Page 119 of A Dance With Fire
“Mana lives within us, a phantom shadow within all the Fae. It connects us to life, to the elements, to our very magic like invisible threads. It is a single, soul-binding force. Yes, we have our own souls, our own magic, and yet the Mana in us all is the same.”
There weren’t many aspects of Mana. It wasn’t divided or compartmentalized into separate bits and pieces. Mana was considered the supreme being to the Fae. God and Goddess. Fire and water, earth and air, ice and lava, mercury and spirit. Mana was all and lived within all.
Everyone held their breath as they took in The Seer’s words.
“Manaisnature, and the Elementals are personifications of that force.” The Seer’s blank eyes held Shula’s, and the Fae smiled. It wasn’t evil or cruel but knowing, and that’s what made Shula feel like there was just the slightest touch of malice beneath it.
Because The Seer knew all.
“The Elementals do not hold just a fraction. You are the pillars of Mana itself. The strongest, as you are the last of your kind.”
Shula sucked in a breath.
“You did not know,” The Seer mused. “What did you think the markings on your back meant? When the penultimate Elemental dies, the last one remaining receives the markings carved in their flesh.”
Though Shula had never given much thought to other fire Fae, the implications of what The Seer said hit her hard. She was the last of her kind. The last fire Fae in existence. It was a difficult thing to know, that the humans had killed them all off. Like she’d lost family she had never known.
“There are others. Other pillars. Other Elementals that are the last of their kind.”
“Why are you calling them ‘pillars’?” Valerio cut in.
The Seer didn’t even look at the Seelie Prince as they answered, “Because it is what you are. The pillars in the structure of the lives of other Fae. Another gift given by Mana. Direct fragments of Mana’s essence that, when united, can either save the Fae… or eradicate us completely.”
Those words gripped Shula like a vice, snuffing the air out from her lungs. The heaviness of them, of what she and others could do. Eradication of the Fae? She wouldnever…
Ryker stepped forward until he was next to her. She drew strength from his heat like it was the most normal thing in the world to do. For a moment she pretended like they didn’t have such a strained relationship and grounded her thoughts with his presence.
“Speak clearly, Seer,” he ordered, his rage almost palpable.
A hoarse sound scraped out of the Fae’s throat that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “Join the Fae Elementals together, as direct fragments of Mana, and do you know what you can create? Life and death in equal measure. Together, youareimmeasurable power and will open a doorway to release the full force of Mana on the lands. The Emperor of Illyk knows this. He knows that if he finds all six of you, he can use you all to sever Mana completely. And because all Fae have fragments of Mana within them…”
“He can kill us all in one sweep…” Valerio breathed softly.
“Smart prince.” The Seer smirked.
“That’s why the emperor wants Shula so badly,” Clay supplied. “He’s looking for the Elementals. Shula, you said you saw images carved onto the floor.”
“Waves, flames, swirls, curling vines, stars, and a straight line.” The images were etched as deeply into her memory as they had been onto the floor.
“Water, fire, air, earth, ice, and spirit.” The Seer’s blank eyes blinked quickly. “Scattered throughout Illyk, uncertain of what their future holds.”
“How do we find them?” Valerio asked.
“Elementals can feel each other as prominently as you can feel the scars on your back.”
“There are only six?” Ryker drew that blank gaze to himself. “Only six Elementals?”
“Yes. Lava and mercury breathed their last breaths.” The Seer’s head cocked to the side, studying Ryker for a moment. “Have you danced with fire yet, Ryker?”
Ryker’s whole body froze. The words felt like a premonition that went ignored. Because The Seer spoke again, and this time, there was fear in every rasping word.
“Run,” the Fae ordered. “The iron monsters have arrived.”
Those were the last words spoken before the valley around them erupted into chaos.
41
Iron Monsters
