Treasure of the Fire Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 4) (43 page)

“The
guy seems like an ass wipe.”  Sullivan agreed.  “Even more so than you.  What
did he do to make you throw a car at him?  Wait.  Better question. 
How
did you throw a car at him?”  He sounded like he still highly doubted that part
of the report.

“My
powers allow me to control magnetism and automobiles are made of metal.”  It
seemed obvious.  Chason slowly sat up and cringed as the world spun around him.

“Uh-huh.” 
Sullivan didn’t look convinced by Chason’s blunt confession.  “Well, Magneto,
he was pissed.  So was the Jeep’s owner.  You’re looking at a one huge ass fine
and a court date in a couple weeks.”

Hopefully,
he wouldn’t even be alive in a few weeks.  “My name is Chason, King of the
Magnet House.” 
That
he was sure of.  The very last thing he knew with
an absolute certainty.

He
was Chason: Mara’s Match.

Or
the shell of him, anyway.

“Yeah,
you told me about your royal lineage last night, Mr. Hickok.  You’d also have a
psych evaluation lined-up, if it wasn’t for Ty Waterhouse vouching for you when
she came to get Oakley.”

That
actually broke through Chason’s foggy thoughts.  “
Ty
came to pick that
jackass up?”

“Yep. 
Gion seemed thrilled with the idea of you
both
getting the gas chamber,
but Ty was very conciliatory towards your buddy.”  Rumors of the human’s
grudging fondness for the Water Phases must be true, because Sullivan’s tone
was less sneering when he mentioned Ty.  “Since Oakley didn’t actually break
any laws, I let her take him home.”

Unbelievable.

“That
son-of-a-bitch has broken more laws, in more realms, than you can imagine.  You
should have kept him imprisoned for the good of the universe.”  Air Phases were
criminals of the worst sort and yet
Chason
was the one in a cell.

The
injustices of the world were staggering.  He’d be glad to leave it all behind.

“Ty
promised she’d look after Ray Charles.”  Sullivan said as if that was good
enough for him.  “She was a
little
upset that you tried to crush a blind
guy, by the way.  Muttered something about how she’d hoped you’d be getting
better by now.”

There
was no “better” for him.  It was naive of Ty to even consider that there might
be. But then, she knew about Raiden’s prophesy and the Water Phases were such
optimistic little things.  Mara would have held out hope for him, too.

Chason
knew better.

“Ty
was really upset.”  Sullivan reiterated like he personally blamed Chason for
that.

“Ever
since I kidnapped her, Ty and I have lost some of our former closeness.” 
Chason regretted that.  But, shit,
Isaacs
had abducted the girl, too,
and now he was living in the Water Palace.  Even someone not crazy would see
that was crazy.

“Funny
you should mention that.”  Sullivan crossed his arms over his chest.  “See, I
have this security footage of you and Gion rampaging around a Home Depot…”

“Oh
Lord… Am I being charged with that,
too?
”  This would take all day.

“Not
at the moment.  But, Ty says
you
started that fight with Gion… right
before you
kidnapped
her.”

“The
two incidents were not connected.  I kidnapped her for reasons unconnected to
Gion.”

“I
asked and she’s declining to press charges.”

That
didn’t surprise him.  The Water House had loved Mara too much to ever hate
Chason.  It made him feel ashamed.

Sullivan
kept talking.  “However the Home Depot fight went down, I saw you
appear
in the middle of the store.  I’ve seen that trick live and in person, too, with
a couple of you guys, now.”  He hesitated like he wasn’t really sure he wanted
to know what he was about to ask.  “How is it possible that you people can do that?”

“Genetics,
I suppose.”

“Genetics? 
That’s it?”

“I’m
sure there are physiological processes at work, but I can’t describe them.” 
How could Chason be expected to know the scientific principles behind jumping? 
Could Sullivan explain how flowers bloomed or how his heart beat?  It just
happened.  “Our bodies are like yours, but there are small differences that
allow us to do things humans can’t.”

“So
you are mutants?”

