The Order of the Elements 01 - Breaking Point (22 page)

No, I know because of my connection with it. Most other people don’t know even when this happens to them.

This is completely insane, you know.

For you, yes, I know; for me, not really. It’s just part…

Of the deal…got it
, Ethan thought and smiled.

Don’t be sarcastic. You know the others are starting to stare; it might be time to have an audible conversation.

Right.

Ethan looked around at Phoebe, Evan, Jared, and Cynthia. They seemed a little confused; however, they didn’t have time to say anything because the last match up finished and they were put through the paces of their physical training. Lucy was silent the rest of the afternoon as she trained, and so was Ethan. This training required complete concentration. Luckily, for Phoebe’s sanity at least, Dorian didn’t go near Kali for the rest of the day. It was probably the longest and most intense workout of Ethan’s life. By the time dinner was over and they had all returned to the room, they gave in to their exhaustion.

“I don’t think I am going to be able to move for at least five days,” Evan said as he slumped across one of the couches.

“I see that and raise you three weeks,” Phoebe challenged from the floor beside the couch. “I don’t think I can even get up off the floor anytime soon.”

“Me either,” Jared groaned from the floor in front of the fireplace.

“That’s good,” came Cynthia’s voice from the next room, “because I don’t think I can get off this bed for a week.”

“Ouch,” Ethan mumbled as he hit a sore spot on his leg on the edge of the table while he sank down into the second couch beside Lucy. She leaned over the arm of the couch on the other side, her hair obscuring her face.

“I can see what they meant by ‘intense’ training,” Lucy commented from under her hair.

Are you okay?
Ethan thought concernedly.

Fine, just tired and sore. Your leg okay?

Yeah, just a little bruise.

“And they expect us to do it again in two days,” Phoebe groaned.

“Not to mention our lessons tomorrow,” Jared sighed.

“I think tomorrow might be one of those ‘if you’re going to be late don’t come at all’ days,” Evan said with a strained voice as he tried to sit up. After a minute, he gave up and lay back down. “It will take at least two hours just to walk down to the arena.”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice, though,” Lucy said. “Can you imagine what Jade would say if we missed tomorrow?”

“Something that would make us all feel useless, I’m sure,” Cynthia offered from the next room.

“Not to mention what Dorian and Cassius would say,” Ethan said as he massaged his leg where he had hit it on the table.

It was absolute torture. Ethan had suspected that training would be hard, but he had never expected it to be that tough. Every muscle in his body burned, and he felt like a hundred-pound weight was weighing him down. He had never been in bad shape, but he now felt as if he’d never before gotten up off a chair in his life.

“You’d think if they were going to make us feel this bad, they would have some way to deal with it,” Evan said. His arm swung over the side of the couch and hit Phoebe in the stomach.

“Ouch. I’m down here, you idiot,” Phoebe said indignantly.

“Sorry, I can’t turn my head or I might have seen you,” Evan apologized.

“Did anyone ever notice how comfortable these beds are?” Cynthia said from the next room.

“These couches aren’t too bad, either,” Ethan replied.

True, true. Lucy thought.

“I expect if there was any part of my body that didn’t already hurt, the floor would be hurting it right now,” Phoebe said.

“Well, you didn’t exactly pick the best place to lie down. Here, hop up on the couch,” Evan said as he offered his hand to Phoebe to lift her up.

Phoebe took his hand gratefully, and as he helped pull her up, they both seemed to move a lot more agilely than Ethan thought was possible given the amount of pain they were all in. After Phoebe had settled on the couch, she offered her hand to Jared, who was also on the floor, and helped him up and into a chair beside the couch. Lucy looked as if she was drifting off to sleep, and Cynthia had been quiet for quite a little while now.

Almost asleep, if my back wasn’t killing me, Lucy whimpered in her thoughts.

Why don’t you lean back then? That can’t be comfortable, Ethan mentally offered.

Because I can’t move.

Ethan reached forward and grasped Lucy’s free arm and pulled her back into his chest. She groaned at the pressure exerted on her arm, but seemed comfortable enough afterward.

Thanks.

Of course.

“There has got to be something to help,” Ethan said out loud. He was feeling even worse after the small movement to help Lucy.

