Queen of the Magnetland (The Elemental Phases Book 5) (10 page)

Chason
had never needed her before, but in that instant, he looked so lost that Mara’s
heart turned in her chest.  Whatever had happened to him over the past two
years, Chason
needed
her, right now.  How could she be so selfish?  So focused
on herself and her problems when her Match was broken?

He
didn’t recognize her because he no longer even recognized himself.

“Chason?” 
Mara shoved the notepad into her pocket and moved closer to him.  “Look at
me.”  Breaking the unwritten rules of their relationship, she lifted a palm to
lay it against his unshaven cheek without any sort of permission being given
prior to the touching.  The energy arced again and she did her best to ignore
it.  “Do you remember our Phazing Day?”

“Yes.” 
It was a whisper.

Staring
down at her, the angles of his face too sharp and his shadowed eyes damp, she
realized that Chason had never been more attractive.  It was sort of a shock. 
The man was a mess.  Like someone had taken a blowtorch to his polished
exterior, just burning it away.  But, it made the rock hard unshakable core of
him –The essential Chason-ness-- come through all the more.

“We
were dancing, remember?  The fireworks were going off and the music was
playing.  It was magical, Chason.  Like time had stopped.”

He
was listening to her, now.  Really listening, possibly for the first time since
this nightmare began.

Mara
took that as encouragement, her words coming faster.  “That moment was the closest
I’ve ever felt to
anyone
.  We were like one person.  I
know
you
felt it, too.”

For
everyone, there were a few key events in life that they always went back to in
their memories.  The final, most lasting things they thought of before they
left this world.  For Mara, it was that dance with Chason under the stars.  It
had been… real.  He
had
to remember it.

“
Please
,
try to feel me and know I’m the same person.  I’m Mara.  I’m your
Match
.”

One
tear rolled down Chason’s cheek.

Mara’s
lips parted.  She’d never seen him cry before.  Not ever.  It broke her heart. 
“Chason…”

“I
can’t.”  He backed away from her, headed for the connecting door to his own
room.  “I can’t do this.  I can’t.”  He stumbled out.

“Chason!” 
Mara went to follow him, but the door was very firmly slammed behind him.

She
stopped, uncertainly staring at the wood.  The world had descended in to hell
in the two years she’d been gone and now she was standing in the middle of it.

Alone.

What
should she do?

For
so long, she’d chosen her path based on responsibility and tradition.  Mara had
always tried to do what a Magnet Queen
should
.  She hadn’t been born an
aristocrat.  She’d been drafted into the role, by virtue of being Chason’s
Match.  Mara had to work twice as hard as a real princess to fit into the role. 
She’d spent decades second guessing herself and striving to be what everyone
expected.

So
what was the proper thing to do in this situation?  Leave?  Stay?  Try and
convince Chason she was real?  Give him space?  Cry?  Sleep?  Hide?  Go to Job
and demand to know what had happened to her Match?  And to their home?  And to
their people?  And to her
life?  
What choice would a real Magnet Queen
make?

She
didn’t know.

Mara
had never known how to be perfect.  She didn’t even remember how to try.  She
didn’t
want
to try.  That image of a flawless Queen of the Magnetland
seemed utterly pointless, all of a sudden.  Mara didn’t want to fight to be
like that woman, anymore.  She couldn’t.  She couldn’t do anything but be Mara,
now.  In fact, looking around at the ruins of her old life, Mara was only certain
of one sudden and important thing:

Whatever
else happened, she would never die in a room with this wallpaper, again.

In each
man, there exists an element which can be destructive or healing.  This element
I call destiny.

Everyone
makes their own destiny and destiny makes everyone.

Ivan S.
Turgenev-“A Correspondence”

The
Water Palace has been burned.

Once
the most beautiful building in the Elemental Realm, its hundreds of delicate
balconies and magical turrets now stand in ruins.  Black soot covers the
mosaics of dolphins and seahorses that decorate the gently curved walls.  For
millennia, this castle has stood at the epicenter of Elemental culture,
sheltering the greatest artists and intellectuals beneath its blue tiled roof. 
Now the roof is gone.

Everything
is gone.

All
that made this kingdom the Athens of the Elemental realm has been obliterated.

Raiden,
of the Radiation House looks around the decimated landscape in confusion and
sorrow.

The
Water Phases have lost a war.  That much is obvious.  Raiden is an expert on
the ravages of wars.  His visions have shown him one battle after another, for
as far back as he can remember.  Human wars, Elemental wars, the wars of
species he does not even know the names of, past, present and future.

Visions
consume his mind with nightmarish images of suffering and devastation.  He sees
what triggers the horror and its aftermath.  The weeping and dying.  The
victors and tyrants.  He sees endless loops of death in his mind, so he
recognizes that this ruined landscape is the result of a staggering defeat.

Why
would anyone want to harm the Water Phases, though?  Even if some of the other
Elementals still blame Ty for triggering Parald’s wrath, this kind of
destruction will impact everyone in the universe.  The Water Phases’ Element is
one of the cornerstones of life.

