A Time to Die (Elemental Rage Book 2) (9 page)

The more Raven
panicked, the quicker the Void progressed.

She didn’t know
how to hold onto herself.  Feeling disoriented and confused, Raven no longer
even knew what she had lost.  Emptiness whispered
Make your mind quiet.

Raven didn’t know
how. 

She tried not to
think. 

When she did, the
thoughts were snatched up by the Void.  Even trying to talk to the Emptiness
was difficult.  She lost track of her thoughts and her words became garbled and
confused. 

The Void pressed
further and Raven’s sense of self dissolved. Aunt Bertha’s wisdom saved Raven
at that moment.  The Emptiness latched onto Raven’s spirit and held firm as the
Void reached into the space where she hid, looking for the last vestige of
Raven.

Raven’s body lay
stiff and frozen, her face that of the Void servants, empty of all senses and
expression.

~~ Mindy ~~

Earth surrounded
Mindy. 

A warning.

Raven.

Darkness.

Void.

Frightened, Mindy
reached out to all of the Elements at once.  Earth first, then Fire, Water,
Air.  There were others, the quiet Elements, Gravity and Emptiness.  Mindy
sought them all.

As she hid in the
depths of Earth, Mindy made a simple request,
Save Raven.

~~ Claire~~

Water felt the
Void’s footsteps on the mountain and led Claire away from Raven.  She tumbled
anxiously along the creek.  Claire asked, “What is wrong?”

He wants you.
Join me as Water. We’ll run.

Claire had no idea
who ‘he’ was, but she trusted Water.

Water carried
Claire far down the mountainside, away from the Void, away from Raven’s losing
battle. Claire followed along, wondering who they were running from.

~~Jade~~

Jade had never
been a strong Elemental, but she heard three Elements call for her at the same
time.  Fire, Air, and Emptiness all clamored for her attention.  When she found
out Raven was in danger, Jade ran up the mountain.  She wasn’t fast enough, so
Air picked her up, giving her the power to fly.

When Jade reached
her sister, she thought Raven was dead.  Kneeling beside her, Jade put her hand
at the side of Raven’s neck, feeling for a pulse.

Fire whispered,
You
need me.  Emptiness and Fire are the Void’s greatest enemies.

Jade felt helpless
and frantic.  She called out to Fire, “If you can save her, do it. Whatever you
need. Just tell me what to do.”

She felt heat flow
from her hand into Raven.  Although deliciously warm to Jade, to the Void the
heat burned like a branding iron. Raven’s body screamed. To Jade it sounded
like she was hurting Raven.  The scream carried a strange echo within itself.

Pulling away, Jade
said, “I’m sorry. Raven.”

Fire pushed
forward, holding the heat to the ice of Raven’s existence. She said,
That’s
not Raven. Put your hand on her head.

Jade did as  instructed,
anxious that she might kill her sister with the heat.

Fire’s next
thoughts tormented her.  Fire said,
She’s practically dead already.  You
can’t kill her. If we stop, she’s already dead.

Fire and Jade
poured on the heat until Raven’s white face turned pink.

“Wake up,” Jade shook
Raven. She felt so relieved when Raven opened her eyes that she didn’t notice
what was missing.

~~ Raven ~~

Raven threw
herself against the wall of her prison. It was pitch black and tiny.  When she
tried to move she was caught in a strange web that held her in an impossible
grip, and yet nothing was physically touching her.

It was like
gravity, maybe it
was
gravity.  Raven felt as if she was caught in a
deep swimming pool and trying to sprint through the water. At some point her
movement became so heavy that it stopped.

Physically Raven
was on that Sacred Mountain with Jade.  She knew that this trap was mental or
spiritual.  Somehow she had to break free and get back.

Raven had no idea
how to win.  She was missing a vital part of herself, the smarts, the cunning
that gave her an edge.  Here in this strange midnight darkness she had been
brought down to an essence of spirit, whole and complete unto itself, but with
no physical matter or mind to interact with.  She was incomplete.

Raven tried to
think, but her thoughts were quiet and slow. She knew that Emptiness and Fire
were enemies of the Void.  What was the Void?  The Unmaker lived at the edge of
the Universe in utter darkness. Some people thought the Emptiness and the Void
were the same thing, but the Emptiness was that pregnant moment right before
something is created.

