elemental 01 - whirlwind Read online

  Aira’s grandmother brought the tea and cake to the table and they ate as Aira asked questions about her grandmother’s garden between bites to avoid sitting in silence. The tea was slightly minty with honey-rich floral tones mingled in the warm brew. While Aira didn’t know what was in it, she savored it slowly, with bites of the moist cake. By the time she finished off her tea and cake, she was thoroughly sleepy and barely had enough energy to get her suitcase out of the car. Her grandmother preferred to sleep in the recliner, so Aira wished her a good night as she passed the front living room on her way to her bedroom at the back of the house.

  She changed into a nightgown and crawled between the crisp, fresh-smelling linens on the bed. She fell asleep almost the moment her head hit the pillow.

  Chapter 2

  Aira awoke the next morning feeling changes in her body stronger than ever. She knew the energy from the land around her grandmother’s home was partly the cause, but it was also a result of the culmination of her abilities emerging. Her limbs tingled, her mind buzzed. She took a deep breath and waited for the moment to pass, for the sensations to ease away. She had felt them increasing as her body prepared itself.

  Her mind focused as she became fully awake. The wind howled outside the window like the onslaught of a rainstorm, shaking the trees and sending eerie shivers through the bushes. Aira inhaled deeply and the wind began to calm, humming a quieter tune.

  Part of Aira’s training had been to learn the ways her elemental alignment manifested itself as well as the qualities that were common in the various elemental types – water, earth, air, fire. Her grandmother, as a water-aligned elemental, had a talent for gardening, an extreme affinity for growing things. She also possessed the ability to heal others. Her nature was fluid like the water, almost perverse and with intense emotions and heady resentments. Along with those intense emotions, she had a profound intuition. There had never been anything Aira could keep secret from her grandmother. Even when her mother hadn’t caught her, her grandmother called when Aira had done wrong to chastise her privately. And when she was hurting, the compassion her grandmother offered had been a soothing balm for Aira’s nervy nature.

  Aira, however, had aligned with the air. She’d always had a boundless supply of energy. Where her grandmother was quiet and almost passive, Aira had been boisterous and active, her mind leaping from subject to subject. She came to understand her inability to stay still was a result of the magic coursing through her. Just as the wind can create an infinite supply of energy, it seemed Aira could as well. It was as much a part of her as her ability to understand any language. An ability she had put to good use, studying linguistics in college and becoming a freelance translator. Although every language in existence was easily interpreted, she’d always been careful to hedge the number of languages she could translate.

  Her high energy was put to use through an instructor teaching her archery and fencing as appropriate (and at least slightly ladylike) pursuits for her abilities. As she had come into adolescence, elemental qualities became increasingly more intense, Aira’s restless nature transformed into anxiety. An intervention on her grandmother’s behalf was needed to help her balance the overwhelming stress before it got too far out of hand. Aira knew she would never be completely free of the mentally taxing pressures of her abilities, her grandmother’s healing powers had given her relief on more than one occasion.

  As she had gained command of the more “normal” traits associated with her elemental alignment, Aira’s grandmother had also helped her cultivate more magical components. She had flown for the first time—on accident—at the age of twelve. Only for a few moments, but falling from a tree inspired her – in a panic – to lift herself before she hit the ground. She had taken the scolding for disobeying rules in good stead, particularly since her grandmother had told her not to climb the tree to begin with. When it was done, however, her grandmother fought back a smile and told her wryly she might as well learn to fly on command if she was going to do it.

  Aira practiced that entire summer, slowly raising herself up off the ground until she was able to reach the top limbs of the tree she had fallen from. Flight was not an easy trick to manage, but it was one of Aira’s favorite talents. As an air elemental, she was also able to communicate and control creatures of the air with relative ease. As a teenager, she lured bees to her grandmother’s house to pollinate the flowers, and learned the calls of birds in the area, becoming friends with robins, threshers, mockingbirds and more. She had stayed up late one night, communicating with owls that haunted the darkened boughs of a nearby tree until she finally understood them. While she did not have her grandmother’s level of psychic intuition, Aira had excelled from an early age in divination, reading tarot or playing cards to get an understanding of the future. She also studied the use of other tools of the trade, including a crystal ball that had been given to her at the age of fifteen by an aunt.

