Chapter 3 – Audio Book – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

Sometimes it’s just more fun to listen, so here’s the free audio book for Chapter 3 of Incendiary. If you want to follow along with the typed chapter go here.

Chapter 8 – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

Amber couldn’t help herself when the prince entered the carriage; she stood up and threw herself into his arms for a hug and almost knocked him back onto the ground in the process.

                “Did you miss me?” he asked with a sly grin.

                “Oh yes!  I find that I just can’t bare it when you’re away from me.”

“I know darling.  Don’t worry, we’ll be married soon and then you can have me all to yourself.”

Amber stared out the window and hung on Alexander’s every word as he pointed out various landmarks as they rolled by.  It was a beautiful kingdom with everything in miniature.  Little houses had been built into the bases of trees and even dug into the dirt of the hillside.

All of the homes were perfectly maintained, and whenever they drove by fairies rushed out to wave.  Amber gave a start of surprise when she looked up and saw fairies flying high up in the trees, and she held her breath when the ants began to climb a pathway that had been carved into the side of the tree.  She clung tight to Alexander’s hand as they climbed higher and higher up.

She turned her face into Alexander’s shoulder, unable to look anymore.  She was beginning to process the fact that their destination was at the very top of the giant tree.  There were pink flower blossoms everywhere and they filled the air with an intoxicating perfume.  The castle was located at the center of the tree and it rose several stories in the air.

It was made of stone and Amber could only imagine how long it must have taken to carry up all of the materials.  Ambers eyes widened as she realized several of the stones were made of precious gems and they sparkled so brightly that the whole castle appeared to be covered in stars.

“Most of us just fly up because it’s faster,” Alexander whispered softly in her ear.

“It must be wonderful to have wings,” Amber said reaching out a hand to caress one of his.  They were white rimmed in gold with little iridescent bits scattered throughout.  She was filled with longing and more than a little self-loathing.

“I don’t know how you can even love me.  I feel so ugly without wings.”

“You’re not ugly, you’re beautiful.  And I’ll kill anyone who says otherwise.”

They had arrived at the palace gates and as they crossed the bridge the gates swung open, beckoning them inside.  Apparently the fairy folk didn’t feel that the cherry blossoms were enough because there were even more flowers planted in pots and trimmed neatly in vases.  And all of the bright colors melded together into something that could only be described as picturesque.

Even boring and functional items like carts and wagons had been painted and embellished with bright gaudy colors.  Nothing she’d ever seen before had even remotely compared with the magnificence of the fairy kingdom.

The carriage continued all the way up to the front door of the castle and Amber stood nervously squeezing onto Alexander’s hand when a fairy in bright livery opened the door to the carriage and held out his hand to assist her.  Amber tugged self-consciously at her makeshift clothing and then stood up straight trying to appear confident and make a good impression with her future subjects.

“Are you ready to meet my parents?”

“Like this?”  Amber pointed again to what she was wearing and wondered what was keeping her fairy godmother so busy that she couldn’t help out with something so important.

“They’re going to love you no matter what,” Alexander said reassuringly and put a hand on her back to gently propel her forward.

Amber took a deep breath and followed him inside.  Her eyes grew wide as she saw the inside of the castle.  In comparison to the opulence of the interior of the palace the exterior was downright plain.  Brightly embroidered tapestries and lush silks covered the walls and the marble floors were spread with finely crafted rugs.  Ornately carved tables were spread about every few feet and covered with lovely vases of fresh cut flowers.

Alexander began to lead her down a wide hallway where every inch of wall space was covered with large oil paintings depicting generations of leaders of the royal family.  Amber’s eyes strained as she searched for a photo of Alexander and she wasn’t disappointed when he paused at the end of the hallway showing a display of the current members of the royal family.  In the painting Alexander was wearing formal clothing and he looked majestic as he posed with one hand braced on the hilt of his sword.

Amber couldn’t believe her good fortune, to spend a life in such decadent surroundings married to the most powerful, not to mention attractive, fairy in the kingdom.  She couldn’t think of anything else that would make her happier.  When she tried to remember what her life had been before she met Alexander her memory was hazy, almost as if there were a wall obscuring her access to the past.

