Without another word, the three of them ushered us out the other door on the fourth floor, which led to the elevators. Strauss was walking so closely behind me, I could smell his hot, sour breath. I glanced over at Aiden, who was looking at me. Tom had a firm hand on his shoulder.
“It’s going to be okay,” Aiden whispered to me softly as they marshaled us into the elevator.
I managed a slight nod in return. This is all my fault, I thought, panic rising in my chest. If something happens to him tonight, it’s because of me.
As we shuffled into the elevator, Savannah held up her security card to the keypad and hit the button for the basement. My heart sank along with the elevator as we descended down to the building’s massive indoor arena. A few moments later, the five of us were walking down the hallway wordlessly. The sound of our shoes briskly thudding on the tiled floor mimicked my racing pulse. When we arrived at the steel security door to the arena, I glanced at Savannah to see if she was going to offer any explanation. She was turned away from me, however, swiftly punching the code into the door’s keypad. The buzzer sounded and three seconds later we entered. The large tinted halide lights on the ceiling were turned off; the only light came from the building’s courtyard lamps and the silver moonlight filtering through the skylights above. The dim light reflected from the mirrors embedded in the ceiling, casting the entire cavern in shadows, making the normally-inviting arena look strange and ominous.
Savannah strode across the field and over to the Hydromantic triangle. Behind Aiden and me, Tom and Strauss prodded us to follow her. Her dark silhouette stopped in front of the black, still water of the pool. The waterfall was shut off, but the damp rocks on the wall behind her glistened faintly from the light of the small lamps above.
“I find it strange…” Savannah said, turning toward us as she spoke. Her dimly-lit face looked menacing, shrouded by the darkness of the arena. “…that your father was a Level-Three Hydromancer, Rowan, but you claim to have no Hydromantic talent whatsoever.”
I pressed my lips together and said nothing as she approached me. The cloying floral smell of her perfume filled my nose, nearly making me gag. I took a step back and nearly stepped on Strauss, who was standing only inches behind me.
“One of the primary reasons we discourage fraternizing with non-Elementalists,” she said softly, her face uncomfortably close to mine, “is to ensure that parents endowed with Elemental skills produce offspring who typically mirror, or even surpass, their parents’ abilities.” She took a step back, surveying me with her arms crossed.
“And yet here we are – a Level-Three Polymancer with a powerful Hydromantic father – insisting she can’t manipulate Water.” She started pacing in front of us, an eager predator surveying its prey. When she stopped in front of me again, she put her finger to her lips thoughtfully as she spoke. “I confess, it would be in my best interest if you admitted to having Hydromantic abilities, Rowan. My primary job is to find the organization more recruits… The stronger the recruit, the better I am rewarded. I won’t hide that fact from you. But you know what? It’s also in your best interest to be honest with me… Because the stronger you prove yourself to be, the better the Order will reward you as well.”
She put her face so close to mine then, I honestly thought she was going to kiss me. I let out a small gasp as I stumbled backward, but I had nowhere to go. Strauss had me pinned in front of him. Aiden took a step forward as though he might shove her away from me, but Tom roughly pulled him back.
“I think I know what you are, Rowan,” she whispered softly. “I think we both know. And if you would just admit it, the two of us could ascend so far in the ranks, we would be near the very top of the Asterian pyramid.” I grimaced, trying to turn my face away from hers. “I know you don’t like me, Rowan, I could see it plainly written on your face from the first day we met – but I promise you, having me on your side is the best thing you could do for yourself. Together, you and I could stoke the fire that’s already started worldwide. The Asterian Order won’t be hiding in the shadows for much longer. You grieve your parents? Soon, you won’t think twice about them. Because in just a few years’ time, there won’t be a single person in this world who won’t know your name.”
She stared at me hungrily, her feral green eyes boring into mine. Abruptly, she leaned forward, her scarlet-painted lips parting to press against mine. I let out a small cry, the noise muffled against her mouth.
“Get off her!” Aiden yelled, lunging forward. For a moment, I thought he might tackle her to the ground, but Tom swiftly jerked Aiden’s left arm behind his back. Aiden gasped in pain. Savannah snickered into my mouth then, carnally pinning my lower lip between her teeth as she pulled away. My hand shot to my mouth reflexively. There was blood inside my lip.
“So, what do you say, sweetheart? How about we cut the bullshit, as Aiden suggested earlier, and start being honest with each other?” She stepped back, tightly crossing her arms across her chest. “Now… can you manipulate Water or not?”
I glared at her wordlessly.
“Leave her alone Savannah, or I swear to God, I’ll…” Aiden sputtered.
“You’ll what?” Her voice shot out like a low growl as she turned to face him. She raised her head towards Tom and Strauss in a quick motion. Before I knew what was happening, they had each taken one of Aiden’s arms and began dragging him over to the pond. I lurched forward to follow, but the ground beneath my feet suddenly shook violently, bringing me painfully to my knees. Every time I tried to stand, the ground shuddered again. Savannah was laughing. Helplessly, I watched as Strauss shoved Aiden to his knees near the ledge of the pool. Tom was forcefully holding his arms behind his back; Aiden’s face was inches from the water.
“I’m not going to ask you again, Rowan,” Savannah barked at me. “Are you a Hydromancer or not?”
“Don’t answer her, Aspen!” Aiden yelled from across the quadrant. “She’s bluffing, she knows she can’t do anything to us.”
“Oh, can’t I?” Savannah replied. “Tom, if you wouldn’t mind…?”
Tom nodded, then swiftly plunged Aiden’s head underwater.
