25 | A DIFFERENT APPROACH

I return to the Coven with Zoe to get her checked out by the Coven doctor, a man I’d met last year, Dr. Quinn. Blue had to deal with more stuff - he didn’t explain what - but told me to use the bond if I needed anything. When Zoe and I got back to the Coven, I pretty much left her with Dr. Quinn - after he told us the frosty limb would be fine - and tried to do some research on Elementals.

To my surprise, the Coven’s library had information on supernaturals. Mostly handwritten and ancient things or messily typed out pages in binders, but hey, it was something. Nothing much on Elementals. And nothing particularly helpful. Once again, I stayed at the HQ well into the night, so late that I ended up falling asleep in the library while I was trying to research.

In the morning, I wake to find a light blanket thrown over my body and a note from Zoe. The messy, block lettering tells me she’s fine and running another errand for Hale with a quick ‘P.S. If you don’t check back in before noon, Hale’s going to send the Coven after you.’ My mouth twists unhappily at the warning, but I feel a little grateful at the same time.

Though it may not be the smartest thing in the world to go to the Cai estate alone, I can’t really wait. I need to try again. And if me showing up alone will help ease the tension and show them I’m not a threat, so be it. Even if it feels like I’ll be a bug on the windshield.

I try not to waste any time on thinking, knowing formulating a plan would be pointless. Plain and simple: I need to explain why the Cai’s should be careful around their daughter. I need to come clean about the Ancient and my role in this whole thing. I’m more nauseous thinking about Mrs. Cai’s possible reactions to that news, but manage to down a blood bag before leaving the Coven. Last thing I need is to be out of energy if I have to run for my life.

I take my time walking to Porte Greene - trying to conserve as much energy as possible - and arrive on the edges of the Cai estate thirty minutes later. I hesitate at the border, the silence still as creepily eerie as it had been yesterday, but taking the time to give myself a little pep-talk.

“You can do this, Scar.” I mutter under my breath, taking several deep and calming breaths before ducking out from the treeline and slowly walking across the lawn. This time, I don’t think ‘being quick’ would be wise. I give the Elementals ample time to see me walking towards the house and two people meet me at the front door. Mrs. Cai, her face set in a deep scowl, and a tall and burly man with dark brown hair and gold-brown eyes. He smiles at me and holds his hand out to me.

“Good morning, Ms. Holland.” He addresses me in a rumbling, lilting voice. I blink and automatically take the man’s hand. He gives me a quick and firm shake before gesturing to himself. “I’m Clay Terra, and I believe you’ve already met my wife, Marina Cai.” I stare at him, trying not to gape as he, very calmly introduces himself and his wife. His reaction to me is so different from the greeting I get yesterday that I can’t even form a sentence for a few seconds.

“Oh, yeah. We met.” I choke out, oddly put at ease by the energy Mr. Cai-*Terra*- is giving off. It’s as powerful as the aura fuming out of his wife, but where hers is like little shards of cold, his is…firm. Reassuring and still. “Um-” I clear my throat and stand a little straighter. “You can just call
me Scarlett.” I tell him, feeling weird about being addressed any other way by someone so nice.

“Alright, Scarlett. Since we’re now on a first-name basis, why don’t you just call me Clay? I’m still not used to being addressed as a Cai.” Clay replies amicably, letting out a reverberating chuckle. I nod, curiosity spiking as I process his words. *So Cai is Mrs. Cai’s surname - and the family goes by her name rather than Clay’s*…

“Why have you returned?” Mrs. Cai bites out at me, narrowing her blue-green eyes at me in suspicion and anger. I swallow, feeling the temperature around me plummet.

“Excuse my wife,” Clay tells me, gently wrapping his arm around Mrs. Cai. The temperature immediately return to normal. “I’m afraid she’s a little on edge at the moment. I understand you’re Halestorm’s daughter?” He asks me, the change in subject a little clumsy, but I just nod.

“Y-yes, sir.” I sputter, standing a little straighter. He nods to me and looks at his wife calmly.

“She’s just a child, Marina.” He murmurs to her, rubbing her shoulders coaxingly. “Why don’t you explain what this is about, Scarlett?” He adds to me when Mrs. Cai’s stiff shoulders relax a fraction. I blink at him in surprise, but nod eagerly.

“Right, um, well, you see-” I try and stop as my mouth suddenly goes dry. I clear my throat, fear making my already churning gut flip. It’s the moment of truth. “Last year, I was hunted by my old Pack, the Reiniers…” And I dive into the whole speech I’d more or less made up last night. I tell them about how my life - and that of the Azures - had been in danger. How my insane grandmother had come after me relentlessly and wouldn’t give up on trying to hurt both me and everyone I’d met. I explain about the visions and how Blue and I managed to change the outcome of a seemingly devastating event…and how that snowballed into why I was standing on their doorstep now.

Both Elementals flinch when I talk about Nikki and her choices. About the event that their daughter would cause and how many innocent people would get hurt.

“And that’s why I came by with Zoe yesterday. Nikki said it would happen on Eyre’s birthday. We just wanted to warn you guys and maybe see if there was any way we could help avoid it.” I finish, heaving a deep sigh. The two Elementals just stare at me for a moment, their faces identical unreadable masks. Then they look to each other.

