Sealed by Fire

Chapter 2

2

Morning had come much too quickly, especially as Tara’s mind began piecing back all the things that had led up to her current situation. She was in a mountain that housed a school for humans who had been given the elemental power over earth. Elias, her soul mate, had professed his love for her and promised he would never leave her. Her best friend, Shelly, had been tossed into hell, and Tara was powerless to do anything to help. And today she would be meeting the headmasters and headmistresses of the other elemental academies to discuss the fact that dark elementals were trying to take over the world. Going back to bed and letting the oblivion of sleep take her was seriously sounding like a fantastic idea. But she knew that wasn’t an option. Tara wasn’t one to shrink away when things got hard, so she would face this head-on.

“You ready?” Elias asked from the doorway of the room they’d slept in. He’d gotten up sometime before her and left a note that he was going to take a shower and would be back. While he’d been gone, Tara had found a pair of jeans, a shirt, undergarments with the tags still on them, and socks and shoes in her size in the bathroom. She’d moved in a zombie-like state, going through the motions of getting ready for the day even though she had no idea what she was going to face.

“Yes,” she said and swallowed down the remnant of trepidation she’d felt over the secrets Elias had kept from her. 

Tara hadn’t wanted to trust Zuri, Jax, or even Elias, for that matter, after hearing they’d all known what had happened to her parents and hadn’t told her. It didn't matter that they weren’t involved. For so long she had wondered about her parent’s deaths … when all these strangers had known. But there was no point in holding a grudge. It wouldn’t solve anything, and she understood that Elias couldn’t have just blurted everything out when they’d met. She’d have thought he was crazy.

“C’mon Tara.” Elias took her hand and tugged her through the door and out into the hall. Her awe of the fact that she was in a mountain that was an … academy hadn’t diminished in any way. Tara had never given any thought to what a magical academy for elementalists would look like. Because she’d never thought such a thing existed. But if she had, she probably wouldn’t have pictured it built into a gigantic snowcapped mountain. They walked down the corridor and turned left when they reached its end, instead of right, which would have led to the massive room with the waterfall.

The corridor ended at another set of double doors, which appeared to be made of solid stone. As Elias and Tara approached them, the giant stone doors slowly opened. Eventually, they revealed a cavernous room. Iterra and her mate, Terrick, stood amongst Zuri, Jax, and Professor Fernis, along with several other people Tara didn’t recognize … and they, even the headmaster and headmistress, all dropped to one knee. 

“It’s okay,” Elias murmured next to her.

“What’s oka—” Tara’s words abruptly caught in her throat when she saw what could only be described as a miniature tornado appear directly in the stone wall across from her and then blow itself into the room. The cyclone came through the wall and rotated in one spot, thunder and lightning booming within. Despite the rotation of the raging winds, Tara couldn’t detect the slightest breeze in the room. Eventually, the whirlwind dissipated, leaving a woman standing in the spot where it had been.

The woman’s gown appeared to have been pieced together in long, flowing strips, and they still blew gently as if she were standing out in a gentle breeze. Her hair was as white as snow and moved as if it had a life of its own. Her porcelain skin was flawless, and her eyes were the palest blue Tara ever seen.

But Tara didn't have time to study the woman further. No sooner had the cyclone disappeared then the wall to Tara’s left began to shimmer like asphalt in the desert. Soon, the stones appeared to glow red hot. They continued to glow until they appeared as a wall of red hot lava. Then a burning man stepped through the wall.

As soon as the man’s feet touched the ground, the wall behind him began to return to its previous state of cool, polished stone.  Slowly, the flames enveloping the man receded, and gradually they absorbed into his body, leaving a devilishly handsome man with a smile that would cause a nun to renounce her vows. His hair was black as pitch, his eyes red with a spark of flame that danced within them. His lips were thin and created to tempt. 

