Page 9

NINE

Wren

“Wren!” Ruby’s voice, normally so calm, is high-pitched and filled with fear. “Where is Viento?”

I finally get the insect out of my hair and throw it to the ground, stomping on it. As it multiplies and two lift into the air to dive at me again I yell, “He can’t help us! We’re on our own!”

Lily screams and Ruby explodes into action, swinging the branch like they’re in the Major Leagues.

Think! Think! Think! I tell myself as I lift my backpack. The only reason Viento can’t help is because of the spell Celeste put on him, which means these bugs are on her side and here to prevent us from reaching whatever is in the center of the map.

Another insect stings me in the middle of my back, setting my T-shirt on fire. I stop, drop, and roll—and then jump to my feet in time to see several bugs land on Ruby’s branch. It bursts into flame and, with a cry, they drop it.

That’ll be us next. They’ll set us on fire.

The realization slices through my panic and my thoughts get very still. I remember how I felt in the Conduit Chamber when I believed Celeste was going to choke me to death—helpless, young, weak—but I have the strength of the maiden .

I know what I have to do.

I sprint to Lily. She’s hysterical and I have to duck to keep her from punching me.

“Lily! Lily! It’s me! Stop!”

Eyes wild and panic-filled, Lily hesitates long enough for me to grab her bloody, fisted hand. “Concentrate! Call your power. They’re just a crowd, like at the stadium, only they’re way smaller than what you handled there. Control them! ”

For a moment I don’t think I’ve gotten through to her, and then Ruby shouts, “You can do this, Lily! Wren will boost you. I’ll keep them off you two. Control them!”

Ruby is like a tornado. They move around us with blinding speed. Using their hands like Ping-Pong paddles, they bat the insects out of the air, only they’re pulling their punches so the Elementals aren’t harmed and won’t multiply.

Heat swells under my ribs. I’m no longer holding Lily’s fist. She opens her hand and grasps mine tightly as she traces graceful patterns in the air with the other.

Go to Lily! Amplify her! I tell my power and it rushes from me and pours into Lily.

“Be calm, s-sweet F-fire Elementals.” Lily’s voice wobbles and hitches between sobs, but her words ring throughout the darkened forest. “It’s okay. Everything is fine. We don’t want to hurt you. You don’t want to hurt us. All is well.”

The insects pause their assault, though we’re still surrounded.

“There, that’s better.” Lily’s voice is calm. Tears and snot have made a mess of her face, but she’s stopped crying. “It feels really good not to attack us, right? Can you feel it? Peace. Serenity. Happiness. Those things are filling you, but only as long as you’re not attacking us.”

The angry buzzing fades. Even the insects’ bulbous abdomens dim.

“Start to move forward,” I whisper to Ruby as I continue to grasp Lily’s hand, sending power to her.

Ruby takes a step forward. Instantly the buzzing returns and the insects pulse with flame.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lily says soothingly. “You don’t need to stop us to be close to us. You can move with us. That would be nice. It’s like you’re going on a walk with us.”

The insects calm again. I nod to Ruby and this time when they take a step forward the swarm moves with us.

“Good,” Lily croons to them. “You’re doing so well! Isn’t this better than hurting us? Taking a walk with friends is fun. Let’s be friends. I think you’re all very beautiful and very special, and I appreciate you for lighting the forest.”

Lily continues to talk to the swarm as Ruby leads us along the path. We’re a ball of light in a forest of darkness. I glance ahead and feel enormous relief as I see the edge of the forest and a lighter shade of dusk beyond. And, just past the pine forest, the stream glitters like liquid diamonds reflecting the lazy rays of the setting sun.

Being careful to keep ahold of Lily’s hand, I move closer to Ruby as I whisper to Lily, “Keep talking to them. Louder, so they don’t pay attention to what I say.”

Lily doesn’t answer, but she raises her voice and continues a soothing monologue for the swarm. “You’re doing so well! And you feel wonderful—happy, calm, and no one really wants to light anyone on fire.…”

I speak low and quickly to Ruby. “Look past the edge of the forest.”

“It’s the stream,” Ruby whispers back. Then they nod and repeat, “ The stream. ”

“Yes. Know what you need to do?”

“Yeah,” Ruby says. “Do you think she’ll come?”

“Well, you gave her flowers.…”

We finally make it to the edge of the pine forest. The sun is setting, but even twilight seems bright compared to the gloom behind us. As Ruby steps out of the tree line the swarm changes again. It buzzes angrily and crowds them, so aggressively that Ruby’s forced to move back within the trees, where we huddle together, while Lily talks soothingly to the insects.

