The Elemental: Rootbound Part 22

His body contorted, twisting in the blink of an eye into a monstrous grizzly bear. He was double the size of any regular grizzly, but worse, he was fast. Fast like a cat, with the power of a bear. He dropped to all fours and strode toward Shazer.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt he intended to tear Shazer apart. And he would go through Peta to do it. If I had to choose, I would, and it would always be her.

"Peta, back off!"

Samara cried out. "Lark, what is happening?"

"Not now, Samara, let me deal with one thing at a time." I pulled my spear from my side, already knowing how useless I was going to be. Peta darted around the side of Raven, slas.h.i.+ng at him with her wicked claws. He roared, and was on her in a flash, a huge paw glancing off her hip. I called on the power of the earth to hold him down. To pin him.

Nothing happened. "Goblin s.h.i.+t." This was not the time to lose my connection to my elements, and I didn't have time to figure out why.

I ran at him, swinging my spear in a huge arc. I brought it down the back of his rump. The blade bounced off as if it were completely dull.

I called Spirit to weave around Earth.

Again, nothing happened. What the h.e.l.l was happening? I felt it then, in the s.p.a.ce of a heartbeat. The same languorous sense I'd only received around one person.

Talan.

He had to be blocking me.

"I'm blocking you both, to be fair." His voice spun me around. He stood against one of the pillars. "To keep things even steven, as the humans say."

"It's not even!"

"Yes, it is." He spoke as if he was urging me on. "Meet him on his terms, Lark."

I stumbled. On Raven's terms? I wasn't a shape s.h.i.+fter. I stared at Peta as she darted around Raven, landing blows, but unable to truly take him on her own.

Power of the heart, child. You have that. Use it. She is your soulmate for a reason. Littermate might be a better term.

The voice of the mountain rolled through me and I dropped my spear. Peta's image flooded my mind and I grasped hold of it, believing the words of the mountain. Believing I was more than I'd ever known.

The s.h.i.+ft took me like lightning; between one step and the next I was no longer on two feet, but running on four. Flashes of gray and white on my legs were all I saw as I leapt toward the mountain of brown fur, a snarl ripping out of me. The rush of power coursing through me was like nothing I'd ever experienced, like nothing I'd ever known.

I landed on his back and gripped with all four feet, clinging to him like a monkey grips a branch. He roared and swept a paw back for me, but I was too high up for him to reach.

Peta dodged his intermittent blows as I dug in, biting through the thick hide as I sought his spine. A glorious battle rage rolled through me, a blood l.u.s.t that blurred my thoughts until only a single image of his death burned inside my mind. I buried my fangs into him over and over as he bucked and writhed under me.

His body humped and we swung to the side. I dove to the other side, away from him as he rolled to his back in an attempt to squash me.

I leapt to stand beside Peta.

"Lark?"

I nodded, not sure I was able to speak like she could.

The smoky diamond was somewhere within his fur, I was sure of it. But where? I narrowed my eyes.

I ran at him while he fumbled on his back. Fast and powerful he might be as a bear, but he was also heavy on his back like a turtle flipped over. At the last second, I jumped, landing on his soft underbelly. I dug my claws in, p.r.i.c.king the skin like cutting through lard with a scorching-hot knife. He grunted under me and I tightened my hold. One good swipe and his innards would spill out.

Peta stalked beside us, speaking for me. "The stone. Your life for the stone."

Raven flexed as if he'd move and I slid my claws in further, tearing the flesh slowly. His eyes flicked to me, then back to Peta. He roared, but couldn't move without being mortally wounded, and he knew it.

Apparently it was true: I wasn't the only one blocked from using their elemental powers. At least Talan was fair in his own twisted way.

Raven's body trembled under me, and for the first time I saw fear in his eyes. Without his powers behind him, he was no safer than any other low-level elemental.

He s.h.i.+fted back to his elemental form, clothes intact, but I clung to him, my teeth bared. Still on his back, my claws were buried in his pale belly, blood bubbling up around the punctures from the three-inch-long daggers attached to me.

"The stone," Peta bit out. "Or she'll gut you right now."

A part of me wondered how far he'd push things, the other part wondered that Samara didn't help him. Then again, the Sylphs had stood by and let Ca.s.sava and me wreak havoc on their home without interference. He lifted one hand and slid it into his pants.

Just as slowly, he pulled his hand out and from it dangled the necklace. I leaned forward and grabbed it with my teeth. But I didn't take my claws from Raven.

His eyes widened. "You made a deal."

I tightened my claws on him, my thoughts raging. He'd been the cause of so much death, so much destruction. He was the reason I'd broken Keeda's mind, the reason I'd had to kill Vetch. He'd forced my hand to kill our father.

I glanced at Peta and nodded, the bond between us tighter than ever. She spoke for me. "You are hereby sentenced to death, Raven, as is Larkspur's right as an Ender and protector of the Rim."

I braced myself. He closed his eyes. "I know, Lark. I know."

Electricity blasted through me, sent me flying off Raven in a burst of light and pain.

I tumbled through the air and slammed into the ground next to where Shazer lay. Stunned, I lay unable to move as I processed what had happened.

"Samara, she stopped you," Shazer said. I glanced at him, saw the agony in his eyes. I could heal him.

"Get your s.h.i.+t done, fix my legs later." He grunted and closed his eyes. "d.a.m.n this body; you keep having to heal me and my fragile bits."

