Air {Elements of Power 3}

Chapter 15: Jasmine

"What in the Air is going on? Kidnapped Helian Princess? Tristan said that she was trying to escape from them. What kind of game are the Helians playing?" Brae paced the length of the small antechamber we had hidden ourselves away in. The council would convene at midnight, but before then Brae needed to decide what his stance was going to be. He couldn't look weak at his first diplomatic meeting as King.

"Brae, calm down!" I implored. It was insufferably cold in the room; winds swirled around Brae in a torrent and I wished that I still had my coat... or at least a little more fabric on my dress.

"I can't calm down!" He stopped in front of me abruptly. "He threatened to wage war on my Realm." His eyes were locked on mine, pleading with me to understand. "I haven't even been King for an entire day, and I am already facing war and destruction on a scale our Realm hasn't seen for centuries! How can I possibly stay calm?"

"What do you think you should do?"

He ran his hands through his hair. "She's a Helian. I shouldn't let my people die for her."

"But then you're no better than them! How is that fair? Why should you offer her up to Cinaer, just because of where she has come from?"

"How do we know that this isn't all a ploy? They might have sent her to the Sephan Realm themselves, so that they could have a legitimate reason to attack us! They might even have the Sephans working for them-they'd be easy enough to intimidate. And I don't trust Tristan. Not one bit."

"You're overreacting. The Sephans are not the bad guys here. Tristan was pretty keen on kicking off his own war, remember? He doesn't strike me as a Helian lapdog."

Brae sighed, running his hands through his hair again. "What am I going to do?"

"Trust her. Keep her safe. Cinaer is probably just bluffing."

"You're only saying that because she's your sister. Don't let yourself get taken in Jazz! She... she tricked me too, remember? She had me completely fooled."

No she didn't. My stomach churned. He was going to give her up. He was going to let her go back to Cinaer. It would be all my fault. Again. Could I do that to her? It would take enormous courage to tell Brae the truth. He was looking at me now, with such trust, such affection.

Could I bear to let that go?

Should I save my sister?

"No."

"Sorry?"

"She didn't fool you. Brae... she was trying to help us escape that night. She really was Controlled."

"So she says-but we can't believe her, Jazz. It would be crazy to!"

"Brae... I'm not just taking her word for it. I... I knew that she was on our side. I saw her in the battle. She was with you when you were Controlled. She showed me how to save you, Lorelie and Nolan. She even sounded the Helian retreat. She was the only reason we got away."

"Jazz?" I kept my eyes glued to the floor. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't see the disappointment in his eyes. "What exactly are you telling me?"

"I lied to you!" I looked up now, and instantly wished that I hadn't. The shock, the hurt, was evident all across his face. "I'm sorry Brae-I thought that I was doing the right thing-I thought that if you tried to save her, you would only get yourself killed in the process. I was trying to keep you safe!"

"But that wasn't your decision to make, Jazz! It's up to me who I want to save. Surely-surely the fact that you knew I would have saved her, means that you knew she meant something to me. How could you do that? To me? To your own sister?"

"I didn't know that she was my sister then!"

"But when you found out you didn't exactly go rushing to her rescue!"

"She wouldn't have been there-we would have risked our lives for nothing."

"But you didn't know that!"

"I didn't want to tell you that I lied! I didn't want you to hate me!" We were both shouting now. Tears were already streaming down my cheeks. Everything was going wrong.

"Well it's a little late for that." His voice was cold, resolved.

"Brae-no!"

"I think it would be best if you left. I need some time to think."

"Brae."

"Just go, Jazz. I need to work out what I'm going to do at the council meeting tonight."

I fled the room in tears.

{She did it! I know a lot - okay, all - of you have been waiting for this moment since the end of Fire. What do you think? What's going to happen next? Please vote/comment to let me know what you think!}