“I’m afraid,” Clay begins slowly, turning back to look at me with a wary expression. “Your news doesn’t surprise us. Eyre is a powerful Elemental, and we have been having…issues with helping her contain her abilities,” He says, the warmth in his voice leaking out until his tone is more akin to gravel. “Every few years, we have this issue. And we’re aware of it and monitor her for the spikes in her power, but-”

“Short of killing her, there’s nothing we can do.” Mrs. Cai snaps. But when I look at her, the anger in her glistening eyes isn’t aimed at me. I can see the woman fighting to keep her voice level. “We’ve tried to help her for years, but-but-” Clay wraps an arm around his wife’s shoulders as her whole body trembles, silent tears trickling out the corners of her eyes. The second they appear on her cheeks, the turn to shards of ice and flutter from her face.

“The thing you have to understand about our kind,” Clay takes over. “Abilities are normally weak and don’t show up until puberty. That’s not to say they *never* show in children, but normally when they do, it means the child will be particularly strong. When that happens, the ability…well, most bodies of the child can’t contain such power and they…die.” Clay pales a little, his eyes hardening and going distant for a second. “But not always. There are certain things we can do - bind the ability to the child so they can’t use it. But…”

“It doesn’t always work. For Eyre…we’ve been binding her every five years since she was a child.” Mrs. Cai breathes. “She’s turning fifteen.” Is as much as the woman manages after another moment of her throat working.

“You can’t…bind her?” I suggest lamely, using the term for the thing they mentioned.

“We could…and more than likely will have to, but even then…” Clay explains, his eyes drifting to the lake in front of the house. “When we first bought this property, it was covered by forestry and full of animal life.” He mutters, wincing a little as his eyes come back to mine. I blink, looking around the wide expanse of lawn and the lake. The eerie stillness suddenly makes sense to me and my rolling stomach lurches with another layer of fear.

“If what you’re saying is true, then this next evolution in Eyre’s abilities just may-m-may-” Mrs. Cai manages to speak most of her sentence before she abruptly turns on her heels and ducks into the house. Clay doesn’t move to follow his wife, his golden-brown eyes lowered to stare at the paved floor beneath us.

“We have a few contingencies set in place for the fifth.” Clay tells me, not meeting my eyes as he speaks barely above a whisper. “If you’d like to be on standby, that’s fine. But you must know by now there will be a possibility of danger.” He finally meets my gaze, his eyes now a little red-rimmed with restrained emotion. “We cannot guarantee your safety.”

“I know.” I nod once, completely understanding what he’s trying to say. “If you don’t mind my asking, sir,” I choose my words carefully as I speak, knowing the Elemental before me hasn’t shown any sign of hurt or wanting to hurt me, but…still… “What is it that makes your daughter so dangerous? I don’t know much about Elementals and Nikki wasn’t very specific…” My voice trails off as Clay’s face goes blank, his warm eyes going ice cold.

“My children have their mother’s abilities, first and foremost. That’s why the family name is Cai and not Terra. But Eyre…” He clears his throat and pauses, his eyes unfocusing for a moment. “Eyre’s been exponentially different. She’s expressed talent for all the elements.”

“I take it…that’s not normal?” I hedge after a second, feeling extremely uncomfortable for asking the man to spell it out for me.

“No.” Clay says back on a breath, the mask of blankness breaking to show a flicker of fear before he seems to control himself. “But, well Elementals have had a long history and what we’re seeing with Eyre is something that has been recorded in our ancestor’s past. We believe, if she makes it to her eighteenth birthday, she’ll become something our kind hasn’t seen in centuries. Our…well, it’s seen as a sort of unifier. A savior of sorts. We call it the Sovereign.” There’s an odd level of reverence as he says the word and I feel my eyebrows quirk up in surprise as I try to picture the teen I ‘d seen yesterday as the Elemental’s savior.

Well, this just keeps getting better and better.

“I don’t understand.” I blurt out before I can stop myself. “Why three years from now?” My stupid curiosity makes Clay’s expression go hard again. He studies me for a moment before answering, his voice becoming slightly quieter - as if he’s afraid we’ll be overheard.

“Because, Scarlett, that’s when she’ll have to be trained. When Elementals reach eighteen, they all must attend a specialized academy to teach them control. If they fail to learn control, either their abilities will devour them or they will be permanently bound and unable to access their power.”

“Why can’t she just go now? Like as an early-acceptance or something?” I feel stupid for asking about something I’m sure I could never comprehend - I’m not like them - but I do anyway. Again, Clay hesitates before answering, lowing his voice yet again.

“It would be dangerous for not only her but all those currently at the school. If there’s too much influx of power…let’s just say there are more things at stake if were to send her before she was of age.” He lets out a heavy sigh, looking much older now that he’s shared all this with me. There’s a deeper wariness to his eyes, though they’ve almost returned to their normal warmth. “I appreciate the warning, Scarlett. And we would appreciate any help you think your presence could provide, but- and I mean this with all-do-respect - you’re simply out of your league.” I nod to the Elemental, not at all taking offense at his words. By the sound of it, there’s really nothing I can do. How could I possibly plug a dam? I’m strong, sure, but there’s no way in hell I could even help if Eyre’s powers cause a flood or some catastrophic fire.

And so, I leave, bidding the Elemental a good day before running all the way back to the Coven to try and think of something - anything - that could help. But with two days left, I’m out of options.