She shook her head to clear away the confusion and stopped trying to think and just lived in the moment.  Alexander had paused outside of a large set of double doors and he gave her a reassuring smile as their presence was formally announced and then she took his arm as he led her into the royal throne room.

Giant stained glass windows spread rainbows onto the white marble floors.  There was a narrow scarlet rug leading all the way up to a raised platform.  Set on the platform were four regal thrones, only two of which were occupied.  Amber wanted to dig in her heels and run but she followed dutifully, placing one foot in front of the next, pausing before the King and Queen and lowering her head as she dropped into a curtsy.

“Mother.  Father.  I have an announcement to make.” Alexander smiled and wrapped an arm around Amber’s shoulder.

 

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Chapter 7 – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

“Yours is an exceptionally rare and magnificent beauty. I would gladly gaze into the rich pools of your bewitching green eyes for an eternity. The full buds of your lips put to shame the reddest of roses. Your skin is perfection carved from alabaster. You were destined to be a princess.”

 “Wow… uh well I guess as far as pickup lines go that’s supposed to be good, but no thanks.” Amber began to walk away but the man stepped back in front of her, forcing her to stop.

“I am Prince Alexander, next in line for the throne to the Fairy Kingdom of Wayes.”

“Hmmmm… brag much? Amber here. And can you go away now?”

“Go away?” The prince dropped to his knees and held a hand dramatically to his heart. “I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you. Marry me.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“I assure you my intentions are steadfast and true,” Alexander replied solemnly.

Amber burst out laughing and was surprised to see the sudden anger in his eyes. The Fairy Prince stood back up and reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tiny glass vial. It was filled with a fine green powder. Prince Alexander removed the cap and sprinkled a small bit into the palm of his hand. He walked a couple of steps closer and Amber took an involuntary step back.

“What’s that?” Amber asked nervously.

“Just a present my father gave me when I came of age. Until this moment I never thought I’d have to use it.”

Without warning he blew the powder straight into her eyes and then clamped a hand fiercely to each side of her head, forcing her to look at him and only him. Once he’d made sure that their eyes had met he leaned in closer, touching his lips to hers. At first Amber fought, trying to tear free from his iron- like grip.

She bit his lip until she tasted blood but he was just too strong and merely pressed his lips tighter to her own. As the potion began to take effect, Amber felt the fight go out of her and her limbs relaxed and went limp. A fire began to burn deep within her and she began to kiss him back vigorously. She threw her arms around him, moaning deeply with passionate abandon.

Amber stared at the Prince with love filled eyes, utterly lost to the power of the mind-altering love potion. She rained little kisses all over his face and then returned back to placing hungry kisses on his lips. Alexander smiled and pulled her in closer, wrapping his arms around her as he leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“Marry me?” As he spoke, his lips caressed her hair and the feel of his warm breath on her ear was like a caress.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Amber bounced giddily and spun around in a circle before wrapping his arms back around her happily. It was as if all of her worries and troubles had been erased from her mind. Never had she been happier or felt more complete than this moment in his arms. It was as if her entire life had been building up to this one glorious moment. Time lost all meaning and she was surprised when she felt a gentle tugging on her arm.

“Follow me, my love.”

“Anywhere,” she answered dreamily and held his hand as he led her over to his waiting carriage.

The carriage was beautiful, painted white and covered with jewels that sparkled in the light. It was pulled not by horses but by powerful black ants. There were six ants in all and all of them were harnessed together to the carriage. Prince Alexander shooed away his valet and helped Amber into the carriage himself.

Amber sighed when she saw that the beauty of the carriage’s interior exceeded even that of the exterior. The walls were lined with violet satin gathered and sewn so that it cascaded down the walls in ripples. The seat was padded by soft velvety cushions upholstered in mauve and fringed with little bits of amethyst.