Although Raven was
only a spirit, she knew that even spirits carried the essence of their being. 
Raven drew Fire to herself. Somehow since the Void had trapped her, Fire became
close while Air grew distant.  Fire’s warmth gave Raven hope.  Next she drew
Emptiness, the spaces between atoms dancing with electromagnetic energy from
Fire.

As she
strengthened herself, the web loosened, but Raven was still trapped.

~~ Mindy ~~

Earth’s bonds were
tighter since the Spirit Walk started.  Mindy could hear Earth calling her
clearly.  The Void had withdrawn from Raven completely, but it had taken
something of her with it. Mindy approached her older sisters cautiously. 

Jade was helping
Raven up from the ground.  Raven shook so hard her teeth chattered.  She was
too busy worrying about Raven being cold.  She didn’t see, didn’t notice that
Raven was a shadow of herself.

Mindy said it
aloud.  “Missing.”

Jade
misunderstood.  She said, “What?  Is Claire okay? Where did she go?”

Mindy pointed at
Raven.

“Raven.”  Mindy
said.

“She needs help
getting back to camp.” Jade answered, hoping she could get through to her
sister.

Mindy was used to
being misunderstood.  She walked beside Jade while Jade half carried, half-held
Raven up while they walked back to camp. Mindy didn’t dare touch Raven. The
Void would love to have Mindy in its grasp.

~~ Raven ~~

Raven squeezed her
eyes shut.  They ached from being so cold.  Her fingers felt aflame.  She said,
“Mindy was talking about me, when she said,
missing
.”

“What do you
mean?” Jade asked. The reddish highlights in Jade’s hair glittered like tiny
strands of gold in the sun. 

Raven walked
without answering.  She didn’t know.  Finally she said, “I’m not sure.  I feel
really strange, almost like a robot. A part of me is missing, something
important, something emotional.”

Jade didn’t know
what to say to that, didn’t know how to fix this latest problem.  She said,
“Maybe you’re just tired.”

Raven shrugged, but
she was certain it was more. The camp was now in view.  They walked in silence
toward the campground, Raven searching herself for the missing part.  When they
reached the campsite, Aunt Bertha was asleep in her tent.  Claire and Water
played ‘dance with Fire’ by spritzing the fire with tiny droplets of water and
watching it sizzle in the steam. 

Raven could barely
walk in a straight line.  Her feet were numb up to her shins.  Jade helped her
crawl into the tent.  As she often helped Mindy, Jade helped Raven change. 
Raven had the thousand-yard stare, haunting and haunted all at once.  She
couldn’t seem to feel anything.  She didn’t feel joy or relief at Air’s
whispers, even though just yesterday she had longed to hear Air’s voice.

Raven let herself
be tucked into the sleeping bag.  She even said, “Thank you.”

She slept through
straight until Monday afternoon.  The Spirit Quest was a bust, at least as far
as Raven was concerned.  Claire and Water were always close, no improvement
there.  If Jade made any progress, no one could see it.  Mindy was well, Mindy.
And while Raven could at least talk to Air, she wondered that the Void might
have taken more than it gave in her last exchange, if she could only figure out
what was missing.

They drove back
home in silence.  Raven couldn’t even find the energy to care that they had
school the next day.

Chapter 8

~~ Jade ~~

Perched on her
Chemistry stool, Jade watched the door, waiting for Zach.  They visited
together a few minutes before school.  It gave her strength for first period.
Jade hated those minutes in between class, the ones without Zach, anyway.  They
were punctuated with silence or a joke at Jade’s expense.

Her classmates
were convinced of their own wit.

Finally Zach
strode through the door, a bright smile on his face. Jade felt warmth rise like
a thousand tiny bees in her stomach when he put his hand on her shoulder and
whispered in her ear, “Lunch outside?”

They were ever
more comfortable with one another as the days passed.  Jade tucked a strand of hair
behind her ear, feeling pretty for the first time in her life.  She wore one of
Raven’s black silk shirts.  She grinned, “Sure.”

Jade practiced confidence
and comfort, the secret of love according to Raven. Jade was more accustomed to
awkwardness and fear when it came to dealing with men.

They ate lunch out
in the fall sunshine with just enough chill to keep any bugs at bay and make
for a better time eating.  They got to talking about families. Zach mentioned
his Dad’s fence building project which got them on the subject of fathers.  As
if it was the most natural thing in the world, Jade started talking about her
dad’s death, “Raven and I saw him die.  Some guy murdered him.”

Jade suddenly
remembered her Mom’s warning not to tell anyone.  She put a hand to her mouth,
but it was too late.  Somehow she had felt so comfortable with Zach that it was
easy to talk…too easy.  Zach said, “I can’t imagine how you felt.”

