Maxon (29 page)

“Lianna! You're here!”

His happiness is so contagious that I smile. “What are you doing there?”

“I'm waiting for you. Dad said I could. Everyone told me that you'd come back with Fisk, not show up in the Hall of Fountains, but I said they were wrong. You'd want to talk
our
way.”

Maxon hides a smile. “Looks like you've a boyfriend there, Li.”

“She's not my girlfriend!” says Esau. “That's gross. Are you ready to become the monarkki, Lianna? Do you want me to get all the Valta? They'll come if I ask them. General Fisk explained everything.” Esau lowers his voice. “Dad said Fisk acted like a deuce-bag to hit on you when you were so young. The guy's like three hundred.”

I can't believe my ears. “Deuce-bag?”

“I think that's what he said. Anyway, are you ready to get crowned?”

“Not quite, Esau. I do need you to summon the Valta, though. Bring them to the Hall of Fountains as quickly as you can.”

“All right,” says Esau. He races away screaming. “Hey everybody!”

In no time, the Valta fill the massive space. None of them ask me about Fisk, and I'm not going to volunteer the information. That's something best said in person.

Esau's father steps forward. I remember him from his long droopy tentacle moustache. “I'm Johtaja. What do you require of us?”

For a moment, it's all I can do to soak in his words.
What do you require of us?
I'm not crowned, and yet Johtaja is treating me as his monarkki. A sunny sense of pride spreads through my chest. Trouble is, it's quickly overwhelmed by a cold wave of fear.

Zephyr could show up any second.

“Johtaja, I need your strength, and that of all the Valta. Remember when I gave my power to your child, back when I first visited the Water Palace?”

“I was so disrespectful then, Your Eminence—”

“That's not important now. All that matters is the connection that took place. I need to find that again, but this time, it needs to be with all of you. I'm trapped in Zephyr's realm without enough power to leave. If you can connect your elemental energy to mine, I may be able to turn this fountain into a gateway for escape.”

Johtaja nods briskly. “As you command, Your Eminence.” He leans his head back and lets out a long set of calls that remind me of whale song. Within seconds, the Valta are hovering in the air, their bodies aligned into a diamond formation.

“On my mark,” commands Johtaja. “We send our energy to Lianna.” He bows his head and raises his right hand. The other Valta do the same. “Now!”

All of a sudden, elemental strength pours into my body, overwhelming my mind. I feel frozen in place. At last, a voice breaks through my inner haze.

“Are you all right, Lianna?”

It's Maxon.

My voice quakes when I reply. “I think so.”

“Focus, Lianna.” Maxon links his fingers with mine. “You can do this.”

I stare into his mismatched eyes and my spine stiffens with resolve.

This will happen. I'll get us out of here.

Keeping my gaze on the waterfall, I reach toward it with my left hand. Fresh power flows to me from the Valta. My body fills to bursting with energy and light. Blue luminescence cascades into my fingertips, turning my skin even brighter. Excitement churns through me.

We're really making this work.

Suddenly, the waterfall starts to disappear. Instead, a gateway opens directly into the Hall of Fountains. I lean forward, stopping right before my fingertips pass through what was once cascading liquid. Now, I feel nothing there.

I push further.

My hand touches the warm air of the Hall of Fountains. The scent of seawater rises to greet me.

We're so close.

More Valta appear below. Additional power flows through me. I tighten my hold on Maxon's hand.

“You ready?” I ask.

“Whenever you are.”

Acting in unison, we both stare down into the open gateway. Maxon and I share a nod. Moving as one, we crouch down and prepare to jump.

The waterfall vanishes.

“Oh no,” I whisper. “The gateway closed.”

We're out of time.

Lifting my gaze, I see Zephyr standing across the courtyard. The light on his gray skin pulses with rage. His Kristalli crown becomes blindingly bright. My skin prickles with fear.

“On second thought,” I say slowly. “I think we may get to kill Zephyr anyway.”

Maxon cracks his neck from side to side. “Good.”

Zephyr glares at Chimera's frozen form. The monarkki's mouth twists with disgust. “Fool! I never should have trusted you with such a simple task.” Turning away from Chimera, Zephyr raises his arms. “Air Valta, to me!”

