The original elemental of Fire stepped across the water and approached me slowly. "How do I know you will not do the same with the power I give you? She thought to save the world. Those were the words she used to convince me then, and I was the fool for trusting her."
I kept my head bowed. "I have no such words. The world is ending."
She laughed and the sound cut through the air. "Then I should just let you die, if the world is ending anyway."
I did lift my head then. "You were fooled by Viv. As was I. As were all your siblings."
Her body tensed and the color of her eyes flared hotter. "My siblings were taken as well?"
I nodded. "I seek to free you all. To stop Viv. Because it is not the world she seeks to save. She seeks only her own throne, power over the humans."
Her eyes flickered, softening to a pale yellow. "The humans should be ruled."
Shit, I hadn't expected that.
I drew a breath. "I want to save my sister. I want to stop Viv. I can only do that if you are free. Take the wounds from me, and tell me where you are being kept. I will find and free you."
She stood in front of me now, her eyes hard on me.
"Call me by my name and I will give you the power you seek. Because I see in your heart you are not like Viv." She reached out and touched my shoulder where the branding of the lava whip had begun. A tingle slid through my skin.
"I do not want your power," I whispered. "I want only to free you."
She bent at the knees so we were face to face. "And that is why you are the perfect one to get the last of my power, and my life, too, little Terraling. You do not seek it."
"Your life? I don't want you to die." I stared at her in growing horror.
She smiled. "My life has not been much of a life for many, many years. If you freed me, I believe my fear of Vivica would be too great to truly face her. You, on the other hand … you have the courage to see this through."
We stared at one another, the seconds passing by.
"What about all the Salamanders, won't they die if you die?"
She gave me a wink. "Trust me that they will live. While I am their progenitor that does not mean they need me to keep living, because my life will be wrapped with yours."
"And if I die?"
She smiled. "Set the power free."
A shudder went through me. "You truly will not allow me to free you?"
"This will free me, Larkspur. This moment my body will die, and I will be free to rest in my mother's arms at last."
I closed my eyes, thinking how it would be to have my own mother hold me once more. I nodded. "Olivisha. Ollie to Talan."
She smiled softly. "Yes, my name is Olivisha."
I blinked up at her, feeling the need to be formal. "Olivisha, will you allow me to be a guardian of the flame for a little while?"
"Take it, and save your sister, your cat, and our world, Larkspur. Your heart is transparent and I see no malice in you despite carrying Spirit. The power I give you will rival that within the stone, for I give you my life. Vivica should have never released my flame on the Spiral, it will be her undoing."
She bent and kissed me on the forehead before I could ask her what she meant with that last line.
Power and heat flowed through me, lighting me from the inside, filling the dark places with brilliant flames and heat that was no longer foreign to me. Names floated through my skull, names of those siblings still lost.
Realm, child of the water, and Matarrah, child of the air.
Their names and the burning in me that was Olivisha's life, and now mine, swirled through me with so much strength, I knew without a doubt I held more power in Fire than Earth now.
And that terrified me.
Fear is a powerful tool, Olivisha's voice floated through me, it will keep you from being frivolous with the power I've given you. Use it wisely, child of the earth.
I blinked once, sand brushing away from my cheeks. I was lying on my face in the sand.
Bella's screams echoed in my ears. I gasped and sat up, flung my hand out and watched as lines of red raced to my fingertips. Calm was the only thought I had. To calm the flames, to bring them into check. They were not needed here.
They died down wherever I looked and I drew them into me, drew their power into my body. It was like feeding a starving bear. The more I took, the better the flames obeyed and the more strength I held. The room cleared and Bella stumbled out of the water, sodden and singed, but otherwise unharmed. I caught her in my arms and held her tightly.
I looked to my side, my thoughts on Peta even as I held Bella. There my cat stood, staring up at me with those jewel-bright green eyes, her body healed as though she were never burned, never on the steps of death's door. "Olivisha, is she really … gone?" Peta looked around, as if she would indeed see the original Salamander still standing there with us.