The Elementals: Lost in a Turbulent Sea (Book 3 in Elementals Series)

Chapter Four: Waterfall

June 22nd, 2016

Château du Taureau, France

"She's been down there for half a day. We should see if she's alright," Dartanian insists.

"You and I both know she'll be fine," Pierce reminds him, "there might be a lot of things to discover down there. We don't know."

"What if she's gotten hurt?" Dartanian asks.

Pierce takes a deep breath. "I'd know if she was. And so would you."

"How would I know?"

"Well, the first indication would be if the ice melted. And second, you would feel it. You have a strong bond with my daughter and if she gets hurt, you'll sense it," he murmurs.

Dartanian swallows thickly before sighing. "You felt that with Erika."

Pierce smiles softly before nodding. "I used to," he murmurs, "not anymore though."

"With Sakari?"

"We're not that close yet," Pierce murmurs, "but soon, I feel we will be."

"How do you know you're..."

Pierce smiles softly. "You already are. I see it in the way you look at my daughter. When you asked if you could go along, she said she'd be fine on her own. You sensed she was right, correct?"

Dartanian nods. "Yeah, can't explain it..."

"You never can. It's part of being an Elemental. Your element calls to hers and she feels it, and vice versa," he murmurs, smiling towards the teen, "I never thought I'd say this but, for a Stone you're...quite kind."

"Not stone cold?" Dartanian asks and Pierce chuckles.

"Not at all," Pierce murmurs before smiling slightly, "but if you break my daughter's heart-"

"I think she'll be able to handle herself if that happens," Dartanian says, "considering she can control seven elements."

"You're right. But I'll still come after you," Pierce warns him.

Dartanian's ears perk up when he hears a cracking sound. The ice breaks, then melts, and he steps forward before Lyria pulls herself out of the water. He helps her stand and she wraps her arms around him.

"You're alright," he murmurs, "you are, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It was...amazing down there. I found some interesting things. And I've come to the conclusion that we need to go to Egypt. Maybe not right now but...soon. That's where everything began. There were more glyphs down there, dad. I'll draw the ones I remember," she tells her father who nods.

Lyria looks up at Dartanian before smiling at him. "We're getting closer," he murmurs, "do you want to take a shower or...get a change of clothes?"

"I can just do this," she murmurs before stepping back from him as a gust of wind begins to swirl around Lyria. She closes her eyes as the air whips around her, then smiles when she feels her skin and clothes are now dry.

"That's quite convenient," Dartanian says as Lyria approaches him, then tugs on his shirt in order to pull him in for a kiss. He reciprocates, one of his hands going into her hair while the other draws her closer to him.

"I should have taken you with me. It was amazing. There were these white stone stairs...the glyphs were golden in color, although some of the gold had chipped away, it was still beautiful," she whispers and he smiles softly.

"Well, maybe you can take me there tomorrow...although, it is tomorrow."

"I was gone that long?" She asks. "I guess the tunnels are longer than I thought. Oh...I can also breathe underwater," she admits quietly, "I can literally breathe in water."