Alex nodded, his eyes fixed on the storm. “I do, but I don’t understand why you’re telling me this or, indeed, why I’m here. If you’re seeking to control this storm, there are many Elementals more experienced and powerful than me.”
“This is not the time for modesty, Mr. Cairns. There might be Elementals more experienced than you, but it has been clear to the Council for some time now that you are the most powerfully Gifted Elemental seen for many generations. And more importantly, your brother tells me that you have equal affinity to all four Elements—a rare trait amongst Elementals.
“As you know, even Elementals are almost always more aligned to one Element over the others. I alone amongst the Council hold an affinity for the Air Element. I have taken my stand against the storm, but it bested me. It might have been started by the Gifted, but natural wind currents have fed it until it grew to be the monstrous thing you see now.”
She sighed and turned to Alex, the exhaustion now clearly visible on her face. “If what your brother says is true, and you hold equal mastery over all four Elements, then you might succeed where I could not.
Her voice dropped to barely a whisper, and Allyra strained to hear her. “I’m sorry to ask this of you. It pains me that I am unable to perform the duty I have been entrusted with, that I have to ask another to my place and risk their life. I know that this is not your responsibility, and I will understand if you say no.”
Alex smiled stoically, and Allyra knew—she knew—what he was going to do.
“The Source entrusted me with this Gift, and therefore, it is my responsibility.”
“Your brother Thomas has many good things to say about you. I see now that he has not been exaggerating.” For a second, it seemed as if she wanted to say more, but in the end, she simply inclined her head at Alex, making her way back to the Atmospheric College, leaving Alex to prepare himself.
He turned to face the storm, his expression grim, his focus and concentration gathered for the task ahead.
“Alex,” Allyra whispered, her heart pounding in her chest, worry surging through her thoughts. Even though she knew he would survive this, she didn’t know at what cost. “She doesn’t think you can do this.”
“No,” he replied simply. “High Master Laurent is a powerful Elemental, and her grasp over the Air Element is legendary. If she couldn’t master this storm, then it might be too much for any single person.”
“And Mandla? Where is he? Can’t he help you?”
Alex’s lips curved elegantly into a small smile. “It’s good to know that you don’t know everything about me. Mandla can’t help me, we’re not Tethered, and without joined minds, two people working on this storm might make it even more dangerous. Worse still, two people working at cross purposes might kill one of them. That’s why High Master Laurent asked me here alone.”
“So, you think this storm might kill you, there’s no one that can help you, yet you’re still going to do it?”
“Wouldn’t you trade one life for thousands?”
Silently, she nodded.
Alex quirked a half-smile though he didn’t turn toward her. “Am I going to survive this?” he asked softly, almost ironically.
But he cut her off before she could answer. “No, don’t tell me. I prefer not to know. No one should ever be burdened with their own future.”
It was words spoken by someone all too often troubled by the weight of the future.
Allyra nodded and stepped up beside him. She ached to touch him, to reassure him. But this was something he had to do alone, it was a step he had to take on the journey to becoming the Alex she’d met in the Between.
He glanced at her. “Stay with me?” he whispered.
“Always.”
Together they walked to the edge of the protection. “Stay close,” he whispered, and then, side by side, they stepped into the savage fury of the storm.
Alex created a protective bubble around them, keeping out the worst of the storm. But he was trying to conserve energy and the barrier was thin, so the howl of the wind roared around them. After the safety of the Atmospheric College disappeared behind them, Alex drew to a stop. Now completely surrounded by the storm, they were cloaked in darkness, and Allyra could barely make out Alex’s outline. He seemed to sense it.
“Don’t look with your eyes, sense with your Gift,” he shouted over the relentless roar of the wind.
Allyra closed her eyes.
“Do you see it?” Alex shouted.
Allyra nodded. The yellow threads of the Air Element were seething and writhing beyond Alex’s protection. They were tangled together, constantly moving—alive. She could see no ending or beginning, no direction, no purpose—only an endless capacity for destruction. Horror enveloped her.
“How?” she screamed, trying to make herself heard.
“A single thread at a time,” Alex replied wryly, and she felt him reach out with his Gift.
He took hold of a single thread, its energy flashing out in spurts of gold. Slowly he pulled on it, untangling it from the writhing mass, coaxing it to release its energy. Under his patient and skillful touch, the thread dimmed and relaxed, becoming a sole point of calm within the sea of madness.
Without releasing his hold on the first thread, Alex reached for one more, and then another, and another, and on, and on. Time passed and drops of sweat formed on Alex’s brow, but he didn’t hesitate or falter. Later still, a small tremor appeared, first at the tip of