Elias growled and shifted his body so Tara couldn’t see the darkly handsome male. He needn’t have bothered because Tara’s gaze was drawn to the wall on her right, which had just transformed into a cascading waterfall. Stepping through the spray came a being made entirely of water. Like the first being, it had the appearance of a woman. It paused and looked around. Much like the flames engulfing the man had receded, the water within the newcomer appeared to evaporate, leaving a woman with the appearance of flesh and blood. She had striking blue hair that rippled like a gentle stream flowing over pebbles. Her skin was pale and showed a distinct aquamarine tint.

Tara jumped as the room began to rumble. She spun in place and saw vines rapidly growing through the wall behind her. They started as small shoots emerging through the cracks in the stone and sprouted vivid green leaves as they grew. But soon they were as large as a man’s arm, and the entire wall was covered in dense foliage. The vines parted like a curtain, and a woman strode confidently into the room. 

The woman was tall with skin the color of rich chocolate. Her long dark hair hung in dreads that had vines and leaves woven into them. Her eyes were the color of green moss and held a warmth Tara could feel in her chest. The woman wore a dress made of shiny leaves that constantly changed color from green, to gold, to red, to orange, and back again. As the woman shifted, Tara noticed that her skin wasn’t just smooth brown but was actually composed of very light brown swirls that Tara realized were actually living vines themselves. 

“Are these people who I think they are?” Tara whispered to Elias.

It was Liam who answered as he dropped to a knee. “These are the Royal Elementals. Well, half of them.”       

Aston was next to kneel and then Elias took her hand and gently pulled her down as he lowered to the ground.

Tara couldn’t take her eyes from the four elementals. She was probably supposed to bow her head or lower her eyes or something, but all she could do was stare.

“You must be new,” said the man who had been made of fire. He looked directly at Tara.

Tara’s mouth dropped open, but she had no idea what to say so she snapped it closed again.

“You’re a pretty little thing,” he said. His smile grew a tad more wicked, and the flames in his eyes appeared to spark. It seemed to Tara that she saw in his eyes a raging inferno, and the man was having trouble controlling it.

Elias tensed next to her.

“Come now, Aviur,” a female voice chided. Tara glanced toward the voice and saw that it was the dark-skinned woman adorned in the leaf dress.  “Do not provoke her mate just because you’re bored. Introduce yourself and be done.”

Aviur bowed his head slightly as he looked at her. “Forgive me. It is rude of me to tease your male. He is so very protective of you. I am Aviur, the Pharaoh of flames, baron of blazes, sultan of sparks, and the king of all fire elementals and human elementalists.”

“He also has a tendency toward self-aggrandization,” said the woman in the leaf dress. 

Tara cleared her throat and forced herself to speak. “Nice to meet you?” It came out as a question.

“And you are?” Aviur asked.

“Tara, just a … just a human.”

“Please, everyone, stand,” the leaf woman spoke again.

As everyone stood, the woman looked at Tara. “Tara, I am Dhara, the empress of earth, the light queen of all earth elementals and human elementalists, and the sponsor of Terra Academy.” Dhara walked toward Tara. The leaves of Dhara’s dress rustled, and the vines in her hair shifted as if they were alive. When the queen was standing a foot away from Tara, she reached out her hand and took the hand Elias wasn’t holding. 

Tara felt warmth radiating up her arm as the deep green eyes stared into hers. “I am so sorry for your loss,” the earth queen said. “I would have much rather you not be here and instead be with your family. But they were ripped away from you by my sister. She has given herself to the darkness.”

Tara squeezed Dhara’s hand gently. “And I am sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine how it must hurt to have your sister as your enemy.”

The earth queen gave a single nod as she squeezed Tara’s hand in return and then released it. “It is hard. Unfortunately, so much time has passed that I do not remember a time when she wasn’t my adversary.”

Dhara walked toward the woman with the porcelin skin. “Now, let us finish the introductions. You’ve met Aviur.” She motioned to the fire king. “Now I shall introduce you to Nasima, empress of air.”

The air queen held out her hand, and Tara felt something wrap around her waist. Suddenly she was being pulled forward. Her feet slid uselessly across the floor until she was in front of Nasima. Tara didn’t have to turn around to know that Elias was standing directly behind her.

“Your soul bonded is safe here, Elias,” Dhara said gently.

