Guardian of the Earth House (23 page)

“Oberon, for Gaia’s sake…”  Chason, of the Magnet House muttered from his own Council seat.  In less than a year, Chason would be so entrenched in his grief over the Fall that he’d dedicate his life to wiping out the Air House and the toppling the universe with his own private army.  For now, though, with the founding of the Reprisal still ahead of him, Chason looked… young.  The horrors of his life and the death of his Match not even a glimmer in his lovely purple eyes as they rolled towards the ceiling.

Gion started forward.  His attention stayed locked on Parald as Parald’s features grew crimson with the force of his humiliation and rage.

“You can’t do this to me!”  Parald shouted at Ty.  “Job!”  He whirled around to face the bench.  “She can’t do this.  She’s mine.  Tell her!”

Job cleared his throat.  “Well, she has the right to renounce the Match, Parald.  You know that.”

Tharsis was on his feet and heading down into the middle of the room. Nia and several other Water Phases who Tessie couldn’t identify were right behind him.

Parald tried to regain his smarmy charm, even as outrage bled out of every pour.  His face grew strained as if he was struggling to hold back his darkening anger.  “Ty can’t make a choice like that.  She wouldn’t dare.”

Job shook his head with the inflexibility of a man who believed in following the small print of every rule ever written.  “No, I’m sorry.  You’re wrong.  She
can
make the choice.  It’s the law.”

Ram, of the Smoke House, one of the oldest Elementals even before the Fall, nodded his sage agreement.  “The law is very clear on the procedures.”  He rasped in his ancient voice.  “Sections four, subsection eight of the…”

“Oh God, who cares, Ram?”  Oberon interrupted.  “Stop talkin’ over the show.”

Parald wasn’t ready to give up pleading his case to Job.  “Ty’s only ninety-three.  She’s young.  You have to talk to her, Job.  She doesn’t understand what she’s saying!”

“Yes, I do.”  Ty put-in seriously.

“Shut-up!”  Parald bellowed, his façade cracking.  “You’re going to ruin my life if you do this!  Both our lives!  Is that what you want?”

“I’d say she sure doesn’t want
you
, boy.”  Oberon sing-songed, while Job sent a warning look in Parald’s direction.  Oberon crossed his arms over his chest and winked at Ty.  “If it means anything to ya, girl, I’d dump his ass, too.  What a pussy.”

Vice, of the Shadow House snorted.  “If a man can’t hold onto his woman himself, he doesn’t deserve to have her.”  That pronouncement courtesy of the guy who’d executed the man his Queen had Phazed with so he could keep her for himself.  Both Vice and his Queen, Senti, Job’s social climbing, jump roping sister, perished in the Fall.  Which was no great loss in Tessie’s opinion.

Parald let out a hissing breath of frustration.  “Job, you’re the High Seat.  Do something.  Make Ty accept me.  She has to.  She’s mine!”

“Watch how you address this Council and the Princess of the Water House.”  Job warned, with all his “bow before me peasant” authority firmly in place.  “Ty, honey.”  He looked over at her, again, and he voice grew softer.  “Are you sure you want to do this?  Renouncing a Match isn’t something you can take back.  It’s a big step…”

Ty cut him off.  “I’m sure.  I renounce him.”

Parald screamed in fury.  “You can’t
do
this to me!”  He took a step closer to her.  “You take it back, Ty.  You fucking take it back or you’ll be sorry!”

Ty met his wrath dead on, her eyes shining with something like triumph.  “I’d rather die.”  She informed his succinctly.

Parald lunged at her, intent on doing real, bodily harm.  “You
bitch!
”

Tharsis threw himself over a row of benches and dashed for his cousin.

Tessie felt the swell of Job’s powers and then a violent roll of the earth.  The ground beneath Parald flexed, forcing him backwards, away from Ty.

And then, amazingly, Gion was there.

Of all people, Gion was the first one who shoved his way between Parald and Ty.  To everyone watching, it must’ve looked like he grabbed his boss in an effort to protect Parald.  To stop Parald from assaulting the future Queen of the Water House and getting himself tossed into a cell somewhere.  Gion seized Parald’s arm, hauling him backwards away from Ty and using his body to block any possible punches aimed in her direction.