  Aira had no real notion of what the final manifestations of her abilities would be. She knew her grandmother, as a young woman, had been formidable. The prediction her grandmother had made the night before, that Aira would be as powerful, was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. She couldn’t imagine what she would do with the level of power her grandmother possessed with such grace and subtlety. Her grandmother had hinted once that, while Aira was clearly air-aligned, she had distinct weather-related talents that came from the family’s history of water elementals. The rainstorms that she was able to summon—sometimes unconsciously—was one manifestation of that trait, and Aira was uncertain if she wanted that particular part of her talents strengthened. She told herself firmly over and over again that whatever gifts she received in the final transformation into a full elemental, she would learn to use them as effectively as the ones she had first developed as a child.

  ***

  Aira rolled out of bed. It was nearly impossible to linger being as restless as she was. Even though the crackling, electric tingles running up and down her limbs didn’t subside once she was up and moving around. The smell of coffee and a lavish breakfast floated on the air to Aira’s room. Her grandmother likely knew she was already awake, and her grandmother wouldn’t remain patient for very long. Aira didn’t bother to change out of her nightgown, she brushed her hair and washed her face in the bathroom before walking to the kitchen.

  Her grandmother was seated at the table waiting, a cup of coffee in her hand and a feast of a breakfast laid out: scrambled eggs remaining warm in a cast-iron skillet, a platter of sausage, freshly made biscuits with a crock of butter and a jar of homemade fig preserves, and yellow grits swimming with butter. It was a breakfast Aira had eaten hundreds of times, and still the comfort of the routine was undeniable.

  The only short period in Aira’s life when she had been scrawny came between the ages of twelve and thirteen during a growth spurt. That growth spurt left her lanky, which made her self-conscious enough to avoid the boys she’d been attracted to in middle school. Her grandmother had explained to her time and again—her words falling on deaf ears—that as her magical nature began to assert itself over the human realities of her genetics, she would become more woman-like. At age fourteen, she began to fill out. Her curves intensified. By the time she left for college, she had “blossomed” into a woman with a true hourglass figure. She was the envy of many dorm mates and the desire of voracious frat boys. The years of martial arts training came in handy a time or two. Aira had never slept with any of them against her will.

  “You must have been having interesting dreams,” Aira’s grandmother stated calmly, sipping her coffee. Aira sat down and doctored her coffee, adding two spoons of sugar and a healthy dollop of cream from the pitcher her grandmother had placed by her mug.

  Aira smiled wryly. “It’s been getting more difficult to control the wind while I sleep,” Aira admitted, taking a sip of her coffee and savoring it before she considered the feast in front of her. She felt the intent green eyes watching her and fought down the urge t
o squirm.

  “I don’t think controlling the wind is the problem; I think it’s controlling yourself.” It was a familiar refrain. Aira knew she was right—but it was still maddening to be called out for her lack of self-control. She’d been trying to develop the kind of self-control and self-discipline her grandmother demanded her entire life. So far, the only thing she’d truly learned to manage was her temper. She possessed the negative qualities associated with the air as well as the positive ones. Wind could often be chaotic and out of control. While she had a genius intellect, her ability to focus on a single task long enough to master it was largely determined by how interested she was. Studying had never been a strong suit for her, nor had organization.

  “I’m trying, Grams, but it’s a little more difficult to control yourself in your sleep.”

  Her grandmother smiled slightly, silently acknowledging the truth of Aira’s point. According to family lore, as a young woman her grandmother had such intense dreams that she once flooded her entire house. Aira thought she would certainly be able to understand her inability to have complete control over the way her dreams disrupted the local wind patterns.

