Elemental Hunger

Chapter Seventeen

I envisioned myself falling under the train.

The deadly kiss of steel.

The crushing pain as my ribs snapped.

A blazing inferno ripping through my muscles as my Element leaked into oblivion.

Then a strong wind—an Elemental wind—slammed into me, propelling me forward. I lost my grip on Isaiah's hand as we crashed onto the floor of the boxcar.

I rolled, hitting my elbow and head on the far wall. I sat up just as Adam landed silently on his feet inside the compartment. He sent his wind away as he lowered Hanai to the floor and bent over him.

"Elementals," someone whispered.

I jumped to my feet, straightening my clothes to cover all the offending parts. Isaiah stood, and we edged closer to Adam and Hanai. It smelled like moldy straw and rotting flesh. I inhaled through my mouth to calm my stomach.

I wanted to light my hands to see how many strangers we were dealing with, but I didn't.

"Elementals. Help," another voice said.

Adam stood up. "We'll help anyone we can. But first we need some medicine for our...Firemaker. Does anyone happen to have aspirin?"

I stared at him, too shocked to speak. Inside I was screaming I'm the Firemaker! Adam looked everywhere but at me.

"I do," a raspy voice said. As Adam moved past me he hissed, "Play along." He collected the medicine and knelt next to Hanai.

"We need a corner for him to rest," Adam said. "Like I said, we'll help you, but he needs a few minutes to recover."

Some scuffling followed, and we moved into the corner of the car with the door immediately to our left. The confining steel walls constricted the air entering my lungs, and I wished Adam would call on his Element again to save me. He'd done a brilliant job of guiding us into the train with his air.

"Firemaker?" I hissed without moving my lips as Adam laid Hanai in my lap.

"If I said he was our Unmanifested, we wouldn't have gotten the medicine," Adam whispered. "They'd let him die, hoping we'd choose one of them instead. Trust me, it's better if they think he's our lead man."

"Adam's right," Isaiah murmured.

Adam was always right. I stroked Hanai's hair, pleading silently for him to wake up. By the time he stirred, my butt was numb and my bones felt spongy from the constant vibrating of the train.

"Give him this," Adam said, shoving a bottle into my hands. Isaiah helped me prop Hanai up. He moaned as I poured the water into his mouth. I pressed one hand to his forehead.

Status: Too hot. I absorbed the fever, relishing his familiar heat.

A minute later, he said, "Why's it so dark?"

Adam exhaled, and my relief-filled sigh joined his.

"You wouldn't wake up," Isaiah murmured.

"Gabe helped you," Adam whispered, his mouth barely moving.

I cleared my throat. Boys did that, right?

"Thanks," Hanai said, playing along. He slipped his hand into mine, squeezing as I helped him sit up.

Adam broke the tense silence by unzipping the backpack and passing around a package of crackers. After we'd each had several, Adam moved around the boxcar. I sat in the darkness with my hand in Hanai's, afraid to let go. So un-guy like. But Hanai didn't pull away either.