If it could no longer be the founder of the academy, I couldn’t think of a better person to take the place of the protector of the grounds.
“I can’t stay long,” Stace said and nodded for me to join her on the bench next to the memorial. “Manifesting is very draining.”
“I just wanted to see you.”
She smiled, the gesture lighting up her dark eyes. “You’ve done an incredible job, Katy.”
“The school looks great, doesn’t it?”
“That’s not what I mean. You did it, sweetie. You united our world. Legends, witches, elementals. So many others. We’re once again in harmony because of you, the true prophecy. I’m so proud of you.”
I swallowed thickly and glanced over my shoulder at my guys, giving us a little space for privacy, but not too much. Never very far from me, they kept stealing glances our way.
“Katy.” She waited until I pulled my attention back to her before taking my hands. “I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?” I didn’t like how she’d lost her smile. My heart skipped, and I sucked in a breath, bracing myself.
“There’s a new prophecy, a new foretelling for the future of our world.”
Crap. That was the exact opposite of what I wanted to hear. “Please don’t let it be another end-of-the-world thing.”
Her eyes glazed over as she stared straight ahead as if in a trance. When she spoke, her voice sounded so distant, it was if it wasn’t her talking. “Come the winter solstice, a new world will emerge. Lines will be drawn and crossed. It will take death to protect life.”
I waited for the other shoe to drop, for her to tell me I was yet again the one to stand in the way. When she blinked and snapped out of the daze, she looked at me. “What did it say?”
“You don’t know?”
“It wasn’t from me. I was merely the vessel for the message.”
Cressida.
Another prediction for the destruction of our world. Awesome. This was not the direction I expected our visit to go today. I repeated the new prophecy for Stace. “What do you think it means?”
“Well, we have the date. The rest…is all up for interpretation.”
An interpretation I would not be focusing on. Not now. Not ever. I was through allowing a prophecy to control me, my guys, or this world. “Tell Cressida we won’t live in fear of a date like before. The Ides of March is now considered our Independence Day. It’s celebrated, not feared.”
“I don’t think that’s the intent. Death doesn’t always mean the loss of life. It’s a clean break, starting over. Maybe you close the door on one thing and open it to another. Look at the prophecy as something positive, and it will be interpreted as positive.”
“Yeah, because that worked out so well before.”
“The Council feared the prophecy and interpreted it as the end of the world when it simply meant the world as we knew it would be no longer. Elementals had been forced to live apart from the legends, the true controllers of the elements. Witches had been forced to meet in secret. You changed all that. The one standing in the way of us uniting was the very governing body ruling our world and enforcing the prophecy. They were scared for hundreds of years, all over a negative interpretation. So, if you interpret the prophecy as positive…”
“Our world would see it as positive.” As much as I hated the idea, it made sense. I knew from experience not to ignore the message or the warning. I still refused to allow a prophecy to rule our world, but that didn’t mean I would ignore it.
Stace stood and regarded me. Her smile returned. “You are the most powerful elemental of all time. It’s more than the elements you control. It’s more than the power of your craft. You have united a world and forged a bond with four very good men. Watch over them as much as they watch over you. I love you, Katy Reed, my daughter.”
I warmed to her words. Though we weren’t blood related, she was far more of a mother to me than the one who’d given me life. “I’ll see you around, Stace.”
“Yes, you will.” With that, she faded, her essence once again one with the academy.
We no longer had a protective barrier surrounding the grounds. With news of this new prophecy, I wondered if maybe we needed to rethink that.
But not today.
“Everything okay?” Bryan asked, always tuned in to my emotions.
“Everything is great.” I smiled and took his hand. I’d tell them about the prophecy later. For now, I wanted to spend a little Q time with my guys. “I’m not due to the infirmary for another couple of hours. Whatever shall we do to pass the time?”
“Elementopoly,” Clay exclaimed, earning a groan. When he waggled his eyebrows, we all groaned again.
But he nailed it.
“To the cabin?” We’d added to the square footage and bedrooms so we all could live there comfortably.
Clay pumped his fist into the air. “Let the volcanos erupt.”
We all laughed as we popped out.
THANK you so much for reading FURY OF EARTH! I hope you enjoyed reading the fourth and final book in this complete series. If you did and want to share your thoughts with other readers, please consider leaving a review.
INTERESTED IN WHAT else I’ve got cookin’? A new series is in the works. It may or may not have cameos from the characters you’ve grown to love in the Academy of Elements series. Stay tuned and always check my website for updates at www.alliekadams.com.
YOU KNOW I couldn’t leave with you hangin’ like that, right? Here’s a little taste of what’s up next.
WHEN A RELIC-HUNTING STUDENT unintentionally unleashes dark forces hellbent on destroying the heart of fae magic held within academy walls, she must team up with four arrogant guardians to stop the annihilation before it’s too late.
DID I mention they all hate each other?
