Destroyer (The Elemental Series #7)(34)

Talan put both hands to his head. "This is not how things were supposed to go."

Peta laughed softly, but there wasn't a single mean note in it. "Ah, Talan, still trying to control everything? You may be older than me, but it is a lesson you have yet to learn. The world will bring you trouble in all forms. And you cannot always predict it."

He ran a hand over her back and a sigh slid from him. "Damn it. Why are you always right?"

She grinned over her shoulder at him as she trotted back to me. "I'm a cat."

I held out my hand and she leapt into my arms and from there moved to my shoulder. "What are we waiting for?"

Raven cleared his throat. "We might have a direction, but we still have to find Viv."

"Oh, that's easy. She's with your mother, Raven. Cassava helped her. We find Cassava and we find Viv." I locked eyes with him, daring him to deny that Cassava was working against him. She was mad, and it was obvious she was not playing with a full deck of cards.

Raven stared back at me. "I don't think it's going to be that easy, Lark. Even if Cassava could be found, she is not herself."

My jaw tightened. "So you think we should just stay here, too, safe and tucked away while the original elementals are killed? What happens when that happens? The elemental bloodlines fail and we will die. I will not die like a rat hiding in a cave."

The words echoed in the room in a strange way, almost like they were whispering back to me the answer. Yes, you will all die if the original elementals die.

"No, that's not what I want!" Raven snapped back.

All the blood in my body seemed to still as if I'd been dunked into a frozen lake and left there. "Talan, is that what will happen?"

He drew in a big breath, held it and then slowly let it out. "I don't know. Possibly. It's not like there are cases where the others have been killed before, you know."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's not true. My mother was your sibling, and she died. Both Bramley and I lived. Perhaps that is a good sign that the bloodlines can continue on?"

He shook his head. "Your mother …  she did not carry an original element like the rest of us so it's not the same kind of comparison."



       
         
       
        

That wasn't exactly a comforting thought. The more I mulled it over, the more upset I became until I was pacing the room. "This is only more reason to leave. Why are we still standing here?"

"Because we can't find them!" he roared at me. "There is no way to track them. There is no way to track Cassava!"

"You aren't even going to try?" The horror was heavy in my voice. I didn't understand the ability to walk away, to act as though there was nothing we could do. To give up before we'd even tried.

"And do what? Have Viv realize I am training you to take her down? Have her realize that we are after her? She has the stones, Lark. What do you think she will do to this world if she feels threatened? The curse is nearly broken. One more stone and she will be able to attack anyone." Talan was right in front of me, his hands gripping my upper arms. "She will cause havoc and chaos out of spite. With four of the stones, she can do that and not upset the curse. As long as she isn't actively trying to kill an elemental, she can't be stopped."

The intricacies of the curse were not lost on me. "I won't just stand by and let her do this, Talan. And we don't know she has the pink diamond." The only stone I hadn't carried with me.

"You can't leave without me," he said, his eyes flashing anger.

I leaned into him. "Then I suggest you pack, because we have to go, now!"

He let out a snarl and spun away from me. "I am trying to help you, damn it!"

"And I am trying to save your siblings!" I yelled back.

There was silence between us and I knew in my gut he wouldn't back down. Talan believed I had to be trained or I would fail. To be fair, I understood. But he wasn't looking at my life.

I'd never been fully trained for any of the challenges I'd faced. I'd seen them, taken what knowledge I could, and ran at them full tilt.

Looked like I was back to leaping before I looked.

I drew myself up. "Raven, do you know the way out?" I didn't look at my brother, but kept my eyes on the elemental in front of me. Did I need his training? Probably, and even more honestly, yes. But the idea that Vivica was out there, ready to kill those we needed the most, was not an acceptable path to me.

"Yes, I can get out of here," Raven said softly.

"Don't you dare," Talan snapped, and it was only then I saw the sheer weight on him. I saw the fear and the uncertainty. I saw the desire to help no matter the cost and I softened a little. I couldn't help it.