There
are already just three Water Phases left to hold all the oceans, ponds, and
teardrops in the world, so attacking this kingdom will do nothing but risk all
of existence.  Only the most egomaniacal or suicidal would want to wipe them. 
The Water Phases’ deaths would consequently kill their attackers, too.

But
so little power sustains the Water Element, now.

The
crystalline waterfall that forever poured into the aqua sea below has dried to
a trickle, so the polished rocks once hidden beneath its surface are visible. 
Deprived of the waterfall endlessly renewing the waves, the sea itself has
died.  The water level has dropped to a point where it would now be possible to
walk across the textured sand straight to the Cold Kingdom, which lies on the
opposite shore.  Fragile sea life decomposes on the too wide beach, baking
under the relentless sun.

The
sight and smell has Raiden turning away from the evaporating ocean and walking
towards the burned out shell of the palace.  It sits on the cliffs overlooking
the shore, connected by a curving path.  He glances up as he climbs, to the
ruined building and the ruined sky beyond.

The
Water Kingdom’s heavens are no longer a perfect July blue every day of the
year.  The sun still shines, but is muted and the celestial color of the sky
is… blackened.  Worse, the entire expanse is cracked with lightning bolt shaped
fissures that move like the interior of one of those glowing static balls
children play with in science museums.

This
future will scar the sky itself.

Raiden’s
boots sink into the soft sand as he climbs towards the Water Palace.  He moves faster
as he nears the top.  This is all wrong.  Nobody else has walked this path in
many years.  In all his visions of the wars yet to come, he has never seen the
Water Kingdom destroyed.  Attacked, yes.  But never burned.  Never dry.  Never
empty.

Yet,
he sees no other people, hears nothing but the howl of the wind.  At the
summit, he beholds the horrible truth.  What he’s already sensed, but hasn’t
wanted to acknowledge:

The
entire Water Kingdom is now an abandoned expanse of desolate gravel.

As
far as he can see in all directions there is… nothing.  The land of cool lakes
and tropical seas has become a virtual desert.  Horror grips him, though Raiden
has long thought that he’d grown immune to the ravages of war.

This
is the wrong future.

All
that he has previously seen in his visions –All that was supposed to happen--
has been erased.  All that should have come to pass is now transformed into
this barren nightmare.  For the first time since his childhood, the future
stares backs at Raiden like a blank page.

All
his life, he has been able to see what others can’t.  What they would never
want to.  Cursed and blessed.  Touched and forsaken.  At various times, Raiden
has both hated his visions and seen them as a gift, but he has
never
questioned the accuracy of his predictions.  He often dreads what he sees, but
he always accepts that it will come to pass.

Until
now.

For
the first time in three hundred and fifty years, he looks around the future
shown to him and feels lost.  How can this be?  It does not match anything that
he’s seen before.

Something
has… changed.

Something
great and horrible.

Raiden’s
eyes snapped open, his heart hammering in his chest.  “What the fuck is going
on?”  He demanded out loud, his ruined voice abrading over the words like sandpaper.

“I
was just asking myself the same question.”  Sullivan agreed tiredly.  He was
slumped down in his desk chair, his elbow propped up on the arm of it, his chin
resting in his palm.  “You realize that you just sat there and stared at
nothing for twenty minutes, right?”

“No…
I
have
seen something.”  Raiden whispered starkly.  “Another future has
been born, overlapping the old.”

“Uh-huh.” 
Sullivan rubbed his temple.  “Tell me, Mr. ‘Geronimo’… Would you be willing to
submit to a drug test?”

Raiden
ignored the human’s skepticism.  He was used to being viewed as a freak.

From
the time he was a boy, he’d been an outcast in his House for his unholy
abilities and visions of the future. 
Add in his massive size,
shaved head, and the scar that sliced across his throat, and it wasn’t a
surprise that everyone thought he was psycho.  Whispers and frightened
expressions followed him everywhere he went.

Raiden
no longer cared.  He’d come to see that people were right to fear him.  Sometimes
he feared himself and what he might be capable of.

What
he’d allow to happen to ensure the future had a future.

His
only purpose was to try and keep existence afloat, despite the
constant
efforts of all the idiots in the universe.  And whatever happened next
–whatever was
supposed
to happen, anyway-- the Magnet King played a
part.  Raiden had always known that.  Chason had a destiny.  A vital role to
play in this universe.  Without him, the world would suffer.

More
importantly, if Chason died, Raiden’s Match would die, too.

That’s
why he’d invested two years of his life into keeping the boy safe, when Chason
seemed so determined to kill himself.  Chason’s heartbeat was inextricably
linked with the only person in the world who Raiden loved. 
Nothing
was
more important than protecting the Magnet King, because his survival kept Fee safe.

Only
something had happened to the future.

Which
meant that Raiden would… fail.  How could that be?  In all his other visions,
he’d
seen
his success.  He’d seen the cost of his choices, but he’d also
seen the future go on.