She pulled at the edges of her handkerchief gown, feeling out of place in the midst of such opulence. She looked up in expectation, waiting for the Prince to join her. Even though he was standing just outside the carriage she felt as if he were miles away. She leaned forward as if drawn towards the Prince by an invisible rope and held out her arms invitingly.

“A moment, my love,” said Alexander as he closed the door to the carriage and nodded towards his men.

“Your highness.” One of the soldiers in his royal guard stepped forward and bowed deeply to the Prince. “What would you have us do with the man child?”

Alexander looked over at the form of the grotesquely oversized human boy and pressed his fingers against his forehead deep in thought.

“If we were to kill it we could bring a plague on our country. The body is much too close to the kingdom,” the Prince mused.

“But what if there are more like him?” the guard asked hesitantly.

“Look at the urchin’s clothing. He’s filthy and starving, so he must be alone.”

“So what would you have me do, Highness?”

“Leave him. As long as we’re gone before the drugs wear off he’ll never find us.”

The boy stifled a gasp, unable to believe what he’d seen. He quickly closed his eyes, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that the effects of the fairies’ drugged arrows had already worn off. He was just too big for them to have had any lasting effect.

He didn’t know what to do. Even with his size advantage he was unarmed and grossly outnumbered. He had no other option but to wait and see how events would unfold.

 

Chapter 2 – Audio Book – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

Sometimes it’s just more fun to listen, so here’s the free audio book for Chapter 2 of Incendiary. If you want to follow along with the typed chapter go here.

Chapter 1 – Audio Book – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

Sometimes it’s just more fun to listen, so here’s the audio book for Chapter 1 of Incendiary. If you want to follow along with the typed chapter go here.

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Chapter 6 – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

The boy had run for as long as he could. He was simply too exhausted to run any more so he collapsed onto the forest floor. He was tempted to lean back against a tree but he knew better than that; even in the full light of day he had no desire to disturb a tree elemental from its slumber.

He pulled a small white mouse from his pocket and the mouse twitched and squeaked and tried to leap from his hands to the ground. “Shhhh…” he whispered and then spoke for the first time, “I can fix this.” The mouse stopped struggling and the boy sat her on the ground and took off his coat.

There was a hidden pocket sewn into the back of the lining and the boy lifted up a flap and pulled out a slim bundle of fabric. He pulled on a small ribbon and unrolled the parcel with a flourish. The mouse leaned in closer as the boy began to pull out little packets of dried herbs.

He broke off a few small pieces and then crumbled them between his fingers, turning them into a fine powder. He clenched his fist around the powder and used one hand to return everything neatly to the pouch and then concealed it once again in the hidden pocket of his coat.

Careful not to open his hand he pulled his coat back on and knelt back down next to the small white mouse. He held open the palm of his empty hand and she climbed back up into it willingly; but then it’s not as if Amber had any other options, being as she was currently trapped in the body of a tiny mouse and her life was quite literally in the hands of a seven year old boy.

The boy started walking again and his ears perked up when he was able to detect the faint gurgling of a nearby stream. The boy hadn’t made any more efforts at speech so the mouse gave a little squeak of fright when he spoke. She almost jumped out of his hand and into the water but he caught her just in time.

“You need to drink all of this,” he said as he sat her down and scooped up some water with his hand. He kept his hand formed in a cup shape as he began to carefully sift the powder onto the water, stirring it with his index finger. The mouse inched forward whiskers bristling and sniffed the liquid before scurrying back.

“Do you want to be human again or not?” the boy asked, frustrated.

Slowly the mouse inched back towards the boy’s outstretched hand and took a small drink of the liquid. “More,” the boy commanded and the mouse took another begrudging sip.

The mouse began to convulse and twitch, bending back so far that for a moment the boy feared its little spine would snap. Steam began to come out of its ears and then the boy screamed as the tiny mouse burst into flame.