  “You’ll have to learn. I certainly wouldn’t want you to become a nomad once you fully come into your powers, constantly homeless because of random windstorms and tornadoes.”

  Aira grinned at the image as she scooped breakfast onto her plate. She had noticed her metabolism getting faster and faster as she approached her transformation. She needed constant high calorie meals and more than one of her friends had remarked she must have a hollow leg to be able to put away so much food while keeping her voluptuous curves.

  “Not like anyone would notice the difference, my apartment always looks like a disaster area anyway.” Aira’s grandmother let out a rusty chuckle, serving herself in quick movements as soon as Aira had finished filling her plate. For a moment they ate in silence, Aira savoring the familiar flavors as she stoked her metabolic fires, glancing occasionally at her grandmother. She could sense there was a big “talk” in the works, but she wasn’t about to open up the conversation or ask what it was her grandmother wanted to discuss. She would have to wait.

  Aira hardly needed prompting to take seconds of the biscuits, slathering two more with butter and preserves and sighing contentedly. Her grandmother asked if she would like to take a walk in the garden with her, and Aira knew she was getting closer to whatever it was the older woman wanted to actually discuss. Aira nodded and finished her biscuit.

  After she changed into jeans and a tee shirt, she joined her grandmother at the front door. The older woman led Aira around the grounds, pointing out the newer rarities she had planted in the various beds around the house. Her grandmother had a particular fondness for Daylilies, although she managed to cultivate a little bit of everything. At least it had always seemed so to Aira who had spent many summer days going from bed to bed, pulling weeds. While her grandmother would perform the chore herself in the absence of any eligible grandchildren, she was certainly never one to let a free work force go to waste. Aira’s grandmother led her from the front-most gardens slowly around to the back of the house, where she still contended with the looming forest to maintain her claim to the ground she had cultivated.

  When they came to the long-standing pond, with its weathered sculptures and picturesque water lilies, Aira’s grandmother used the excuse of fatigue to get Aira to sit down with her on the marble bench nearby. Aira knew they were about to get to the meat of what her grandmother wanted to tell her. She waited patiently, watching the water flowing from the waterfall and listening to the birds nearby.

  After a few minutes, Aira’s grandmother cleared her throat, taking her gaze away from the pond and directing it at Aira. “I want to talk to you about something, and I know you’re not going to like it, but you should hear me out.” Aira nodded. Her grandmother took a deep breath. “When you come into your abilities, there will be a lot of things you’re going to have to cope with. Not just politics, your lack of self-control can make your new strength dangerous to you.”

  Aira fought down the urge to make a retort about her self-control, knowing it would only result in an argument—and knowing her grandmother would carry her point eventually anyway.

  “I know you don’t like the idea of an arranged marriage, but you need a mate, Aira.”

  Aira shook her head involuntarily, mentally rebelling at even the suggestion of an arranged marriage. They had discussed the possibility before, though not with the level of seriousness her grandmother brought to the topic now. Aira knew that among elementals—particularly the higher echelons, the stronger elementals whose family line went back multiple generations—arranged marriages were not unheard of. It wasn’t just a way for the ruling elite to keep the political climate stable, but a way to deal with unstable elementals themselves. Complementary partners were selected in the hopes they would give birth to elemental children and keep the powers contained in specific families instead of spreading them out. Powerful families often negotiated for years with other powerful families, brokering deals for daughters to marry sons at great benefit. Aira also knew her own grandmother had been in an arranged marriage with her first husband; when he had died, she had married Aira’s grandfather, another elemental.

  Aira’s grandmother held up a hand to forestall a protest from her granddaughter. “You absolutely are going to need a mate, and you need to find one soon after you come into your full abilities. The elders nor the first families, will accept it if you go without a mate for too long. Not someone as powerful, and as unstable, as you.” Aira saw the sadness in her grandmother’s eyes. “Even if you were the most stable elemental on the planet, as powerful as you are going to become, you will be in danger from all sides. You need someone to give you balance, someone to protect you.”