Staring across the
school grounds, Jade said, “I believe in an afterlife.  It’s just…Aunt Bertha
found out she has cancer.  She could beat it if she tried, but she says she’s
too old.”

Zach said, “That’s
terrible.  I’m so sorry.”

They were sitting
side by side and he tugged her close, wrapping his arm around her.  She liked
that he was a little awkward doing it.  It meant that he hadn’t spent a lot of
time wooing other girls.  She turned and found herself face to face with him. 
She had just swallowed a bite.  At least she had eaten smoked turkey instead of
peanut butter, but still, Jade wished she had time to brush her teeth.

The moment was
already there, and as he leaned closer, Jade felt herself moving forward to
meet him. At first she enjoyed the comfort of his company, the thought that
someone else cared that she was going through a hard time, the excitement of
liking a boy that actually liked her.

And then he kissed
her.

It was
spectacular! It was magic!  It was everything she’d imagined and more.

Just a wee brush
of the lips, but she felt so alive, so full of warmth and excitement. She gripped
his collar and pulled him closer, pressing her lips to his.  It was something
she had long imagined and now she finally had her chance. She could taste the
salt from his potato chips.

Jade groaned when
she heard the bell and pulled away from Zach.  He grinned, “Now that was a good
lunch.”

She gave him a
quick hug, “Hey, that stuff I told you, we tell everyone in town that my Dad is
alive and in sales somewhere.  Mom’s scared that someone will come after us.
Please don’t say anything, not even to the teachers or anyone like that.”

She felt an inward
groan when she said the word,
Mom
.  As far as the town at large was
concerned, Amy was taking care of Aunt Berth’s affairs in Denver.  Aunt Bertha
spread the news around town, effectively explaining away Amy’s disappearance.
She had to get Mom back. Soon.

Zach picked up his
laptop bag, “I’m really sorry that happened to you. Your secret is safe with
me.”

As they returned
to the school, Zach put an arm around Jade.  She couldn’t believe how much
better the world felt now that she was in love.

~~ Mindy ~~

Mindy
had a strange dream.

From deep inside
the Void, Raven’s soul struggled to free her from the strange gravity well that
kept her locked in place.  There was no visible cage, and yet Raven could not
move. She drew more Fire. Mindy watched in the dream while Raven pulled the
Element closer.

The Unmaker
laughed.

Mindy didn’t
understand all of it, but she knew that Raven had left part of herself behind,
a vital part and the part left behind was trying to fight.  She had to
remember.  Had to tell Jade.  Earth promised to help. 

Raven cried when
Mindy said goodbye.

Mindy woke early in
the morning.  Now Jade slept just across the room.  Mindy hadn’t wet the bed
since Jade came to share a room.  She was proud of herself.  Jumping on Jade,
Mindy said, “Wake up. Wake up!”

Rolling over, Jade
sighed, “Do you have to go to the bathroom?”

Mindy was actually
drawing the covers back and crawling into the bed with Jade.  Were it any other
sister, Jade would probably have come unglued, but for Mindy, she just lifted
her arm and let her in.

Mindy said, “No. I
remembered my dream.”

She rarely used
full sentences.  Jade asked, “What was it?”

“Save Raven.”

“Raven’s asleep in
her own room.” Jade said, and then thought,
She’d better be.

“I show you?”
Mindy asked, snuggling into Jade’s space.

Jade scooted back
to give Mindy more room, “No, Mindy.  You can’t show me your dreams. It’s
impossible.”

Mindy was quiet
for a moment.  She said, “Fire knows.”

Jade sighed and
lifted her head to look at the clock.  She said, “Okay, go to sleep.  I’ll ask
Fire.”

~~ Jade ~~

Jade couldn’t
believe she was mounting a rescue for her sister’s essence based on Mindy’s
dreams…Mindy who couldn’t tie her own shoes.  Fire confirmed what Mindy had said. 
Fire knew exactly where Raven’s essence was hidden. Apparently, so did Mindy.

While Jade was
talking to Fire, Mindy asked, “Go Raven?”

Fire said,
Mindy
should come, too.

“No. No way.” Jade
said aloud.  It was a bit crazy since she and Mindy were the only ones in the
room and Mindy hadn’t said anything.  She really should learn to speak to Fire
mind-to-mind, but somehow she spoke aloud as often.

