The Elementals Book 1: The Abyss

The Confrontation With Execute

Chapter 8

"Oh, you're extremely late for the party," Execute said opaquely gazing at his nails as though he was bored. Execute was a towering figure of nearly 7 feet in height, he had dark brown skin and broad shoulders and smiled at them wide.

"As long as you're in the room there's never a party," Shadow growled at him.

"Ha! You, narcissists, think you're so confident and smart, with your little snaps and wittiness. I don't mean to be a party pooper but let me tell you something. No one and I mean no one, snaps at me, I snap at them," he said coldly. Then he snapped his hand downwards and a huge boulder crashed upon Lumia, Fauna, and Hazels' heads. Fortunately, Fauna was able to levitate it right before it crushed them. Execute grinned menacingly as Fauna strained, trying to hold up the boulder.

"Now Shadow has Lumia told you her little secret?" he said.

"What are you talking about," Shadow said. Mom wiped his memories of Lumia he shouldn't know who she is, Shadow thought to himself. But the more pressing question that he couldn't stop himself from thinking was What is Lumia hiding? Execute stared right at Shadow and his smile grew wider.

"A long time ago your mother wiped my memory, so I would forget everything about Lumia. But over the years I started to get them back, I'd stumble onto couches and chairs having small revelations about your sister," he said, gesturing to Shadow. "So I sent some Executives to retrieve info about a light elemental left in an orphanage 8 years ago and I discovered, that the light being was my daughter." he paused. "And was secretly an ICE ELEMENTAL!" He cried and flicked his finger at Lumia, revealing an ice being, with bright light blue eyes, frost white skin and a silver icicle dress.

"No, no no you're lying," Shadow cried. Lumia shook her head sheepishly.

"Why would you lie to me?!" he yelled at her.

"I'm sorry Shadow I thou-"

"Now Shadow, my boy, it's time for you to join me," Execute interrupted. Seizing the time where Shadow was most vulnerable with his emotions. He reached into his pocket to show Shadow a sparkling pure black gem. Then he gazed at it longingly. "I've waited so long," he whispered. Then, without a second to lose, he lunged forward, throwing the gem right into Shadow's head. It sank in like a rock plunged into the water. Then he grabbed the fire gem and placed it gently in his crown with a satisfying click.

"Knowledge gem!" Execute cried at once. Shadow's eyes glazed over. His mind felt only darkness. There was a long pause. Then he turned slowly to look at the three girls.

"Don't disobey father," he said closing his eyes as though he were asleep. "Or else you're going to regret it," his voice hardened. Execute cackled loudly as Shadow turned into a glittering dark angel with obsidian encrusted wings, a bag of arrows slung over his shoulder, and a sparkling black arrow in hand, his eyes were now fully black with not a pupil insight, inside of the sea of darkness. With one swift movement, Shadow hit the three in the chest with arrows as Fauna's boulder crumbled to the ground. The unconscious prisoners were then led to a dimly lit chamber where Execute created a wall out of lava which then hardened into moult. He snapped magic-resistant handcuffs on both of the girls and left the room laughing. Unfortunately, he hadn't noticed the not unconscious, very much awake Hazel who shapeshifted into a beetle and silently opened the handcuffs. Yet once the girls were awake and freed they were still watched by dark angel/archer Shadow, their backs faced to him.

"Shadow's creeping me out," Fauna whispered to Lumia. Lumia just stared into the distance.

"So you're not a light being are you."

Lumia sighed.

"I didn't want Shadow to think I was different, weird. And I just couldn't get the courage to admit it, he'd be mad at our mother and everything would fall apart. But yes, I am at least half-dark with the other half of ice." she said sadly. "My real name's Frost as well."

"I get it," Fauna said. There was a long pause. "Wait a second, Lumia, I mean Frost, if I expand the wall above him he'll notice. But if I expand the wall behind him..." she said excitedly.

"He'll never see it coming," Frost breathed. Fauna flicked her wrist, so slightly that you almost couldn't notice it. Thankfully Shadow did not, or rather Execute did not for he was the one controlling him. Fauna's wrist movement caused the wall behind Shadow to spike out at him, knocking him to the floor out cold. Hazel transformed back into herself.

"Okay, let's get out of here," Fauna said, relieved. They crept out into the hallway with Hazel in the form of a phoenix carrying Shadow. They slipped past the miners and Execute's guards and had made their way to the exit when the Quadro heard a voice.

"You're not leaving already, that'll ruin the party," Execute slithered silently in front of them. Fauna stepped back shielding Frost and Hazel with her arms posed, ready to strike. "Nobody likes a party pooper." Fauna flicked her wrist causing the molten wall to inflate behind Execute. He crumbled the expanded matter to dust. "Now you're just being rude, you need to take responsibility for your actions and apologize," he hissed at them. Shadow's unconscious body moved silently in front of Execute. "Maybe you just need a little... excitement to help you change your minds about leaving, how about a puppet show?"

"No," Frost said, panicky. Execute guided his hands above Shadow's unconscious body. Shadow's left arm twitched then flickered upwards, then his other arm. His legs stood up and his head rocked from side to side. "I said no," Frost said. Shadow's right arm moved in front of him gesturing for Frost to join. "No!" She yelled, shooting an icicle at Execute. He had expected this of course and dodged it easily making the weapon glaze ice over the wall behind him.

"Weak, utterly weak, reckless too. Aria was right, right about everything except Shadow," he mumbled to himself but loud enough so the others could hear. Suddenly a harsh, freezing wind entered the room's atmosphere. It swirled around Execute catching him by surprise as an unknown force threw him behind the squadron, Execute's eyes opened in surprise before he was slammed against a wall. Hazel gawked at Frost.

"We don't have much time," Frost said, not looking at Hazel.

"Yes, that's very true, let's go," Fauna agreed, creating tiny indents in the wall in front of them to create makeshift stairs. The group ascended in silence and out onto the Fire planet.