Chapter 8: In the Elemental Training room

Twelve hours ago

"Where are we going?" I demanded, as Elyse and Neal led us down yet another of Madgazia's many halls.

Neal winked. "To the Elemental Training room," he said. "Call it a painful test."

I sighed. "All tests are painful."

"Well, this probably will be too, although I suppose calling it a test isn't quite right. More like a...ritual, maybe?"

I sighed again and Neal grinned.

When we finally reached the room we were going to, I had to stop and stare. The room was divided into five sections, with little paths between them. In the first section was a high-ceilinged room that was heavily padded with mats. Strung across most of its floor was a large mesh net. The second section, I realized, was outdoors. Or maybe it just looked like it. There were several trees, a variety of plants, a grassy area, a sandy area, a huge pile of rocks, and what looked like some kind of cave. The third section housed a huge, wade-in swimming pool, but it was so deep I couldn't see the bottom, although I was pretty sure I saw some plants and fish. The fourth section held a fire pit and lots of wood.

"It's our elements," I realized. "But what's in the fifth section?" Before anyone could stop me, I pushed through the door.

At first, I saw nothing but darkness. Then the darkness lessened enough that I could see the landscape. I stood in the mouth of a cave at the edge of the woods. If I looked up, I could see stars. Then I began to hear sounds. Rustling and scuffling noises were all around me. I heard soft whispers and hisses that seemed to be drawing nearer. An owl hooted. Insects chirped. Then abruptly everything went silent and cold. I shivered. A terrible, bloodcurdling howl slit the air. A pair of red eyes appeared in front of me. I began backing up quickly but the eyes seemed to follow me...

Then I tumbled backwards out of a door and landed on Neal.

"What was that?" I demanded when my fear had turned to embarrassment.

"Liza everything in that room is dark as dark. Don't go in there again, do you hear me?"

"Yes," I said, somewhat startled at the intensity in Neal's voice.

"Good."

"Okay, well, this isn't going to be fun but if we don't do it you're all going to be in for a bad surprise later," Elyse said awkwardly. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go," Howard said finally.

"Alright then, everyone back to section two," Elyse said.

Once we were all in section two, Elyse turned to Howard and murmured instructions in his ear. He nodded and stepped into the center of the clearing, facing away from where the door was.

"I turn to the North and call upon my element, earth. Earth, come to me!" Howard raised both of his arms above his head. I watched as his snake slithered onto his palm, rose into the air, twisting into a ball of green light that hovered over his palms. Howard now knelt on the ground, placing the ball of light in front of him. "I lay down my protection and surrender myself to you; come to me earth!"

Tori screamed, Erik stepped back in alarm, and I let out a gasp, as the green light suddenly exploded throughout the clearing. Howard was bathed in it. Then the earth seemed to rise up around him. Soil clung to his skin, leaves stuck in his hair. Then the green light vanished and the earth fell away from Howard, leaving him looking just the way he had been before, besides the look of shock and amazement on his face.

"What happened?" Tori demanded.

"Earth accepted him," Elyse said, looking pale. "Now it's Erik's turn." And with that, she walked out of the clearing, leaving the rest of us staring.

We went into the third section, the water section, and I realized that Erik was looking rather pale and scared. When Elyse whispered to him, he turned even paler, but swallowed and nodded, and waded into the pool.

He cleared his throat several times before finally speaking. "I... I turn to the West and call upon water, my element. Come to me, water." I watched as he shakily lifted his hands and let his snake slide from his arm. It hit the water with a splash and suddenly, in its place was a ball of blue light. Erik whispered something I couldn't hear. Then he cleared his throat and spoke up. "I lay down my protection and surrender myself to you. Water, come to me."

There was a flash of blinding blue light and a humungous blast of water. When I was able to open my eyes again, Erik was completely submerged. Of course, I suppose this wasn't a huge problem, as it was Erik, and also because his eyes were glowing like miniature suns and he seemed to have developed gills and webbed hands and feet. Then he burst out of the water and landed in front of us, looking pained but completely dry.

"Next up is Liza," Elyse said. My stomach flip-flopped and heart beat extra fast all the way to the fourth section.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," said Neal. Oddly that just made me more nervous.

"You saw what the others did, right? Step into the center of the fire pit and call your element. Then you need to kneel and will guard away, will it into a single sphere in front of you and place on the ground. Surrender yourself to your element," Elyse whispered very quickly. I blinked and nodded.

I step forward. "I face the South and call on my element, fire. Come to me, fire!" I raise my hands and will my protection away, feeling as though someone else is controlling me. I kneel with the little ball of red light glowing in my palms. "I lay down my protection and surrender myself to fire. Come to me!" But something is wrong. The red light in my palms has swirls of black smoke in it and pulses strangely in my palms. When I called to fire a second time, chaos erupted.

Fire sprang up around me which I expected. But when the red light erupted throughout the pit, the black smoke went with it, swirling into its own ball. The swirly black smoke flew at me suddenly, knocking me onto my back. Then it shaped itself into a familiar form.

"Tom?"

"The one and only," he grinned, as though he wasn't made out of black smoke and bending over me.

"What's going on?" I demanded. "Am I just imagining this?"

"Are you really on their side, Liza?"

"I... What?"

"You aren't like them, Liza. You're special." I stared at him.

"I know I killed you a bunch of times in those dreams. It was unavoidable, but still, I am sorry."

"You're not real," I said desperately. "I know you're not. It's not really you."

"You can tell yourself that but," Tom stopped suddenly. "No!"

The smoke reformed itself suddenly, and I saw a young girl peering down at me.

"You must leave tonight." The voice that came from her mouth was strange and inhuman.

"Death will rise at the full moon. You must stop him at all costs... The lost ones must be found. Stop him, girl; you are the only one who can block his powers... I'm sorry, Liza," she whispered sadly. "You're the only chance. The only chance... You must stop him at all costs... "

There was another flash of red light and suddenly the pit was dark again. I felt my snake curving herself back around my arm.

"Right, now Tori..." Elyse trailed off as she saw my expression. "What is it, Liza?"

"Don't tell her," the girl's voice whispered.

"Nothing, just, um, startled."

Elyse watched me for a minute. "If you say so," she said finally.

I followed the others toward the first section, lost in my own thoughts. I didn't come out of my trance until I saw Tori sprout wings.

I suppose that explains why she had slits in her jacket, I thought, my mouth hanging open.