“All the same, your majesty, I can’t protect her if I’m across the room,” Elias said in a deep voice that made goosebumps erupt on Tara’s skin.

“He is fine,” Nasima said in a voice that reminded Tara of the sound of wind chimes. “Welcome to Terra Academy. I have to wonder if your name is a coincidence or a warning to our enemies.”

Tara frowned. “A warning?” 

The pale eyes sharpened as Nasima tilted her head slightly. “Names are powerful, Tara Thompson. Just because humans no longer acknowledge that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. You have a name that derives itself from a word that means earth. You are an earth elementalist and,” she added pointedly, “you are soul bonded. I don’t think any of that is mere happenstance.” Then the air queen turned her attention to Tara’s right. “Aston, your knowledge and power have grown since I saw you last.”

Tara turned her head to look back at the air elementalist. He was blushing, which gave his handsome good looks a boyish appearance. 

“It would be alarming if I was less intelligent each time we met, your majesty,” Aston said and, though he didn’t glance away, his blush did spread a bit.

Nasima made a tinkling sound, and Tara realized she was laughing.

“You are correct. It would be most alarming.”

Dhara moved over to the last elemental, the one who had a dress made of flowing water and aquamarine skin. “And this is Kairi, the warden of water and queen over all water elementals and human elementalists.”

Kairi held out her hand and Tara took it. Immediately the girl felt the soft flow of liquid on her skin, but when she pulled away, her hand was completely dry. 

“As much as we regret that you are here because of your circumstances,” Queen Kairi said, “we are very honored to have you join us in our battle.”

“Thank you,” Tara said, though she didn’t really know if she felt thankful or not. Overwhelmed? Definitely.

Tara felt Elias once again take her hand and pull her back until they were across the room from the elemental king and queens, standing next to Aston and Liam. 

“Now,” Dhara said, “introductions have been made. Before you tell us why you have called us all together, we have news that each of us discovered this morning,” she said as she looked at Terrick and Iterra.

“Why do I have the feeling that you’re about to tell us the sky is falling?” Liam asked.

“Because, essentially, it is. Our mates are missing,” Dhara said. 

There was a stunned silence in the room that caused Tara’s stomach to drop to her feet. She didn’t really understand this world she’d been thrown into, but just from the brief introduction of the royal elementals before her, she thought it seemed impossible that something could have happened to such powerful beings. 

“How did they go missing?” Terrick asked.

“We’ve been taking turns hunting the royal dark elementals,” Aviur answered. “For the safety of each of our realms, one royal stays behind when the other is in the human realm. It was our mates’ turn to hunt. They were to be back yesterday, but they have not returned.”

“Do you think a dark elemental has captured them?” Iterra asked.

“Unlikely,” Dhara replied. “A dark elemental could not hold four royal light elementals captive, at least not one alone. Perhaps, if several of the most powerful dark elementals combined their power…”

“What about someone else? Who, other than the dark elementals, would want to capture them?” Zuri asked.

“Osiris?” Jax offered when none of the royals answered.

Dhara shook her head as her brow drew low. “Osiris deals in human souls. He has no reason to come after us.”

“That you know of,” Zuri added. “Never discount the ruler of hell. Light elementals steal souls from him every time you take a human into one of your academies.”

“She has a point,” Kairi, the water queen, said. “Just because he’s never seemed to be bothered by it before doesn’t mean he hasn’t decided to be bitter about it now.”

“Regardless,” Dhara said as she looked at Terrick, “it is a matter we are dealing with, but you need to be aware that it will affect our power. Now, why is it you have called us?”

“Pardon,” Aviur said. “Before we get started, I can’t help but notice that we have students from each of the academies except Crimson.” His voice dropped even deeper, almost threatening, as he asked, “Why?”

“Ra, the fire elementalist who accompanied the scouting group and would have been your representative, has gone into the Underworld.”

Elias leaned down and pressed his mouth close to Tara’s ear. “That’s Jeremiah, the Crimson Academy headmaster, and the woman next to him is Talia, his mate and headmistress.”

