Elements (Tear of God Book 1) (15 page)

Dinner was obviously going to be somewhere in the Protallus Prefecture. Mink hoped that it wasn’t the same place he always ate with his mom. If the mud would just hold out a few extra hours, they could dine on herb and cheese laden root vegetables and braised meats while looking out at ancient castle cities, deep in the heart of the country.

T
HROUGHOUT THE
night, Mink and Dreh became increasingly goofy. Their stops grew longer and they fought off sleep with kwona, a caffeinated drink made from roasted and ground seeds. This also made their stops more frequent. The light of the moons and castle cities outshone most of the stars, but the dense banding of the rest of the galaxy couldn’t be dampened.

The light of dawn on the citadels and castle cities only lasted for about an hour, but long enough to give Mink a sense of the ancient times when Octernal was still several divided countries. Times when most of Georra was under water and cities were islands. The last time a Tear of God sat in the Cradle.

They arrived within the borders of Protallus City very much a couple of youth on a road trip. Dreh showed the wear and tear of pulling an all-nighter at top speed. They had made seven mud stops, now finally arriving at the Main Cameral building. Mink thought it boded well that their destination should be the eighth stop, the Elementalists’ holy number.

“I can’t believe we made it,” he said, delirious from lack of sleep.

“Thanks, champ. I feel the love.”

They both laughed as Mink stretched his way off of the sled. “Oh,” he exhaled and arched his back. “I do not want to be here.”

“Duty calls, young man,” Dreh mocked.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You gonna be all right for a few hours?”

“Champion, I’ll be snoring in a mud bath at the spa.”

“What am I supposed to do after I’m done?”

Dreh pulled a smooth, flat piece of Wood out of his pocket. “When you’re ready for me, break this. I’ll meet you right here.”

Mink took the piece of Wood hesitantly. “How is this supposed to work? Some kind of an effect?”

“Fine. Don’t use it and just wait here until I get back.”

Mink put the Wood in his arm pocket. “Have a good nap.”

“Good luck with your secret mission.”

Dreh sped off, leaving Mink to complete the most nerve-wracking leg of his journey alone. He felt increasingly dirty and worn with each polished stone step he climbed. Would security recognize him as nephew to one of the most powerful men in the country? Or would they assume he was a homeless vagrant in search of a boiler room to sleep in? The whole concept of delivering the news of a Tear of God and protecting the future of his country felt so much larger than he could manage. His simple task of passing off the message crystal would be easier if he could just put all the grown-up stuff out of his mind.

Mink was humbled by the marble colonnade and gilded reliefs that loomed over the crystal doors leading into the Main Cameral building. There was no way on Georra a person such as himself, devoid of an Element, had the right to step through these doors which his parents had held open for him dozens of times. He decided that if security turned him away, he would find a secure place to leave the crystal at Uncle Durren’s house.

No alarm sounded when he entered. Mink stood in line without being escorted out, or asked to step aside. The stone and glasswork of the interior recalled the craftmanship of Elementalists thirty-six thousand years ago, when the Capitol was relocated to Protallus City from the ancient island of Stonecliff. They certainly didn’t make them like this anymore. What would the ancestors say about a descendant without an Element? Would he even have been allowed to live, let alone roam their royal halls?

Mink knew he had seen the guard at the gate several times before but could not recall his name. He simply gave Mink a big smile and handed him a visitor badge with blue clearance. Mink half expected it to be yanked back, meant for someone else.

“Good morning, Mink,” the guard spoke with a warm familiarity. “Would you like me to find your uncle for you?”

Surprised and relieved, Mink wished he could return the simple courtesy of calling him by his name. “No thanks, man. I’ll just see if he’s in his office and wait for him there.”

“If that’s what you want.” The guard leaned close, whispering, “You belong here, Mink. Don’t let this place get to you.” So he was a Spirit user. Useful for a guard, Mink supposed. It was kind of him to attempt to placate insecurities he had gleaned from Mink’s mind. With that, he straightened and waved the next person up.

Mink slid the pass over his jacket’s outer chest pocket and heard behind him, as he walked toward the hall to the left, “It’s Gumy, by the way. Don’t worry, I’ve never told you.” He wondered how Gumy managed to achieve Eavesdropping without being heard. Looking back at the clear crystal front door, Mink figured he chanted it while visitors climbed the steps outside.