“No!” the boy shouted, reaching his hands towards the flames, but the heat was intolerable. Tears sprang to his eyes as he was overwhelmed with guilt. “I’m so sorry… I thought… it should have…”

And then the fire was just gone. It didn’t burn out slowly, it was just extinguished. The boy’s eyes opened wide as he witnessed the ears shift, the fur and tail disappear and the nose shrink back to reveal a set of full lips. Gone was the mouse and back was the girl, and her beautiful green eyes were filled with rage.

“You set me on fire!”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how that happened.”

“Why are you so big?”

“I don’t…”

“AND WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?!” Amber screamed pulling her hair around to cover herself and putting out her hands protectively.

The boy turned his head away blushing crimson all the way up to the roots of his hair and he began to dig around in his pockets until he found a small handkerchief. It was covered in tiny white lace and given his appearance, surprisingly clean. He peered between two fingers as if to shield his eyes and she jerked it angrily out of his hands.

“Turn around!” she yelled at him.

Even at full volume her voice was still so quiet he wouldn’t have heard her if he hadn’t already been listening. Amber was filled with equal measures of embarrassment and indignation and her hands were shaking as she twisted and wrapped the fabric around her body.

The boy was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn’t know they were being attacked until he felt the sting of a dozen tiny arrows bite into his skin almost simultaneously. The tips of the arrows were laced with some sort of poison and he fought fruitlessly to keep his eyes open.

The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was an army of tiny soldiers racing towards him, all aiming bows directly at him.

“You should be dressed in the finest of silks,” a voice spoke from behind Amber and she jumped almost losing hold of her makeshift gown.

“Get away from me,” she threatened as her frightened eyes took in the overwhelming numbers of armed soldiers.

“Such harsh words from someone so beautiful.”

“What did you do to the boy?” Amber asked looking over at his unconscious form.

“We didn’t kill him,” the man smiled and Amber wanted to punch him in the face even if he was the best looking man she’d ever seen. “Yet.”

“What do you want from me?”

“From the moment I saw you emerge from the flames I’ve only wanted one thing.”

Chapter 5 – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

Amber smiled when she saw the plume of smoke rising in the distance, for with it came the possibility of food and shelter. As they got closer she was able to make out the distinctive shape of the chimney and a large cottage that seemed out of place in the middle of the forest. Thoughts of warm food and dry clothes overtook all of her thoughts and gave new energy to her tired limbs.

“I hope they have enough food to share,” Amber said to the boy.

He’d still yet to speak and Amber wasn’t about to force him so she just kept up a one sided conversation until they reached a small stone walkway.

“Can you imagine a nice warm bath? What I wouldn’t give for a nice new pair of shoes.”

There was a faint shimmering in the air as Amber stepped onto the pathway. She shivered and rubbed her arms trying to get rid of the sudden goose bumps. It was as if the air were filled with a million tiny dust motes. She blinked her eyes and they were gone and she was sure she’d just imagined it.

“My imagination needs to learn to focus on nice and pleasant things,” she thought to herself as she tugged on the boy’s arm to make sure he was following. He dug his heals in and tried to pull his hand out of her grasp.

“Don’t be such a goose,” Amber said before forcefully pulling him up beside her. “Don’t you want to spend the night with a roof over our heads?” The boy shuddered in fear and didn’t answer.

The boy was holding her arm so tightly that his fingers were biting into the tender flesh of her arms. Amber winced and tried to ignore it. She focused instead on her surroundings. The yard was beautiful, filled with a seemingly endless array of plants which were being cultivated neatly from one side of the yard to the other. She reached out to touch one and the boy pulled back on her hand and shook his head no.

“This kid is ridiculous,” Amber thought to herself but she decided to humor him because, after all, he’d been through something horrible. The door was roughhewn wood and when she knocked, it creaked open. “It must not have been pulled shut all the way,” she whispered more to herself than the boy.

“Hello?” she called out before pushing the door open the rest of the way. “May we come in?”

No one answered her and whoever lived in the cottage appeared to be out at the moment. Not in her wildest dreams could she have imagined such a gracious welcome. It was if someone had been eagerly awaiting her arrival. The fire was roaring, filling the cozy cottage with heat and giving off a pleasant crackling sound.

