Air: Elementalist Book 1 Read online

  Do I bluff my way out or flee while I can? I thought frantically.

  “You’re an air elementalist,” he said suddenly, as though just solving a puzzle. “How interesting,” he drawled, and his tone took on a velvety dangerous edge. He prowled closer, moving like a large jungle cat that had spotted it’s prey. “There aren’t many elementalist’s that I don’t know,” he continued. His advances made me panic, and I automatically tried to flee. I got about two feet up and five feet out before all the air whooshed away from me again, and heat seared my back.

  What the HELL? I thought, both panicked and confused, I looked behind me and saw his eyes were glowing amber. “That was a warning” he said, “don’t try to leave until I’m done with you.” Oh my God, this was way worse than I originally thought. I should have realized.

  “A fire elementalist? Seriously? Since when do fire elementals work for farmers?” The prickles of fear intensified as I tried not to think about what this might mean long-term.

  “The farmers work the land for me, little Air dancer,” he said, amusement coloring his tone.

  “Air dancer?! Oh, that’s rich, don’t demean my element, sparkles, you won’t like the results.” Anger replaced my fear, making me braver. Little Air dancer?? What did he think, I was a five-year-old at a dance recital? This right here was another reason I stayed far away from elementalists. The way they conducted themselves around others was just plain rude.

  He started towards me again, and I realized with a sinking heart, that without enough air to push out I would have to leg it like a norm. I had better move while I still held some element of surprise. I might not be able to fly, but I was still a pretty fast runner. I turned without further warning and ran like my hair was on fire. Which for all I knew, in seconds it might be.

  “Stupid hotheaded neanderthal,” I muttered caustically as I ran breathlessly, trying to stay ahead.

  “I heard that,” he called, laughter filling his tone, “and it’s not nice to call yourself names.” A wall of fire appeared before me. I could tell from the clipped footfalls behind me that he was gaining, and fast. In desperation I turned, knowing I would not have time to do things the natural way by creating another whirlwind. I would have to Deoxygenate the area, and fast to have any hope of escape. I sighed. Deoxygenation took a lot of energy, probably because it went against the natural balance of things and was really less than ideal. I jerked hard at the air with my hands, willing it from his lungs. The dirt from several inches around him pulled towards me as well, flying straight into my eyes. I blinked, tearing up, but I didn’t dare move my hands from their positions. I wiped my eyes as best I could with my shoulders, trying to clear the grit away. Well, that wasn’t my smartest idea, I thought grimly, and it would be even stupider if the whole thing didn’t even end up working. My vision finally cleared enough that I was able to see the fire elementalist. To my surprise, he was still gaining, and I began to have serious doubts in my abilities to stop him. Three feet within grabbing distance, to my relief, he faltered. He was close enough that I could probably have made out his features if I hadn’t blown grit into my own eyes earlier. I gave myself a mental slap. Idiot.

  “You fight dirty,” he gritted out as he knelt, straining to breathe, his lips tinged blue. I felt a wave of guilt as his eyes rolled back in his head, but it was slight as I pushed back off in flight, effectively sending oxygen his way again.

  “Sayonara sparkles,” I called, reveling in my near miss. He stared after me unnervingly as he gulped down air. I rushed to put as much distance as fast as possible between us. What a creep, I thought uneasily. Somehow the fact that I found him attractive without even being able to fully make out his features made me feel even more on edge.

  Elementalists had a complicated relationship with each other. Fire and earth elementalists were the more powerful and destructive houses, but they could only survive past the age of full development if they mated their counter element. Earth elementals dried out until they became mummified unless they mated a water elemental, and fire elementals disappeared, leaving nothing but a scorch mark without mating an air elemental. Usually this put the air and water elements in the seat of power, since they had the protection and backing of their house, but for me, a lone air elemental with no allegiances or family, it put me at a dangerous disadvantage.

