Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy) (22 page)

I expected her to ask how I knew that, but she didn't. She was obviously so excited that I was allowing her to practice with Akasha that she didn't bother asking any more questions. She looked up at me, and her excited demeanor shifted to sadness. She pressed her cheek against my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist, and clutching the back of my shirt in her hands. “I thought I lost you,” she whispered. She pulled me tighter to her, as if she were afraid I would disappear into thin air. “Jace, I don't know what I would have done if…if you…if I couldn't ...”

“Shh, I'm right here, mi amante. You saved my life. I intend to spend eternity with you, so I'm not planning on going anywhere,” I reassured her as I caressed her cheek. I took her face in my hands and lifted it as I brought mine down. I softly kissed her lips before leaning my forehead against hers. She sighed, hopefully releasing the guilt that was plaguing her. We stood there for a few minutes, enjoying the peace of the moment before she playfully asked, “Did you see me kick those guys' asses?”

I chuckled as I shook my head. “I was incapacitated at the time,” I replied sarcastically.

“Hey, it's not my fault you can't hang,” she joked. “You should have seen the bad-ass tornado I created.”

“A tornado, huh? Seems like you are favoring Air now,” I speculated.

“Yeah, it's really easy to use—it's like I just think it and it happens. I don't have to concentrate as much like I do with the other elements.”

“Aw, I was hoping you would favor fire,” I said, sticking my bottom lip out in a pout.

“Sorry, fire is very stubborn. It kinda reminds me of someone I know,” she teased.

“Yourself?” I retorted playfully. She lightly punched my arm as she giggled.

“Can we practice more before dinner? I'd like to try and make ice,” she stated.

“Are you sure you're up to it? I don't want you overexerting yourself like you always do,” I replied.

She rolled her eyes, “Blah, blah, blah. Our enemies are not going to relent during a fight just because I'm tired. We talked about this earlier,” she said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs.

“I know, but you don't have to always push yourself to your limits, Brie.”

“Yes, I do! I can't let anything else happen to you. You don't understand how it feels...”

“How it feels to what, Brie? To almost lose you?! To feel powerless when you are taken from me in my nightmares, knowing that may be the future if I'm not strong enough to protect you?!”

She didn't respond. She knew I understood what she meant. That I understood that feeling of helplessness that permeated our dreams, and the consuming need we shared about protecting each other. I reached out to her, pulling her into my arms, “Brie, I know how you feel. We can do this together. You don't have to carry this burden on your own.”

“Fine, then help me make ice,” she replied bitterly. She pulled away from me to walk to Kiera's door, calling her to help us before continuing outside into our backyard. I followed, cursing her stubbornness, and wondering if it would prove to be a blessing or a curse.

We had spent almost a week practicing all of my elements. I was determined to master them so that I could harness Akasha. Jace wasn't very fond of the idea, but I needed to be stronger to fulfill the Prophecy. I needed to be stronger so a repeat of that awful day didn't occur. I would not, fuck that, I could not lose Jace. I refocused my thoughts to fusing the air and water molecules I had gathered together in the palm of my hand—they wove together fluidly now since I had been diligently practicing everyday from morning to night. The next step was to chill them enough to freeze into a solid ball of ice, which I found to be a formidable weapon. It was hard and dense, and it packed a strong impact despite its size. Its contact also left frostbite in its wake, which was another huge advantage.

I was also experimenting with other methods of attack. I had been trying to conjure up a wall of ice and thrust it out in a wave, but it was proving to be a difficult feat. I threw my newly formed ball of ice at a nearby palm tree in our yard, and it burst, leaving a patch of frostbite on the trunk. I rolled my shoulders, trying to alleviate some tension before attempting my ice wall again. Jace walked over to me from the side and started to rub my shoulders, “Tense, mi amante?”

“Now what would I have to be tense about?” I asked sarcastically. “I just want to be able to do this wall thing,” I continued.

“Maybe you should start with an easier task—like a wall of water or fire. Ice seems very difficult to manipulate. You should gradually work up to that,” he suggested.

“I could try it. I've pretty much mastered the basic elements,” I replied. Which I had—I just had to think about the element I wanted and it easily manifested now. Jace and Dad were extremely impressed with my progress, but I wanted to learn more. I had to. The nightmares still tormenting Jace and I, waking one or both of us in the middle of almost every night, were the motivation for me to become as powerful as possible. The more I could manipulate the elements, the more attainable the prospect of harnessing Akasha became. Then, I would be strong enough to defeat anything.

I stepped away from Jace before turning back to say, “Since you favor fire, I will try a wall of that first.”

I willed the fire in front of me first. I extended my hand, where the flame effortlessly appeared. I fanned it out in front of me, summoning more to form the wall I sought. Once the wall was formed, I formed a similar wall of air behind the flames, and then I shoved them both out.

The air blew out the flames, much to my frustration. I let out a groan of exasperation as Kiera offered, “You need a barrier between the air and fire.”

“What do you mean? What kind of barrier?” I asked.