Tendrils of smoke instantly appear on either side of Zephyr. Two Air Valta take shape. Both are young with battered armor and lines of exhaustion on their faces.

Only two Valta come to Zephyr's call? Clearly, the Furor are having fun. That's good for our side.

Zephyr lets out a howl of rage. “More weakness! Where are the rest of your kindred?”

My mouth falls open with shock. If this were my Valta army, I'd leave the rival monarkki and thrax warrior alone so I could go help my own people. The enraged look in Zephyr's eyes says he couldn't care less about the Air Valta. Instead, he rounds on Maxon and me. “Attack!”

The two Air Valta speed toward us. Fortunately, there's plenty of water nearby, thanks to the broken cistern from Maxon's battle with Chimera. I summon liquid whirligigs—pinwheels of water with the bite of a circular saw blade. With a shout, I launch them at each of the Valta. The impact sends them careening into the forest, their Roman armor sliced open.

Meanwhile, Zephyr turns to the shattered remains of the infirmary building. He creates towering cyclones of wind. The broken floorboards and bits of wall are quickly engulfed in the storm. The debris spins at mind-blowing speeds as it whizzes in our direction. Once the projectiles cross the open courtyard, Maxon zaps them with lightning. The hunks of wood explode in fire. White ash cascades over the courtyard. The nearby forest erupts in flame.

Suddenly, a pair of cyclones slams into me. I glance at Zephyr. That wasn't his handiwork; the Air Valta are back. My body's tossed against a burning tree trunk. Flames singe my spine and bite into my watery body. I try to move, but the Air Valta flank my sides. They've created ropes of fast moving air that bind me in place as tightly as steel.

Through the smoke, ash, and flame, I stare up into the skies, hoping for the Furor will appear. They don't.

Instead, the Air Valta tighten the bindings around me, making the fire burn more deeply into my body. None of the life-giving water from the broken cistern can reach me through the blaze. My waning powers are sapped, and all my abilities go into simply regenerating my flesh. My watery skin peels and reforms, becoming papery and dry. Pain like I never could have imagined rushes through me.

A heavy sense of doom drives into my soul, as harsh as the charred tree branches that dig into my body. The truth becomes crystal clear through the miasma of agony. The Air Valta are formidable enemies. The Furor are still occupied fighting them. No one is coming to save us.

I search for Maxon. In between the thick gusts of smoke, I see him grappling with Zephyr in the center of the courtyard. Maxon distracts Zephyr with pinpoint lightning strikes as he drives punch after punch into the monarkki's gut. Even as I bite back pain, I can't help but marvel at the speed and accuracy of Maxon's attack. He's a tough warrior. Maybe we'll get out of this yet.

Zephyr curls forward, tumbling onto his knees. Despite the hurt, I feel a jolt of elation. Maxon has Zephyr down. Now, the Air Valta will have to choose between fighting Maxon and holding me captive. They can't do both. Soon, we'll be free.

Only we're not.

Zephyr raises his head, leaps to his feet, and slams his skull onto Maxon's. The Kristalli of Air breaks apart. Half of it falls onto the courtyard's cobblestones; the other half attaches itself to Maxon's chest. My world freezes as I watch Maxon claw at the stone, his face writhing in agony.

Oh, no.

It's just like back in the cave, when I tried to heal Maxon. He somehow took in my elemental abilities. Now, the Kristalli of Air is digging into his rib cage. There's no doubt in my mind. It will kill him.

Maxon's expression hardens with resolve. He calls down more lightning. This time, Zephyr wasn't expecting a counter-strike. Maxon catches him unaware. The bright bolts slam into Zephyr's solid form, sending him tumbling to the ground.

My body stills with anticipation. Finally, Zephyr's knocked out.

Unfortunately, so is Maxon.

Maxon lies unmoving on the courtyard stones. Anger, pain, and terror churn through me.

Not Maxon. Anyone but Maxon.

I roar with rage.
Maxon will not die while I stand by and watch.
Closing my eyes, I tap into some last reserve of elemental energy. A final burst of power charges my limbs. I tear through the bindings that hold me in place. Quick as a heartbeat, I cast two great icicles, one for each of the Valta. They don't see the attack coming, so they're unprepared. That means they're in solid form, not smoke.