  “That’s the last time I try to be a good Samaritan,” I muttered. “I’ve definitely reached my quota of do-gooder stupidity for the night.” I flew the rest of the way home with single-minded determination, checking behind me occasionally to make sure I wasn’t being followed. I reached my narrow two-story house in record time and quietly let myself in, careful not to wake my housemate. When I fell into my bed in the wee hours of the morning, it was with a sense of relief that for a little while longer at least, nothing significant had changed.

  Chapter 3

  “YOU UP, ZEPH?” Penny yelled while pounding on my bedroom door. “I’m leaving in ten, with or without you!” Penny was my roommate and technically my boss. A shifter by nature, she could take the form of a perky looking blond, or a six-foot-five black man as easily as one would change their clothes. Both forms came in handy at her local place of business, The Bad Penny. I always thought of her as “she”, although I had no idea why. Maybe it was because as a woman, I could relate to that side of her more, maybe it was because when I first met her, she was in her female form. Penny didn’t really talk about the pronouns. To her she just was, and I respected that. I worked at Penny’s club as the bartender, which made decent tips. It also was a convenient spot for me to conduct my smuggling business on the side, with none of the authorities being the wiser. Penny was a very understanding boss, and she also didn’t mind getting her cut of my business transactions.

  I jumped out of bed and pulled on a white tank, then ran to the bathroom while simultaneously trying to hop into my black denim jeans. I splashed water on my face, and not finding a towel, used the bottom of my tank to dry off. Glancing in the mirror, I made a face at my reflection. At least the bags under my eyes made their blue color pop. I threw my blond hair into a messy bun, tucking stray wispy waves behind my ears. That would have to do. I turned and half-stumbled, half-flew down the stairs to make a pop tart, the official “breakfast of champions”.

  Male-Penny was wearing her typical uniform of a grunge t-shirt and black jeggings. After several embarrassing situations in high school, she had finally resigned herself to the fact that although her body could change on a dime, whatever clothes she wore that day remained the same. Nowadays she only chose gender specific clothing when she was absolutely certain she would remain in a chosen shape for the entirety of her time out, something she could never guarantee at work.

  I glanced up at Penny as I shoved the pop tart in my mouth. She growled low in annoyance and glanced at her watch before turning and stomping out. Well, someone was a grumpy pants this morning. I bet it was because she needed to fill in as the bouncer today. A new girl was trying out an act onstage, and Penny liked to be the security for newbies, in case things got out of hand. She felt that since she also had a female perspective, she was better at identifying the trouble before it got messy.

  I ran out of the house, slamming the door behind me just in time to see Penny shifting into reverse and heading down the driveway. I ran towards the car hollering, and banged my hand on the passenger side window, when I caught up. I glowered at her as she finally stopped the car.

  “I can’t believe you were really going to leave without me this time!" I said, feeling only somewhat mollified as Penny handed me a coffee.

  “Zeph, I’m running a business here, it’s nothing personal,” Penny said, “and let’s be honest we literally live around the block from the club.”

  “It’s FIVE blocks you tyrannical overlord,” I harrumphed.

  “Take a sip before I take one for you, “ Penny threatened as she stopped at a red light.

  “I think you are the only one in this neighborhood th
at actually obeys the traffic laws,” I commented, dutifully drinking my coffee. I winced as it burned going down my throat.

  “That’s because I’m the only one stupid enough to have dated an enforcer without telling him I have an alternate shape with a leetle bit more testosterone than he anticipated.”

  “Ah yes, thats right, I almost forgot about your ex, Ben the sexist.” I said, frowning and shaking my head.

  Penny glanced over at me with a crooked smile. “We’re all a little sexist. I should know. I’m sometimes even sexist towards myself.” Penny pulled into the reserved parking spot and cut the engine. I sighed in exasperation, "Sometimes Penny, I think you are too forgiving." She shrugged, the slight smile remaining on her face as she took the keys from the ignition, and removed her seatbelt. "Well, you might forgive him, but I hell as sure won't." I continued, glaring as I imagined shoving Ben's head in a public toilet and giving him a whirly. After the way he had emotionally and very publicly decimated Penny when he had found out about her shifter nature, he deserved some payback.