“Yes,” Mindy said,
as if she’d heard everything that Fire and Jade had talked about.

Jade shook her
head.

Mindy grabbed her
hand.

They weren’t in
their room anymore. 

“Fire big.” Mindy
said.

Fire agreed.

Jade remembered
how Mindy seemed to run the show the last catastrophe they’d conquered.  The
biting chill of the Void seemed to cut through her pajamas, even though Jade
was certain that she and Mindy were only there in mind and spirit.

Jade
said to Fire, “Whatever you need…”

Fire
said,
Not yet.

For the first time
since ever, Mindy used whole sentences.  Jade couldn’t believe it when she
heard Mindy say, “I’m the foundation that will bring you and Raven home. Reach
out for Fire. Fire will help. Don’t let go of me, though.”

Jade
felt a strange jolt as if she had been turned inside-out for an instant and
then back to normal again. Mindy held her hand tightly.  As she floated deeper
into the cold abyss, Mindy’s hold became a source of strength.  Jade found
Raven in the depths of darkness.  She reached out, and felt the tenuous grasp
of her younger sister’s soul as Raven took her hand with her spiritual body.

Fire reared back
with a power Jade could hardly comprehend.  A flash burned through the Void,
leaving the darkness broken in its brilliant light. Fire shattered the strange
bubble holding Raven. It exploded with the heat of a million suns. 

Mindy yanked hard on
Jade’s hand and she and Raven tumbled toward Mindy across eons of time and
space.  That’s what it felt like to Jade.  She fell with Raven and Mindy.

Jade discovered
herself in her room. When she opened her eyes, she thought perhaps being an
Elemental might be a curse more than a gift.  Every muscle in her body ached as
if she’d run a marathon.

“Mom,” Jade
croaked, the word coming out as a whisper.   

An iceball
exploded the window, shattering it into a million pieces.  Mindy shook Jade,
trying to get her to move, “Run. Run. Run.”

Raven and Claire
burst into the room, both yelling at once.  A thump echoed above their heads.  Raven
screamed,” We’re under attack.”

Claire grabbed
Raven and pulled her forward into the room, kicking the door shut.  It did no good. 
The Void servant appeared in front of the door. Jade somehow found the strength
to push herself up.

Mindy cried out
like a standard bearer, “To me. To me.” She shook her hands with an urgency
that told Raven and Claire that she wanted them to grab her hands.  Jade was so
tired she couldn’t focus.  She stared at the Void Servant feeling witless as an
iceball flew through the window.

Mindy, Claire, and
Raven disappeared an instant before the ball hit them.  Sapped of energy, Jade
could only stare at the empty space where her sisters had once stood.

Let me in.
Fire insisted.

Jade whispered,
“Yes.”

It was too late.

The Void Servant
threw a javelin of ice at Jade.  It pierced her stomach.  She was shocked to
look down and realize that not only was the ice a physical thing, but that she
was bleeding a lot.

Fire screamed in
anger, the agony of Jade's injury touching the Element’s sensitive soul. Jade
clutched at the wound, holding her hand over it, thinking to stop the blood but
it just gushed between her fingers.  She felt Fire’s fear for her safety, for
her life, and an anger chilling in its intensity and hot in its wrath. Fire
spewed over the Void Servant.

With some apparent
protection against Fire, the Void Servant lasted longer than Jade.  She
collapsed while the creature fought Fire.  Normally an Element would have
stopped fighting when Jade lost consciousness.  Elements meshed their thoughts
with Elementals to become a single unit, but Fire always did have a life of its
own.

Fire had lived
alone for so long, ostracized by the single event that marked the Gray family’s
life.  With Lawrence’s death, Fire lived on the periphery, aware in the
recesses of Jade’s thoughts, like a shadow waiting to see the light of day.

It made Fire
strong. 

It made Fire fierce.

It made Fire
ANGRY.

Fire stormed at the
Void Servants, for there were many surrounding the house and in the house.  Her
time in the darkness, her time at the beginning made her strong.  Fire used
that strength to kill every Servant near the house, every Servant in the
house.  In one powerful burst, they all turned into ash.  Every servant seeking
to hurt her Jade was dead.

Fire woke out of
her anger and looked for Jade.

Her girl was no
longer alone.  The older one knelt over her niece sobbing.  Her bones were so
creaky Fire wondered how her little Flame could be dying while the other one still
lived in that rickety body. 

Fire felt the last
electrical impulse in Jade’s heart.

And then it
stopped.