Water {Elements of Power 2}

Chapter 3: Jasmine

The breeze was high in the harbour; Brae was agitated and we were all suffering for it. I pulled my shawl more tightly round my shoulders as I fought—and failed—to repress a shiver.

"Sorry," Brae said, looking slightly guilty. The winds dropped momentarily.

I shrugged and stepped towards him to take his hand, squeezing it tightly. I was about to speak, but as his eyes met mine I knew that I didn't have to. He knew what this trip meant, and what he was deciding to do, and he was going to go ahead with it anyway. I let go of his hand, admitting defeat. If he wanted to run away from what was happening to his dad then that was his choice. There was nothing I could do to change his mind.

I walked towards the very people he was trying to get away from: King Zephyrus, frail as spring ice, and Brae's mother, Grace. They were deep in discussion, so I hung back and waited before approaching. Snippets of their conversation caught the breeze, which was increasing again as Brae stared out to sea.

The Queen had tears falling down her cheeks, glinting in the sunlight shining from her silver hair. "If you asked him to stay, I'm sure he would. They don't need to leave now. They can wait another month or so."

Zephyrus shook his head and smiled sadly at his wife. "He's making the right decision. This is an important trip—for Brae and Jasmine both. They should go as soon as possible."

"But—"

"But nothing, Grace. He needs to be a leader, now more than ever."

"He needs to be with his family, with his father. We need him here."

Zephyrus took her hands in his kindly. "I don't want him sitting in the Arcan Realm, waiting for me to die. I—I'd much rather he was away when it happened. I think it would be better for both of us."

Grace wiped away a few more tears from her cheeks, but she didn't say anything else. She squeezed her dying husband's hands in her own.

I plastered a false smile across my face and called out to the pair, announcing my presence.

Grace mirrored my forced smile with one of her own. "Jasmine! How are you? Are you all prepared?"

"I'm surprised you're actually doing this officially this time and not sneaking away in the night." Zephyrus was smiling, trying to make the mood lighter, but his words made me feel guilty. There had been a lot of awkward questions when I returned from the Helian Realm with the Protectors, given that I was supposed to be in a monastery praying at the time...

I think Grace was still angry that I hadn't come to her first, to warn her that her son was in danger, or confided the secret of my changes to her. But hindsight was a brilliant concept. Besides, I knew that if I had gone to her, she would have done her best to allay my fears and would have felt even more anxious when I did leave.

"Well, this time I have actually been invited! So it only seems right. It's Brody you'll need to keep an eye on! He's desperate not to get left behind."

"He'll be much safer here—as would all the rest of you. We've only just averted one disaster!"

"Grace," Zephyrus said, his tone low in warning. "That mishap was averted by Jasmine's amazing powers. This trip is an opportunity for her to learn how to use them more effectively—which can only be a good thing. Besides, we know that Brae will be safe while he's got a guardian with prophetic dreams with him!" He smiled warmly, clearly meaning every word of gratitude.

"I'll keep him safe."

"I know you will."

"Hey! Why does everyone assume that I can't keep myself safe?" Brae protested, coming up behind me. I knew him well enough to see how forced his smile was, how falsely light he had made his tone.

"We're off in a few minutes. It's time for goodbyes, Jazz."

I hugged both Grace and Zephyrus, holding on to each for slightly longer than I normally would, knowing that everything would probably be vastly different when we returned. Then I stepped back, leaving Brae to say a proper goodbye to his parents.

While I waited for him, I wandered over to Caleb and Noni. "You'll be careful, won't you, Jasmine?" Noni asked, frowning in concern.

"Of course she will be—Jasmine is always careful, and she'll have the others with her too," Caleb said gruffly. I knew that he was still on edge about the trip though. The night before, he had asked me again if I was certain about going, and had given me a lot of tips on how to behave around Brizans.

"Exactly." I smiled, hugging them both tightly. "I will be back before you know it—and there will be no more accidental floods!"

"Good to hear; we need to have the house refurbished while you're away—it has developed a damp problem over the past few weeks!" Caleb replied, smiling fondly.

I said my final goodbyes and returned to the boat, where Devon was bouncing about excitedly. "Second mission already! The glamorous life of being a Protector. I feel so important."

Cameron laughed as he carried the first of Imogen's bags on board. "I hope this one's a little less deadly than the last—I don't fancy fleeing for my life twice in one year!"

"We'll be fine," Devon said confidently. "It's only the Brizan Realm. They wouldn't hurt us!"

"It's unlikely, true, but I wouldn't rule it out completely. The Brizans are as changeable as the sea; one minute everything will be calm and peaceful, the next, it all kicks off and we get soaked!"

I laughed. "Just like an afternoon with me at the moment then!"

"So long as I get time to chill out on the beach—and to shop—I don't care what the Brizans are like," Imogen proclaimed, struggling on board with another enormous suitcase.

"Im, you don't care about anything as long as you get time to shop," Devon giggled, before swiftly ducking the bag Imogen sent careering at her head. Moments later her face changed and she rushed to the side of the ship. "Brody!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you off." The Arcan grinned. He was still heavily bandaged from his fight in the Helian Realm, where he had taken on a Protector with nothing more than his fists and lived to tell the tale.

"You didn't have to do that. You should be resting." Devon frowned, concerned.

"Well, I was kind of hoping you might let me stowaway on board. We could make a habit of it. Things are going to be boring without you guys around."

"You need to rest," she said sincerely. "You haven't had enough time to recover yet."

He started to protest, but she cut him off. "Besides, you can come over at any time on one of your dad's boats. We might need you to bring us news from the Arcan Realm."

He looked down, resigned. "I'll miss you, Dev." He mumbled the words, more to his bandaged feet than to her.

"I'll miss you too," she replied, much to our surprise. It was clear that something had been going on between the two of them since they got back; Devon had been to his house almost every day to 'check up on him'. But she was refusing to tell Imogen or I any details, so to say that in front of the rest of us was a big step.

"So cute!" Imogen whispered in my ear, grinning.

"Aren't they just! We should leave them to it though—we don't want to interrupt their forlorn goodbyes!" I led her away to another part of the ship where we could cause less mischief.

{Thank you so much to @manohar_m for the fan art}