the stunned silence between us.

In true Koa fashion, his response was a raised eyebrow as he stood up, and left without another word. My eyes followed him as he walked along the rocks until he was out of sight. The bond tugged insistently in my chest, begging me to follow him, or maybe it wasn’t the bond and it was just my pathetic need to be around him.

“I can see why you never talk about him,” Parker said lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah,” I muttered, pushing off the bench. I glanced at the path Koa took, before going in the opposite direction.

“Alone at last,” Parker said as I walked away.

Harmony groaned. “Do you ever shut up?” A smile pulled at my lips as their banter followed me along the path.