In Her Element
Chapter 31

Almyra threw out her left hand, trying to pull away the oxygen so as to prevent the flames from growing, at the same time untangling her dress from her around her legs so she could stand up, but the fire was already too big, Fire being the one thing that can spread endlessly without diminishing the original source.

Realizing she had no options other than to escape the room, she attempted to do so, opting to stay low and crawl as other sounds began filtering through to her. Yelling and shouting could be heard dimly over the roaring of the flames that reached the door at the same that she did, the orange tongues licking at her bare heels. Hands grabbed under her armpits and hauled her up roughly, dragging her away from the burning room. When the men who were holding her stopped at what they judged to be a safe distance, she was able to look back and notice the forming of a fire brigade as the men attempted to control the Fire, having no more of an easier time than Almyra had had.

She was suddenly jostled as another group of people rushed past to help, buckets of water swinging against their hips. This time she gasped and felt overwhelming guilt; these were young boys who were liable to get hurt. As much as she was being held in this place against her will, there was no reason for anyone to die, especially anyone that young.

The fire was my fault, she thought, because of my carelessness. It is up to me to stop it, even if it prevents me from getting out of here.

Determination filled Almyra as she repeated that thought in her head in an attempt to convince her so, and renewed her strength, allowing her to pull away from the two men who still held her by the arms. She felt rather than saw them reach out for her, but she managed to dodge their grasp and ran towards the flaming room and those trying to put out the Fire. The others did not notice her at first, but when they did, they, too, tried to push her back. Thoughts were thrown at her as they joined to protect her.

The Goddess’s daughter…

Save her!

We need her!

She must not get too close to the fire…!

Almyra pushed back, but they thought they were doing her a favor, not the other way around, and there was no way to get them to hear her.

Except…suddenly she knew what she had to do. Almyra took a deep breath and tuned everything out save for the minds that reached out to her, which she grabbed a hold of. She knew her Spirit was her weakest Element, and so she reached as deep as she could into her soul, into her source of her Powers, and called out to the men and boys who were determined to keep her away.

I can help! Please allow me to do so!

Everyone froze in disbelief, and Almyra sighed, relieved and totally exhilarated that she had managed to communicate with her mind, and to so many people at that. She had their attention now, and began snapping instructions—it was easier to do so now that their minds were open to receive her thoughts.

I need as many of you as possible to run and open all faucets and leave the water running. Start from this hallway—the closer the—

The Fire billowed again and the crowd surged back, fear settling over then and pulling them away from her mind. Almyra sensed she was losing them, and the moment before she did, yelled:

NOW!

The boys all started and turned towards her. Almyra held her breath, wondering if she had gone too far when they all dropped their buckets and scattered, running in all directions, the sound of doors opening and closing resonating throughout the castle.

Almyra waited a minute, watching the Fire, and then she let loose, sending out her mind, throwing it to all corners of the castle, calling to all the Water and bringing it to her. Roaring filled her ears and a draft filled the rooms and halls as Almyra pulled all the Water to her. She twisted, bent, and molded it to her will as a potter would a piece of clay, until, in a few moments, it stood as a great wall behind her. All was silent—still—as she slowly drew her right hand forward, feeling the humongous wave looming over her…and she let go.

Sound returned to her as the swell of Water crashed down and a war ensued between it and the Fire. They crashed against each other again and again, slashing and twirling, darting in to strike and then out again to shield, never resting for a moment, never pausing for a breath. Almyra helped, rotating between quelling the Fire and urging on the Water.

She had no idea how long it took, the battle of Fire and Water, but when it ended, she was spent. She sat down hard on the floor, surveying the waterlogged and scorched walls around her, the water silently slinking back to its sources. There was a heavy silence that surrounded her and when she finally gathered her strength enough to stand, she saw that the boys had all gathered behind her and were now staring in awe—and maybe a little fear. When they realized she was looking at them, they all bowed, as one, going onto one knee, hanging their heads.

The mark on her neck was burning.

The Master stood in the shadows at the back of the crowd of kneeling boys. He suddenly wondered if he was in this a lot deeper than he realized. The girl was obviously very much in control, of herself and her Elements, and she had no trouble taking charge where it concerned others. Even if at the moment she was looking like a girl who was very uncomfortable with all the attention she was getting.

He did not know whether to feel thankful for the last or not; it meant that the plan could continue. But was he so eager for that to happen? Did he really want it to?

Then again, he really had no choice in the matter. It was entirely out of his control to begin with.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward out of the shadow, throwing his mind out to the boys. He pulled back sharply when he felt a strong power, the remnants of the girl’s command, as well as the vivid picture of the “battle” that had just occurred. The battle had caused them to realize to realize pretty much what he had—they were in this up to their necks, and the water was rising swiftly and without pity. Unfortunately they also realized that the girl was most likely the stronger one here. He had to bring her down in their eyes, and fast.

“And they told me you were intelligent, girl.” He put as much scorn in his voice as possible. The result was what he expected—mostly. The boys stood up at the sound of their mentor’s voice, looking around in confusion and a little guilt, too.

But the girl, her face, too, filled with confusion, and then hurt. Her voice was low and soft when she asked, “Why?”

The Master wondered then if maybe they were going about this in the wrong manner, if he should tell the girl what they wanted from her, what they needed her to do.

Howard the coward!

Howard the coward!

No. He knew what had to be done. With his childhood nickname ringing in his ears—the nickname his mother had adopted, much to his distress—he doubled the ridicule in the tone behind his words, at the same time spreading some Spirit to guarantee the boys’ reaction somewhat. He glided forward among the boys, strengthening the control and gathering energy from the boys’ fear—something they never knew could be done—and advanced on the girl.

“Well, anyone with even a bit of brains would have realized that this”—he waved his hand at the scene—“was the perfect distraction for an escape. Why did you not realize this and act? So I must conclude that, well…”

He had judged correctly. The girl’s face blanched and then heated. But surprisingly, she managed to hold her head aloft, even with the pain that flickered behind her eyes. And with this she earned the Master’s grudging respect.

The Master motioned for some boys to step forward, giving them the order to take the girl to his office. Two immediately did, taking the girl by her arms—gently, he noticed—and led her away.

As she passed, he was sure he heard her voice in his head say: Because I cared.

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