Elements

Chapter 27

When I first arrived at the kingdom, I was blown away at how fantastical it was.

Nick took me to the palace. Marble white grand doors greeted me at the entrance; etched upon them were stories, legends, the adventures of the gods decades prior. The family's crest was stamped at the center. There were four elements; wind flew, fire spread, water flowed, and the land grew. At the center danced a snowflake, twirling and spinning on the midnight backdrop.

My jaw was hanging open, so Nick reached over and shut it. He laughed when I turned to him with huge eyes. "Nick, what the heck is this place!?"

"My home," I could see a small glint of excitement shining in his eyes, blazing orange and hazel, but he did well to hide it. "My real home. You shouldn't really be here, but since you are..."

Nick lead the way inside. The halls were also marble-white. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows onto the walls, reflecting a blinding white light. I had to squint my eyes as we passed them.

It was quiet. Very quiet. An eerie silence filled the air, like the palace was holding its breath, waiting. It felt a little uncomfortable, being in such a grand place. But it was astonishing. It was like magic. I had been transformed into a whole different world, where the land was bright and alive. Where the line between fantasy and reality became a blur. I was far from my home, and that made me feel a bit relieved. Nick showed me everything; the ballroom, the training rooms, and the dining hall...even the stables at the back. They had pegasus. Real flying horses! I couldn't believe it.

I wanted to stay forever.

But Nick had other plans. We were waiting for Mother Nature to return from her work (wherever she was, whether it be tending to farms in the South or wrestling tornados in Texas). At last, she finally arrived. Nick looked a little nervous when we headed for her "room".  I would call it more of a mix between a studio, study, and suite. It was the grandest room so far, with ceilings that were miles above my head. I don't think they ever ended. Must be magic. The room was as wide as a football field, stretching to the limit. There was even a balcony, overlooking the entrance to the kingdom. It was breathtaking.

Mother Nature looked up from her work. This is when I first met her. Her hair was green and twisted in a messy bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were slightly pointed. She had beautiful eyes, not one color but millions. One second they were emerald green, another second one was purple and one was stormy gray. Our eyes were locked. I couldn't look away.

"Nick," She tore her gaze away from me, resting her eyes on Nick. "Who is this?"

"His name is Jackson. He's mortal."

"I can tell that, but who is he?" She rose from her chair. I suppressed a yelp. She was taller than I expected. Maybe six feet? No, taller. "A mere mortal isn't permitted here. They shouldn't even know-"

"We exist, yes," Nick sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, "I didn't intentionally bring him here. He grabbed onto me right when I started to teleport with the elemental stone. I'm not sure what to do with him." The two looked me from up to down. I was being studied, and I didn't like it.

"Jackson," Mother Nature echoed. "Jackson...Hefter?"

"Yes, precisely."

"Um, I'm sorry," I finally said, shifting on my feet, "But what is this place? Who are you?"

"Mother Nature, goddess of creation and life," She made her way towards me, her hands behind her back, her chin pointed in the air, "Mother to the four-er, I mean-five gods and goddesses of the elements."

"B-but..." I stared at her in disbelief, "You're the Mother Nature? As in, the one in the myth?"

"It's not a myth. It's very real." Her eyes stormed gray once again, then swiftly changed to the color...actually, is it possible to have no color in your eyes?

"So that means..." I stare around at the room, "I'm in the realm of gods? Heaven? Above the sky or something?"

"Yes and no. You are in the Elemental Kingdom, one of the many kingdoms that control the universe and all of life."

"Wow," I reply. All that information and all I said is 'wow'. I was speechless. It was fascinating, wondrous, and a little scary, "So, you have the power to like, blow me up and stuff? Change life?"

"Yes, and yes," A small smile was etched on her lips, "Don't get on the wrong side of me."

"Yes ma'am," My brain was going a mile a minute, processing what I had just been told, "So...there are four, no, five elemental divine beings? And you're the mother of them all?"

"Precisely."

"So there's wind, land, fire, and water...but then, what's the fifth?"

"Ah," Mother Nature walked to the back floor-to-ceiling window (which is also never-ending of course), "The fifth element is one that unites all of them together. One that is strongest most with water. One that is wise and carries secrets from its history. One strong, magical, unique...the element of ice."

"But isn't ice just frozen water?"

"Ice has many secrets and wisdom. One can find treasure or discoveries frozen in the cold. Events from history can be frozen in time. One with ice powers can be powerful, and dangerous, possessing enough magic to perhaps turn time itself." Mother Nature's eyes suddenly become whiter, more distant, more pained, "But I have lost her. The goddess of ice is nowhere to be found. She was stolen from me as an infant."

Suddenly, I realized something, "Ice? But, wait...Ira's always had something with ice..."

Mother Nature turned to me again, "Did you say something?"

"I-I know a girl. One of my...um...f-friends. She has some experience with ice and 'magic'." I shift on my feet once more, staring down at my sneakers. "An incident in second grade where she broke down one of the walls with a blizzard because she was angry. Of course, people think it's a coincidence and only tease her about it, but...what if she's the goddess?"

Mother Nature stiffened. She locked her gaze on me and replied, "I see. It is possible. We must investigate this at once."

She turned to Nick, "Fury, you and the others must see into this."

"But what if she's not the girl? Besides, the Destroyer could have spies. What if they already know and then find our identities?"

"Hmmm." Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind. "We need a spy that's not noticeable. Someone common." Mother Nature turned to me once more. "Jackson Hefter? Now that you know of us, we can recruit you. You will be protecting this girl until we know enough about her. Is that clear?"

"Me? But I'm just a regular kid! I have no idea how to fight, how to protect anyone-"

"We'll help you," The goddess handed me a stone similar to Nick's. It has a 'person' symbol at the center, outlined in purple. "This will be your sense of communication as well as your transporter back to the kingdom. You will stay here and train for a few days, then you can travel back and begin."

"This is going way too fast-"

"Hey," Nick put a hand on my shoulder, "I've been watching you as well, and I think you're ready for this. That's why I didn't handle this myself. I think you're actually capable of helping us. Helping her.

"So, what do you say?" Mother Nature asked, "We will guide you along the way, only if you will accept this offer. We need you, so we can decide if you've really found my daughter."

A million thoughts rushed through my mind, my heart was pounding, my breath was quick. Yet I still found the courage to say the word, "Okay."

I don't regret it. I helped a mother find her child again. Just like I don't regret the decision I made to help Ira.