“Ahh,” Tara mouthed silently and nodded. Her mind was still reeling over the fact that, apparently, some very powerful royal elementals were missing. It was nice that Elias wanted to make sure she knew who all the players were in the room, but there was no way she’d remember even half of them.

The fire king elemental did not look thrilled at the information. “You sent a student into the underworld?”

“Not just any student,” Jeremiah said. “Ra has certain protections in the underworld that even other fire elementals don’t have.”

Aviur seemed to consider this and then said, “I am familiar with his ancestors. But why was he sent into the Underworld?”

“He was not sent,” replied the headmaster. “He chose to go. Would not be dissuaded, in fact.”

“And why would he do this?”

“To save my best friend,” Tara spoke up. Elias’s hand tightened on hers. She figured it was some sort of warning, but if the fire king could help save Shelly then she wasn’t about to stay silent, not even out of fear.

Aviur’s attention turned to her, those eyes filled with flames burning into hers. She forced herself to stay still and not take a step back. Predators like to chase things that run from them. At least that was what the Discovery Channel said. 

“And is your best friend attuned to the elements?” he asked.

Tara shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

“So, how did a mere human come to be in the Underworld?”

Before Tara could answer, Jax spoke up. He quickly explained what had happened to Tara over the past few weeks. Tara was glad to no longer have the intense gaze of the fire king upon her. 

“It seems our dark elementals are quite busy these days,” Aviur murmured as he glanced at Dhara.  “Tossing humans into hell. Possibly abducting our mates. Maybe they are weary of being alive and wish us to put them out of their misery.”

A woman dressed in blue silken robes said, “Now that we know why there is a missing student from Crimson Academy, can we please hear the full report of what was discovered during the scouting?” 

“That is Serena, headmistress of Hydro Academy, and her mate and headmaster next to her, Marcus,” Elias said and then quickly continued. “And the two next to them are the headmaster and mistress of Tempest Academy, Callum and Ellena.”

“Got it,” Tara whispered, though she totally didn’t have it. 

“Professor Fernis of Crimson Academy, Professor Warren of Hydro Academy, and Professor Hart of Tempest Academy accompanied me and four students on this mission,” Jax said. “Our goal was to determine if other dark acolytes were working together as they were doing in Buffalo, Kentucky, where Tara lived.”

“And what did you discover?” Talia, the Crimson Academy headmistress, asked. 

“We traveled to twenty-five different countries and observed over a hundred Marks,” Jax answered. “We checked the Marks of every academy. Every single one of them was being shadowed by more than one dark acolyte of different elements.” A quiet muttering came from the group, including several muted curses. 

“Did you engage any?” Marcus, the Hydro Academy headmaster, asked.

“Not the acolytes themselves,” Jax answered. “However, a dark water elemental and a dark earth elemental decided they didn’t like us hanging around.”

“I trust they were dispatched without impunity,” said Jeremiah.

Jax ground his teeth.

“We weren’t able to finish them,” Liam answered for the instructor, his voice evidencing his disappointment. “But we injured them enough that they ran off with their tails tucked between their legs.”

“This is truly a troubling development. What do you think has brought about this change in behavior from the dark ones?” Jeremiah asked.

Dhara stepped forward, her dress rustling as she walked. “I suspect I know the answer to that question.” All heads turned in her direction. “These two.” The earth goddess pointed at Tara and Elias.

Tara was shaking her head as if she had a freaking clue what she was objecting to. She didn’t. But she did know she wasn’t the answer to anything, anywhere, ever.

“How so?” Nasima asked in her windchime voice.

“It has been a very long time since there has been a soul bond between elementalists,” Dhara stated. “In fact, it has been ages since I even thought of them or wondered what happened to them. Even now, trying to think of all that the soul bonded entails feels hazy in my mind.”

“Mine as well,” Aviur agreed.

The other headmasters and mistresses nodded in agreement.

“I have felt the same way since Jax told me of Elias and Tara,” Terrick said.

Jax spoke up. “When I realized that something was happening to Elias when he met Tara, I did some digging. Master Alaric was kind enough to help me with some of our history.”

