“You worry about your own battle,” Spencer retorted. “And let someone with true power deal with the quint.”
Alec stopped battling Rob and Leo. “What did you just say?”
“You came to me because you need me, not the other way around. Face it, Alec. I’m the stronger elemental.”
“But I’m far more unpredictable.” He threw a fireball at Spencer.
Spencer threw a bigger one at Alec.
And, once again, the two toddlers in the room turned on each other. I took advantage of the distraction and hurried to Rob and Leo, calling their primaries to push power and help heal them. Rob kept trying to slap my hands away. Considering what’d happened the last time I healed him while battling Alec, I understood why. This time, however, I wouldn’t call light and short out his powers. This time, I pushed fire to him.
“No, Reed. Keep your strength. I’ll be fine.” He slapped my hand.
“Stop being such a baby.” I slapped him back. “I won’t give you enough to drain me.”
“Uh, babe?”
I followed Leo’s focus, glancing behind me at Alec and Spencer, both on fire, both pissed and trying to kill each other. “Should we stop them? You know, maybe remind them they’re supposed to be on the same side?”
“Are you kidding? This is better than Game of Thrones.” Rob worked his neck, rocking his head back and forth. “Thanks for the boost, Reed.”
“No problem.”
“I can’t believe I’m about to suggest this, but should we maybe teleport out?” Leo asked as the three of us stood there and watched the show. Spencer had switched to water and shot sharp icicles at Alec. He deflected and sent them right back at Spencer.
“Nah.” I waved them off but kept up my guard in case they both suddenly remembered why they brought me here. “I kind of want to see this. Let them have their fun. A patrol will be here soon enough. It’s not like they’re hurting anyone but each other.”
We fell silent and continued to watch Alec attack Spencer with an element, and Spencer retaliate with the same. Alec’s fireball singed off more of Spencer’s hair. Spencer’s fireball caught Alec’s shirt on fire, which really pissed him off. It was probably the only one he had. He blasted Spencer with air, sending the man flying.
“How’s working for the Council?” Leo finally said, making casual conversation while we waited for the dark elementals to finish.
Rob shrugged. “Oh, you know. Can’t complain.” More silence. We all cringed when Spencer hit Alec with a wave of air so strong, it knocked him flat on his back. He smacked his head against the concrete. “I mean, technically, I don’t start until Monday.”
“So you’ve got the weekend to settle into your new place. That’s cool.”
“Yep.”
The guys kept with their small talk while Alec and Spencer continued trying to kill each other. They seemed to be pretty equally matched. We’d be at this for hours if I didn’t do something to end it. I took a step forward, abruptly stopping when Rob grabbed my arm. “Hold up, Reed. Let Bry do his thing.”
“What thing?” I didn’t like that I hadn’t seen him yet.
“He has a surprise in store. Look up.”
I did and spotted Bryan on one of the grated platforms, his arms up, his brow furrowed in concentration. A dark and ominous fog rolled in, filling the warehouse. “Is he doing this?”
“Surprise,” Rob sang.
No. Nonono. This tapped in to a dark side of my earth elemental I never wanted him to tap in to. He’d been so adamant to avoid all things dark, and now he purposely gave in to it. “Why would you let him do this?”
“He’s just distracting them long enough for the patrol to get here. He’s fine.”
“He’s not fine,” I cried in horror. Bryan’s gaze had darkened to almost black, his expression now still, almost calm. “Look at him!”
Bryan amplified his call, and the fog thickened, swallowing the warehouse in darkness. It didn’t smell like burnt rubber and charred hair, or like a dead skunk inside rotten copper pipes. Instead, it carried the scent of decaying fruit, sweet, yet putrid. I’d never smelled his call like this. It scared me. Maybe I should teleport up to Bryan, help him control the fog, and pull him back if he went too far.
Suddenly, my palm throbbed, the yellowish glow pulsing just below the surface. This time, it hurt. Holy cankles, did it hurt. I rubbed it with the thumb of my opposite hand, applying pressure. It didn’t help. Screw this. I would not go dark again. I pictured Cressida’s statue to teleport out.
Nothing happened.
Great. My air element was back to avoiding me. I massaged my palm as I spun in circles. “Guys? I can’t teleport. Guys? Hello?”
“Oof!” A grunt off to my left pulled my attention. Was that Leo?
“You son of a—” That was definitely Rob. A faint glow illuminated and shot through the fog. A fireball. I brought up one of my own and sent it flying in the same direction. “Hey! Jesus, Reed. Whose side are you on?”
“Sorry!” I threw another in the opposite direction.
“Bloody hell!”
I punched the air. This was like playing a game of battleship, luckily hitting my first time out. Okay, I hit the wrong guy, but I got the right one now. I hurled another, and another, and another, each one slamming into my target. I closed in as I continued to launch fire, ball after ball. By the time I spotted Spencer, panting, half his clothes singed off, what was left of his hair wet with sweat and plastered to his blistered face, I held my next assault, tossing it up and catching it as I casually approached, quite proud of myself. “Anything you’d like to say before I sink your battleship?”
Wait. That sounded so much better in my head.
“Now.” He straightened suddenly as his lips