There were two clean and dry robes hanging from pegs and Amber told the boy to turn away as she stripped off her wet clothes and laid them to dry by the fire. She slipped on the robe sighing as the fire-warmed silk caressed her cold chapped skin. When she saw what awaited them in the next room she dropped her bag down next to the hearth and rushed through the arched doorway.

The room was filled almost wall to wall with a giant table that barely left room for the chairs. Every inch of the table was covered in food and Amber began to salivate as she thought of how long it had been since she’d last eaten. There was so much to choose from that she couldn’t contain her excitement anymore and did a little happy dance before spinning around in a full circle.

She began to reach for a plate when the little boy grabbed her arm again. He shook his head frantically no and Amber shook his hand off irritably and returned to eyeing the piles of freshly baked breads, puddings, and cured meats. This trumped all of the feast day banquets the city had ever prepared.

“There’s more than enough. Grab a plate.”

He continued to shake his head no but she wasn’t paying attention anymore. She filled two heaping plates and sat down to eat. When she’d finished the first plate and he still hadn’t joined her she moved on to the second plate. With still no sign of her host she left her dishes on the table and walked back to the room with the fire.

The boy was huddled on the ground with his knees pulled into his chest right next to the exterior door. She shook her head, not willing to let anything get her down. As she curled up on the rug in front of the fire she wondered what sort of wonderful person must live here, and if they’d let her stay.

She fell asleep feeling comfortable and safe with the corners of her lips still upturned in a smile. Hours later she was ripped from her sweet dreams by a fiercely cruel pain raking across her skull. She felt as if the bones in her head were grinding together and being crushed. She whipped her arms out to fight off an invisible assailant but no one was there.

Amber screamed when she saw her arms shrinking before her very eyes but her scream came out as an awful squeaking instead. She tried to speak but her vocal chords weren’t functioning properly. She was growing smaller by the second and within a matter of seconds her body was covered in white fur, whiskers had popped out of her face, and she was now sporting a long pink tale.

It was all too much for Amber and she passed out in a tiny heap. The boy stood up from where he’d been squatting by the door and walked over to the hearth where Amber had left her bag. He tried to stuff her clothes into the satchel as best as he could but the bag was already very full. He strung the bag over his shoulder and then walked back towards the door.

He knelt down on the ground staring intensely at the small white mouse that had once been Amber. The mouse was enveloped in a giant fold of silk from the now oversized robe. Amber wasn’t moving; there was no way of telling if she’d survive the transformation.

The boy heard a scratching sound coming from the back of the house, the sound of cat’s claws on hard wood floor. He shoved the mouse in his pants pocket and threw open the door running hard. Streaks of light were just beginning to transform night into day.

He could hear the sound of enraged meowing coming from back at the cottage and he tried to run even faster but the weight of Amber’s bag was slowing him down and he was so tired, and hungry, and weak.

Prologue – Audio Book – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

Sometimes it’s just more fun to listen, so here’s the audio book for the prologue of Incendiary.  If you want to follow along with the typed chapter go here.

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Chapter 4 – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

Amber dug her fingers into her thick hair and tugged nervously on the long brown strands. She braced herself, preparing for the worst. “What do I do? What do I do?” she thought frantically. She ducked down behind a tree trying to hide and never before had she been so grateful to be small because it increased her odds of remaining undetected.

She endeavored to call the fire into her hands but she couldn’t even make a spark. She doubted it would have helped much against a rock elemental anyway, but it would have been comforting to have some sort of weapon. She tried to console herself with the fact that the other great thing about being small was speed.

With no other option left she took a deep breath and took off running. She darted a quick glance over her shoulder and then focused her attention back on the treacherous path in front of her. “Don’t trip. Don’t die,” she repeated over and over again like a mantra.

The ground was covered with rocks and twigs and the rain had turned the fallen leaves into a slippery mess. The rock elemental was gaining on her rapidly. Amber screamed when the burning tree elemental darted in front of her and jumped to the side to get out of its pathway.

