Wind Warrior (22 page)

Abraxas smiled to himself. He knew it would
take a special type of person to stand at the window and watch
elemental wielders battle one another. The parental type, unless he
was mistaken.

“
You let him go?” Sammy
said in surprise. “Why didn’t you just kill him?”

“
Bait, dear Lady Balor,” he
grinned in response.

“
So that’s what the Wind
Warrior and I am to you?” she replied insulted. “Bait?”

The General turned away from the window and
the couple drew the curtains. “You misunderstand, my Lady. You and
the Wind Warrior are the hook.”

He snarled wickedly as he pointed to
Xander’s house. “They are the bait.”

Patrick launched a ball of pressurized air
at Xander. The younger man easily sidestepped and created a gust
that sent the ball flying back at the Irishman. Patrick dove aside,
narrowly avoiding being struck. As he tried to climb back to his
feet, Xander slammed a downdraft on top of him, driving him onto
the mosaic floor. Patrick groaned and managed to lift a hand just
far enough to tap on the floor, ending the sparring match.

Xander released the driving wind and stepped
back, his chest heaving with exertion. He was exhausted from day
after day of training but he had never felt more alive. Everywhere
he went, the wind whispered to him. He felt connected to every inch
of the island.

The aunts and uncles clapped from the seats
around the open courtyard.

“
He’s getting better,”
Alicia said.

“
I taught him all he knows,
you know,” Giovanni added with a wink.

Thea guffawed. “Then it’s your fault he
still has so far to go.”

Giovanni laughed heartily.
“You know you are impressed,
principessa
. You do not have to be
coy with Giovanni.”

Xander walked over, beaming with pride.
Patrick walked up behind him and patted him firmly on the back.
“You did good, lad.”

“
Did you see the match,
Grandpa?” Xander asked as the elder man walked out of the central
building.

“
I saw the important part.
I watched you beat up that poor old man.”

Everyone laughed as Patrick’s jaw dropped in
mock indignation. “You know I’m not the only old man around here,
right?”

His grandfather opened his mouth to respond
but froze with his mouth partly agape. The others stopped laughing
as well. Even Xander sensed it—a subtle shift in the drifting of
the island. It was so subtle that its meaning would have normally
been lost but those gathered in the courtyard knew its meaning all
too well. Robert was warning them that someone was approaching the
island!

The group scattered, taking refuge behind or
inside the nearby buildings. Xander could sense the mixture of
excitement and fear in the air. If the Fire Warriors had found them
already, then this very well could be a fight for their very
existence.

Behind him, Alicia drew the air to her like
a vacuum, creating a small vortex around her body. Xander could
hear the hum of building air pockets around the perimeter of the
courtyard. They were going to be prepared for whatever was
coming.

Nearly thirty feet up the wall of water, the
swirling waterspout parted and a single, round-faced man emerged.
His flight was unsteady and he dipped dangerously close to one of
the red-roofed buildings. At the last possible moment, his angle
changed and he shot upward again. Near the peak of his ascent, the
man lost his concentration and plummeted back toward the island’s
surface.

Giovanni broke from his hiding spot and shot
skyward, catching the man only a few feet before he struck the
tiled mosaic floor. The Italian drifted to the floor with the man
cradled in his arms.

The other aunts and uncles retreated from
their cover and rushed to Giovanni’s side as he touched down on
solid ground. Xander saw his grandfather hurry over as well and
followed the old man’s lead.

The Wind Warriors formed a circle around the
plump man. His full cheeks were rose colored from exposure to
intense winds. He had clearly been flying at an incredible pace to
reach the island as quickly as he had. It wasn’t the man’s labored
breathing or wind-swept face that concerned Xander. The side of his
shirt had been burnt black and the soft skin beneath was blistered
and scorched.

“
Give him some air,” his
grandfather demanded.

The aunts and uncles took a reserved step
back but their worried expressions didn’t leave his face.

“
Who is that?” Xander asked
as his heart sank in his chest. He knew only one other Wind Warrior
existed that he hadn’t met before but he had been on a special
assignment, guarding Xander’s parents. If he was here, and burnt as
he was, it could only mean bad news for his family.

“
Who is that?” he repeated
when no one responded.

“
It is Bart,” Giovanni
answered, placing a comforting arm around Xander’s shoulders. “It’s
your Uncle Bart.”

Bart slowly opened his eyes and coughed
hoarsely. Every breath seemed to cause pain through his body but he
forced himself into a seated position. He looked up through
red-rimmed eyes and stared at Xander’s grandfather.

“
I’m sorry,” he said over
and over again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“
You don’t have to be
sorry,” his grandfather said. “Just tell me what
happened.”

Bart took a deep breath and grimaced. With a
slow exhale, he continued. “I was watching your son and
daughter-in-law when I was ambushed by a Fire Warrior. He was far
stronger than anything I’d seen before. I tried to hold him off but
he burned me right through my strongest defenses. I wanted to stay,
I really did, but I couldn’t.”

