Elemental Hunger

Chapter Fifteen

Isaiah joined Hanai, clearing the tunnel based on the Spirit-speaker's directions. I walked behind Adam, my palms blazing, my mind dancing.

He glanced back at me several times, unspoken questions glinting in his eyes. Now that he wore the sentry clothes, my nightmare was complete. He seemed to be on my side, but—

"What are you thinking?" he asked as Hanai turned right and instructed Isaiah to clear the way.

My jaw clenched. "Nothing."

Adam scoffed. "Right. Seems like you'd have some stuff to get off your...chest."

Classy. I folded my arms. "Okay, where'd you find Isaiah? Did you know he's from Crylon? That he's my friend? Why'd you leave me in the cabin? How did your backpack suddenly get in that garage? Were you and Hanai planning to leave me? What's with the tattoo?" I glanced at his traitorous sentry uniform. "And your clothes?"

I gulped the thin oxygen. "Are you still with me?"

Silence filled the tunnel as the three of them—including the blind guy—stared at me.

Then Adam laughed. "And I'm more hyper than her?" He hooked his thumb at me while he looked at Hanai. "I don't believe that. Breathe, Gabby." He chuckled again. "I know Isaiah from Tarpulin. So I sent him a message through the air the night I found out you were a girl. I knew he needed a Council, and when he heard it was you, he came immediately."

I glanced at Isaiah, with his dark skin and half-open eyes. His grin was the same, his voice, his hands. A sharp pain tore through me at how much he was the same, but also at how very changed.

Adam followed my gaze, and then looked at me again. "Hanai thought you could use the sleep, so he let you rest. We brought the backpack to the garage to check out what you'd found. That's when all hell broke loose. Isaiah had been burrowing underground for a while, trying to lose Alex. Felix and Patches crossed the border into the Outcast settlement—uninvited. Chief Tavar was livid. We went to help."

I waited, expecting more. Adam stared back, the lines on his face unforgiving.

Hanai stepped toward me, his eyes pleading. "Adam pretended like he was turning me in. He changed his clothes and told them he knew where you were."

"Then I sent you a message and well...you saw the rest," Adam said. "What else did you ask?"

"Tattoo," Isaiah answered for me.

"Oh, right. Obviously I'm fine, and obviously I couldn't stop the transmission. I fought hard though, that's why this raging thing covered me. And I told you, you're my Firemaker."

"And mine," Hanai and Isaiah said together.

A smiled pulled at Adam's mouth. "So relax, okay? We're headed to Gregorio—if that's okay with you. The chaos there will benefit us. Keeps the attention away from us, maybe long enough to gain the protection from a chartering."

"Yeah, okay," I mumbled. Their pledge touched me. I didn't want to admit how much it meant. How muchthey meant to me.

Hanai ran his fingers over the wall. "Here, Isaiah. This is south."

Isaiah worked his Element, clearing the tunnel. They moved into the new passageway.

"We cool?" Adam's breath slid across my neck.

I shivered. "Yeah. We're cool." I turned to follow Hanai, suddenly feeling way too hot.

Adam lightly touched my elbow. I froze.

"It's not your fault. This tattoo thing. Okay? It's mine. I messed up."

"What does that mean?"

Warring emotions spread across Adam's face. Fear, maybe. Something like annoyance. A hint of anger.