Jesus,
this boy was a Wood Phase and clearly no one was teaching him anything.  It was
a disgrace.  “No, we’re not
mutants
.  We’re Elementals.  We’re a
different species.”

“Right.” 
Sullivan studied him silently for a long moment.  “You know, you’re the first
Cult member who’s ever just
answered
me when I asked what the hell you
people are.  You’re insane and drunk and I don’t believe you… but I find your
cooperation refreshing.”

“I
see no benefit in lying to you, human.  Someone should have told you all this
long ago.”

“Uh-huh. 
Since we’re on a roll here, do you know anything about a beheading in a
serology lab a few months back, Mr. Hickok?”

“Of
course.”

“Who
did it?”

“Abel,
of the Stone House.”

Sullivan’s
eyes narrowed, obviously not knowing the name.  “Where is this Abel, now?”

“I
don’t know.  Cross, of the Shadow House showed up in my office and used his
powers to make Abel disappear into a twisting fog of darkness.  Abel could be
many places all at once.”

Sullivan
squinted, trying to translate that.  “Cross
killed
this guy?”

“Abel’s
dead or he wishes he was.”  Chason didn’t see how it mattered.  “The man was
planning to kill Cross, so the Shadow Phase really had no choice.”  Chason
paused.  “Also, I had sent Abel to kidnap Nia, so Cross was understandably
upset about that.  In any case, Abel’s gone.”

“You
kidnapped Nia,
too?
”

“Abduction
always seems like a good idea, at the time.”  The boy clearly had a thousand
more questions, but Chason didn’t have time to educate him on Elementals 101. 
He had a lot to accomplish before he killed himself.  “I’d like to go, now. 
The next time I’m arrested, I’ll bring you some Elemental history books to
read.”

Sullivan
exhaled a long breath and unlocked the cell.  “Why do suddenly feel like you’re
the only Cult member who
isn’t
crazy?”

“Oh
no.  I’m very crazy.”  Chason assured him.  “How long ago did Ty leave?”  He
got to his feet, annoyed when the room titled under his feet.  “Because, if
Gion’s the one who’s come to bail me out, he’s snuck away from her and is back
to kill me.”  Especially if Chason had inadvertently “upset” Ty.  “I’ll need to
have my weapon returned.”

Sullivan
snorted.  “If it
was
Gion out there, I’d gladly give ya back that
Braveheart
sword of yours and even explain to the jury at your murder trial why he
deserved to be hacked apart.  Sadly, Gion isn’t your bondsman, though.”  He
gestured Chason forward.  “Come on.”

The
human hated Gion?  Chason followed him out into the front office of the police
station, losing what minimal interest he had in squashing Sullivan with one of
the metal desks.  They clearly had much in common.

“Do
you know a woman named Teja?”  Sullivan asked after a moment.

“Teja,
of the Fire and Cold Houses?  Everyone knows that lunatic.”

Sullivan
jaw ticked. “Do you know where she lives?”

“In
the Fire Kingdom, by the largest volcano.  Her family’s fortress is covered in
spikes and gargoyles.  You can’t miss it.”

“Right.” 
Sullivan said the word on a sigh.  “Never mind.”

Sullivan’s
workspace was decorated with institutional furniture and stacks of files.  All
the chairs, potted plants and coffee mugs seemed very… breakable.  Chason
wasn’t used to being around breakable things anymore.  He’d broken them all. 
Chason warily eyed the computers on the desktops as he passed them. 
Electronics and Magnet powers didn’t mix well.

He
needed to get out of there.

And
not just for the sake of Sullivan’s office supplies and digital recordkeeping. 
Ty was a sweet little thing.  Sooner or later, she’d feel guilty and ensure his
bail was posted.  Chason would prefer not be there if she and her asshole Match
showed up.  Chason didn’t have time for another fight with Gion.  He had to
find Mara.

I’ll
Be with You in Apple Blossom Time
sang in his head, the
notes sounding perfect and pure.  Chason tilted his head.  He stopped to stare
up at a ceiling fixture.  The light bulb flickered.

Yes,
he had to find her.   How could they possibly dance if Mara was kidnapped?