It was so smooth and graceful that if Tessie hadn’t been studying him closely, she would’ve missed Gion’s
other
hand reaching for his sword.

There was only one person Gion could possibly be thinking of stabbing and it sure wasn’t the completely non-threatening, little redhead behind him.  In that split second, Gion had been willing to slaughter his boss right in the center of the Council chamber if it meant keeping Parald from Ty.

Huh.

That was new.

Gion’s arctic gaze flashed over to Ty, giving her a quick inspection, even as he continued to restrain Parald.  “Are you alright?”  He demanded harshly, his normal, frigid, “who gives a shit?” tone temporarily gone.

Ty gave a guarded nod.  On some level, she must’ve trusted Gion to keep Parald under control, because she didn’t take so much as a step backward.

Tessie arched a brow as she realized that
Ty
was the reason Gion had been so upset earlier.

No one else seemed to notice.

“You son of a bitch!”  Tharsis headed straight for Parald.  “You raise a hand to my cousin again and, I swear to God, I’ll kill you myself.”

“I’d sanction that.”  Oberon eagerly interjected.  “Go ‘head and decapitate the bastard, Thar.  I’ll write ya a pardon for it.”

“Job!”  He just tried to attack my daughter!”  Besell, King of the Water House bellowed, striding into the fray.  Tessie recognized him by the gold circular crown on his head.  Besell would be the first victim of the Fall.  “I want him Banished for it!  It’s the law and I want it upheld.”

“You can’t Banish me!  The Council doesn’t have that kind of power!”  Parald screamed in a frenzy of anguished violence.  “Ty’s my Match and I can do what I want with her!”

That was the wrong thing to say.

Every member of the Council scowled at him.

“I call for Banishment.”  Campbel, of the Heat House called out.  The streak at his temple was a bright orange.  As far as Tessie knew, Cam had survived the Fall and still ruled his House, but the guy had never been known for his diplomacy.  His yellowish brown eyes fixed on Parald a certain, “kiss my ass” smirk.  “All those in favor?”

A chorus of “ayes” rang out.

The Air House weren’t the most popular Phases in the Elemental realm, anyway.  Especially, since Parald had seized control.  Not a single Council member even hesitated in voting him off their island.  Parald
really
shouldn’t have questioned their authority, because now they were just aching to show him what the Council could do.

  “I concur and affirm this unanimous decision.” Job came down from the Council Seat to stand in front of Ty, his expression dangerously stiff.  “Parald, you are excused from this chamber forever.”

Oh yeah.  Job was pissed.  The force of his energy continued to vibrate through the ground.

The faces of the other Air Phases reflected their shock and resentment at Job’s words.

Banishment was a huge deal for the Elementals.  It basically meant that Parald no longer had a voice in any of their decisions and was no longer welcome within the larger Phase community.  Since Parald had taken over the Air House, it also meant that the rest of the Air Phases just landed between a rock and a hard place.  The ruler of Air House was now persona non gratis and they had nowhere to go
but
the Air House, since their powers were tied to that Element.

Gion’s gaze swept over to the Council bench in something like dread.  Tessie could see from the tightening of his mouth that that he knew he was in big trouble.  Gion had been skirting the edge of Banishment for years now, anyway.  But, this really did doom him once and for all.  Some Houses might take in other Air Phases who wanted to jump off Parald’s sinking ship, but nobody in their right mind would open any doors for Gion.  It would be like inviting a vampire through the door.  Gion was stuck with Parald and he already knew that was losing side.

“Job, the Banishment of a ruler will punish an entire House…”  Gion began desperately and Tessie realized that Gion wasn’t sticking up for Parald.  Just the opposite, in fact.  Gion was going to toss Parald under the bus and argue that Parald should be
deposed
, instead of Banished.  She could read it in his face.  Gion wanted Parald stripped of his power and title, so that he was no longer a threat.  Even if Tessie hadn’t known how much he disliked his boss, she could’ve seen Gion’s intentions clear as a bell.

