“How can I help you?” He pulls me into his arms and wraps them around me.
No, I can’t hurt him. He’ll be hurt standing this close to me. The ground begins to shake, and there is a shriek. I pull away hard, but he holds on to me tightly.
“I’m staying here with you.” His tone is hard, determined. “Where you go, I go.” He begins to run his fingers through my hair and presses a kiss to my forehead.
My heart calms, and my power doesn’t seem quite as overwhelming. The ground stops shaking, but the wind still blows hard.
Something crashes at one of the stands, and a lady yelps. “That was one of my best spells.”
“Everyone calm down and stand back.” A loud, strong woman’s voice echoes against the clearing. “There is no reason for alarm.”
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Dax’s tone is low, almost a growl.
Oh, no. What’s going on? I’m going to have to suck it up and leave the safety of Charlie’s arms. I take a deep breath and look in their direction.
“I’m going to talk to her.” The lady’s teal blue hair whips in the wind, and she points her finger at me. “The person causing this whole fiasco.” She appears to be in her mid to late twenties, and the wind makes her short jumpsuit conform to her figure.
Charlie keeps his arms around me and steps behind me. “She isn’t trying to hurt anyone.”
Yeah, because intent means everything. I’ve learned the hard way that it doesn’t matter. Action is the only thing people will judge your character by. “I’m losing control and need help.” I hope she’ll take to honesty, because if not, we’re all screwed.
Her lavender eyes meet mine, and she stares at me for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Fine, follow me.”
“I can’t. We were told to find Ria.” At least, someone seems kind of helpful.
She props her hands on her hips and looks me over again. “You’re looking at her.”
A wave of power crushes through me, and the ground begins to rumble once more. I fall to my knees and scream.
“Pick her up,” she says and points to Dax, “and follow me. Now.”
“Hey…” Charlie’s arms tighten, but then he slackens. “She’s right. Just get her. You can carry her better than me. Let’s go.”
Strong hands pick me up, and I’m clutched to a hard, muscular chest. His musky scent reassures me, and soon he’s running even though I’m barely jostled.
Wave after wave of power rams through me. I have no clue how long we’ve been moving, but a door opens, and we’re walking through it and into a dark, warm place.
“Shut the door fast,” Ria shouts, and she races over to what seems to be cushions on the floor. “Lay her here so she can rest. She should start feeling better soon.”
The ground stops shaking, and the Water Artifact stops tugging on me from the outside. “Oh, my God. What is this place?” I can breathe comfortably for the first time since we arrived on land.
Charlie comes back into the room and sits down beside me. He kisses my lips and runs his fingers across my cheek. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, the Water Artifact isn’t attacking me anymore, and the magic inside me is calming down.” I lay my forehead against his and sigh. “I was scared for a minute, but I’m better now. I just want to know why I’m not affected here.”
“I have protection spells here.” Ria crosses her arms and frowns. “How did you know about the Water Artifact, and how the hell is it calling to you?”
“Watch it. She’ll kick your ass.” Dax laughs and leans against the wall. “Don’t let that little show make you think she’s not strong.”
Of course, he would speak to my fighting abilities. “I’m here to take the artifact. I have the other three artifacts, and I’ve come to get the last one.”
“That’s impossible. I’m the only one who is capable of getting close to it.” She lifts her chin up in the air and pushes out her chest. “You can’t take it. It must remain here.”
“Did you not just see what happened to her?” Charlie’s nose wrinkles. “That’s going to continue to happen if she doesn’t get it.”
“Well, I’m sorry.” She puts both of her hands on her hips and frowns. “It’s not going to happen. It must remain on our world. It’s nonnegotiable. We’ll starve otherwise. It’s what keeps our world alive.”
Oh, great. This is going to be fun. “Well, then we have a huge problem here.”
“Why is that?” She rolls her eyes. “You’re just another entitled person who thinks you can waltz in here and take it.”
“No, since I have the other three elements, the fourth one has to balance me out.” I get up and walk over to her, standing so we are eye to eye.
She stumbles back a second before she takes a deep breath and stands tall.
I take another step, getting in her personal space. “If I don’t take it and soon, I’ll implode. Which won’t be a problem for you, but how many of your people will I take with me?”
8
Ria tilts her head to the side and purses her lips. "I'm sorry, but it's worth risking the lives of a few to keep our world safe." She stares into my eyes.
"No, there has to be a way," Charlie says as he steps up next to me, desperation clear in his voice.
I place a hand on his arm and squeeze. She must be older than she looks or had to learn some hard lessons at a young age. "She's being reasonable. She's thinking of her world as a whole the same way I'm having