She saw the rock elemental grab the burning tree elemental and snap it in half like it was a tiny matchstick and not a giant full sized tree. She stayed, still praying that it wouldn’t notice her as he beat the tree into a pulp even jumping up and down on it until all the flames at last went out. Amber held her breath, afraid to make any sound at all as the rock elemental paused and rotated his head around, almost as if he smelled the air.

He began to move around, beating out any small traces of fire before they could grow or spread further. Amber couldn’t believe it when he walked right past her without detecting her presence. She stared in awe as he raised up his arms and the earth began to rumble and open up beneath him.

When he’d completely disappeared beneath the surface of the earth again Amber slowly heaved herself to her feet. The immediate threat may have disappeared but none of that changed the fact that she couldn’t stay in the woods. She had to find the nearest town.

When she was younger her father had told her stories about how some of the smaller towns didn’t have big walls like their city but that they still had wards to protect them. Some people even had them on their houses. Oh how she wished she’d paid more attention to her father. He’d even tried to teach her about some of the basic wards, but she’d never seen the point in it since she had always been protected by the walls of the city.

When she heard the whimpering sound her first instinct was to run. But it sounded like a little child crying and her humanity won out over her drive to survive. She moved slowly trying not to make a sound as she approached. With every step she took closer she could only hope that it wasn’t a trap.

She pulled back a tree branch and winced as the rough needles scratched into her arm. The keening sounds grew louder when she pulled back the branch as if the tree had been acting as a muffler. There sitting on the ground before her was a little boy.

He was filthy, covered from head to toes in mud and what looked to be layers of grime. Not that she was one to judge covered in all of the muck and mud of the forest, but hers was recent and his looked like it had been slowly building up over a period of days or even weeks.

He was so thin that his cheekbones were unusually pronounced and his hair was so matted with leaves and other debris that it was hard to tell what color it was. Amber’s first thought was to turn around before he saw her. She couldn’t even take care of herself right now, let alone another person.

But she knew she’d never forgive herself if something happened, and she knew that in a world full of violent and powerful elementals it was only a matter of time before something horrible did indeed happen to him. His obvious misfortune tugged at her heartstrings when she became aware of the fact that he couldn’t have been more than seven years old.

“What are you doing out here all alone?” Amber asked.

The little boy started sobbing and she realized too late that that might not be the best or even the most sensitive of questions. She felt totally out of her element, like a fish out of water, and she didn’t know what to do so she dropped to her knees on to the ground next to him and began patting him softly on the back.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

The little boy shook his head no from side to side.

“Where are your parents?”

The little boy didn’t answer and Amber knew deep down that something horrible must have happened to his parents. Amber briefly considered her options before she launched into action. She stood up and adjusted the strap to her satchel, amazed that she hadn’t lost it in the course of all the frenzied running.

“Would you like to come with me?”

The little boy nodded yes and Amber leaned over and held out a hand to help pull him to his feet. Somehow she always felt better when she’d finished deliberating and made a decision. Whether it was a good idea or not, once she’d resolved to do something she didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

He took her hand and Amber pulled him to his feet and they continued to hold hands as they started walking. It started raining again and they were both soaking wet and freezing but without shelter they had no choice but to keep walking. There were sounds of things moving in the forest and Amber hoped it was animals and not elementals because, storm or no, night had descended in full.

Chapter 3 – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

“I suggest you run,” Amber said raising her arms even higher. She was trying to force a false bravado into her voice, and was faking confidence that she didn’t even begin to have. She had to stop herself from taking a big relief infused breath when it looked like he was going to take her seriously.

In fact, the guard didn’t even hesitate as he began backing away. He was afraid to turn his back to her and that made his movements graceless as he stumbled and tripped his way back towards the safety of the city’s walls. Amber’s arms had begun to shake and the fire had long since winked out before he was out of sight.

Amber’s panicked thoughts were racing through every potential horror that faced her. Would he come back with half the city’s guards? Would the town set the dogs on her? Would they hurt her father? She didn’t even know how far it was to the nearest village and her satchel was already weighing heavily on her.

