Ember Rising

Chapter Nineteen

Treston listened halfheartedly to the voice on the other end of the line as he surveyed the view from the airplane window next to his seat. The landscape below the clouds sectioned off in square patches of green and brown, the lively green of untouched nature speckled with the brown constructed encroachments of civilization. One could argue man devoured life like a disease, spreading insidiously one acre at a time until it consumed the Earth so entirely man perished in the aftermath as karma. Well, normal men perished. Karma would never touch him if he succeeded where his father had not.

For years he searched for them, the sisters who would be his salvation. He knew them though they never met. More often than not lately they danced along the edge of his dreams like fairies, their power so close but still shrouded in mystery. As his power grew, his awareness of theirs did as well, and what he felt was glorious.

The prophecy was real, more real every day. Like a puzzle, the pieces were finally coming together as one by one the sisters fell within his grasp. Some would call it luck but he disagreed. He did not believe in luck. He stalked them patiently with determination and unyielding vigilance. He was not lucky. He was true to his purpose. To lose one of them hours after her capture was a failure he loathed to accept.

"I gave instructions for the fire sister to be guarded at all times until my arrival. Explain to me how she came to be alone in an unguarded room."

Treston fell silent as the person spoke.

After a minute passed, he responded, "Don't bother with excuses, Roderick. It makes you weak. Find them."

Treston disconnected the line. Closing his eyes, he pictured Roderick's form standing before him, concentrated on the dark man's breathing, and matched it. In and out, each breath brought Treston closer to him, closer to the blood flowing in his veins. Roderick's power was a seed, nurtured and intertwined with Treston's essence until Roderick's element shifted, warped to become an extension of Treston's power. Roderick was his weapon to wield, his soul to control.

Several hundred miles away, Roderick froze then fell to his knees. Heat tore through his veins as the room emptied of air. He gasped futilely as his face flushed with color. Invisible bands of fire wrapped around his neck and squeezed. His given element of fire turned on him, fully under Treston's domination. Roderick felt tears fill his eyes and cursed his own feebleness. Treston could kill him in a blink of an eye, all with Roderick's own God given gift. He stifled a moan as Treston's voice slipped menacingly in his head like a snake.

No, Roderick. God did not give this power you hold so dear. I did, and I can take it away as well. Fail me again and I will make your every breath an endless nightmare so foul you'll beg for the release of death. Do not disappoint me again.

Seconds later, Roderick jerked as Treston severed his hold on him. He bit his lip until he felt blood fill his mouth. Forcing himself to breath, he stood and purposely met the eyes of the men around him. They would not perceive him as weak and live to speak of it. One by one, they looked away. Roderick withstood Treston's assault. He earned their respect by simply surviving it.

***

Reed stopped pacing. It had been hours since he woke without her presence. Once he drove to campus to check her room he discovered her missing and he flipped out, as Kindle would say. If not for his friend, Reed would have risked exposure in his panic to find her. Kindle ran into him on campus, coaxed him to the Cave and rallied the troops. Aiden, Thorn and Kane left to canvas the campus for any sign of her, while Kindle stayed with Reed, convinced his elemental connection to her would find her faster than searching the grounds with the others.

Reed spent the last three hours 'reaching' for the bright flicker of her fire but to no avail. His patience pushed to the breaking point, he abandoned meditation and began pacing the floors in agitation. Frowning at Kindle's reassuring chatter, he paced fruitlessly for an hour until suddenly her presence was there, in unfathomable pain and pulling every bit of strength she could get from his water to survive. Reed's breath stuttered under the onslaught, and he knelt to the floor, his own relief infused with her pain and desperation.

Kindle knelt beside him unspeaking as Reed grappled with the sudden weight thrust upon him. She had been taken and drugged. Using her element brought unimaginable pain, yet she pushed again, even after the first horrifying attempt. Even with his water to bolster her, she teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. Minutes passed as he opened himself to her completely, gave her anything and everything he could to save her from the torture assailing her.

Images came to him as she wrapped her element around him and took what he offered freely. She was in a room with a hospital bed, electronic lock, now disabled. A window with bars separated her from an easy escape with trees and a river beyond. Her nose was bleeding.

Reed gasped as he returned to reality with a jolt. Kindle called his name, had been calling his name for several minutes. Reed must have blacked out. Weakness suddenly stole his breath as tried to collect himself.

"Reed? You alright, man?" Kindle asked again worriedly.

Reed concentrated on forming words, "I'm ok. She's hurt but alive. I saw where she's being held. She's drugged and it hurts to use her fire. We fought it together. She's ok, Kin. Thank God she's ok."

"That's good news, man, but you had me worried. You stopped breathing. I almost gave you mouth to mouth."

Reed smiled despite the pain, lightheaded with relief, "Almost?"

Kindle smiled back as he stood and held out his hand to Reed, "Yeah, well I figured you would start breathing again on your own. I was giving you 10 minutes, tops."

Reed took his hand and stood carefully. Everything hurt, his teeth, his bones. He could only imagine Ember's pain to experience it firsthand. He stopped smiling. A flicker of his earlier distress squeezed his heart.

"I need pen and paper. I can draw her location with a fair amount of accuracy. Get the guys back here. Maybe Thorn will recognize it."

Thorn spoke from the doorway, "I'm here."

Kindle set supplies on the table, "Where's Aiden and Kane?"

Thorn walked farther into the room, "As crazy as it sounds, he disappeared into one of Lynn's special 'paintings' in the chalk garden. We couldn't get in. We waited twenty minutes, he never came out. Kane's looking for Lynn. There's no sign of him."

Reed sat down and drew a quick sketch of the grounds he saw from Ember's window. When he finished, Thorn picked up the paper. He shrugged.

"I don't recognize it."

Kindle swore, "Well what do we do now?"

Reed ran a hand through his hair and stared at his drawing as he considered his options. Ember was there, trying to escape. She was alone against a formidable enemy. She was in pain, horrible excruciating pain. He had to get to her. His heart was breaking in two. He looked at Kindle.

"I've got an idea, but you're not going to like it," he answered softly.

Kindle laughed harshly, "I never do, bro."

Reed closed his eyes, took a deep breath and disappeared.