“Hey, wait, maybe there is,” Phoebe said as she released Sapphire. “Who wants to send their companion with Sapphire? I don’t want to send her by herself.”

Evan released Bree. “Why? Where are they going?”

“To go get Dorian. There is no way they expect us to get through this training without some way to be able to move again.” Evan nodded in agreement, and Phoebe turned to Sapphire and Bree. “I need you two to go find Dorian and bring him back here, please.”

Sapphire and Bree nodded and set off. After a moment, Cynthia yelled from the other room.

“They can’t get out the door.”

“Get up and open it then,” Phoebe yelled back.

“I will as soon as you do.”

“Fine then. Lucy, do you mind?” Phoebe asked.

Lucy waved her hand without opening her eyes, and they all heard a click that meant the door had opened. After the two companions left, it seemed everyone lost the will to even speak. Ethan suspected that Lucy really had fallen asleep, because her head had slumped forward and her red hair hid her face. There was also no answer to his thought, so she was either asleep or too tired to answer. Jared too looked as if he was asleep. Evan and Phoebe gazed off into space. Cynthia didn’t say anything more from the next room.

Ethan felt quite comfortable himself at the moment and closed his eyes. He was in the garden and walking toward the fountain. He sat down, but the blond-haired woman was not there. He sat waiting, hoping she would show up in time. Just then he heard footsteps heading toward him through the darkness.

“I believe these are yours,” Dorian said, jolting Ethan from sleep.

Dorian stood over Sapphire and Bree as they danced around, obviously pleased that they had found the right person.

“Yes,” Phoebe said.

Dorian looked around at all of them slumped on the furniture and smiled. “Feeling a little sore, are we?”

“A little?” Jared asked incredulously.

“Yeah, we’re only contemplating whether death would be an improvement on our present condition,” Evan added sarcastically.

“I think I’m already there,” Cynthia said from the other room, “and it doesn’t feel any better.”

“Did I forget to mention we have an elixir for that?” Dorian said, almost laughing.

“Does intentional forgetting count?” Ethan asked. He could tell that Dorian had purposely not told them about the elixir just to see how they dealt with it.

Twisted sense of humor perhaps? Lucy mused.

Phoebe glowered. “If I could move right now, you would be very sorry.”

“Ah, well, sorry. It was at Cassius’s request. He wanted to see how well you would hold up. Here you go; just one drink should do it,” Dorian said as he pulled a bottle of liquid out of his pocket.

He handed it to Ethan since he was closest. He took a drink, and it felt like hot liquid pouring down his throat. Instant relief seemed to course through his body right from his stomach, and he suddenly felt like he could jump up and start the day all over again. He handed the bottle to Lucy. A look of happiness passed over her face as she took a drink. She then handed it to Jared, who gave it to Phoebe and Evan. When Dorian received the bottle back, he took it in to Cynthia, who stumbled into the room behind Dorian a minute later. Lucy lay back across Ethan’s chest.

You don’t mind, do you?

She was cool but comfortable.
No, not at all.

“I know it seems like a lot, but we want you to be ready. I will send this up to your room after every training session. You won’t need it for long; your bodies will adjust soon enough,” Dorian said as he stowed the bottle back into his pocket.

“Oh, that’s just wonderful. I can’t wait to feel like this three times a week,” Phoebe said sarcastically, still not over her irritation.

Dorian laughed. “You’ll be fine. It doesn’t take long, I promise.”

Phoebe tried to look angry for a little longer but smiled anyway. “Are you taking me to my class tomorrow? I still don’t know how to get to Cassius’s office.”

He shrugged. “Sure, I’ll meet you after dinner.”

“All right.” Phoebe smiled.

That’s going to be a tricky one, Lucy thought.

What?
Ethan silently responded, having no idea what she was referring to.

Those two.

What about them?

Remember that connection thing?

Yes.

They have the potential. Neither one of them will accept it, though. Of course, Phoebe can already hear his thoughts, so it might not take that long.

Ethan looked between Dorian and Phoebe. They were watching each other thoughtfully. He couldn’t pretend he hadn’t noticed their fascination with one another.

Wait, can Phoebe hear us now, if she wanted to?

No, another part of the deal. Completely private conversations, even from Truth Seekers.