Raven stood, though he was far from steady and the blood ran freely from several wounds. He wobbled. "You surprise me, sister. I didn't think you had it in you."

I thought about standing on two feet and the s.h.i.+ft slid through me as if I'd been doing it all my life. A feeling of desperation rolled through me as I reached once more for my connection to Spirit and Earth. They sang through me, hot and wild. A sigh of relief slipped from me.

Raven smiled at me, but it was weak. "Before this goes any further, I think you should meet someone."

He took a few limping steps toward Samara. She backed up, holding a hand out to him. "Stay where you are. I saved you only for the sake of our child." Wind powered between them, blowing his hair back and out of its perfect slicked coif.

"Samara, please." Lines of power coursed up his arms, a vibrant pink that gave him away. "You love me."

Her eyes softened and she relaxed once more. "I do love you. You're the father of my baby."

My gag reflex lurched at the sickeningly sweet words.

"Raven, your mommy dearest, Ca.s.sava to be clear, can't be too happy you've left her for someone younger." I took a step, beckoning Peta to come to me. I didn't want her any closer to him than she had to be.

Raven shrugged, but his eyes were far from worried. In fact, they looked downright happy with the way they sparkled. Happy.

This did not bode well.

"You have the stone, but I have something to show you. Something I have on loan from my mother." He held one fist up over his head and let out a long, high-pitched whistle. There were no lines of power on his arms, no indication that he did anything but whistle. And yet, something in his stance, the look in his eyes told me I wasn't going to like what he had to show me.

The whoosh of wings drew my eyes upward. A bird rushed downward, a huge big bird. What the h.e.l.l was Raven's game now?

The bird, an eagle I could easily see now that it was close, landing on Raven's arm.

"Do you like him? I must say Mother was rather clever when she captured him."

I glanced at Peta, who shrugged.

Shazer gave a low groan. "Lark, don't give him the stone."

"I'm not." I clutched the smoky diamond tighter as if it would otherwise slip from my fingers.

Raven grinned, the blood on his face and belly still dripping, but he acted like it meant nothing. "No, I think you'll give me the stone. I think you'll give me all the stones you have."

None of this made sense. None of it.

I took a step. "You are sentenced to death, Raven. This ends."

"You aren't strong enough to kill me. You had your chance." His free hand touched his belly gingerly. "And you let it slip by."

He patted the eagle on top of his head, rather roughly. More like hitting than patting. "A nice, golden eagle. Lovely. Much better than he was before, wouldn't you agree?"

Golden eagle.

When it is done, I will help you find your golden eagle.

The mother G.o.ddess's words went off like a bomb inside my head. Not possible, this was not possible.

"No."

"You can say no all you want." Raven continued to smack the eagle I refused to think of as Ash. "But the truth is the truth."

The eagle turned honey gold eyes to me. I would know those eyes and the feel of them on mine if I were blind.

"No." It was the only thing I could say, the only word I had left to me. Ash had to be a s.h.i.+fter, then, that was the only other answer. Even though I knew I was wrong the second I thought it.

"To answer a coming question, no, he's not a s.h.i.+fter. Mother confined him to this form, though why she didn't just kill him I can't fathom. Then again, it will work in my favor now, I think." He flexed his arm and sent Ash back into the sky. The eagle circled once, let out a piercing cry that struck through me, and winged away.

"He was delivering a message for me. He's Mother's messenger boy now. But I would give him to you, for the stones." Raven grinned.

Time paused, the world slowed, my heart stopped beating, I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe or think. I had two powers to me, two elements that were mine. And one of them would allow me to control Raven.

I grabbed hold of Spirit and held it like never before.

I was ending this.

Now.

CHAPTER 20.

aven's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

I slammed Spirit into him, using it like the weapon it was, digging it into his mind. He stumbled back and shook his head, tried to lift a hand, red lines of power coursing over his skin. Fire at his fingertips.

"No." I threw the word at him and he lowered his hand, horror finally replacing the smug look on his lips.

Spirit grew in me, filling me as fast as I flung it at Raven. I wanted control over him, I wanted him to break into a thousand pieces at my feet and beg for his life. Beg to be forgiven so I could tell him it would never happen. Then and only then would I kill him.

"Larkspur, this is not the way." Talan stepped between Raven and me. I felt Talan's hold on Spirit, felt him trying to slow me down. I flicked a hand at him, and the ground bucked under his feet, sending him to his knees. I thought it would break his concentration. I was wrong.

"You're on his side?" Peta cried out, her pain cutting through me. Chaos built around us, so many emotions, so much power, so much pain.

Raven shook his head and I screamed, a wordless cry as I threw everything I had at him. "Tell the truth, Raven. Do it."

His mouth flopped open, once, twice and then the words came in a flood.

"I don't love Samara. I manipulated her with Spirit to accept me into her bed. I plan to let her carry to term, have the baby, and then I will use her own Enders to kill her. They will think she is dangerous to her family and they will kill her. I will raise the child on my own and take control of the throne. Once that is done I will take the Rim next. I will keep Bella as my queen. She reminds me of Mother. We will take each family throne, one at a time. But I will do it this time, I will not rule through others. I will rule. I will bring the elementals into line."

The Sylphs around us gasped and s.h.i.+fted. "Samara, do you hear this?"

"I hear it." She stepped beside me and laid a hand on my arm. "You will kill him?"

"Yes."

Raven shook and I refocused on him. Talan stood where I'd thrown him.

"Lark, this is not the way. Do you not feel it, the darkening of your soul?"