The stream is about half a football field away from us. We can run for it, but the swarm is going to decimate us. We’re already burned and bleeding, and after watching the insects light Ruby’s branch on fire I know they were playing with us. Like a broken-winged sparrow caught by a cat, our end is inevitable.

I make the decision. I don’t think about what’ll happen if I’m wrong. It’s not like we can just stand here forever anyway.

“Ruby,” I whisper. “Run for the stream. Call your Elemental. See if you can get her to help us.”

Lily watches us closely as she continues to calm the swarm.

“I’ll outdistance the two of you. You’ll be unprotected,” Ruby says.

“No, we won’t be,” I say with a lot more certainty than I feel. “These aren’t the only Fire Elementals we know.” Lily’s eyes meet mine. “While I boost you, call to her.” Lily trembles, but she nods—all the while continuing to talk sweetly to the swarm.

“Okay,” Ruby says reluctantly. “We go on three. One… two… three!”

Ruby shoots away from us, blasting through the swarm as they buzz and pulse with flame. Part of the swarm breaks away from us to fly after them.

“Water Elemental!” Ruby shouts. “It’s Ruby. I need you! We need you!”

An insect dives at me, burning the wrist of my hand that’s still holding Lily’s. I knock it away, careful not to hit it hard enough to cause it to multiply. Holding tightly to her hand, I start pulling Lily out of the forest, following Ruby toward the stream.

Lily talks to the swarm in fast, clipped sentences. “Hey, it’s okay. No big deal. Ruby’s going for a jog. No worries—” Another insect attacks us, and then another. They’re swarming again, buzzing angrily, circling us and closing in.

“Do it! Call the firebird!” I shout as Lily and I fight one-handed, smacking away insects as they scorch our skin.

“Firebird, my beautiful Fire Elemental! Please, please help me! I need you!” Lily cries into the fading twilight.

Another insect flies into my hair, burning the back of my neck. I shriek. I want to pull my hand from Lily’s and flail at it as I run as fast as I can to the stream—the stream that’s too far away. I’ll be a burnt branch before I make it. And I won’t leave Lily. I can’t leave Lily.

There’s an explosion of light and heat above us. Lily and I cringe, our skin already ultra sensitive to heat from the many burns.

“Oh, thank you!” Lily sobs.

I look up. Above us the firebird blazes. Her cry is shrill and wild. She dives, beak open, and begins to devour the insects.

I pull Lily with me and shout, “Run!”

We race for the water. The firebird shrieks as she plucks the insects out of the air and swallows them whole, but there are so, so many of them. They’re stinging our backs as we run. My lungs burn. Lily’s falling behind, so I hook my elbow through hers and drag her with me. I blink sweat and blood from my eyes, trying to see through the gloom, and catch sight of Ruby as they reach the stream. They don’t stop. Ruby races into the water—and directly into the arms of the Water Elemental who stands waist deep in the shimmering creek. She engulfs Ruby in her arms. I can’t hear what they’re saying to the Elemental, but I see the water creature’s head lift and her gaze find us. Even from this distance I recognize the anger that flashes across her amphibious face. She releases Ruby and grows and grows and grows—until she towers above the willows lining the stream.

The Water Elemental is magnificent. Her fluid body is impossibly beautiful. She is voluptuous. Her curves are plentiful, her breasts full. She’s reflecting all the light left in the evening sky, and she glistens like a faceted aquamarine gem. Fish swim within her body. The lotuses that make up her hair cascade to her waist and are so fragrant I can smell them over our burnt flesh and panic.

The water giantess draws a deep breath and then opens her mouth. Water pours from her with the roar of a cascading waterfall. The firebird shoots skyward an instant before water drenches Lily and me and the swarm. The insects around us sizzle and pop, and as their flames extinguish they fall to the ground, twitching spasmodically.

I stomp them. Hard. This time they don’t multiply. They squish like normal insects, fat and disgusting under my Vans. Lily joins me, making feral, angry grunts as she stomps them over and over.

The firebird returns, flying around Lily and me as she trills at us, but we cringe back from her. The heat of her body is too much against the burns that cover our skin. Chattering forlornly, the firebird gives us space, though she continues to trill and circle us, almost like she’s trying to herd us somewhere.

Go to the water, Little Bird. Viento’s voice pulls my focus up and he’s there, just in front of us, hovering off the ground. His eyes blaze amber.

“You didn’t come!” I sob at him.

I could not. Please forgive me.

“It’s not his f-fault.” Beside me, Lily speaks through chattering teeth as she shivers violently. “It’s that s-spell.”