“You actually got the old man to come out of hiding?” Marcus, the headmaster of Hydro Academy, asked with a small smile.

Jax’s jaw clenched as he spoke. “It seemed difficult for him to answer my questions, but he gave me part of a scroll that had been partially destroyed. He also told me how the scroll had been damaged.” Jax pulled a folded piece of parchment from a pocket of his cargo pants. 

“Wait, before you begin,” Terrick said, “give me just a minute.” The headmaster opened a portal in the stone wall as if it were as easy as breathing and stepped through. A minute later, he walked back through with a man by his side.

“This could not  have waited until after I finished breaking my fast?” The man grumbled. The man looked to be middle-aged, but something about him spoke of the wisdom of accumulated years. He had a small amount of grey hair at his temples, but the rest of his hair was sandy brown. His chiseled face showed a few lines, and his eyes crinkled a tad at the corners. 

“I wouldn’t have bothered you, Master Alaric, if it weren’t of the utmost importance,” Terrick said.

When Alaric finally looked up from brushing off his long robes, his eyes widened and he bowed low. “Your majesties,” he said, the grumpiness of his tone replaced with respect.

“Hello, Master Alaric. I feel we have much to discuss and suspect there is much you need to reveal to us,”  Dhara said, though not unkindly.

Alaric straightened and glanced at Jax. “You told them?”

“I was just about to,” he answered. “Maybe you should go ahead and tell us all that you know.”

Alaric’s face paled, and his hands began to fidget with the sides of his blue robes. “What I shared with you was already more than I should have,” he said. 

Jax frowned. “You didn’t share much, Master. You simply told me some Natura Venatori students who had joined the dark acolytes destroyed some of the scrolls. You were able to stop them from taking out all of the archives.”

Tara took a step closer to Elias when she felt an unseen energy in the room begin to crackle. She glanced at the elemental kings and queens and saw their expressions change. Aviur’s jaw was clenched and his brow drawn low. The flames in his eyes intensified. Nasima appeared to tense, keeping her posture rigid and her lips pursed. Dhara and Kairi leaned toward the master, with their arms folded across their chests. Kairi’s eyes widened a bit, and Tara noticed her foot tapping restlessly on the floor.

“Please explain what you mean by that,” Dhara said.

“I made a deal with the attackers. I was sworn to secrecy. My silence was purchased with an elemental oath. In exchange, the attackers agreed to leave the rest of the archives untouched,” Alaric said through trembling lips. It appeared to take all of his effort to get the words out. 

“Only an elemental could have performed such an oath,” Aviur growled.

“It was, though I didn’t recognize the dark elemental who performed the spell,” Alaric said.

Dhara stepped closer to Master Alaric and placed a hand on his shoulder. Her words were soft, but still loud enough for Tara to hear. “How long ago did this happen?”

Alaric looked at the earth queen, and the anguish in his eyes made Tara’s throat constrict. “Three centuries, your majesty.”

“And that was about the time you retired and went into seclusion, right? I assume that wasn’t a coincidence.”

He nodded. 

“You broke the elemental oath and told me about the damaged scrolls and turned Natura Venatori,” Jax said. “That’s no mean feat, Alaric. It must have cost you dearly.”

“That’s not important,” Alaric brushed him off. “I should have said something long ago. It was foolish of me to remain silent.”

“The cost, old one,” Nasima said, her voice making it clear she would settle for nothing less than the truth. “What price did you have to pay to provide Jax the information?”

“A piece of my soul for every piece of information given,” he gritted out.

A silence fell over the room that seemed to suck out all the oxygen.  Tara clamped her lips closed to keep from blurting out the questions bombarding her mind. Like, why were souls so important? What did it matter if you were missing a few pieces? What was going to happen to Alaric? Was he going to turn into an evil, soulless wraith? As the tension in the room increased, it just reaffirmed her decision to keep her trap shut, at least until she could ask Elias.

“Your soul is a high price to pay,” Dhara said. “No one can judge you for your choice because they do not know what choice they would have made if they had been in your place.”

“I am curious as to why you gave Jax the information now. What changed?” Aviur asked. 