  "Drop it, Zephy," Penny said in a tone that brooked no argument. So I did.

  “I’m expecting Sara Lee tonight,” I reminded her as we got out of the car.

  “Don’t forget to mention the stock boy position.”

  “I won’t. I just hope she takes us up on it.” We shared a look. Sarah Lee had strong ideas of right and wrong. Still, it was worth a try.

  The Bad Penny was a club that employed dancers who performed acts that, to quote Penny, “were tastefully inappropriate”. It also had a two-drink minimum reserved solely for the people who pissed us off. We kept the basic equipment on hand such as microphones and a sound system, but anything above that the acts were required to bring and set up beforehand. The craziest act that I had seen to date had been the Sword Swallower, who had ended her finale by impaling herself on stage multiple times before dying in a pool of her own blood. There was a moment of silent horror, before she rose from her own ashes in a burst of flame and the relieved applause of the crowd. Phoenixes. They always treated death like it was a big joke.

  It was a busy night, and I was pulling drinks nonstop. At a couple minutes after midnight, Sara Lee wearily sat down on the stool to the far right of the counter. Her thin body curled in on itself like a dry autumn leaf at the end of the season. Gray scraggly hair hung like a wet blanket to just above her drooping shoulders. She ordered a shot of mercury, the code drink for all my clients, and closed her eyes as she waited to be served. Sara had contacted me a year ago when her son, Tommy, had started having difficulty breathing. Tommy was a ten-year-old mouse shifter, who worked in the sweatshop delivering messages through the air ducts in the factory. His difficulty breathing was most likely because of the dust and debris that was clogging the air ducts, but the owners refused to take accountability for cleaning it or covering his meds. Sara had four other children, all younger than Tommy, and if he wasn’t working, they would all likely be out starving on the streets. It was a lose-lose situation, and it made me sick to think about it.

  I poured her a shot of water from a bottle of vodka I kept on hand and slid her the meds in between the napkin folds towards the side by the wall, away from prying eyes. Sara was religious, and she didn’t believe in drinking alcohol as it “marred the soul and clouded the judgement”. Sara opened her eyes to a squint as she slid me the cash, taking the shot without hesitating. She was a repeat customer, she knew it was water.

  “The meds should be good for three months,” I whispered quietly. “It’s a stronger dose, so it lasts longer, but the side effects have been known to be more brutal.” Sara nodded and turned to go, easing herself slowly off of the stool.

  “Listen Sara”, I said, grabbing her hand. “Penny and I were talking, and we have a new opening for a stock boy if Tommy can fill it. The pay is horrible, but the conditions here aren’t bad.” Sara looked at me and her eyes hardened. “I appreciate what you do for us, Zephyr. Really, I do. And your intentions are in the right place, but this establishment is spiritually toxic. I would rather my boy breathe the tainted air in the sweatshop with a pure heart than breathe clean air with a filthy heart.” She turned to go again, and this time I let her. I shook my head as I wiped the counter down. Maybe if the idea sat with her a little bit she’d change her mind.

  Chapter 4

  We kicked everyone out at four am and managed to close up by five before heading back home. We took a twenty-minute detour to eat at Black Jacks, our favorite breakfast joint. Black Jacks served the fluffiest pancakes and waffles known to mankind. I drowned it all in a moat of maple syrup, just the way I liked it. They put canned apples on top and I counted that as a fruit serving. When we were both slightly sick from the amount we had consumed, we squeezed out of the booth and rolled our way to the car.

  We were both in that hazily happy mood that good carbs provide for the first few blocks, but as we turned onto the highway, Penny seemed to tense up, glancing frequently in the rear-view mirror.

  “Something wrong?” I asked finally.

  “Yeah,” she said, then hesitated, glancing again in the rear-view mirror before replying, “I think there’s a dude on a motorcycle tailing us.” I glanced behind us, searching. “Two cars back in the right lane,” she directed. I zeroed in on it, there it was.

