Earth(100)

"Whoa…" As soon as I had a sure hold, I kipped my body up, settling the bar underneath my armpits. "That's better."

I peeked up and over the coat. I caught one glimpse of the guard on top of the tower. He was scratching his head. I smiled. At least it'll give him something to talk about.

I followed the river. Wind gusts were a little more predictable above it, with trees blocking either side.

The flight was short, compared to any other option. Ten minutes later I veered toward the only large group of Elementals I could find on the open plain. Access roads created a large, misshaped circle. I released some of the air, beginning my decent. I aimed for the Elementals.

My landing was not graceful, which was unfortunate because I had an audience. I let the end of the trench coat drag. It got tangled up in my feet just as the ground rushed up to meet me. I rolled, involuntarily. My backside seemed to find every rock jutting out of the hard, frozen ground.

I came to a stop and detangled myself from the mass of leather. Several pairs of eyes stared at me. I covered the distance, crossing a slab of concrete. It was cracked, with weeds pushing up through the gaps. As far as I could tell in the dark, there was nothing else around us, except for some sort of access door, antennas, and masts. I wrinkled my nose; it smelled like a farm.

Natasha stepped forward.

"Is Micah in there?" I asked as I glanced around at the doors.

She didn’t respond.

My eyes went back to her. "Well?"

"He was but…they took him," she said.

"Who took him? And where?" I wanted to stomp my foot.

"Look there." She pointed to the double doors.

I walked around the group. In red spray paint, taking up almost the entire height of the door, was Shawn's mark. My scar began to itch while my blood ran cold.

"One Less," I whispered. "Was Shawn here?"

Natasha stepped up behind me, shaking her head. "No. But there were a lot of Fires."

Someone else piped up from the back of the group, "We are just a bunch of Earths. Rock doesn't stand a chance against fire."

I pressed my lips together.

These people weren't at the dogfight.

"Which way did they go? I didn't see them on my way here." Of course I was further north, following the river.

"Horseback. There are a few more horses, if you want one." She glanced at the crumpled leather jacket, and the bar hanging from my hands.

Hoofs and the sound of heavy breathing confirmed it. A few sideways steps showed a pen of horses. One ran in a circle; another threw up his front legs, kicking as if to ward me off. "No thanks, I'll take my chances with the…" I held up the leather. "…jacket."

"Wait," Natasha said, "you'll need help."

"I need help? There will be four times the amount of Fires than what were just here. What are your Earths going to do then?"

"That's not what I meant." Natasha crossed her arms, furrowing her eyebrows.

I stopped fiddling with the iron rod and jacket.

She took a deep breath. "Micah mentioned something about The Seven Chakras. We can help you access them."





Chapter 61





Prisoners





Shawn urged his horse through the mass of dead cars on 6th Avenue. He refrained from guiding the steed into a full gallop; it was still dark, and plenty of debris cluttered the way. Shawn looked over his shoulder. David was struggling to even stay on his horse.

Shawn growled, "Take everyone who has fallen behind and dig in there." Shawn pointed to a large sign signaling the entrance to a fairground. "If anyone else shows up, stop them."

Shawn angled his horse for the onramp of the interstate. Those still with him were much faster, keeping a tight column. They merged with another group on horseback.

"Whoa!" shouted the Fire, who had replaced David at Shawn's side. "It's a patrol."

Shawn reigned in his horse, signaling for the others to stop. He surveyed the patrol group. Several had minor injuries; bandages over their head or blossoming bruises. "What did you find?" Shawn asked.

"This, sir…" he motioned with his hand and the group split, allowing a few riders from the back forward. Each rider held a prisoner, bound and gagged, thrown across the back of the horse.

Shawn swung his leg around, jumping off his own horse. Three prisoners in all, a man and two women. He went to the women first, not bothering to remove their blindfolds, and checked each of their shoulders. He let out a disappointed sigh at the last one.

That would've been too easy, he thought.

He walked past the man, preparing to climb back into the saddle when something out of the corner of his eye stopped him.

Shawn walked back around, glancing at the prisoner's feet. I know those boots.