The hall was a hub of activity. People garbed in clothes made from a variety of silks and skins of vibrant colors walked and talked with purpose. It was frowned upon to wear anything that bespoke of the wearer’s Elemental affinity, which suited Mink fine considering he wouldn’t have anything to wear. However, he felt that dressing according to status could be even more discriminatory. He couldn’t help but assume he knew all about these Octernalians from their overpriced suits and robes. He checked himself, lest another Spirit user Eavesdrop on his thoughts and mistake them for dissent. Instead, he focused on navigating the halls to Uncle Durren’s office, preparing to explain the purpose of his visit.

Once Mink located the proper wing, he knew exactly which door was his uncle’s. He entered the office and was greeted immediately by Huosh, Durren’s frazzled assistant. After a string of apologies and many beverage choices, Mink finally determined from him that his uncle hadn’t come in yet.

“That’s fine, really, Huosh. I’ll just wait for him here.”

“Are you sure? If I had known, I would have added it to his schedule yesterday and then he would have been here by now. I really should get you something while you wait. A Gleem? Are you drinking kwona yet?”

Mink figured that taking something would be the end of it. “A Gleem would be fine. Thanks.”

Huosh wasted no time producing a cold bottle of Gleem from the small fridge under a stack of binders. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any clean glasses.”

“Bottle’s fine. I prefer it from the bottle.”

“That’s a relief. It’s a shame your parents couldn’t be here. Are they well?”

Mink just realized he had no idea how is parents were. He had last seen them almost two days ago. “They’re awesome,” he covered. “Busy. As usual.”

“Oh,” the assistant cooed, scuttling about with daily tasks.

Mink opened the bottle, thanked Huosh again, and drew a big swig of the flat, syrupy drink that his dad swore would ruin his teeth. It tasted vaguely of berries and spices, but the acidic aftertaste required a fresh application of drink to the tongue.

The heavy front door swung open and his Uncle Durren hurried in, bedecked in dark purple silks. He did a double-take halfway across the room. “Mink?”

“My father sent me.” Mink stood and took another nervous pull from the bottle.

“Great! Let’s talk in my office.” Durren stretched out an arm and led Mink through a private door.

D
URREN’S JET
black hair smoothed around his head and face in a very stately manner. Mink envied his uncle’s naturally brown skin and coal eyes, very masculine features which hadn’t failed to attract voters nine times running. Now those coal eyes peered at Mink with a twinkle that complimented his sparkling teeth.

“So, tell me,” his uncle said, sitting behind his massive Wood and crystal desk. “How did the tests go? What Element is it? Water? I’ve always said you were a Water user.”

Mink sank in his chair and relived the failure. “We still don’t know.”

Durren sat back with a furrowed brow. “Is this a joke? Those methods your parents developed proved flawless.”

“To be fair, we were interrupted on the second day.”

“Interrupted? How?”

Mink took out the pouch containting the crystal into which Juré recorded his report, and handed it to Durren. “For your hands only.”

Durren opened the pouch and dropped the crystal into his palm. He propped his feet up on his desk as he held the crystal firmly, absorbing the resonance of Juré’s report. Mink sat quietly, taking regular sips of his Gleem. The office was wallpapered with maps marked in ways that Mink couldn’t decipher. He recognized a few of the areas as his own city and prefecture. If there was any order to the binders, books, and crystals filling the shelves, Mink gave up trying to figure it out. After a while, Durren set the crystal on his desk and thoughtfully ran a finger along one of its facets.

At last, he addressed Mink. “We must present this to the Main Cameral’s High Council by way of proxy. Thurbst is the best choice. You have to make like he was the intended recipient of the report. He’s one of the good guys. You’ll like him.”

Mink was a little perturbed that his delivery was getting more complicated, but he knew never to second guess his uncle. “Sure. Okay.”

“We need to talk about this, but let’s do it in Thurbst’s office.”

Durren’s mood turned sullen in a way that brought dread to Mink. They both rose and Mink waited at the door. Durren opened it, cupping the back of Mink’s head with his hand.

“I’m very proud of you, Mink.”