“Like a shield between the two to separate them. Just conjure a shield between them so that the air doesn't extinguish the fire,” she replied.

I did as she said, repeating the same steps as before, except this time I formed a shield between the wall of air and the wall of fire. I thrust them all out at once, careful to keep each intact, and they did as I intended. The air pushed against the shield which expelled the wall of fire outward, setting an inferno to life in its path before engulfing one of the trees in flames. Kiera and I rushed to extinguish it with our Air, but the flames were stubborn, consuming every inch of the tree as it spread wildly from the base upward. I added Water to my Air to create a spray, mimicking a fire hose, and I slowly doused the flames until they were reduced to ashes.

I felt like collapsing, but I willed myself to stay upright. I could not afford to be weak anymore, and I didn't want Jace to worry more than he already did. I squeezed my eyes shut as the dizziness tried to overtake me, but I fought against it. Once I was sure I was fine, I turned and walked over confidently to Jace, “Pretty impressive, huh?”

He chuckled, “And dangerous, too.”

“You think everything is dangerous,” I commented back.

“Usually it is when you're involved. But, yes, that was very impressive, not to mention effective.”

I beamed under his praise, especially given the recent events when I failed him. He didn't blame me for his assault, but I think I blamed myself enough for the both of us. The memory flooded back, streaming pain through me, like razors ripping at my insides. I fought back the tears, not wanting Jace to see me cry. He would think that everything was too overwhelming for me, and would make us slow down, if not stop, for a day or so. I couldn't do that. Practicing gave me an outlet for my anguish, keeping me from being overcome with guilt and grief. I knew my emotions were extreme, but Jace had explained that our bond heightened everything, including our feelings, which explained the depth of pain that I felt because of almost losing him. It would take me longer to get over my remorse, but I hoped it would be soon. I didn't want to put any strain on my relationship with Jace. He was my light in all of this darkness.

“Have you heard from Zane about Akasha? I want to start practicing already,” I said, wanting a distraction from my depressing thoughts.

“Just talked to him a little while ago. I was waiting until you took a break to talk to you about it,” he said.

“What?! You should have told me as soon as you found out! I could have been practicing already!” I exclaimed, punching his arm, which I'm sure hurt my hand more than his firm bicep.

“Sorry!” he replied, putting his hands up in surrender. He pulled me to him and nuzzled my neck as he whispered, “Forgive me?”

A traitorous smiled found its way on my lips. I couldn't stay upset with Jace for very long, and his soft lips on my neck made it even more difficult. “Of course I forgive you,” I mumbled softly, enjoying the warmth of his kisses on my neck.

“Get a room!” Kiera yelled from across the yard. Jace antagonized her more by grabbing my ass firmly with both hands and planting a steaming kiss on my lips. I broke away from him laughing and blushing a vivid shade of pink. I motioned for Kiera to come over to us as I yelled, “Jace finally heard back from Zane!” When she joined us, I turned my attention to Jace, eagerly asking, “So, what did he say?”

“You can ask him yourself when he and Kimber get here. They are coming over this afternoon. He wanted to explain everything in detail.”

My heart raced in excitement. I hadn't seen Kimber in over a week, which was probably the longest we'd ever gone without seeing each other. I felt bad that I'd been so busy that I wasn't able to text or call her. I'm pretty sure she was busy strengthening her bond with Zane, so hopefully she wouldn't be too upset with me. “What time?” I asked anxiously.

“He said after lunch,” Jace replied.

“Speaking of lunch, I'm starving,” Kiera said.

I nodded as I agreed. “Me too. I'll make us something,” I said as I walked into the house.

Kimber and Zane arrived about an hour after we finished lunch. Kimber greeted me by saying, “What the fuck?! You can't call or text your best friend anymore?”

“Nice to see you, too. I could ask you the same thing, you know? Too busy tangled up in Zane's sheets to call or text me?” I jokingly accused.

“Fine, let's just admit we are both wrong, and get over it,” she paused, slightly smiling. “How have you been?” she asked, pulling me into a hug.

“Oh, you know, being ambushed by Elementals, finding out I have a long lost sister, and being visited by the Oracle. No biggie,” I replied sarcastically.

“Wha…what?! You have a sister?! The Oracle came to see you?! You were ambushed?! Were you hurt?! Why didn't you call me?! Tell me what happened!” she exclaimed.

I proceeded to tell her the events of the past week, including Jace's attack, which I cried through. She was enraptured in my story, silent through my whole account while listening to every detail. When I was finally finished, she simply said, “Wow.”

“Yeah, we've been busy,” I replied, sniffling. I wiped the tears from my face as a concerned Jace watched me from across the room as he talked to Zane. I gave him a small smile, which he returned with one of his own, but the concern never left his eyes.

“I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you. I feel terrible,” Kimber replied sadly.

“It's not your fault. Don't beat yourself up about it.”

“I should have been here for you, though. How can I make it up to you?” she asked.

“You don't need to make it up to me. You accompanying us on this asinine journey is enough.”