The Air Howlers Book I ✔

12

Master Sarko had them all line up in a half circle, standing with an arms length apart. Then they had to turn sideways and Ki found herself facing Emmie.

"I want you all to clear your heads and stay calm. Then, as you connect with your gift, you reach out with your mind until you feel the gift of the person opposite you." Emmie looked as uncertain about this as Ki felt. Master Sarko continued. "When you feel their gift, I want you to grasp it with your mind, connect with it, make it your own. When that happens, you should be able to sense what the other wants to achieve." He finished his speech and silence filled the training ground as they tried to wrap their heads around it. So this was the special ability that came with being marked as a Four? Ki slowly nodded, as she understood what they were then able to do. In a battle, they wouldn't need words to fight together, not if they were connected in the way that Master Sarko described.

"So that is what the fifth element is?" Thatch broke the silence, but for once his question was not a dumb one.

"Aether, or quintessence, which all of you possess is the ability to connect beyond the physical level. That is what separate you from other Howlers and what makes you that much more powerful when fighting together as a team. Apart they are strong, but together they are stronger." When Sarko quoted the Howler History, Ki felt a chill run through her. The words, which she had learned since she could first speak, suddenly held an entirely new meaning. They weren't just words from a history book; they were words of fact, words that described her and the others and what they were capable of.

"Not many people know what Aether truly is, which means it can be used to your advantage. As long as you stay together, you will be able to overcome most obstacles in your path."

"Look at your partner." Ki turned her focus back to Emmie. "Focus your attention and reach for their gift." Without thinking, Ki closed her eyes, knowing she concentrated better without any visual distractions. She allowed her mind to open up, to float freely. Quickly she delved into herself, to the center where her gift lay dormant. Grasping just a string, she cast it out in the direction where Emmie was. Her nose itched, but she didn't dare break her concentration. The itch slowly subsided. She felt with her mind, not knowing if she was close or not. There. A sense of calm. Earth. Emmie's gift. With her mind, Ki reached for it. She felt a slight probing inside of her, realizing it was Emmie connecting with her.

The sounds around her faded, until everything was quiet. With a last strain of effort, Ki's gift melted in with Emmie's. Air and Earth swirled together, connecting as one. She felt herself slowly returning to her body and with the connection still intact, Ki opened her eyes.

Emmie was watching her with eyes wide open. It worked. They were linked.

"When you feel the link, I want you to visualize what you want accomplished." Master Sarko gestured towards the boulders. "Try and do something with these, move them, destroy them, whatever you can think of." He moved out of the way and to a safe distance.

Ki looked at Emmie who nodded, then they both turned their eyes to one of the large boulders lying about fifteen feet away.

A flash of empty air crossed Ki's mind, followed by the sensation of flying. She was still firmly rooted to the ground. Was that Emmie telling her what she wanted to do? Did she want Ki to lift the boulder? Ki's forehead creased in concentration as she called up her Howler gift. Sending it with her mind, guided by her hands, she let it settle around the rock, her hands cupping the air as if it were actually her hands underneath the boulder. Then she lifted her arms. The boulder followed, inching off the ground.

Now she had to tell Emmie what she wanted her to do. Ki imagined the Earth opening up, ready to swallow the boulder whole. Letting their connection come to the forefront of her mind, she focused on visualizing the ground beneath the boulder opening up.

Seconds passed, then the earth started shaking, subtle, but Ki felt it. It wasn't enough to throw her off her feet, but she steadied herself, watching as Emmie forced the solid ground to crack, then split open in two. The hole widened, until it was big enough and then Ki released the boulder. It fell through the crack and disappeared from sight. Emmie sealed the hole back together until everything looked as it had before.

Ki felt something snap in her head and she knew their connection had broken. She gasped, taking a step back. Emmie was also breathing hard, but she had a proud smile on her face.

"That was incredible," she exclaimed, her hands resting on her hips like she was exhausted from running. "Your gift feels so light," she continued, beaming from ear to ear.

"And yours so solid." Ki didn't know how to describe it any better.

"Good job girls," Master Sarko said, coming up behind them.

"How are the guys doing?" Emmie asked, turning to their left where Ori and Thatch were standing. Ki was surprised to see that they hadn't killed each other yet. Instead their boulder was frozen solid, but in the middle there was a small flame burning. Impressive. Ki nodded to herself, glad to see that Thatch hadn't gone with the explosive solution.

"Interesting," Sarko said, rubbing his beard. "And here I thought I'd be digging out rock shards from everything within a thirty yard radius, including myself."

"Hang on." Thatch grinned as he and Ori stepped back. Ki's eyes flickered from them to the frozen boulder and realized what was happening just as the boulder exploded. Sharp icy fragments went flying in every direction and without thinking, Ki called up a strong wind that deflected the pieces and sent them scattering around her, Emmie and Sarko.

Glaring, she looked at Thatch who seemed to have put a wall of fire between the boulder and him and Ori, which melted the ice, leaving just puddles of water at their feet. The rock itself had disintegrated in the explosion. Ori wiped his wet face with his sleeve, but then he high-fived Thatch, something neither Ki nor Emmie had expected to see. Ever.

Sarko stepped out from behind Ki's protective shield. "That's what I thought," he said, his voice serious, but with a hint of humor.

"That was epic." Thatch stated, Ori nodding next to him.

"Insanely epic." Oh no, not him too, Ki thought to herself. Ori had started out so promising.

Master Sarko cleared his throat. "That was good, both teams," he said, nodding at Ki and Emmie, but his face looked more stern when he turned it to the guys. "You need to practice with every person on the team before we try all four of you together. Connecting with one mind is quick to get used to, but connecting with three individual minds at once will take some practice, but I have confidence in you all to succeed."

The only thing Ki could think of was that she'd have to connect with Thatch. At least it didn't enable them to actually read each other's minds. That would have been disturbing.

"We'll let your minds rest for a little, go grab some water or something and be back here in ten sharp." Master Sarko left the training ground.

"I bet you girls can't wait to connect with me." Thatch waggled his eyebrows. Ki rolled her eyes.

"I think I threw up a little in my mouth," Emmie said, loud enough for him to hear. Ori chuckled and patted Thatch on the back.

"Nice try, man," he said before walking down to the lake. With his powers, he lifted a jet of water with a flick of his hand and bent down to take a drink.

"Anyone thirsty?" He asked, turning his head towards the others. "It's cold and delicious."

"I think I peed in there this morning," Thatch said casually, causing Ori to spit and gag as he stood up straight, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What the hell, man," Ori growled. Thatch threw up his hands in an act of surrender, but the mischievous smile never left his face. Even Ki had a hard time keeping herself from laughing.

"You are disgusting," Emmie said, but she was smiling also. "What's wrong with your toilet?"

"Hey, when you gotta go you gotta go." Thatch shrugged. They still had a long way to go, Ki thought, her grin slowly disappearing from her face. She hoped they wouldn't need to be united as Four any time soon.