"You need to do something about her." The woman points her finger at me and sneers. "She's going to ruin our island for us. She shouldn't have powers like that." She releases the man and heads back to her cart.
"Is the amulet not working anymore?" Charlie's tone is a whisper, and he touches my shoulder.
The power is still strumming inside me, and the Water Artifact is now affecting me once more, but it's more subtle with the amulet on. "Yeah, but not for much longer."
The ogre turns to me once again, a huge smile on his face. "You don't know how much this means to me." He pulls me into a huge embrace, and it almost feels as if my ribs are cracking.
"Hey, ease up." Dax smacks him on the back. "You're going to hurt her."
"Oh, sorry." He drops me, and there are a few tears in his eye. "I've got to get going, but thank you again." He spins on his heels and heads toward the entrance of the island.
The two spectators head off, and the sky is now dark. However, it's a shade of deep purple.
"How were you able to not boil that water? You used the other elements to fix the fan. The water should have boiled..." The merchant takes a step back almost as if she's afraid of me.
"I..." How can I even explain this? It will just freak them out more, and they appear to suspect I somehow tapped into their artifact's power. I need them to trust me, at least a little bit. The powers inside and out are beginning to ramp up in strength and claw at my skin.
"Right now, it doesn't matter." Charlie rubs the back of his neck and gets so close to me that our arms brush. "She needs to get back to Ria's and soon. Unless you both want another earthquake to happen."
"Now listen here." Tide lifts his head and clenches his jaw. "Don't threaten us."
"He's not threatening you." Dax's low tone somehow echoes against the buildings. "You saw what she was capable of earlier today. Do you really want to push this now when she's not feeling well?"
Tide lets out his breath and closes his eyes. "Fine, you three head back to Ria's before something bad happens."
"But..." The merchant shakes her head and rubs her hands together.
"It's fine, and he's right." Tide points at Dax, and his eyes focus on me. "We don't want to scare our people more than they already are."
"Come on." Charlie grins at me, but there is worry in his eyes. "Let's get back before you begin feeling worse."
Needing his touch to ground me, I wrap my arm through his. "Your touch helps."
"I'm glad." He winks at me and kisses my forehead.
"All right." Dax catches up as we turn the corner and move away from watchful eyes. "I don't know what happened back there, but you've got them freaked out."
"I didn't mean to, but that poor ogre was just trying to save his wife." They could have rectified the situation another way. "I mean they could have given him another glass container. Why did they have to try to make him buy a whole new spell?"
"Really, why couldn't he just use a container at home?" Charlie rubs his chin and purses his lips.
That's a good question and one I hadn't thought of. Did I just make an ass out of myself? But my powers were pulling me to do it.
"Well, while you both were checking out the city, I had a chance to ask Ria some questions when she was putting away her spells." Dax clears his throat and glances around. "Only the glass containers here can handle the spells. Nothing else, but yes, she could have offered him a cheaper alternative."
Why am I so upset that the people here are pretty much the same as back home?
"Well, look who the cat drug home," a deep, throaty tone that’s all too familiar calls out to us. The scent of brimstone fills the air.
A giggle echoes in my ear. "She sure does look like she was drug somewhere."
Charlie's grip tightens on my arm, but I refuse to show any hints of annoyance or anger. I turn around and find Damien and Becca leaning up against the muddy looking wall in between two doors.
Even here, the dark shadows around Damien can be seen. His arms are crossed, and a smug smile is pasted on his face. He's leaning toward Becca, who looks worse for the wear. Her blonde hair is plastered to her, and her clothes are so baggy they are almost falling off. The skin underneath her eyes is now black and saggy. It's as if she aged ten years since I saw her a few days ago.
"What are you doing here?" He sure seems to show up at the most inconvenient times. One day, I’m going to wipe that grin off his face.
"Oh, don't seem so unhappy to see us." Becca tugs up her pants before they fall. "I mean, you’ve always been so desperate to get to me before."
Not missing a beat, Dax steps in front of me. "It doesn't seem like she feels the same now."
"Come on, Chris." Charlie's tone is cold. "We don't need to waste our time talking to them."
No, I won't run away. That's what I've been trying to do all along, and look where it's gotten me. "I'll be fine another minute." My power is rising, but I'm still in control... for now.
"Listen." Charlie steps up and lifts my chin up so I'm looking straight in his eyes. "You don't have to do this now. We need you strong."
"Don't be so hasty." Damien's deep tone is smooth, but it's like nails on a chalk board. "I mean, I brought you a gift after all."
"That's bullshit." Charlie clenches his fist and pivots to the demon. "You've come here to manipulate the situation."
Dax glances between the four of us, and his eyes finally
