Elemental Release

  “Theo?”

  “Councilman Midstone believes so. Theo requested asylum inside Rhyss, offered his services at the school here. Midstone denied him.”

  I glanced at the rest of her away team, the same three men who’d accompanied her to Rhyss. Rusk was speaking with them, his face a mask for his emotions.

  “Why would Midstone do that?” I asked, focusing on Liz again. “If Theo was willing to help at the school, he can’t be…I don’t know. All bad.”

  “Victor says it’s because Midstone doesn’t want Theo to poison his Airmasters. You know, teach them to use their powers in a hurtful way. He sent a message to Davison, requesting advice, and Davison said not to allow him a position at the school.”

  “Liz.” Victor appeared at her side, and she practically melted into him. I sensed something romantic between them, and I raised my eyebrows at Liz. She blushed and stepped away from Victor.

  He put his hand on her lower back, guiding her toward the door. “It is time to go.” He nodded at me. “Hello, Adam.”

  “Victor.” I watched the two of them as they prepared to leave. Without reading their minds, I couldn’t quite decide if the relationship ran both ways, or if Liz’s crush was one-sided. Victor spoke to her softly, helped her with the huge pack, but he did nothing inappropriate.

  Rusk and I followed them out, and the six of us made a conspicuous traveling party as we wove toward the southern wilderness. As the houses and buildings petered out, Liz moved to my side. “Thanks for coming, Adam. I feel safer with you here.”

  Before I could answer, a strong gust of wind pressed into my back, almost causing me to lose my feet. I stumbled, but caught myself. Liz did not. As the wind increased, Victor appeared at her side.

  He yelled something into the escalating storm, pulled her to her feet, and towed her with him as they ran into the wilderness.

  I turned back toward Rhyss. Airmaster Rusk stood at my side, his hands open and relaxed. I uncurled my fists as I located the figure standing amidst the swirling air currents.

  “Theo,” I whispered.

  The sky should’ve been getting lighter, but instead, it grew angry and turbulent. Clouds blocked the sun, and a stiff wind nearly knocked me down. I repurposed the current, sending it back toward Theo in an aggressive move.

  Even as I did it, I knew I couldn’t beat him. I felt the presence of my mentor nearby, but I knew he wasn’t here to step in and save me. I suddenly understood that this was a real-life test—for me.

  Behind Theo, the tornado warning sirens blared, and I leaped into the air and soared further west, away from the city and away from Liz. The mountains bordered the western edge of the United Territories, and I wanted to have as few casualties as possible.

  As I’d hoped, Theo followed me, landing between me and the city of Rhyss. Before he could lift his hand, I reached for and found the jet stream in the upper atmosphere. I brought it down, further darkening the sky.

  Theo lingered about a hundred yards from me, but I could see the whites of his eyes and the smirk riding his lips.

  I felt stormy inside, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to divide the jet stream unless I calmed myself. Though I couldn’t see Rusk, I heard his lessons in my head. I couldn’t expect the air to obey me if I wasn’t in complete control.

  I exhaled away my fear, my frustration. I didn’t have any more items on my list, and I thought of Gabby waiting for me to return to Tarpulin.

  I ignored the escalating roar of wind as it tunneled around me. I needed to focus on and communicate with the jet stream. Lightning flashed, but I ignored the surge of electricity.

  Airmaster Rusk landed next to me. “Listen,” he whispered. Our robes whipped in the wind, and Theo leaned into currents he continued to send toward us. Rusk deflected all of them, creating a calm eye among the storm Theo was churning up.

  I closed my eyes and listened. The jet stream flowed in violent rivers of air, with that calm center I’d felt on the cliffs outside Tarpulin.

  Rusk cried out, and hurricane-force winds knocked me back. I searched for my mentor, but I couldn’t find him. With my grip still on the jet stream, I managed to get back to my feet. Theo stood inches away, his dark eyes glinting with malice.

  “You’re not an Airmaster,” he said, curling his lip in disgust. His tone and his words reminded me so much of Felix.

