Destroyer (The Elemental Series #7)(55)

Power and heat flowed through me, lighting me from the inside, filling the dark places with brilliant flames and heat that was no longer foreign to me. Names floated through my skull, names of those siblings still lost.

Realm, child of the water, and Matarrah, child of the air.

Their names and the burning in me that was Olivisha’s life, and now mine, swirled through me with so much strength, I knew without a doubt I held more power in Fire than Earth now.

And that terrified me.

Fear is a powerful tool, Olivisha’s voice floated through me, it will keep you from being frivolous with the power I’ve given you. Use it wisely, child of the earth.

I blinked once, sand brushing away from my cheeks. I was lying on my face in the sand.

Bella’s screams echoed in my ears. I gasped and sat up, flung my hand out and watched as lines of red raced to my fingertips. Calm was the only thought I had. To calm the flames, to bring them into check. They were not needed here.

They died down wherever I looked and I drew them into me, drew their power into my body. It was like feeding a starving bear. The more I took, the better the flames obeyed and the more strength I held. The room cleared and Bella stumbled out of the water, sodden and singed, but otherwise unharmed. I caught her in my arms and held her tightly.

I looked to my side, my thoughts on Peta even as I held Bella. There my cat stood, staring up at me with those jewel-bright green eyes, her body healed as though she were never burned, never on the steps of death’s door. “Olivisha, is she really… gone?” Peta looked around, as if she would indeed see the original Salamander still standing there with us.

I nodded. “Yes.”

Bella clutched at me. “Lark, how are we going to get out of here?”

“I can get us out,” I said, “and I have to bring the rest of the flames into check.”

My sister sobbed into my shoulder. “I prayed that the mother goddess would send you to save me, Lark. I heard her voice. She said you were coming, that you would never fail me.”

I took her by the hand. “We have to go now.” I pulled on the power of the earth and pushed the sand into solid stairs. We raced up, taking them two and three at a time, Bella cupping her small belly with one hand. Peta was ahead of me. “I can calm the flames too, Lark.”

“Do it,” I said as I held my hands out, running, putting out the flames everywhere we went. The warmth of the fire was a sensation that made me want more of it. The power was seductive, more so than either Spirit or Earth. We reached the front doors and I doused the flames on them as we stepped out. Peta raced ahead of us, going to the flames farther in the Rim.

Flint ran up the steps and caught Bella in his arms. “Goddess, I thought I’d lost you.”

I put my hand on his arm once more. “You must take the flames into you, don’t try to put them out any other way.”

He twisted to me. “That is madness; that is the way to die!”

“It works.” I shrugged because it probably was madness. I wasn’t a fool to think the rules of using elemental power would suddenly apply to me now. I’d always done the impossible. Now was not the time to start thinking otherwise.

Flint frowned and I opened my palm, showing him the flames as they danced on my skin. “It is the only way, Flint.”

He kissed Bella, and let go of her hand. “I hope you are right.” He turned and strode off to the other side of the Rim. The flames still fought us, but it was at least possible to put them out. The hours ticked by and then they were all extinguished and we were exhausted, dirty, sore and still a lot of people were pissed at each other.

The flames may have been gone, but the anger between the two elemental families was still hot.

Bella sat in the middle of the Rim, holding her growing belly. Her older daughter, River, was beside her, a stance that was all protector. I watched her movement, the way she held herself. “You’ve been training with the Enders?”

“Those that are left.” Her tone was cool. She didn’t trust me, for very good reason, but I couldn’t feel bad about it. I’d done it to protect her. Another drop in the bucket of my understanding about Cassava, Raven, and Talan. Damn it all. I drew a breath.

“I believe Viv is going to bind you all to the Rim. Don’t leave; it is the madness which takes the banished that she is using against us. It’s why the Salamanders are struggling.” I crouched down to Bella while I spoke. “You have to send Flint and the Salamanders back to the Pit.”

“The Pit doesn’t exist anymore.” Flint walked up beside us as filthy as everyone else, and yet he was still obviously their leader. The other Salamanders looked to him, their eyes shining with trust and loyalty.

“The place exists, even if you can’t truly live there. You need to go back until this thing with the false mother goddess is dealt with.”

Bella closed her eyes and nodded. “I agree. We can’t have this fighting amongst our two peoples.”

“And if the flames come again?” Flint bit the question out, anger clearly on his face.

Bella held a hand up to him as she opened her eyes. He helped her to her feet. “Then I will call for you. You must keep your family safe, and you can’t do that if they are losing their minds. I can’t keep my family safe if they are losing their minds, either.”

A shudder slipped through him and he bowed his head. “I do not want to leave you.”