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Chapter 35 - Black and Yellow
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Zoe had mentioned the Elites changed up the training grounds once a month to keep it fresh, but Athira hadn't realised just how much they changed. She'd assumed 'changing the grounds' meant a few of the paths on the climbing walls, or perhaps trading a few of Talia's old rocks for slightly newer ones, possible of different compositions.
Not the whole damned place.
The climbing walls and various other obstacles, both colour and physical, were all completely new. At first glance, she couldn't have guessed half their purposes if she tried, but they weren't the main change to the room, or the thing that drew her eye.
Talia's section of earthen ground had been moved from its central position to the back right corner. In its place was a rectangular padded area nearly three times the size and edged in grey, elasticy rope that criss-crossed itself all the way up to the ceiling. That in itself was higher than space would usually allow due to the arena being set nearly a metre in the ground.
All in all, thought Athira. It's supposed to be impressive.
Athira found it hard to be awed, even without the thought of the Underground's cage in the back of her mind. Anger was still simmering at the forefront of her movements, cutting them into sharp edges.
They wanted to take Zoe? Her Zoe?
She had to restrain herself from thumping the wall. She'd been right about these Elites. Wrong to believe for a second in Shift or Zoe's pleading that they might have some place in society. Right to send them the worst criminals she could find, let evil sort itself out.
And yet, what annoyed her the most is that she'd triggered this retribution.
Going after the machine, blowing their project to pieces and suggesting that the Herald knows about their precious Spectrum. Stupid, Athira. Plain stupid. Make them think Zoe's in the firing line. Genius.
The final Elite, some idiot in a green suit, strutted his way in and took his place at the edge of the group. Athira spared him a glance under her frown before her eyes slid to the blue Elites talking softly with Discord.
Athira thought nothing of Discord. As far as she was concerned, he'd managed his way to Elite purely with his tongue. She doubted he had the colour to back it up. Even the blue male Elite beside him was unimpressive.
But the woman with the aqua ink patterned across her face? She was different. She held herself with squared shoulders, colour practically oozing from her pores. Something about the markings made her cringe internally, igniting some childlike instinct to hide under the blankets from her gaze.
Athira quenched the thought. Whoever she was, she was clearly in charge of the supposedly equal group.
Uh huh, something whispered. I think we both know that's not why you're nervous.
Athira didn't have a reply for it. The uncertainty dried the words right up and bred a wariness that was enough to cool the urge to bring the tower down around their smug little heads... for the moment.
She turned to Shift. He'd placed himself beside Zoe and was sandwiched by Raph with Kione behind.
All between Zoe and the Elites.
Athira beckoned him forward and leaned in close.
"Whatever happens, don't let Zoe out of your sight," she murmured. "They might try to take her while I'm distracted with Discord. You just need to delay them long enough for me to catch up."
She went to move away, but Shift pulled her back. "What, don't want to lend me some colour in case things get hectic?"
Athira gave him her best withering look. "It wasn't just your charming personality that soothed my colour before. I'm well aware what you did."
He patted her cheek before she could cringe away. "You needed all the help..."
A flash of memory at the touch had her reeling. Blue streaks that danced across her sight, broken by the white scleras of faces that were too close, irises that wanted her secrets and pupils that threatened to suck her in.
"The monks," breathed Athira, grabbing Shift's forearm for balance. She risked a glance at the Elite. "That's where her markings are from. The monks! The... the group that tried to get Trian to give me up so they could unbind my colour and study it, that's where--"
"Initiate Athira!"
Athira stepped back, jerking her hand away from Shift as she looked up to find herself staring at Discord's approaching face.
With a breath, she took control.
"Yes, Discord?"
He frowned. "Elite Discord, if it's not too much trouble for you to remember, initiate Athira."
Discord paused, obviously waiting for her to correct his ego. Athira continued to stare expectantly at him in silence until the tattooed woman coughed politely.
Discord released a puff of breath through his nostrils. "Well. I am required to explain the rules to the initiate before we begin, as we wouldn't want a certain someone getting hurt because they're eager, yes?"
Athira gave him a concerned look. "Are the medical bills for an Elite such as yourself not covered in hazard pay? If you're concerned about meeting next month's water bill, I can go easy. There's no shame in asking, Discord, really."
Surprisingly enough, Discord wasn't impressed.
"Initiate, you'll be reconsidering your words very, very closely in the coming weeks, I can assure you. Over which sanitary block, I haven't quite decided yet. Now." He straightened, leaving the top of Athira's head at his chin. "This match will be conducted in the span of fifteen minutes, or until one party is unable to continue..."
