Page 25 of A Touch of Iron
The episode lasted no more than two minutes, but it felt like an eternity as I relived the life I’d forgotten. Spent and disillusioned, I blinked teary eyes and fisted the soil beneath me. I looked up at Creed with hate-filled eyes.
I wasn’t Aurora.
I was Violet De La Rosa.
And I’d just finished my trial.
12
VIOLET
Islowly stood and prowled toward Creed with single minded determination, drying my tear-stained cheeks on the way. “Youdaredto kill my mentor and friend?” I stopped two feet away, close enough for him to see the fire in my eyes.
Creed frowned and sized me up and down. “Aurora?” he asked cautiously.
I snarled, “Think again!” I reached for the bracelet on my wrist that made the rest of my elemental powers dormant and ripped it off with inhuman strength. A seismic surge of power coursed through me with shuddering relief. Now I not only had the power of air at my fingertips, but fire as well.
My hands ignited and I prepared to attack before realizing he was a fire elemental and fire wouldn’t hurt him. I extinguished the flames, deciding on a different tactic; one I’d learned from the mentor who lay lifelessly at my feet. Calypso taught me dominion over air. I wasn’t completely useless against a fellow fire elemental.
Extending my hand, I pulled the oxygen from his lungs and pulled him toward me until he dangled scant inches from my face. “I’m going to kill you,” I growled. I punched his jaw with all my might, trying to release my pent-up fury.
“You … you can’t … kill … me,” he gasped. “You … don’t know … who … I am.”
“You could be the creator of life himself and I wouldn’t care!” I said between my tears. “You don’t have the right to live after what you did!”
Creed slammed his palm against my chest and flung me away as if I weighed no more than a sheet of paper. Gasping for breath, he scrambled to his feet and stumbled forward.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” he said breathlessly, “and I can answer them for you. But not until you give me the necklace.”
“Why?” I demanded. “So you can control me?”
“To save you from yourself,” he snapped. “You don’t know everything yet.”
“What don’t I know? Explain it to me!” I staggered, mourning Calypso’s death at the hands of the monster standing in front of me. I pointed down to her lifeless body. “There’s nothing you can say that would justifythis.”
Creed laughed sinisterly. “I would have done it sooner if I’d known it would cause you to finish your trial!”
His hand ignited and he lobbed a fireball at me. The flames were close enough that I felt their soothing heat when I rolled out of the way, clambering to my feet and darting toward the woods where I hoped I could lose him and possibly find help within the village.
I heard his pounding footsteps thundering on the trail behind me as he steadily gained on me. I ran harder, faster, vowing not to go down without a fight. Just as I rounded a hairpin turn, an arm darted out of the bushes and hauled me into the dense foliage, covering my mouth so I couldn’t cry out.
I froze in place, unable to see my captor but sensing they were on my side. We watched in rapt fascination as Creed stormed past, continuing toward the village. Once I could no longer hear his ragged breaths, I tensed and turned my attention to my present situation. The person’s hand flexed over my mouth and he pushed me against his chest. That was when I knew.
Alec.
I whirled around and hugged him something fierce, crying into the crook of his neck. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it’s you!”
He was hesitant at first, but then he wrapped his arms around me. “I’ve always been here, Vi.”
I pulled away to get a good look at him and sighed in relief. “How did you know my trial was over?”
He shrugged sheepishly. “I’ve been watching you for some time. More so since you started hanging around that Creed guy.”
“He killed Calypso!” I nearly shouted.
“I know. I’m sorry.” He brushed my hair away from my wet cheeks. “She was your mentor and she shielded you from a lot during the trials. She didn’t deserve tobeyour trial.”
I scanned the trail, listening for Creed’s footsteps to see if he was doubling back. “He won’t stop looking for me, Alec. Because I havethis.” I gingerly pulled the necklace from my pocket. “Creed said it’s supposed to tame a dragon. I think he was planning on using it on me.”