“The spell seems to be weakening,” Alaric answered. “When it was cast, I wouldn’t have been able to even open my mouth to utter a sound in answer to his questions. It would have ripped me in two. Now, I felt the tear in my soul, but the piece that was lost was small.”

“The size does not matter,” Kairi said. “Every part of your soul is precious, just as the soul in every being is precious.”

“I will bear the cost of your oath,” Dhara said, her hand still on Alaric’s shoulder. 

“No,” Alaric said, shaking his head frantically. “I cannot let you do that, my queen. The cost—”

“Will be some weakness for a time on my part,” Dhara finished for him. “But not my soul.”

“Is that wise, considering your consort is missing?” Iterra asked gently. “Each of your powers is tied to your mates.”

“We have not begun to feel the effects of their absence as of yet,” Aviur offered. “That is how we know they are still alive and somewhere in the human realm.”

“I can handle the consequences,” Dhara said with a strength that Tara seriously admired. The queen appeared fearless, despite the fact that her mate was missing and she was about to absorb some nasty, evil spell into her body. 

“We will protect you and yours while you endure this spell,” Nasima said. 

“Are you sure, Nasima?” Dhara asked.

“It has been too long since the light elementals have worked together,” the wind elemental replied. “We only recently started hunting together, and it obviously weakened us. I don’t believe our mates could have been taken if we’d been using our powers together all along.”

“Three hundred years, to be exact,” Alaric told her. “If Dhara takes my oath, then the truth of that night will become known to her. But if she shares it with us, she will be even weaker.”

“It is a price I’m willing to pay. We cannot move forward with a positive future if we do not know our past.” Dhara looked at the three other elementals. Her green eyes were full of determination and conviction as she addressed them. “Can I count on each of you to do whatever I am unable to do for all those under my care?” 

Each stepped forward.

“I give you my word by the power of my element. I will protect all that is yours,” Nasima said and bowed her head.

Aviur spoke next. “I, too, give my word by the power of my element. I will protect all that is yours.”

“I give you my word by the power of my element. I will protect all that is yours,” Kairi said and then added, “It is with one accord that we make this oath with you.” She held out her hand, and a ball of water suddenly appeared. “If we should willingly choose to disregard our oath, may we be stripped of our power.”

Aviur lifted his hand producing a flame, and Nasima opened her hand revealing a tiny tornado whirling round and round. They each held their hands out until the tips of their fingers touched and then began to chant in a language Tara had never heard. The three elements suddenly joined together creating a swirling ball of fire, wind, and water and then exploded in a shower of sparks. 

“It is done,” Kairi said.

Dhara turned to Alaric and placed her hand over his heart. Her palm began to glow as she spoke softly, again in a language Tara didn’t recognize. Alaric’s features pinched as the light grew brighter and the words flowed faster from the earth queen’s mouth. Suddenly the light began to move up her arm in swirling designs. They looked to Tara as if they might be letters of some ancient language. 

As soon as Dhara stopped speaking, the light dissipated and the writing on her arms vanished.  She stumbled back but caught herself before anyone could steady her. “I’m okay,” she said, holding up her hand. 

“I wish you would not have done that, Queen Dhara,” Alaric said in a sad voice. “I owe you a debt. I will help right this wrong.”

“You owe nothing,” Dhara said, shaking her head. “You bore this burden for centuries. I took it willingly. But your help will be needed and appreciated. Now…” She paused as she steepled her fingers under her chin. Her eyes roamed around the room as if searching for something. If she was somehow any weaker, Tara couldn’t see it. “Now it is time to see what was stolen from us.” Dhara closed her eyes and appeared to focus inward. The earth queen did not acknowledge any sound or movement from the room. 

“What’s going on?” Tara whispered to Elias.

Kairi must have overheard the question. “She is reliving what happened to Alaric all those centuries ago. Once all the knowledge of that night is revealed she will share it with us. Then we will know how to proceed.”

Tara nodded. “So we wait, basically.”

The water elemental queen smiled, and humor was in her eyes. “Yes, child. We wait.”