There was a glint in his eye that said the fifteen minutes wouldn't be required. They wouldn't, of course, but not for the reasons Discord was expecting. As he continued to outline the details--no going outside the arena, no destruction to the environment, no kill attempts--Athira tried to suppress her yawn. She failed.
"Something boring you, initiate?" said Discord, puffing his chest up like some kind of frog.
"Just you, really."
"If you think you can just--" began Discord.
"Technically, at this point, she still can 'just'," said the blue male Elite beside the woman. Like Athira, he looked as though he'd rather be anywhere but with Discord. "Because you're too busy blithering about to actually bring her under your command as a member of your team. So if you mind, would you get on with it? Some of us have more important things to do with our time, like check the media feeds. Hashtag 'StalkTheRainbow' says Amber was spotted heading out from Elite HQ without the twins. Quite fascinating, really."
Discord ground his teeth. "Fine. We'll begin in two minutes. No restrictions other than those already outlined. Don't shake the building too much, and..." He looked her up and down. "Remove that cloak. You're not allowed to keep it in my team."
He'd transgressed to giving her direct commands. That made her life easier.
"I'd rather keep it on," said Athira, touching her shoulders thoughtfully. "Since it's such a disadvantage, I'm sure you won't have much trouble proving it in our match. May I make my requests for the match?"
Zoe had told her if she wanted to keep her cloak, this was the time to ask. She could make requests the opposing Elite could then grant based on her performance, but they were practically obliged to grant them if she won. Athira planned to make full use of that.
"What... are your requests?" said Discord, probably imagining all the ways he was about to make her regret living.
"I request that if passed, I be allowed to keep my cloak as I see fit," said Athira.
Discord's mouth opened, but Athira wasn't done.
"...And that if I am to win, the Elites explain in full their reasoning and plans for taking Colour Zoe away from the team, including any questions related to the subject that a member of Indigo sees fit to ask."
Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that.
"I can't--"
"Are you worried you'll lose to an initiate like me?" asked Athira innocently. "Am I such a threat to you, Elite Discord?"
"Done," Discord snapped before the woman could interject.
Athira breathed an internal sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure if she could press him to the point of blatant acceptance, but Discord's buttons, well, button, was easier to find than the sun due to the one over his ego being roughly the same size.
"Then shall we?"
"Shall we ever," said Discord with a roll of his eyes, already heading towards the Elite's end of the arena as Athira made her way to the opposite.
She tugged at the metal bands around her wrists as she walked, ensuring they were clipped correctly.
One thing was blindingly clear. No matter what happened with Discord, she had to keep her colour tame. All out was simply not an option. Athira and the Owl had to remain separate.
She needed a few more days in Indigo to break Reader out and spirit Zoe away, and she'd be lucky to get them. Raph wasn't stupid. He'd file the report of Shift's injury and it wouldn't take long for someone to link him to the injured Owl apprentice even if she'd kidnapped the only witness. With all the attention she'd been drawing to herself, she deserved it.
That, and she didn't trust the female Elite. Athira rested her eyes on the back of the woman's head as she paused outside her gate. She wasn't an Elite, but she was something. Like Athira's position in Indigo, the title was a cover for something greater, something that no one but she knew.
And Shift. Don't forget Shift. He's the reason you're this far at all.
Athira rested her hand over Talon's amulet for... she didn't know. She hadn't lost him, like she'd feared. Though he still hadn't spoken to her, she could feel him slow and steady at her colour's seal, working to keep it from cracking open further.
She squeezed her fingers around the edges of the gold plating. I'm sorry Tal, if you can hear me. I don't know what happened, but I think I'm the reason you had to retreat.
As she'd expected, silence replied to her.
If you don't hate me, I'm going to need your help to get through this.
"Initiate!" called Discord. At some point he'd stepped on to the arena floor. "Enter at your own leisure, really! We have all day to spend on you!"
Athira ignored him. She went to walk through the barrier, stopping herself just in time and reaching for the latch instead.
Her cloak gave her a measure of security against the eyes of the woman. Athira stood, feet spread shoulder width apart, the length of cloak swirling around her legs with left over movement, entirely ready for whatever Discord felt like opening with. His ego wouldn't allow it to happen otherwise.
The blue male Elite stepped up to the barrier, precisely at the midpoint of Discord and Athira.
"Three. Two. One. Begin!"
Sure enough, Discord lunged forward.
His hands cupped to his mouth, following through with the motion of his body as his entire being committed to the attack intended to knock her flat. From her distance, Athira caught a flash of yellow colour inside his mouth and kicked off the ground. No one ever guessed up.