Tears streaked down his face. “I couldn’t
fight him so I came here as quickly as I could to warn you.”

Xander staggered before collapsing onto a
marble bench. The Fire Warriors clearly knew where Xander and his
grandfather lived. Without Bart to defend them, there was no
telling what damage someone like that would do to his parents.

“
You did the right thing,
Bart,” his grandfather said. “You wouldn’t have done any good
staying there getting yourself killed.”

“
I’m sorry,” Bart muttered
again.

Xander’s sorrow turned to a burning anger.
He pushed away from the bench and wiped the threatening tears from
his eyes with the back of his sleeve.

“
It’s a trap,” Thea said.
“You know it is. There’s no possible way that a Fire Warrior
defeats Bart so handily and then lets him live. He wants to draw
you out.”

“
Let him try,” Xander said
to the gathered warriors.

His grandfather frowned. “I know you’re
worried but Thea’s right.” He shook his head before Xander could
reply. “But so are you. We can’t leave your parents undefended.
I’ll go and check on them.”

“
I’m going too.”

“
Take a look at Bart. He is
far stronger than you are and this Fire Warrior easily defeated
him. We’re not dealing with the cannon fodder you and I fought in
the park. Whoever this man is, he’s dangerous.”

Xander stepped forward, clenching and
unclenching his fists. “That’s all the more reason why we should go
with numbers on our side. They’re my parents. You can’t stop me
from going.”

“
He’s right,” Giovanni
said. “I am the fastest of the flyers, no? I will go with the boy.
If there is danger, no one will get you to safety faster than
me.”

“
I’m going too,” Bart said,
pushing himself up from the ground.

“
You can barely walk,
Bart,” Thea said. “Don’t fool yourself.”

“
Lay back down, sweetie,”
Alicia said, patting Bart on the shoulder.

“
It’s my fault his family’s
in trouble,” Bart bellowed, his voice suddenly strong. “This
happened on my watch and I’m going to make it right. End of
discussion.”

“
Then we all go,” Patrick
said. “The whole bloody lot of us.”

“
No,” his grandfather said
quickly. “No, Thea’s right. This feels like a trap. If it is, I’d
rather we not all be caught together. If something happens to us,
we have to ensure some of the Wind Caste survives.

“
You three will stay here
on the island and protect Robert,” he continued. “If the Fire
Warriors are moving against us, they may know about the island as
well. Stay alert.”

His grandfather stepped away from the others
and walked to Xander’s side. “Whatever happens, whatever we find,
promise me you’ll stay alive.”

“
If something has happened
to them,” Xander said, “there won’t be a single Fire Warrior strong
enough to stand in my way.”

They nodded to Giovanni, who created a
strong gust of wind beneath their feet. The quartet lifted off the
ground and launched into the air, passing smoothly through the wall
of water and emerging out over the vast ocean. They accelerated
faster and faster, quickly exceeding the speed he and his
grandfather had flown on their way to the island.

The wind whipped in Xander’s face, blowing
his dark hair behind him and stinging his eyes. He narrowed his
eyes and focused on the landmass quickly approaching. His family
was in danger and he was coming to their rescue. He clenched his
fist and prayed Giovanni could get them to White Halls before it
was too late.

A dark pallor of old smoke hung in the air,
visible for miles away. The plume of black smoke no longer billowed
from a burning fire but hung in the air as an artifact from one
recently extinguished.

None of the four spoke as they skimmed over
the rooftops of the houses in White Halls but they shared a sense
of foreboding. Xander wanted to vomit. Despite telling himself that
there was still hope, something deep in his mind knew the truth.
His limbs felt heavy despite not exerting his own powers on the
flight. Giovanni must have been exhausted from carrying the group
over the thousands of miles but he still seemed determined as they
rushed toward the smoke.

When they reached the road leading to
Xander’s parent’s house, Giovanni glided down to the street. As
soon as his feet touched the asphalt, Xander sprinted toward his
house.

He could smell the stinging smoke long
before he reached the house. The acrid smoke filled the street,
burning his lungs as he ran. He didn’t know if the tears streaking
down his cheeks were from smoke irritation or fear.

He knew the others were following as quickly
as they could but Xander swiftly left them far behind. The asphalt
at his feet became dark with water. Puddles pooled in the pockmarks
in the road and flowed like a stream against the curbs on either
side of the street. The fire trucks were long gone and their hoses
retracted but Xander could still see the cover left off from the
fire hydrant across the street from his parent’s home.

Xander’s foot caught on the asphalt and he
sprawled onto the road. His hands and knees scraped across the
ground and skinned away the flesh. He wanted to climb back to his
feet but his body felt weak. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked
at the house.

Bright yellow police tape cordoned off the
house. The roof had collapsed from the heat. Charred support beams
were all that remained—now exposed to the afternoon sun. The front
porch he had sat on so many nights, talking with his parents or
grandfather, was buried underneath rubble from the second floor.
The house had been gutted by flames, leaving blackened, hollow eyes
where windows once stood. Nothing survived the destruction.