Water Shaper (World Aflame)
Read Water Shaper (World Aflame) Online
Authors: Jon Messenger
Jon Messenger
Clean Teen Publishing
by Jon Messenger
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Cover concept and design by Marya Heiman Copyright © 2013 by Clean Teen Publishing
Editing done by Cynthia Shepp
Typography done by Courtney Nuckels
Water Shaper
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s over-active imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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To Jacki and Alistair
Who always make sure no matter how engrossed I become in a story, they keep my head above water.
THE EARTH GIVES WAY TO THE SEA,
THE SEA BOWS BEFORE THE WIND,
THE WIND FEEDS THE FLAME,
THE FLAME BURNS THE WORLD OF MAN DOWN TO THE EARTH.
Xander Sirocco pushed the toes of his tennis shoes through the silt that had buried much of the street. The liquid mud clung to his shoes, and he shook them vigorously to remove the filth. Raising his head, he looked down the mud-covered road.
Most of the street was blocked by an avalanche of dirt that poured from the hilltop above the small town. Some of the smaller buildings had collapsed, leaving stone and wooden debris jutting from the banks of dirt. Other houses stood, but the force of the mudslide had shattered windows and filled the buildings’ interiors.
Walking gingerly down the street, Xander stepped lively around the protruding timbers and rubble. A few houses further down the lane still looked intact, as though the buildings opposite them on the street had absorbed much of the brunt from the mudslide.
The sound of trickling water reached his ears as he approached a part of the street that was blocked by the flow of dirt. From the heart of the muddy pile, a small river of water crashed into the wall of the nearest house before cascading into the alleyway and out of sight.
Xander frowned as he examined the mud that blocked the way ahead. He slowly closed his eyes, and a gust of wind enveloped him. His T-shirt fluttered in the building wind, and Xander sighed as the breeze soaked into his pores. Slowly, his feet lifted from the ground until he hovered a few inches above the filth.
He walked forward, though his feet were suspended above the mudslide. Each breath of fresh air seemed to revitalize him, as though he were deeply connected to the wind itself. Which he was, he had to remind himself. He was the Wind Elemental now, having absorbed her power. He was the last of the Wind Warriors, and the last hope for humanity.
As he cleared the offending mud, he touched back down on the stone street and laughed to himself. The idea that he was the last hope for humanity seemed preposterous. He knew more than a few people—especially his old college professors—who would have hung their head in despair had they known who was attempting to save their lives.
One of the unsullied houses sat just ahead on the left side of the street. Xander looked around once again but didn’t see any people. The town was abandoned, though Xander had no idea for how long. Despite his misgivings at walking through a ghost town, they were hungry and needed something to eat before they continued flying. It had only been by chance that Xander had spotted the archipelago.
The door unlocked as he turned the handle. The interior of the building was dark like all the rest of the houses, power having been either shut off on purpose or by the mudslide. Despite the darkness, he stuck his head inside the door and called into the gloom beyond.
“Hello? Is there anyone here?”
He wasn’t sure anyone would have answered even if they had been at home, or even if they would have understood English. The world had been ruined by the infighting between the Wind and Fire Castes. Earthquakes, volcanoes, wild fires, and worse had completely changed the face of the planet. He was glad the villagers had fled their homes, but he wasn’t sure the world they found would be any better when they made landfall somewhere else.
Standing at the doorway, he strained to hear any noise. When he was sure the house was empty, he pushed his way into the large central room. He could see light streaming through a back window, illuminating the kitchen. Smiling, he made his way to the back of the house.
A foul smell seeped from the refrigerator as he approached, and he wiggled his nose in disgust. The smell alone told Xander that power had gone out at least a few days ago, long enough that the contents of the refrigerator were already spoiled. Despite knowing that more hardy foods might have survived in the fridge, he bypassed it all together as he continued to search.
As he turned deeper into the kitchen, he forced a broad smile. A baker’s rack near the rear of the room held some fresh fruit that didn’t look completely spoiled. A wispy, white mold covered one of the apples in the basket. There were some bananas or plantains—Xander wasn’t sure which—jutting from a mix of forgotten mail near the back. They were marred with black spots but still looked edible. He also noticed a few cans of vegetables but didn’t think his companions would appreciate that option.
A few letters tumbled from the rack as he pulled the bananas free. Reaching down, he picked up the mail and quickly scanned the gentle woman’s writing on the envelopes. Xander frowned, knowing that a whole family’s life had been uprooted, and he was at least partially to blame.