The blast sped across the arena as her feet left the ground. It covered ground faster than Athira's eyes could track it and landed with a boom against the back wall, rocking the elasticy, colour-containing net to a width Athira wouldn't have been able to dodge had she gone left or right.
Even as the first one missed, Discord was preparing the second. Another glimmer of yellow light inside his mouth and Athira made her decision. Giving Discord time to charge his attacks would let the poor thing think he had a chance.
She dove towards him.
The next yellow blast of sound hurtled towards her. Athira threw her hands out in front of her, splitting Discord's blast with one of her own. It parted around her and she shot through. He seemed too surprised to conjure a third in the seconds it took for her to close the distance and make contact.
Athira came in at a forty-five degree angle, avoiding Discord's outstretched arms and catching his shoulder with her fingers. She shot behind him, using her grip on him to pivot her body around and strike his hip with her free hand.
The strike delivered, she pushed him forward and backed off. As he staggered around, Discord's fist swung at her and clicked. The tiny movement of finger and thumb produced enough sound for his colour to latch on to and send yet another powerful blast at her, albeit many times smaller.
Athira swayed to avoid it, feeling a little of her colour transfer into the cloak as it defied gravity and mirrored her movements. It was getting excited, feeling the fight course through her even as she fought to contain it.
Discord's nothing, she told herself, trying to make herself believe it. He's nothing compared to me, only a temporary obstacle to be removed.
Her colour wasn't convinced as she launched another attack, this time aiming for his wrists in the hopes of numbing them. Discord clapped his fingers against the palm of the same hand, creating a small yellow streak that flicked her away.
He translates sound into colour. Athira dodged a horizontal slash. Either down his body to extremities or through the air.
Discord wasn't going to go down in a flurry of physical hits, as she'd originally hoped. That was plan number one, the safest in terms of her colour with Talon's absence and the cracked seal. Given the right environment and enough patience, she probably could have taken him down without colour... but the fifteen minutes--and Zoe's freedom-- wasn't going to last forever.
She'd felt him out, given him a chance to unleash any unexpected surprises at her, but it was time to end it. A tie wasn't good enough. She had to win, and that meant using her colour.
Discord stepped back, sensing her desire to hold the combat as close as possible. Then, in what she assumed was an attempt to discourage her from following him, he crossed his arms over his chest, fingers pressed to click--
Athira grabbed him. She coated his hands in colour, freezing the fingers in place as the pads began to slide. She pulled her own hands back towards her, dragging Discord's with them as he struggled to keep his footing but she wasn't going to give him the chance. She released the colour and launched forward, striking the back of his knee.
The Elite hit the ground. He scrambled backwards, bringing his hands up for another attempt at the clicking. Once again, he found them in the grip of Athira's colour.
Discord was down, with minimal colour usage. Athira regarded him with disdain. Did she have to wait out the full fifteen minutes proving she could contain him, or did she...
The thought fluttered. A strange sensation swept her.
She couldn't breathe.
Only years of discipline kept her colour hold on Discord's hands as she struggled for breath, lungs squeezing in a desperate plea for something--anything to fill the collapsing space.
Her vision swam. The crisp edges went blurry. Her hold on the colour snapped.
The air returned.
Athira blinked, feet carrying her backwards as she tried to process what'd happened. Why she'd been unable to breathe, the sheer--
Discord was inches from her face with the snarl of a wolf.
"Now you've really gone and pissed me off."
He pushed her back without moving his hands. Athira's cloak was the only thing that kept her upright, much to Discord's displeasure. She whipped around, intending to lock down his hands again when the air was ripped from her lungs.
A thousand tiny shards of glass felt like they were ripping at her insides. The air didn't stay gone for long, instead turning back on itself as it passed her lips and diving back down her throat. Unable to cry out, Athira endured.
And Discord watched, rigid except the small movements of his glowing hands.
Normal, except the glimmering yellow colour in his gaze.
Discord was an air elemental.
Explains how he's able to project the sound blasts so well, and why he's full of nothing but hot air.
As he went to rip the air from her a third time with a backwards gesture, Athira could feel her colour rising to the point beyond control. Part of her wanted to let it out, deal with Discord as it saw fit to protect its host from what was paramount to torture, and that part was rising with every forced breath she took.
I can't, she screamed at herself. I can't let that out! Not with Zoe here, not with Shift in the firing line!
Desperation kicked in. With seconds to come up with a plan before the darkness boiled over, Athira did something she'd never considered until this point.
She felt for the air particles.
It's just like picking up a box, she told herself. Or a person. Or a turtle. They're physical, just like anything else.
