Four Elements Book 3 - Sacrifice

Part 43

The silence was deafening as Andie and Zorak watched each other. Andie immediately had flames tickling her fingers, itching to fly. Finding her anger was easy. He'd trampled everything he'd touched, and it had to stop. She knew that she wouldn't be able to keep him busy for long, but she had to try. If all went well, she would just need a few minutes.

And Bane had managed to beat him, hadn't he? So why couldn't she?

"Humans are such foolish creatures," Zorak commented nastily. "They would sacrifice their lives for someone else's when they know they cannot come back."

"We probably are foolish," Andie admitted, "but at least we are capable of loving someone so much we'd rather die than see them killed. That's how much Bane's mother loves him. She knew it might kill her, but she was willing to protect Bane with everything she had."

"Love is a weakness!"

"You only say that because you know nothing of it." Andie retorted coldly. "Camille, Adena... you never loved them, not really. You simply wanted them. They are beautiful women," she conceded casually. "But it wasn't love. Humans can love, even animals can in their own way. But demons? They only desire. And anyone can desire, it doesn't make you any more special."

Zorak, whose face had been turning darker by the second, lunged for Andie who just managed to duck out of his reach. She raised her hands and thrust a fistful of flames in Zorak's face. He yelled in pain and stumbled backwards as Andie leaped back and threw her leg up before thrusting it down onto Zorak's back in a spin kick Bane had taught her. He retaliated with a burst of electricity that knocked Andie off her feet.

She fell to the floor, gasping, Flashes of the time he'd held her prisoner sped through her mind, but she pushed them away. That was the past. She was stronger than that. When he stood above her, she swung around and pushed her feet into his stomach. He was thrown backwards, giving Andie time to get to her feet.

Bane? Can you hear me?

No answer. Hoping that meant he'd gone through the portal, Andie spun around and ran down the hall, soon followed by Zorak, whose footsteps sounded like cannonballs. Andie was suddenly thrown forwards by another jolt of electricity. She threw all the flames she could muster at Zorak and used the few seconds that gave her to sneak through the study door and jump into the glowing portal. After a moment of whirling through colors and shapes she couldn't identify, she rolled onto the grass behind Bane's house. Thankfully, there was a tall fence around it to prevent animals from harming Robert's garden, so no one saw her. She lay gasping a few seconds.

"Mom... Mom!"

She looked around. Bane was leaning over his mother, who was barely conscious.

"Don't move her," Isabelle said. "The portal must have affected her somehow..."

"Uncle Robert!" Bane called.

Seconds later, Robert was running to the back door. He looked at them all and looked about to faint. He was so pale it was obvious even in the dim light.

"Oh, my God..."

He hurtled down the stairs and knelt next to his nephew and sister.

"... Camille..."

She looked up at him and managed a weak smile.

"... Robbie..." she breathed.

Bane was as pale as his uncle, his hands trembling as he looked to Isabelle.

"You... can heal her, right? You can help her? You need... water! Someone get some water!"

Isabelle was already hurrying into the house. Andie quickly slid down by Bane's side.