Much easier to kill.

I skewer both Valta through the chest. My icicle blades meet heavy resistance as they slice through the guard's flesh. The pair of Valta crumple over, dead.

Gritting my teeth through the pain, I limp away from the burning forest, making a path toward the courtyard and Maxon. As I step along, fiery splinters spike into my bare feet. I don't care. Zephyr lies on his side, injured but still dangerous. It doesn't enter into my mind to worry. All I can see is Maxon's immobile form. Blood pools around him. Half of the Kristalli of Air burrows into his chest. I hobble toward him as fast as I can go, tears of rage and fear streaming down my ash-covered face.

Not Maxon. Anyone but Maxon.

Maxon

I lie on the courtyard grounds like a corpse. Somehow, part of Zephyr's Kristalli attached itself to my chest. Damn, it hurts like hell. Tiny prongs of stone burrow into my rib cage. Questions burn through my brain, but the pain's too intense to really think things through. Still, I keep asking them, over and over.

Why did the Kristalli do this? Is it some trick of Zephyr's?

Pain sears my lungs as the Kristalli digs deeper. On instinct, my fingers tear at the stone, trying to yank it out. It doesn't budge. Somewhere through the haze of shock and hurt, my mind's able to focus on one thing—the reason why I'm here in the first place.

Lianna.
What happened to Lianna?

Wincing through the pain, I force myself to move and inspect the courtyard. Lianna slowly limps toward me. She's safe and alive, so at least that's going right. The two Air Valta who were holding her are now impaled on tree trunks. Their heads sag forward onto their punctured chests.

That's about as dead as you get, right there.

I make a quick scan for Zephyr. He's lying on his side, curled into fetal position. The other half of his broken Kristalli lies nearby. The stone keeps pulsing with light, but Zephyr's not moving.

I hope to hell that he's dead, or close to it.

Another jolt of pain sears through my nervous system. This time, the hurt isn't coming from the tiny prongs driving into my chest. Instead, agony radiates throughout my body. This isn't regular pain. I've been around enough crazy supernatural crap to know this is something else.

It's power. Elemental power.

I try to think through my situation, but misery keeps me trapped without answers. Surges of hurt run through me in waves. With a low moan, I move onto my knees. My body curls forward while my hands press at my temples. Every inch of me radiates agony.

Across the courtyard, Zephyr's arm twitches. Damn, the bastard's still alert and alive. He grasps for the other half of the Kristalli; the stone attaches itself to his hand.

What's going on here?

Fresh surges of power and pain careen through me. I let out an anguished howl. More elemental energy tears through my system. The flesh on my arms and legs begins to smoke and bubble. I've been in tight spots before. Nothing like this, though. Reality hits me like a physical punch.

I'm about to die.

At last, Lianna crosses the courtyard. With jerky motions, she kneels down beside me. She's hurting, too. I want to ask her if she's okay. The words can't get past my gritted teeth.

Lianna's voice comes out all calm and sweet. “Do you remember the cave, Maxon?”

I manage a half nod.

“You were poisoned. I tried to heal you and you took in my power instead.”

Another small nod.

“That's what's happening now. Somehow your powers align with elementals. Stuff got mixed up in your fight with Zephyr. You're taking in the energy of the Monarkki of Air.” She lifts her hand to brush her knuckles down my cheek. The touch helps me focus. For the first time since this stone glommed onto me, I'm able to think beyond the torment.

Lianna's right. I got a taste of her power in the caves and used lightning as a buffer. That slowed everything right down.

I hiss out two words. “Thanks, beautiful.”

With all my focus, I summon a sheath of lightning to surround my skin. At first, the brightness is pale and weak. Soon, the power grows. Within a few seconds, the shield is strong enough to block whatever the fuck the Kristalli is doing. The hurt lessens. My head clears.

“That's it.” Lianna gently kisses my chin. “You're doing it.”

The power of the air element starts to seep away from me as well. Pain drains from my body. Without the weight of agony in my limbs, I can breathe deeply again. My thinking becomes clearer by the second.

My focus immediately snaps to Zephyr. We need to kill that guy and get the hell out of here.