  Whispers from the air floated through my mind. I divided them into manageable currents, which I flung at Theo. He easily deflected them, laughing as he did so.

  “I’ve killed the real Airmaster,” he said. “And I’m going to kill you. Release the jet stream.”

  I kept the jet stream between us, frantically searching for Rusk now. His absence pushed a knife into my heart, but surely Theo was lying. My mentor could read minds, he could do anything with air. No way Theo could do something Rusk couldn’t anticipate and prevent.

  Fueled by these hopeful thoughts, I pinched off pieces of the jet stream and launched them at Theo. Each one pushed him further from me, giving me some breathing room.

  I sucked in the air, filling myself from top to bottom. The calm center of the jet stream felt peaceful, yet full of power. I was desperate to use that power to disable Theo, but I still couldn’t quite make out the words the wind whispered.

  He raised both arms into the air, bringing his hands together in a rotational pattern. I knew what he was doing, and I knew I couldn’t weather the tornado he’d produce. I didn’t breathe as I continued throwing pieces of the jet stream at Theo.

  The storm grew; the winds howled as they battled one another.

  I dropped to my knees, bringing my chin to my chest. I sent a current to find Airmaster Rusk and breathe for him if necessary. The air he loved and served should be able to help him now.

  A terrible roar rent the air and I looked up in time to see Theo lower his arms, a massive swirling tornado standing like a sentinel next to him. His mouth moved, he folded his arms, and the tornado shot toward me.

  I peeled off another layer of the jet stream and cast a bubble of protection around myself just as the tornado bore down on me. Crouched in the protection of the jet stream, and with only a thin, pulsing current from the center of it, I realized something.

  The eye of the storm was the calmest. No matter what raged around the eye, it alone was serene—the way I needed to be. Despite the challenges and difficulties before me—in my relationships or my training, or battling an evil Airmaster—I could become the eye of the storm.

  I could become like Airmaster Rusk.

  With that realization, I finally heard the whisperings of the jet stream. Take the air, take the air, take all the air.

  “The absence of air,” I mused to myself. I stood up, expanding the protective bubble, and filled myself with air so I wouldn’t need to breathe. I released the jet stream, sending it back to its place in the atmosphere. The stream tore through the raging tornado, rending it useless.

  The roaring quieted; the sky brightened; I saw my mentor on the ground a few hundred feet to my left, being aided by the air he loved. My heart stuttered, but I trusted the currents I’d sent to serve him. If they could, they’d keep him alive.

  Theo stood in front of me, his gaze full of nails and loathing.

  I sent the air away. I whooshed it back to Rhyss, up into the sky, and over the mountains behind me. Their solid strength helped me straighten my own resolve.

  “What are you going to do now?” Theo asked, sending me an air message he created. “I don’t exactly need the air to breathe.”

  I didn’t grace him with a response.

  He took a menacing step forward, sending me another message. “Give it up, Gillman. You can’t hurt me. The air serves me, and I can get it back in an instant.” He continued moving toward me.

  “You’re wrong,” I said. “The air doesn’t serve us. We serve it.”

  Theo laughed, but I couldn’t hear him. He threw his head back, pointing his face to the sky. I dropped to my knees, pu
lling the knife from my boot in one swift motion. In the next, I launched the knife toward his chin.

  The sound of metal against bone happened silently as there was no air for the sound to travel through. Blood spewed from his throat and he clutched at the knife with both hands. He dropped to his knees and then fell face-forward onto the windswept earth.

  I called the air back, asking it to fill the sky as it normally would, as I ran to my mentor. His chest lifted slightly, and a grateful breath escaped my lungs.

  “Airmaster Rusk,” I said, kneeling next to him. The air continued its work, entering his nose, expanding his chest, and coming out his mouth.

  He opened his eyes, but had a hard time focusing on me. “Adam.”

  I picked him up, whistled for the air, and flew back to Rhyss as quickly as possible.

  I paced in the outer hall, waiting for the medical team to come talk to me. Councilman Midstone had sent for his best doctors, but I hadn’t heard anything in the two hours since they’d arrived.