  “Slow down and see if he passes us with the other cars,” I said. She did as directed, the cars behind us honking angrily before swerving around us. The motorcycle gave up any pretense of not following us and switched lanes so that he was directly behind. We continued driving, slowing back to a normal speed, both of us tense and silent.

  Just as we were about to pass the next exit, Penny swerved, switching to the exit lane, nearly crashing into the concrete barrier as she sped up to make the turnoff. We both glanced in the rearview mirror. The motorcyclist was still there. Penny’s face scrunched up with concentration as she ran through the red light at the end of the exit ramp, just as the two lanes of opposing traffic started speeding past. Horns honked angrily as several cars were forced to swerve out of our way. She continued on and then turned down the first side street, pulling hard on the brake to make a sharp u- turn and face the way we had come. We both waited, hearts pounding. Seconds later, the motorcyclist turned down the street. Penny revved the engine, forgetting she had the emergency brake on.

  “Gaahhh!” she yelled, the acrid smell of burnt rubber filling the car. She looked at me in horrified panic.

  “This would never happen in an action film,” I muttered in frustration, reaching over to press the emergency break back in place. Penny gunned it, barreled towards the motorcyclist, a freaked out look on her face. My stomach flipped. Apparently, we were going to play chicken. I held on to the grab handle on the roof of the car, and pressed an imaginary pedal on the passenger side, hoping this wouldn’t end in a homicide charge. We were so close I could see the car’s reflection in his helmet’s visor when Penny panicked and slammed on the brakes. The front end of the car went down with the force of the stop. The seatbelt pulled tightly against my stomach as my head tried to hit the dashboard. “HUngh.” I wheezed as the air squeezed out of me. The cyclist popped a wheelie, and the car groaned as his front wheel landed heavily on the hood. We both pressed ourselves back in our seats reflexively as he accelerated, driving the rest of the way over us at a breakneck speed.

  We turned around in our seats, hoping to spot his license plate, but even though we could hear his motor revving we couldn’t pinpoint the direction he had gone. I looked over at Penny as I slowly let out a breath. Her knuckles were white as they gripped the steering wheel in a viselike grip. Her eyes were open wide, and she didn’t appear to be blinking or breathing. “FOR GOD’S SAKE, BREATH PENNY” I yelled in a panic, reaching over and shaking her by the shoulder closest to me. Penny suddenly gasped for air and then let it out. Her whole body seemed to collapse in on itself like a punctured balloon, before she started shivering uncontrollably. She must be in shock, I thought to
myself as I watched her shiver.

  “It’s ok Penny, you did good” I said trying to sound calm and reassuring, of course my voice cracked in the middle which kind of ruined the sound of authority that I was going for. I waited another few minutes while I looked around the car for a blanket or something to wrap around her, but being that it was June, there was nothing of the sort in the car. I sighed, “move over Penny, I’m going to drive us home” I said finally when it became clear Penny wasn’t going to regain motor control for the next while. Penny didn’t respond and I worried that I was going to have to maneuver her big hunking man-form into the passenger side by myself. She suddenly took a shuddering breath or two and said, “No, I’ve got this… just... give me another second.” That second took about twenty minutes, before Penny started the engine and got back on the highway, driving the rest of the way home cautiously with multiple detours to lose any more tails. Both of us were on edge until we arrived back home. Penny parked and I let out a relieved sigh. Whoever that guy was, it seemed we had lost him.

  “I think Ben sent that guy,” Penny said, when we were safely in the house. “I think he’s been sending people after me to harass me.”

  In my head it sounded very plausible. However, I didn't want to confirm her suspicions and freak her out even more, so instead I said, “It could have been any lunatic Penny. ” I added an extra dose of confidence trying sound more reassuring. “Whoever he is, this is not your fault.”

  “I should have just told him I was a shifter from the start,” she muttered dejectedly. “I just didn’t realize how much it would matter to him”

  “Look Penny,” I said, worried about where her thought process was heading, “It was a mistake not to be upfront from the beginning, but that doesn’t mean you deserve to be harassed. If Ben really is behind this behavior, I think it’s a good thing you broke up. Decent human beings don’t treat each other like that.”