No one else did, though.

And before Gion could explain, Parald’s Air energy surged and he launched another attack.  Tessie felt the swell of his power and instinctively shouted, “Job! Watch out!”

Job couldn’t hear her.

It was impossible.

Still, for some reason, he instantly moved at Tessie’s warning.  Job shoved Ty backwards and sidestepping the worst of the Parald’s assault.  The force of Parald’s power blew though the room like a rocket set on destroying Job once and for all.  It should have killed him… but it didn’t.

Parald’s energy still hit Job.  Jets of Air strong enough to break bones slammed into his torso.  But, Job evaded the worst of the damage when he heeded Tessie’s words and shifted to the side.  It didn’t cut Job in half like Parald had intended.  Job stayed on his feet.

Tessie laid a hand over her heart, trying to calm its furious pounding.  “Job!  Oh God, honey.  Are you okay?”

He gave his head a clearing shake, his palm going to his damaged ribs.  Job glanced over at the spot where Tessie stood as if he was confused by what had just happened. “I’m okay.”  He said vaguely, to no one in particular.

Tessie blinked.  Job had really heard her.  Tessie knew it.  He couldn’t see her and he had no idea who she was, but he somehow sensed that she was there.  Even if it was just subconsciously, he was powerful enough to
feel
her.  It was unbelievable.

There was a roar of from the assembled Elementals at Parald’s attack.

Oberon bellowed in outrage.  “Job, you alright?”

“I’m okay.”  Job repeated.  He was fine.  In fact, he was incredible.

Tessie stared at him in wonder as Job’s lawn green eyes zeroed in on Parald and took the bastard down.

The swell of Earth energy was so huge that even Gion paled.  With perfect precision Job found his target.  The floor beneath Parald opened up and simply… swallowed him.  Parald fell into a three foot crevice that Job had put there just for him.  Nobody standing close to Parald even swayed under the floor’s motion, but Parald fell flat on his face in the crater.

“Shit!”  Since no one exactly rushed to help him, Parald tried to jump out of the hole by himself.

“It’s against the law for Phases to use our powers against each other, Job.”  Oberon cheerily reported.  “I’m gonna hafta call for sanctions against you for this.”

Job ignored that.  “Gion, take Parald and leave or I will remove you all myself.”  That wasn’t an empty threat.  Job had the power to do it.

Gion glanced at Ty and hesitated, even as the other Air Phases followed Job’s instructions and pulled Parald free.  Saxon and Isaacs fished him out of the hole.

“You can’t treat me like this to me!”  Parald shrieked, trying to push past them and get at Job, again.  “You can’t take my Match!  You can’t Banish me!”

“We just
did
.”  Cambel reminded him smugly.

Oberon nodded.  “We’re the Council of All Houses and we can do any fucking thing we want, boy.”

Job slanted Oberon another aggravated look and then refocused on Parald.  “The law is quite clear.”  He stepped directly in front of Ty, again.  “Tritone has the right to renounce you and she has. 
Your
behavior has been unacceptable, though.  You just tried to attack the Princess of the Water House, with your
powers
, in the Council chamber.  I can’t tolerate that kind of disrespect for Ty
or
the Council.  You are no longer welcomed here.”

Tessie couldn’t help by smile at him.  “You are so damn cool, honey.”

“You can’t take her from me!”  Other Air Phases pulled Parald towards the exit as he raged at Ty and Job.  “I will make you so fucking sorry you did this to me!  You’ll
beg
me to take you back, Ty!  You hear me! 
Beg!
”

Ty didn’t look impressed.

Gion was the last one out the door.  He turned and stared back at Ty with a slightly dazed look on his face.  Tessie had never seen him so openly astounded.  Not even when he’d found her with Job at the courthouse.  Gion was stunned and…  Happy?  Relieved?  Covetous?  Tessie couldn’t read the emotion, but it shone from his eyes, giving the icy blue a warmer glow.

The hall was utterly silent as they all tried to absorb what had just happened.