Windburn (The Elemental Series #4)(9)

“Peta,” I said, “how can that be? Cassava no longer has the ring.”

Peta’s eyes flicked to mine. “There is another who can manipulate Spirit. And his actions thus far have put him solidly in her camp.”

Blackbird. “He had to be here in the Rim, then, to manipulate Father.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Bella tugged on my hand.

“Blackbird, he’s the one in the cloak. The one who worked with Keeda. He carries all five elements, Bella.” I paused and let the words sink in, seeing it in her eyes as they did.

“All five? Are you sure?”

“Yes. He always wears a cloak weaved with his power and so remains hidden. Have there been reports of anyone like that?”

She shook her head. “No, nothing. And I’ve read every report since Father left.”

I stood and held my hand out to her. “We need to get you out of here. And Cactus too.”

“What about you, Lark? You’re a half-breed, and I have no doubt Vetch means to see you dead.” Her words shouldn’t have shocked me. Maybe a small part of me had still hoped my siblings and I could get along. That we could truly be a family one day. Silly Dirt Girl, a family isn’t for you.

Peta leapt from my shoulder and hit the ground in front of us, shifting into her leopard form. “He will have to come through me first.”

“Excellent,” a voice boomed from the left of us. “I never liked cats.”

We spun and I jerked Bella behind me. Vetch stood with his hands on his hips. He was a younger version of our father, stocky and muscular with dark brown hair and green eyes. I suppose he was handsome, but the cruel twist of his mouth made him ugly to me. He had two familiars ranging to either side of him. One was a small brown bear and the other was a husky dog. They were two of my father’s three familiars. The third was a hawk I hadn’t seen in years. Four Rim guards stood behind them with weapons pulled and visors over their mouths.

Peta snarled, baring her teeth. “A dog? That is your familiar? I see why the Rim is thought to be a breeding ground for the weak.”

The husky let out a howl and took a step forward. Vetch kicked to the side with his boot, catching the dog in the ribs. “I told you to wait.”

“Bella.” I reached behind me and she took my hand. “The necklace and the Traveling room. Don’t stop for anyone.”

“I’m not leaving you, Lark.”

Vetch began to draw on his power to the earth, the lines of green running up his arms, a perfect signature of what he planned. The ground would soften below us in less than a few seconds.

“You saved me in the Pit with your strengths. Now it is my turn to save you with mine.” I let her go and pulled my spear, snapping the two pieces into a single long weapon. “Now!”

A whoosh of skirts and Bella was off. One guard broke away to follow her and Vetch snapped his fingers. “We’ll get her later. She’ll be easy. That’s her style. How do you think she got knocked up with an Undine’s brat?”

The guards laughed and anger swelled through my chest. Slimy bastards. Vetch focused again and the power ran through him into the ground.

“Quicksand.” The words barely left my lips as the ground shifted. Peta leapt to the side as I leapt toward Vetch. His eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped open as I slammed the haft of my spear into the center of his chest and drove him to the ground. Ribs cracked under the blow, the snap of bone clearly ringing through the air. He writhed as he struggled to catch his breath.

The Rim guards stepped up, surrounding me. The one on my left came at me first, his sword pointed at my chest. “Half-breed slut.”

I knocked his sword to the right, then slid my spear down the blade and sliced into his hand. He dropped his weapon with a cry. Spinning, I slammed the haft of my spear into his head, dropping him next to Vetch. The second Rim guard grabbed me from behind. “I’ll hold her. You two boys cut her open.”

His arms encircled me and tightened like a noose being slowly twisted. I didn’t fight his grip, but instead lifted my feet so he carried my whole weight. He stumbled forward—I was no tiny flower of a girl—and I spun my weight to the side. We slammed into the ground, me on top of him. A gust of air exploded out of him. One of his buddies lunged at me, sword aimed at my head. I jerked out of the way. The sword cut through the air where I’d been a quarter-beat before.

The crunch of bone and flesh being cracked told me all I needed to know; I didn’t turn to look at what had happened. The remaining two guards backed up as I stood. “You two sure you want to finish this dance?”

They looked at one another, shook their heads and took off.

“I didn’t think so.”

Before I had a chance to celebrate my victory, a blur of brown fur and the heavy scent of musk slammed into me. I tumbled through the ferns and bushes before coming to a stop against the side of a redwood. I tapped into the power of the earth and brought it up to me, prepping myself to use it. Vetch stood once more, panting with a hand clutched to his sternum.

He glared at me, and then pointed a shaking finger. “Kill her.”

“Vetch, this is a mistake.” I still wanted to believe he could be reasoned with. “Your mother was wrong; the half-breeds have a place in this world too.”

The bear rushed me, his fur rippling in the spots of sunshine that cut through the trees. His name was Karhu.