  Aira gritted her teeth. She had learned to accept the basic fact of her natural instability—her flightiness and the extremes it led to—and had humbly learned how to rein in her temper, as well as how to focus, at least a little bit, on subjects that didn’t interest her.

  “Grams,” Aira said, forcing herself to speak slowly in spite of the denials and retorts that sprung so readily, poised to jump from her tongue. “I understand what you’re saying. And I’m sure finding a good mate will absolutely help me achieve balance. But I can’t stand the idea of an arranged marriage. I know you were happy with your first husband, but…” she took a deep breath. “I guess I’m too thoroughly modern,” she said with a little smile. “The idea of committing myself to someone I don’t even know, even if they’re perfectly complementary, is terrifying. I think it would make me much more unstable than I already am.”

  Her grandmother stared into her eyes intently and Aira tried not to flinch. She knew her grandmother wasn’t truly looking at her. She was reading her lifeline, looking at the possible futures, peering into the abyss with her intuitive abilities. Finally, after a torturous moment, the older woman sighed and looked away with disappointment written all over her features.

  “You’ll find a mate, but I can see plainly if I try to force it on you, it will never work.” Aira felt a pang in her chest at having disappointed her grandmother, just as she always did. She wanted to retract her statement—no matter how true—and volunteer to allow her grandmother and attempt to find a suitable match for her. Now that her grandmother had taken the trouble to look into her future, however, Aira knew she had seen the potential for disaster. While she wouldn’t acknowledge Aira was right about the potential for an arranged match to make her more unstable, Aira had to believe her grandmother had seen a similar fate—anything less dire than that and she would not have given in.

  They continued their path around the lush gardens. Aira felt pain at having disappointed her grandmother, but she knew deep down there was more to the situation after the swift defeat her grandmother had allowed. Aira feigned ignorance as the older woman meandered through the plantation of trees at the back of the property before lea
ding her around the house once more, talking about the troubles she’d had with some particularly difficult plants now blooming vigorously outsides of their usual climate. “You know, since you’re here visiting, I could use some help weeding,” her grandmother suggested as they approached the house. The clouds overhead boded ill for accomplishing any garden work that afternoon, but Aira knew by the next day she’d be outside taking care of the chore and she would probably volunteer without her grandmother needing to prompt her.

  ***

  Aira thought more about what her grandmother said. In spite of her refusal to agree to an arranged marriage, she knew that finding a mate was an important aspect of survival among elementals; particularly among those with any instability in their nature. It was considered vital to find a partner who could provide balance and steadiness. Her mother had been an unstable elemental, and she had gone into a semi-arranged marriage with her father, which had ended within ten years as the two of them became increasingly bitter and adversarial. As a result, Aira hadn’t had any contact with her biological father since – one of the terms of the agreement reached to dissolve their marriage. Aira had never felt the lack of a paternal figure in her life though, her stepfather had ensured that. Part of Aira’s hesitation when it came to finding a mate was due to the shattering end of her parent’s marriage. She struggled to see marriage with any amount of certainty in the wake of that.

  But by the same token, Aira had been lonely most of her life. Sure, she’d made friends consistently throughout her childhood, but she had never really found the kind of rapport she sought with a lover. In all of her relationships she’d found physical satisfaction, but found herself constantly restless in every other way, ready to move on the moment the mystery was gone. Aira couldn’t stand the sensation of feeling tied down, and she became annoyed with lovers she could predict too easily. She wasn’t against the idea of having a partner, she simply wanted someone who would truly be a partner—someone she didn’t feel weighed down by, someone she felt equal to. She often felt it would be nice to not feel so lonely, but she’d given up hope on the possibility of finding her equal.