Why
had he ever left her alone?  Alive or dead, he should have been at Mara’s
side.  Why hadn’t he spent every moment with her?  Everything else in the
universe was… meaningless.  Had he been going nuts back then, too, not to
understand that?

Without
Mara’s light, the darkness would pull him under.

“Here
he is.”  Sullivan told someone seated in a visitor’s chair.  The man was the
only other person in the station house.  “God save the king.”  He pointed at
Chason, who was still hypnotized by the florescent bulb.

“Yeaaah.” 
A male voice drawled out.  “Is he okay?”

“Nope.” 
Sullivan moved to look out the front window, pushing a green and red holly
wreath out of the way.  He made an annoyed face at whatever he saw outside. 
“Hey Hickok, what about Teja’s ‘nephew’ Alder?  You know him?”

“Unfortunately.” 
Like all Fire Phases, Alder was a sociopathic menace.  He also shouted a lot. 
“The boy is no one you want to know.”  Sullivan could mingle with a far nicer
class of people.  The Wood Phases were an honorable and heroic House.  Parson
would never want his only grandson consorting with the Elementals’ version of
the mafia.

Sullivan
grunted.  “Any idea how to get Alder to quit following me, then?”

“Lock
him in one of those cells.”  Chason suggested.  “The walls are Plexiglas.  We
can’t get out.”

Sullivan
glanced back at him.  “Not even with the vanishing thing?  That’s why you
stayed here all night?”

“Our
powers don’t work with plastics.  Even those zip-tie handcuffs restrain us.”

Sullivan
gave a slow smirk.

“Great. 
We’re telling the human our weaknesses.  Awesome plan.”  The stranger edged
closer to Chason and cleared his throat.  “Are you done bonding or can we get
out of here?”

Chason
finally glanced over at him and frowned.  “You’re not Raiden.”

The
Radiation Phase had been the one Reprisal solider
not
to go AWOL after
Parald’s death.  Chason had expected Raiden to be the one to post his bail. 
They had a solid relationship built on soothsaying and craziness.  Raiden
insisted that his visions said he needed stay with Chason until Mara came home
and Chason didn’t care enough to kick him out of the fortress.  Truthfully, he
liked that Raiden seemed certain that they’d find Mara’s body.  Raiden could
see the future, so his confidence boded well for the success of the mission.

Still,
if Raiden was supposed to be psychic, why wasn’t he here bailing Chason out?

Who
was this new person?

Was
he even “real?”

Chason
glanced around, looking for evidence that this was all happening inside his
head.  So long as he questioned everything, he figured that he wasn’t
totally
lost, yet.  At least, he knew enough to
know
that he was delusional.

“Noooo,
I’m not Raiden.  Good eye.  Very astute.”  The guy gave him a jaunty bulls-eye
hand gesture with his thumb and forefinger, like a firing gun.  “Yeah, I’m
Zakkery, of the Smoke House.  Hi there.”

“You
freaks really need to come up with better codenames.”

Chason
ignored Sullivan’s muttering.  A Smoke Phase had sought him out?  Why?  Did
this “Zakkery” plan to mug him or something?

Like
all of his kind, Zakkery had the face of a Byronic poet and a pastel lavender
streak in his dark hair.  Smoke Phases hated their pretty boy looks and their
Easter egg colored House designation.  They liked to compensate by being raging
assholes in all other areas of their lives.  Their homeland was a swamp in a
constant state of anarchy, they all smoked three packs a day, and they were so
utterly untrustworthy that even Matches were wary of each other.

Their
only possible career paths were thief, thug, or racketeer.  Sometimes they were
renaissance men and specialized in all of the above.

Why
would one of them want to bail Chason out of jail?  He’d never consorted with
lowlifes like the Smoke Phases before.  The Smoke Kingdom was all about murder
for hire and drug running, while the Magnet Phases had always been about strict
discipline and moral respectability.

Well,
before their king went crazy and everyone moved away, anyhow.

“Zakkery?” 
Chason repeated slowly, trying to recall ever hearing that name before.  It
did
sound familiar, but it was too hard to remember why in his present state of
hung over insanity.