She couldn’t decide what to do and she fought against the urge to just sit down and think things out. All of her carefully made preparations had failed her and this was no time for deep analytical thinking. This was a time for action and the only action that she knew for sure was wrong would be to stay still.

She’d waited too long to leave and she’d no doubt pay for that mistake with her life. But she was unwilling to admit defeat and she stiffened her spin and her resolve as she began to persistently put one foot in front of the other. If they were going to catch her she’d make it as much of a challenge as possible.

Life in the city had not prepared her for the rough terrain of the unyielding forest floor. Her shoes were thin and far more decorative than purposeful. With every step she took she felt as if each and every rock and twig in the forest were trying to stab her in the tender arch of her feet.

For a awhile she let her thoughts give in to pity and regrets. For awhile she wished that she’d never left the city, even daydreaming that she’d have been able to pass her test or that she could have ever been happy with a man like the guard who’d tried to force himself on her. Now that she was out of the city she couldn’t believe how she’d never even questioned the fact that she would have no say in choosing who to marry.

Her thoughts drifted from unwanted marriage to her sister Callie. Part of her wished that she’d runaway and gone with Callie all those years ago. She couldn’t bear to make this journey alone. She knew that other people were just stronger than her. Like the peddlers who traveled between all of the small cities and villages. Every day they faced the countless dangers of the elementals and many of them didn’t survive the trips.

Many of the young boys had wanted to go with the peddlers and see more of the world, but she’d never wanted to leave the city. She’d planned to marry and live in a life of bliss as she had one child after the next and took care of her husband and her home.

She was afraid of her strange magical powers. She’d been raised to believe that magic was evil and dangerous. That was why the testing ceremony had been established, to keep people safe. She had heard stories told by the traveling entertainers about how entire cities had been destroyed by just one person out of control wielding fire or earth magic. The thought of ever exercising that much power terrified her.

She’d been walking for hours when she heard the first crack of thunder and she gasped when the bright light tore across the sky. Although most elementals could come out during the day it was rare. They preferred night and Amber was alarmed when she realized that being struck by lightning was the least of her worries. The clouds were obscuring the sun and turning day into night far ahead of schedule.

She tried to run faster but she kept slipping and somewhere along the way she lost one of her shoes. Out of breath she paused, leaning back against a tree taking in short gasping breaths until she felt something moving. Her breath stilled in her mouth and her heart stopped beating for a moment.

The tree was alive. Amber whimpered as she realized that this was no ordinary tree but one of the many corporeal forms taken by earth elementals. She dashed away from the tree elemental realizing how impossible it would be to find cover in the forest when any of the trees could be an elemental in disguise.

She had to get out of the forest before one of the Tree Elementals slaughtered her. She hadn’t gone far before the lightning struck again and this time it was more than just a flash of light. One of the trees in front of her burst into flame and Amber screamed as the tree seemed to sever from its roots and began crashing around in the forest. The sound was deafening and the sight of fire in the midst of so much wood was terrifying.

She stared in disbelief as the tree morphed and shifted until it looked almost like a giant man with its hair and hands ending in bunches of leaves. The Tree Elemental’s eyes were empty dark sockets and its mouth was made from a knot in the wood. Its mouth was open wide open and making a terrible keening sound. Amber was a ball of nerves as she tried to keep moving and get out of its’ path without drawing attention to herself.

In spite of the rain the fire was already beginning to spread to other trees in the forest when the ground beneath Amber began to rumble. Her eyes grew big as she witnessed a colossal rock giant emerging from the ground. It was as if giant boulders and rocks had been slammed together into a monstrous beast.

It’s arms were massive and ended in beefy fingers that appeared to have been chiseled out of slate and shaped into a fist. It’s head was covered in a fine layer of moss that served almost as hair. The Rock Elemental’s eyes were two angrily glittering rubies. She tried to bend her body out of sight behind a tree but she had no way of knowing if she’d succeeded. Amber’s heart plummeted because she knew she’d never survive against such a creature and he was coming straight towards her.