I wipe tears and blood and snot and water from my face and really look at my Elemental. His head is bowed and his broad shoulders droop. I move to his side and take his long-fingered hand in mine and squeeze it. He lifts his head and meets my eyes. “Hey, I’m sorry. I know you wanted to help us.”

Yes, so very much. He sounds miserable.

“Lily! Wren!” Ruby races up to us. They’re soaking wet, but there are no burns on them, even though Ruby’s tee has blackened holes in it and the ends of their short bob are scorched. “Come on. The Water Elemental will heal you.”

Gently, Ruby takes Lily’s hand, leading her to the water. I follow them with Viento beside me. When we reach the stream, the Elemental is human sized again. She’s standing in waist-deep water. She opens her arms to us. With her webbed hands she gestures for us to come to her.

I’m in too much pain to hesitate but walk into the stream with Lily and go to the Elemental. Close up she’s even more beautiful. She smiles, baring her shark teeth, but her smile is genuine and reflected in her large eyes. She embraces us and my ears are filled with the sound of ocean waves kissing the shore as she pulls us under the surface and cold water envelops us. I hold my breath, flinching at the agony that flares in the wounds that cover my body, but the pain goes away almost instantly. The water temperature shifts from cold to warm and as it pours over me it washes away everything—the scent of burned flesh and scorched hair and every bit of the pain. When the Water Elemental lifts us to the surface and we’re standing before her, I look down at my body. Like Ruby, my shirt is riddled with blackened holes and my jeans are charred, but my skin is smooth and clear of any wounds. My gaze goes to Lily, whose knuckles were so severely burned from punching the bugs that I swear I could see white bones peeking through her blackened flesh. They’re completely healed.

Lily gazes up at the Water Elemental. “Thank you so much. I feel wonderful!”

I realize Lily’s right. I feel great! The fear and despair that filled me while the swarm attacked us was washed away with my wounds, and in place of all those negatives Water has gifted us with health and energy.

“Thank you,” I tell her as her attention swivels to me. “It’s like I was a plant in a drought and you’ve watered me.”

The Elemental makes a liquid gurgling sound as her large eyes sparkle and her teeth glisten.

She thinks you are funny , Viento tells me.

“I think she’s beautiful and amazing,” I say to the Water Elemental.

“As do I,” says Ruby, bowing deeply to the Elemental.

“So, so beautiful and amazing,” echoes Lily. On the bank, the firebird has perched on a whitened log, and she chirps plaintively. Lily turns to her. “You are, too!” She wades from the stream to the bird. Slowly, Lily reaches out and strokes the orange feathers that fan out from the bird’s head. “Without you Wren and I couldn’t have gotten to the water. Those bugs would have burned us up.” Looking bizarrely catlike, the firebird rubs her head against Lily’s hand and twitters happily.

“Thank you again,” I say to the Water Elemental before I trudge from the stream. Suddenly my stomach drops and I reach into the soaked pocket of my jeans where I put the folded map. I take it out, expecting it to be a soggy mess, but it’s completely dry and as I watch the scarlet path we’ve been following all day begins to expand. The map fills in details as it reveals the next part of our journey, ending at an icon that is a yellow feather moving in a breeze.

“What is it?” Lily asks as she and Ruby join me.

“The map. It’s showing us more.” I point to the feather icon and then look up. Viento hovers in front of me, watching me closely. “A feather blowing in the wind. That represents air.”

He nods as my temples begin to ache, but I steel myself against the pain and continue. “It’s the second element and we have to get past it before the next section of the map appears.”

Yes. We both flinch as pain stabs my head.

“When you two cringe in pain that means the answer is yes?” asks Lily.

I rub my forehead. “Yes.”

“One down. Three more to go,” says Ruby. “But this time we’ll expect a fight.”

“And that’s a good thing, right?” I ask.

“Definitely. Being prepared is a step toward victory,” Ruby says as they slip their arm around Lily. “Now, do you think your lovely firebird will light another fire for us while I ask the Water Elemental for a fat salmon?”

Without waiting for Lily’s question, the firebird chirps happily and soars up and then turns to dive down toward us. We back away from the big log as the gorgeous creature opens her beak and shoots a stream of flame at it, setting the log alight and creating a perfectly burning bonfire.

That night we dry our clothes and my little blanket on rocks around the blazing log and eat succulent salmon, this time cooked with wild onions Ruby foraged from the creek’s banks. None of us want to go back into the dark pine forest, so Viento calls a small tornado to pluck the fronds of leafy ferns from the forest floor and deposit them on the sandy part of the beach close to the constantly blazing fire. They make such a comfortable bed that we all fall asleep right away. The last thing I see that night is Viento hovering above our campsite, watching over us.