“Stop!” I cried out. I quickly tried to stand again, but Savannah knocked me back down with a wave of her hand. Aiden’s head was fully submerged; as he struggled to break free from the two men, I could see dark bubbles rising in the water. “You’ll kill him!” I screamed. “Stop it!”
Savannah turned to look at me coldly. “Then save him. If you don’t do something, he’ll drown.”
The men held Aiden down forcefully as he wrestled against them. I cried out again, stumbling to my feet. Before I could take a step, the ground lurched beneath me and I slammed to the ground. My entire body was throbbing.
“Aiden!” I yelled. Tears began pouring down my face as I crawled, struggling to reach him on all fours. Just ahead of me, the ground split open, blocking my path.
I looked up frantically. Aiden’s movements were weakening; he was running out of time.
“You’re killing him, Rowan,” Savannah’s voice was cool and composed.
I knew what I had to do. As impossible as it was, I tried not to think of Aiden then, to instead concentrate only on the pool of water. I had never moved Water before; only heated and cooled small quantities of it. I tried to picture the Hydromancer from the other day, the one who made the wave rise from the pond to douse his friends. Balancing on my hands and knees, I gritted my teeth, extending my open hand toward the water. My entire body was shaking with pain and terror and rage.
Please. I willed the water with all my heart as my outstretched arm trembled with effort. Please!
The pond water began sloshing. At first, I couldn’t tell if it was from Aiden’s final, fleeting struggles, or from something I had done. I gritted my teeth so hard they hurt; small, growing waves began forming as the surging water spilled over the sides of the pool. Aiden’s body was slumped over, unmoving. I clenched my outstretched hand into a fist and slammed it on the ground, screaming. My voice echoed through the arena like a wounded animal.
The water swelled and heaved, rising up from the pool like a tidal wave. Strauss and Tom let go of Aiden and started taking long, stumbling strides backwards and away from the tottering wave. As the swell rose, the water below receded. To my profound relief, Aiden’s face was no longer submerged, but his eyes were closed and his body was deathly still.
I stood then, feet spread, hands raised high over my head. The ground beneath me remained still. The wave towered above the half-drained pool of water, and hot, dense steam began rising from the top of the wave as I heated it. Strauss must have realized what I was doing, because he immediately tore at Tom’s sleeve, motioning for him to run. Tom quickly got the message and started sprinting away from the pool, right on Strauss’ heels. But I was faster.
I flung my arms towards them, sending the near-boiling wave of Water hurtling in their direction. It crashed into them, knocking them to the floor. Both men were screaming as the scalding water carried them across the grass, finally depositing them onto the rough black asphalt of the Pyromancy quadrant, where they remained on the ground, moaning and writhing in agony. Savannah and I locked eyes for half a second. I shot her a vicious look and her hands instinctively went up in a capitulating gesture.
Without hesitating a second longer, I jumped over the wide chasm in the ground in front of me, then tore across the grass towards the half-empty pond. I collapsed next to Aiden, jerking him away from the mouth of the pool, grunting as I heaved him onto his back. He wasn’t breathing.
I leaned down and blew air into his mouth as I pinched his nose shut. I don’t know how I knew to do that, but in that moment, I didn’t think; I only did as my reflexes swiftly instructed. I lifted my head to place an ear over his mouth. He still wasn’t breathing.
Please! You have to come back to me!
Lacing my fingers tightly, I overlaid my hands on his chest, then started pumping. I felt something crack as I pushed down, but I forced myself to keep going. A few moments later, I stopped to blow more air in his mouth.
Aiden coughed suddenly, sputtering water, and I quickly rolled him towards me on his side. He coughed up mouthfuls of liquid, then gasped for breath.
“Aiden!” I cried, flinging my arms around him. He sat up shakily, clutching my arms to his chest.
“I thought I’d lost you,” I sobbed into his neck.
“It’s okay,” he said softly, stroking my hair. “I’m okay.”
“You see?” Savannah said gleefully as she sauntered toward us. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” So much for capitulation; that too had clearly just been a ruse.
Aiden clambered to his feet, holding his chest as he stood between Savannah and me.
“When I say run,” he murmured softly to me, “You run, you understand me?”
“You see what I mean by easy versus hard?” she smiled tauntingly as she approached us. “Now, I’m sure you’ll be much more willing to answer my next questions without any objection. Right?”
Aiden slipped his hand into his pocket and I caught a glint of something metallic in his fist.
“Savannah, that’s enough,” he warned. “Let us go right now, or things are going to get uglier.”
Savannah laughed. “I really don’t think you’re in any position to make demands right now.”
To our right, Tom had managed to grab a radio from his jacket pocket and was calling for back-up. His face was badly bloodied. Strauss remained unmoving on the ground.
“Get ready,” Aiden whispered so only I could hear. I glanced down again. The object in his hand was his silver lighter.
“RUN!” he yelled.
As I stumbled away, an enormous plume of Fire erupted from his hand, rocketing toward Savannah like a geyser of flames. She screamed, holding her hands in front of her face to shield herself from the explosive force. Even from yards away, I could feel the searing heat from the flames burning my exposed face and hands. The entire arena was bathed in bright, dancing orange light. I quickly made my way to the door, stopping to check that Aiden was following close behind.
Tom stood shakily on his feet then, the red glow from the fire danced across his bloody face; his expression was one of pure, cold fury.
“Aiden, watch out!” I yelled, but it was too late. Gusts of Wind tore through the cavern as Tom swiftly manipulated the air from the vents. The Windstorm lapped up the towering flames, whipping them into a twenty-foot fiery tornado that began spinning in frenetic circles like a top. My eyes widened in horror as I watched the spiraling inferno tear across the grass, leaving a wide, fiery path of scorched earth in its wake.
It was heading straight for Aiden.