  I’d composed and sent air messages to Davison and Gabby, but neither of them had answered. I felt like I was back inside that bubble I’d created. Isolated. Unable to breathe.

  The door behind me crashed open, and I spun around. A nurse gestured to me, a smile on her face. “He keeps asking for you, so you might as well come back.”

  I followed her through the sterile hall, lighter than a moment before, but unsure of what I’d see when I came face-to-face with Rusk.

  She pulled back a curtain, and I saw my mentor sitting up in bed, that childish grin on his face. “Adam,” he said, and that was all. But he said it with such affection, it made me smile at the same time tears pricked my eyes.

  “Airmaster.” I crossed the room and hugged him. “You’re okay.”

  “Thanks to you,” he said as I straightened. “If you hadn’t sent that air current to assist me, I don’t think I would’ve made it.”

  My throat had closed, preventing me from speaking, so I just smiled and nodded.

  “You saved us,” he continued. “You saved the city of Rhyss. I’m so proud of you.”

  I shook my head, indicating that I didn’t deserve his praise or his pride. “I used a knife,” I said. “I reverted to my sentry training.” I looked at the tiled floor. “Theo was right; my brother was right. I’m not a real Airmaster.”

  Rusk remained quiet for a few minutes, a sign that he agreed with me. Finally, he said, “Adam, look at me.”

  I raised my eyes to his, which were filled with kindness and love. “You are the best Airmaster I have ever had the privilege to train. You can do things with air it takes others years to learn.”

  That he thought so humbled me, but I didn’t believe him.

  “Did you hear the jet stream?” he asked, and his tone had a challenge to it.

  “Yes, but—”

  “But nothing. You heard it. Only an Airmaster can strip away the protective currents and hear the jet stream. In fact, I know Airmasters on functioning Councils of major city-states that have never heard the jet stream.” He smiled, but this time it held compassion as well as determination. “What did it say to you?”

  “You mean it doesn’t always say the same thing?”

  Rusk chuckled. “Tornadoes, no. The jet stream can provide answers to an Airmaster in a time of need. It signifies that one has ultimate control over their emotions and the air. And that, Adam, is why I am exceedingly proud of you. Just eight months ago, I thought you might be better served by one of our mental health technicians. You have overcome so much.” He looked away and wiped his eyes, so when he looked back at me I couldn’t tell if he’d actually shed a tear.

  “Accept it,” he said. “You might be an extremely skilled sentry, but you are also an exceptional Airmaster.”

  I opened the door to the fifth and last boxcar on the train. If Liz and her away team weren’t in here, I didn’t know where else to look.

  “Adam?”

  I pulled myself into the car and strode to her. I held her at arm’s length, noticing a bit of dried blood in the corner of her mouth. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, we’re fine.” She pointed to the men behind her, who had all stood. “Where’s Rusk?”

  “He’s staying in Rhyss for a few days until he feels up to full strength,” I said. “But I had to check on you. You were in the open and….” I cleared my throat. “But you’re okay.” I pulled her to my in a friendly embrace. “You’re okay.”

  “I’m okay,” she confirmed. “Thank you for coming.”

  We rode the train for three days, and when it pulled into Tarpulin, I vowed I’d never get on a train again. I’d helped Liz out of the boxcar and taken two steps when someone called my name.

  Glancing up, I saw Gabby running toward me. How she knew I’d be arriving on this train in the middle of the night, I didn’t know. I surged toward her too, catching her around the waist and swinging her around before setting her on her feet.

  “You’re back,” she said breathlessly.

  “I promised,” I said, already bending down to kiss her. She threaded her fingers through my hair, and I’d never been so happy to be in Tarpulin.

  Days later, after all the reports and conferences, I was finally able to close the topic of Theodore Wellington and Rhyss. I’d made sure Liz received the right medical attention, and when I finally got her alone, I questioned her about Victor.

  “Yes, we’re….” She bit her lip. “He’s going to request to be assigned to our Council. We want to be together.”

