Phantom Love

Chapter 34

       The minute my eyes open I can't help the pained groan that comes out. After a few measly hours of restless sleep on a cold metal floor, I don't feel very well rested. I sit up and take stock of myself as I drink the last of the water I collected earlier. My body aches, I'm hungry, and I need to cram another icicle in this thing for later. Not having the time to mope, I heave my body up from its position directly in front of the door and make my way to the window, snapping off a few more icicles before making my way over to my food stash. There's not much left, only a handful of nuts, some jerky, and some dried fruit. I tear off a piece of the ratty blanket I have and put all of the food into it, tying it into a neat little satchel and tucking it into my pocket. It'll last me the rest of the day but after that I'll be shit out of luck. 

       The sun is almost completely below the horizon so I check that all my weapons are where I left them and palm the remote to the cameras outside before sliding the pins out of the hinges to the door. I listen at the door for a while but when I hear no one I heft the door open just a crack and press the button to shut off the camera across the hall from my cell. Once the light is off I slip out, making sure to close the door behind me as much as possible before making my way down the corridor, shutting off cameras as I go. Along the way I hear someone walking towards me and I quickly duck into an unused cell as a guard walks past. I tense as I wait for him to open up my cell door but when I hear nothing I relax and move on.

        Soon I'm once again in front of the cell from last night. Jericho, Cyan, and Hugo are all awake and waiting for me as they watch over Wilder who looks to be asleep. They jimmy the hinges and prop the cell door open enough for me to slip in. Once I'm in they put the hinges back in place and we all settle down on the opposite side of the cell from Wilder. I nod to the sleeping form in the corner.

       "How's he holding up?" I ask. 

        They all look at him and it's Jericho that answers me, "As well as can be expected." He sighs, "They only took him yesterday to ask him how we got to be here and if he knows how to fly our aircraft. It looks like they want to use him and our aircraft while using us as leverage over him to do so."

        I nod, "Makes sense. He's the youngest and therefore the easiest to control." They all growl at that and I hold my hands up, "What? I'm not going to do that. Just stating a fact."

        Hugo sighs, "Sorry about that. We're just protective over him." 

        I nod, understanding completely, before looking over to Wilder again, "Where's his mom?"

       "His mom is an air elemental, also known as a Sylph." Cyan explains, "We met her when we were younger and spent a lovely, no-strings attached, evening with her. A year later we find a baby bundled up on our doorstep with a letter."

        Hugo explains further, "Sylphs are free spirits who spend most of their time in the fae realm and we knew when we got together with her that it wasn't going to be more than a single evening affair." He sighs, "We're honestly lucky she had a boy and not a girl." 

        I cock my head, "Why's that?" 

        Jericho cuts in, motioning to Hugo, "Unlike fire and earth elementals, air and water elementals are exclusively female. Had he been born a female I fear we never would have even known we have a child, let alone been able to raise them." At my shocked expression he continues, "Air and Water elementals are rare and hunted which is why they stay in the fae realm most of the time. They have a strong communal value system and it would have gone against everything they believe to raise an air elemental outside of the fae realm."

        "So he doesn't have any abilities then?" I ask, curious.

       Cyan nods, "He does but they're diluted since he's not only a male but a male of sylph offspring. He cannot wield wind like his mother or fire like his father," He motions to Hugo, "But he can hear them."