They were there. She could feel them. Grab them, twist them. But they were tiny. So damned tiny, they kept slipping out of her grasp, but there were billions upon billions of the things which made it slightly easier. She couldn't hold them all, but the ones she could hold would protect the others from Discord's control, just like she had with Talia's earth.
Coat the outside, they can't get through.
Slowly, Athira extended her bubble of control from her fingers, up her arms and inside her lungs to finally reach up through her mouth. She expelled the tainted air in a black mist, commanding the particles out, to spread her colour to anything it touched. Soon enough, she was levitating inside her own personal bubble of Discord-free air, exchanging the carbon dioxide particles for oxygen through its membrane.
Discord seemed to have given up any attempt at taking back control, arms frozen by his sides.
"What in the hell are you?" he breathed.
"I'm an Indigo," said Athira truthfully. "Who really, really doesn't like elementals with an ego."
She launched her bubble at him, engulfing him in the same air that he'd sought to control. With the particles under her command, she pulled the paralysed Discord forward and rose above him. Her eyes were centimetres from his own sockets with their flickering pupils.
"If you ever," she began softly. "If you ever presume to own Zoe's life again, I'll do a lot worse than take your air, Discord."
Athira dropped the bubble.
Discord hit the mats with a thud, while she remained floating in the air above him holding the tether to the colour cuffs around his hands.
"Done?" Athira asked the spectators.
To no surprise, it was the female Elite who answered. "I think we've seen quite enough."
"And I've won?"
The male Elite scurried inside, reminding Athira of the mice that scuttled in the alleyways of poorer estates than Sirah. She released Discord from his bonds at his signal, to which the Elite then pressed a rune into Discord's back.
Discord shuddered, but he perked up almost immediately. He refused to meet her eyes.
"Your victory against Discord is absolute," said the Elite, inclining her head. "We shall abide by the terms which you set, and you are to be considered a full member of the Indigo team."
Having collected Discord, the Elites turned and left through the training room doors without another word.
Athira exited the arena.
She knew there should be some small measure of pride in her, happiness even, but she struggled to find it. As Shift, Zoe, Raph, Kione and colours, even Talia embraced her, she knew there should have been something there to fill the growing void in her chest.
"What happened inside that bubbles you created?" asked Raph, seemingly out of breath. "We could see vague outlines of you, but it was fractured and kept shifting all the time, so we weren't--"
"Just making sure his bindings were tighter that time," said Athira. Her eyes wouldn't leave the floor. "Nothing interesting."
"Nothing interesting? Nothing interesting?" Kione shook his head. "Girl, you are damned well more than 'nothing interesting! The hell did you even pull that off anyway! None of us knew he was an elemental!"
"Air particles, right?" said Talia. Athira glanced at her and nodded. "Figured as much. Always suspected Discord had something else to him, but damn. Using the air like that? It's downright lethal."
The others added to the conversation in excited whispers, discussing all the various things she'd done and speculating over exactly how she'd done it before she could confirm their theories. In the noise, Athira pulled away and headed for her room.
Tal?
Silence.
Athira's bottom lip tingled. Her eyes stung. What was wrong with her? Tal, if you're in there, I'm sorry. Please, just come back.
"Thira?"
Foot on the bottom step to the first floor, Athira paused to see Zoe trailing behind her.
The platinum blonde lingered in the door way, one hand tentatively on the metal frame. Seeing Athira stop, she stepped forward, the point of her foot making careful contact with the carpet as she made her way across.
She didn't deserve this. Athira didn't deserve someone like Zoe's dedication, hell, she didn't deserve anyone's dedication, not after the things she'd done and the things she was going to do.
Yet, selfishly, she was unable to move as Zoe wrapped her arms around her. Somehow, the yellow colour managed to engulf Athira's torso with just her arms and chest and infuse warmth into the frosting cold exterior.
"Thank you," whispered Zoe. "Thank you for not letting them take me, Thira."
Athira reached for the only parts of Zoe's arms her fingers could touch. "They can't take you, Zo, not if you don't let them. You can fight."
"But I can't," said Zoe. "I just can't. Not after I let them take that boy, or the dozens of others they've most likely ripped from their families. Why do I get a choice and they don't?"
Athira didn't have an answer for that. She just squeezed Zoe tighter to reassure herself that the salty liquid soothing the stinging in her eyes was real.
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A/N - Vote or comment (or both!) if you feel it's worthy, if not, well, I can't make you but it really is appreciated =] Cookies for everyone! Wew! *Showers in baked goods of deliciousness*
*To anyone confused, elemental abilities aren't part of any one colour. They come from a different part of the person than their colour, which is also why Shift can't shift them.*