“And it goes against every grain of my being to volunteer to have a target on my back and protect a world I didn’t even belong to a year ago, and yet here we are. Come on, Stace. This is important. Leo’s life may depend on it.”
She dropped her attention to my blistered water elemental lying still in the bed, surrounded by machines and wires and tubes. “I do believe the prophecy is one person battling good and evil internally, one person willing to take a stand and protect their world by any means necessary.”
“I’m with you so far. How is what you just said speaking out against the Council?”
Stace studied me for several tense seconds before doing the same to Syd. “What I say here doesn’t leave this room. Is that understood?” Syd and I both nodded. She nodded in return. “I don’t support the Council’s interpretation of the prophecy. Albert Stephens is using fear of the unknown as a means to keep everyone in line. Look at what’s happening with all the magically enhanced elementals. The Council is purposely instilling fear in the entire community by testing everyone right out in the open, putting the battles on display, and then sending innocent people to Carcerem. Their methods are dividing us and creating even more fear and uncertainty. They believe the greater the fear, the more people are going to turn to their governing power for protection.”
Cressida had said the same thing. I repeated her words. “A governing power ruling by fear and separation has no power at all.”
“That’s exactly my point. Albert thinks he’s keeping order, when in fact he’s creating anarchy. Virgil Graves agrees.”
“What does he have to do with this?” I didn’t like the guy and definitely didn’t like his position in the Council or how he used it to better his daughter’s position at the school.
“Virgil is Albert’s right hand. He’s second-in-command at the Council.”
“So, Graves is like the vice president. If something ever happens to Stephens, he takes over the Council.” Like that made it any better. Exchange one old guy for another old guy.
“At least then, we’d stand united. Our world as we know it will be no longer if Albert continues to drive fear into the hearts of the people. It’s going to tear us apart.”
“A civil war.” God, I really hated it when I was right sometimes.
Stace looked at me solemnly. “The ultimate good versus evil.”
“Where both sides think they’re right. Supremacy is certain.”
“Only one stands in the way.” She nailed me with an intense look, uncertainty swirling in her dark gaze. “I don’t believe the prophecy will save us.”
“What?” I barely whimpered, not having the strength for anything more after that blow to my, well, everything. Stacey Layden had always been one of my biggest champions. My protector. My mentor. Having her doubt me destroyed me. “How can you say that? Especially after everything I’ve done to protect this world against dark elementals like Alec von Leer and Spencer Dalton?”
“You’re not the one currently holding the title.”
“You mean my mom? You think she’s the one who’ll destroy our world?” I had to take a pause and let that sink in. “Why do you think that?”
Stace crossed the room and folded her arms as she stared at a floral picture on the wall. “I don’t think she’s been truthful about her intentions. Who fakes her own death to escape the pressure of being the prophecy, only to return and demand to be the prophecy again?”
“She did it to protect me.” Even as I used that as a defense, and a very weak one at that, I didn’t believe it.
“I’m sure that’s it.” She turned back and smiled, though it seemed forced. Gone was the warmth that usually surfaced when she smiled. Gone was the shine in her eyes. She dropped her attention to Leo. “How about we focus on finding a way to heal the patient?”
Good idea. Something we all agreed on. Talking about my mom would never be a topic of conversation if we wanted to remain on speaking terms. Stace didn’t like her. I got it. I might not like her as a person, but she was my mom and I’d defend her because… Well, just because.
“I know you don’t want to admit it,” I said to her, “but we need to face the facts here. Whether I magically enhanced Leo or not, he’s got a new element inside him that needs an outlet. We need to stop fighting it and let it through in a controlled way. Rob said when he became a trio, it wasn’t until he stopped fighting the element that it finally started obeying his call.”
“There’s something you both need to know about how Rob became a trio.” Syd removed his glasses and cleaned them to stall for time. “I feel it’s only right that I set the record straight, knowing I can trust what I say doesn’t leave this room.”
I nodded quickly, anxious to hear what he was about to say. “Of course.”
“Good.” He took a seat in the chair next to the bed and studied Leo. “Rob came to me that first year, complaining about always being cold. He even called fire to keep himself warm, but it eventually drained him, and he had to come to me for help.”
“What did you do?”
“I kept him here, not understanding his condition. It wasn’t until the water elemental he’d been with came to me and told me what happened that I knew.”
“Been with?” I picked up on those very key words. “You mean…” Eww. Vanessa Graves, the beautiful brunette ice bitch I had to room with my first year. She’d made my life hell. I shuddered, hating the fact Rob had dated her before he’d been with me.
Syd nodded. “I’m sure I don’t have to go into detail.”
“Please don’t.”
“Apparently, she called her primary—water—and inadvertently transferred it to Rob. He didn’t know it at the time, and neither did I. It took another