  “You trust him?”

  “Yes,” she said. “He saved my life twice on the way to Rhyss. I helped him out of a sticky situation in Rhyss. We trust each other.”

  “I want you to be happy,” I said carefully. “And I’m sure you know our Council comes before anything. If you trust him, I’ll take your word on him.”

  “He said he knows you,” Liz said. “That you were on the same sentry squad for Alex.”

  “He’s right,” I said. “But I didn’t know him well, and I’m distrustful of everyone who associated with Alex.”

  Liz thought about what I’d said. “I trust him,” she finally said. “The same way I trust you.”

  I thought about our conversation as I opened the door to Gabby’s apartment. I couldn’t control who Liz fell in love with, and I couldn’t make Victor more trustworthy. I trusted Liz, and that had to be enough.

  I showered and fell into bed, hoping Gabby would be done with her meeting soon.

  I woke with a change in air pressure. The apartment door had opened. Sleep still fuzzed my mind, but I pushed myself up. Night had fallen outside the balcony doors, but the light from the living room fell through the bedroom door.

  Gabby entered the bedroom, saw me awake, and smiled. The gesture looked weary, and she climbed into bed next to me. I tucked her into my side and asked her about the meetings.

  “They’re done,” she said. “And I’m so glad. I’ve petitioned for a vacation.”

  “That’s great,” I said. “Where are you going?”

  “Hesterton,” she said, and my heart did a jealous flop.

  “You’ll love that city,” I said. “And the mountains are majestic in the winter, covered with snow.”

  “I hope I’ll love it,” she said. “I’m not overly excited about the snow, honestly. I had enough of that in Crylon.”

  “Well, go somewhere else,” I said. “The eastern shore is mild in the winter. Downright tropical compared to Hesterton.”

  Gabby snuggled closer, her breath falling across my bare chest. “It’s not entirely a vacation,” she said. “We’ve been assigned there for our apprenticeship. We leave next summer.”

  Her words rattled in my head until I made sense of them. “Apprenticed already? Next summer will be just over a year of training.”

  “Davison thinks we’re ready,” she said.

  “Are we?” I asked.

  “I think we will be,” she said. “And I know you love the mo
untains, so when he asked me where I’d like to go, I chose Hesterton.”

  I pushed her away so I could see her. “You did? Even though you hate the snow?”

  She shrugged a little, and she’s never looked more beautiful, tired as she was. “I love you.”

  I kissed her, suddenly wishing she’d changed into her soft pajamas before collapsing into bed. I wore only boxer shots, and suddenly that wasn’t enough. She kissed me deeper, wrapping her arms tighter around me, and I decided I didn’t care what we were wearing.

  After a few minutes, she pulled away, leaving me cold and wanting. “I think I’m ready for this too,” she said real soft, almost to herself. She slipped out of my grasp and out of bed, disappearing into the bathroom.

  I stayed in bed, wondering if she was really ready, if I was. I wasn’t exactly experienced with women. Sentries didn’t have time for romance, and I’d never been given the opportunity of falling in love the way Victor and Liz had.

  When the door opened, I felt like I had lightning skating under my skin. Gabby returned, now wearing her pajamas and a vibrant smile.

  “I’m nervous,” I admitted as she climbed toward me.

  She laughed. “You? Why would you be nervous?”

  “I spent twelve years in the sentry program, and then a year as a fugitive.” I turned away so she couldn’t see my face. “Not exactly a lot of experience with girls.”

  “Everything will work out,” she said, sliding next to me. She put her hand on my cheek and turned my face to hers. “I love you, Adam Gillman.” She kissed me, and my insides felt like liquid with her heated words and soft lips.

  I moved slowly, carefully, giving her every opportunity to change her mind and stop whenever she wanted.

  She never did.

  Elana Johnson is the author of the Possession series, which includes full-length novels POSSESSION, SURRENDER, and ABANDON, and short stories REGRET (ebook only) and RESIST (free).

  She is also the author of ELEVATED, a young adult contemporary romance novel-in-verse.