Raiden
wasn’t a man who panicked easily.  His mother had tried to behead him and he
hadn’t panicked.  But the ramifications of his new vision were his worst
nightmare come true.

“Human,
would you stop flirting with that crazy psychic douche and focus on what’s
really important here?”  A particularly unhelpful voice called out from across
the room.  “
Me
and my newest false arrest, for instance!”

Sullivan
briefly closed his eyes.  “You’re being locked up for stalking me, Alder.  And
stop calling me ‘human.’  It’s annoying.”

“I’m
not stalking you!”  Alder, of the Fire House insisted passionately.  He was
zip-tied to a chair and, protestations of innocence aside, he certainly had the
looks of a criminal.  And temperament.  And an impressive list of crimes under
his belt.  He was a Fire Phase, after all.  Law breaking was in their DNA.  His
dark hair sported a red streak at the temple and his eyes were a deep brown. 
“I’m looking after you.  Teja
told
me to.”

That
didn’t surprise Raiden.  He’d long known that Teja, of the Fire and Cold Houses
was Sullivan’s Match.  He’d also known that having a connection to Sullivan
would frighten her.  Teja didn’t do so well with emotions, these days.  She was
clearly avoiding Sullivan, but sending her family to watch over the human and
make sure he was safe.

Just
as clearly, Sullivan was determined to flush her out of hiding.  The boy’s
grandfather had been a Wood Phase.  They were a relentless breed.

Sullivan
smirked at Alder.  “If Teja has something to say to me, she can show up and say
it herself.  Feel free to use your one phone call to dial her up.”

Alder
made an aggravated sound.  “Believe me, I’ve
told
her that she should go
back to watching you herself.  But, I think you freak her out, so she ain’t
listening.”

Sullivan’s
jaw ticked.  “Maybe she’ll listen at your trial.”

“Oh
come
on
.”  It was a whine.  “This is between you and her, man.  Just let
me
leave
already.  I wanna go home and watch TV.”

“Tell
me your actual name and I’ll see what I can do.”  Sullivan said casually, his
attention still on Raiden.

“I
already
told
you a hundred times, I’m
ALDER, OF THE FIRE HOUSE!
”

“You’re
not a fireman.  I already checked that with the chief over there.  Try again.”

Alder
launched into a stream of cursing that was probably audible from space.  The
Fire Phases weren’t a calm or rational group.  Unlike most of the other
Elementals, they also didn’t bother to get human paperwork before they visited
Mayport Beach.  Even Chason had human ID.  Raiden had made sure of that, given
the Magnet King’s increasing tendency to wander.  Alder must not have bothered
to bring even a fake drivers’ license.

“This
is fucking kidnapping!”  The Fire Phase glowered over at Sullivan.  “You
have
to let me go according to human law.  I have rights under the Magna Carta or
something.”

Sullivan
rolled his eyes.  “Just shut-up before I pepper spray you.”  He glanced back to
Raiden.  “Anyway, can we get back to why you’re here, swami?  I got stuff to
do.”  He didn’t seem eager to be of assistance.  “Christ, I gotta hire a
secretary to deal with this crap.”  He muttered under his breath.

Raiden
disregarded the human’s attitude, keeping his voice calm.  He always kept his
voice calm, even when his heart was pounding out of his chest.  “I must find
Chason, of the Magnet House.  Immediately.”

He’d
been looking for Chason all day, ever since he’d woken up and discovered the
Magnet Fortress was empty.

At
first, Raiden assumed that Chason had gone off looking for Mara’s body, again. 
But, then Ty tracked Raiden down and told him that Chason had been arrested by
the humans.  It was the last thing Raiden needed to hear.  His time was growing
shorter and his visions had been getting stronger.  More confusing.  Futures
overlapping and events he’d previously seen, fading away.

And
now all he saw was the empty space where life used to be.

“Chason
Hickok, you mean?”  Sullivan’s eyebrows soared.  “Dark hair, kinda crazy,
thinks he’s in line for a throne?”

“He’s
not ‘kinda’ anything.”  Alder apparently grew bored with ranting and switched
to eavesdropping.  “He
is
crazy.  Back in
World War One, I’d
see that same blank look in the eyes of soldiers
in the trenches…
Right before a guy lost it and just ran out into no man’s land, hoping to be
shot.”

Sullivan
squinted over at him.  “Your
grandfather
wasn’t even old enough to fight
in World War One, Alder.”

“Shows
what you know, my grandfather
started
World War One.”  He frowned in
deep concentration.  “Or was it that Franco-Prussian dealy?  Which one had the
hats with the spikes on ‘em?”

Raiden
ignored the byplay.  “Where is Chason?”

Sullivan
shrugged.  “Gone.”

“Gone?”

“Dead.” 
Alder translated wisely.

Raiden
blinked at Sullivan, too astonished to even be angry.  “You’ve…
killed
him?”