Earth(93)

"You have got to be kidding me," I said out loud. The ref kept his gaze on the filing cabinet in front of him.

Further behind him, I felt someone reach for air. My eyes snapped to him. He didn't have a lighter. He sent his element out, starting to distinguish each of the flames near him first. I glared – I couldn't risk the match being called. The ref was obviously corrupt.

The Air continued, flipping his around like he was using an invisible lasso. It came to an abrupt stop when Clay grabbed him at the wrist, pulling the hand down. Lighters were relit without anyone thinking twice.

My eyes went back to the ref. His flame bent inward – directly toward me. My eyes followed the circle of people around me. Individually, the tiny flickering flames didn't seem so bad. But there were dozens of them, each reaching toward me – an ominous threat. Chills raked up and down my spine.

Out of the corner of my eye, Dragon swung his arm wide. Fire responded, growing longer and longer out of the lighters. The flames circled, joining together in a swirling mass above the ring. I felt the entire atmosphere pulsate out. When it paused at its peak, I dove for a filing cabinet. With my back to the floor, I pulled the cabinet on top of me, balancing it on my feet and hands. Intense heat hit the other side of the cabinet, while flame rained down around me.

I had no idea how Dragon was shielded from his own element, but I could hear his laughter over the crackling rush. It kept coming; I supposed there wouldn't be an end until the lighters ran out of fluid – or until all the air was sucked out of the room. I couldn't use water or air to help me here. Heat crept into my unwrapped palm – I looked at the filing cabinet I held above me. The entire thing was turning red. I didn't have much longer before my skin would start sizzling away.

I bounced it up slightly, testing the weight and repositioning my hands. I looked toward Dragon. He walked toward me. Good. He was walking slowly. Bad.

He needed to be closer. A few more steps, and my hands started to burn with pain.

Palms heal fast, I told myself. Hang in there. I would only have one chance at this.

"Now you know the extent of my fire." Dragon was still laughing. "Look at you cowering under there, like an earthworm."

My arms shook. I tried holding the weight with the edge of my hands. I blew air against my exposed palm, cooling it off. The bandaged hand would last a little longer. A few thin pieces of material made all the difference.

Dragon paused a few feet away. Still too far, just by a bit.

"By the time I'm done with you, you'll look like an earthworm that was left to shrivel up in the sun."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I get it. I'm a worm. Come here!"

"Was that the worm talking?" He leaned in closer, cocking his head and putting his hand to his ear.

That'll do.

I bent my limbs, then pushed all four of them up and out. As soon as my makeshift shield left me, I cowered – covering my head against the falling flame. I didn't see the filing cabinet hit him, but I heard it. The fire stopped all at once, and I peeked out. Dragon stumbled back, eyes dazed.

"Your hair!" someone squeaked behind me.

I rolled automatically. Even the once cool, concrete floor was too hot. I stood, checking my hair. Singed at the back. My shoulders were hot, but not enough to blister. The newly healed tattoos stung just a bit more; same with Shawn's mark.

I waited for Dragon to gain his balance, and to stop seeing stars. When his eyes finally focused back on me, I smiled. "My turn."

I sent energy straight into the Earth below us. I kept a tight rein on it, forcing it to circle. The entire room shook in response. The crowd gasped; a few near the doors bailed. Dragon was tight-lipped.

The filing cabinets bumped up. One after another, following the circle around. Just tiny hops, pushed up by the ground underneath. One near Dragon had enough momentum to fall over. Still hot from his fire, it singed his calf. He jumped away, then looked at me, wide-eyed.

I shrugged. "You play with fire and…well, you know the rest."

He turned to the crowd. "Light them!"

No one responded. Instead, they all looked at each other, shifting on their feet, scratching their necks.

"Light them, or I will strangle each and every one of you!" Dragon shouted. He kept a wary eye on me.

I put my hands in the air, signaling for him to proceed. My eyes scanned the room, locating the majority of the sand bags. This was going to be tricky, especially not being able to use air.

A series of barely distinguishable flicks, and the tiny, annoying flames were back. I sent out earth magic, but not into the ground. This time it was electric signals.

I sent it spinning around the room. The pressure increased, creating a weak, geomagnetic field. One by one, granules of sand were loosed from their bags. At first, you couldn't see them. But eventually, like static on a TV screen, they gravitated toward each other, blurring our vision. I watched as people covered the orifices of their faces with their hands. They didn't seem to notice belt buckles and watches pulling ever so slightly toward the center of the room.