Earth(95)

There was five seconds of silence and then a weak, "okay," from the other side of the rock.





Chapter 57





So Mote it Be





"Sir – there are some reports coming in. Weird activity northwest of here, within city limits."

Shawn paused on his way toward the stairs.

The Earth took that as a go ahead to continue, "A lot of fire—"

"You're on duty tonight?" Shawn asked, interrupting her.

"Yes, sir."

"Don’t call me sir."

She clamped her lips shut.

He sighed, looking at the full moon lighting up the inside of the deli better than a dozen candles. A full moon meant better control over powers – everyone knew that. There was bound to be some unauthorized practicing. "Get one of each of the other Elementals to stand duty with you tonight. Let me know if it gets any worse."

She held out a stack of handwritten letters that had been coming in nonstop the past half hour. "But the reports—"

Shawn took them from her, and threw them back down on her desk. "Otherwise, see to it that I'm not interrupted." He himself planned to take advantage of the full moon. Tonight, he needed perfect control over his powers. It was finally time to see Sarah.





* * *





When his boots hit the cave floor, an eerie echo bounced off the walls. The last of the Shades, save Sarah and Arianna, had made it out. Releasing the final few was a blurry memory. Even thinking of it now caused his palms to pulse in pain.

And here he was again, back for more. What do they call that? "Pussy-whipped," Shawn mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

Shawn jumped at Arianna's voice behind him. "Um, nothing." He rubbed his nose with the back of his arm. "Mind showing your face? That gas cloud…it's weird."

Arianna took form in front of him. Her black hair had an extra shine to it. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." He smoothed his shirt then glanced at the cave high on the wall over his shoulder. "Nervous."

Arianna's lips turned up in an unexpected smile. "Whatever happens – things will be as they were meant to be."

That was hardly helpful. Shawn realized he was biting his fingernails. He hadn't done that since…well, since he was a boy. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and his fingers hit something hard. "Oh, I wanted to leave something here, if that's okay."

He pulled out a wrapped package and handed it to Arianna.

She glanced at him, then pulled apart the folded edges of thick paper to peek inside. Both eyebrows went up, and she folded the package again. "You think this will help?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. That's not really why I wanted to leave it. It just doesn't belong to me."

"Fine." She set the package down on the platform by her feet. When she stood, she folded her hands in front of her. "I am ready now, Athame Wielder."

He swallowed, nodding his head. He unwrapped the hand with the least amount of damage, staring at his open palm. He doubted it would ever really look the same again.

In front of him, Arianna's form flickered; a sign of her impatience.

Shawn licked his lips. "I just wanted to…" he drifted off as he looked at her. Arianna's large, brown eyes were boring into him. He scratched the back of his neck.

Why is this so hard?

"Yes?" she asked.

"Um…thank you, for…helping me."

Her eyebrows creased. "It wasn't you I was helping, Athame Wielder – what you seek to gain is just…a byproduct."

"Yeah," he mumbled, glancing down at his damaged hand again. "I know."

He took a deep breath, then extended his arm, palm over Arianna's head and whispered the words with a shaky voice, "In love and in trust, in peace and in wisdom, I release you, so mote it be."

A rush of wind circled around the cavern, picking up dust and water as it went. The stream tightened and converged where Arianna stood. Shawn squinted, ducking his head and shielding his open wounds against the elements. The noise was deafening. Finally, Shawn peeked over.

Arianna's large, brown eyes were still boring into him. He blinked. She was leaving, but on her own terms; not his. When he looked away, a final gust of wind and then all was silent. He straightened, resisting the urge to rub out the goose bumps on his arms. Drops of water hitting the still lake below echoed through the cave. Shawn didn't remember it being so…dark.

He took another deep breath. And that was the easy one, he thought.

Short, barely noticeable bursts of light danced across the wall beside him. They grew in size, highlighting Shawn's own, small shadow. He turned, squinting at the figure of light on the cave ledge, sucking in his breath.