Nice.

Dorian said goodnight to them and made his way out of the room as they settled down to enjoy the rest of their evening. Everyone seemed quite comfortable where they were, and they spent the rest of the night talking.

“Does anyone know some of the other creatures Petrozan has working for him besides the Shamarian?” Phoebe asked.

“I don’t think they actually work for Petrozan, but he gives them free run of the land, and that’s what they’ve always wanted. He does have his own army of metallic soldiers, though,” Jared answered.

“Metallic soldiers?” Ethan asked.

“They’re made out of liquid metal and are given life by Esmeralda’s fire powers. They’re usually led by Zuriel,” Cynthia explained.

“Zuriel?”

“Petrozan’s closest ally, aside from Esmeralda, of course. Zuriel is the acting general of the army when the king and queen aren’t at the castle,” Evan said.

“They don’t have souls and are therefore incapable of doing anything but what they’re told,” Lucy said, shivering. Ethan’s arm contracted around her. “Aside from them, there are vampires, banshees, grilocks, porkups, demons, walarks, the Four Horsemen…”

Ethan was getting overwhelmed. “Wait, wait. Grilocks, porkups, walarks—what are those?” The rest of the creatures mentioned were ones Ethan had vaguely recognized.

Cynthia spoke up. “Grilocks are sort of like goblins, only a little taller, and they have three sharpened fingers specifically for digging their hands into someone’s chest to pull out their heart, which is what they eat.” Everyone looked disgusted by this, but Cynthia continued. “Porkups are half wolf and half lizard. They breathe fire and feed off of companions. Walarks are birds with snakes for heads. They are very poisonous and can incapacitate with one bite, then they slowly eat their victims alive.”

I can’t even think of a word bad enough for all of that. And there’s more? Ethan silently communicated to Lucy.

Unfortunately.

“And the Four Horsemen?” Phoebe asked in a barely audible whisper. Her skin was as white as a sheet.

Evan answered. “They’re just below Zuriel, and they’re four men who each have a shadow power. The four powers are death, disease, famine, and strife. They’re a big reason why we have to isolate ourselves in the safe places. Their poison can affect us if someone just carries it in. Scouts that are sent out and return are kept in isolation for about nine weeks before they can emerge to be around everyone else. Most of the magical creatures are immune to the Four Horsemen, but humans are very susceptible and spread the poison quickly.”

Ethan was stunned. This sounded absolutely horrible. He couldn’t even imagine these things, and he couldn’t see himself ever going against them.

“When they were banished, what did all these creatures feed off of if they couldn’t get to humans?” Phoebe asked.

“Mostly each other, I think,” Evan said.

“Why won’t people come to where it’s safe instead of staying where all those horrible things are going on around them?” Ethan asked.

“They’re afraid of what would happen to them if Petrozan was to finally find us and break through our protections. Petrozan has several elixirs and elements of torture that are far worse than death,” Lucy said solemnly. “That’s how my brother died. He was a scout and was captured and wouldn’t give up our location.”

I’m so sorry. You loved your brother very much.
It wasn’t a question; Ethan could tell that she had.

Very much.
Lucy’s reply was muted, but even thoughts could convey emotion, and her tone was one of grief.

“I can’t even imagine what it must be like. Those things sound terrible.” Phoebe’s voice was still a whisper.

“The bad thing is, that’s not even half of them. Petrozan has a huge army, and Esmeralda has the allegiance of the Fire Element Guardians. Overcoming them is going to be tough,” Jared explained.

“Yeah, so, no pressure,” Evan said to Phoebe and Ethan, trying to lighten the mood.

“None whatsoever,” Ethan replied, resolving to himself to work as hard as he could in training to be ready when the time came.

Evan put his arm around Phoebe, who looked thoroughly distraught. “Not much longer before they’ll get what’s coming to them.”

I hope so
. Lucy thought. Ethan hoped so too.

Phoebe nodded as tears welled up in her eyes. Ethan couldn’t tell if the tears were from the horrors outside these walls or from the kindness that Evan had shown her.

Lucy nodded. “And when they do, you can be sure I’ll be right there,” she said with a determined look in her eye. Her brother’s death had obviously seriously affected her.