Elemental Hunger

Chapter Thirty-Six

"What do you mean, Alex is not a Firemaker?" My voice came out strangled.

"Exactly what I said. She's not a Firemaker."

"Yes, she is," I argued. "I felt her firemaking Element when we barely escaped from your village. Don't tell me you've forgotten the blazing fire she had spewing from her hands."

Hanai's jaw twitched. "I haven't forgotten. How did you feel when she did that? And how was Isaiah affected?"

I frowned at the edge in his voice. "I felt..." empty, I wanted to say, but couldn't. And Isaiah had to be summoned before he woke up.

"Explain," Adam said.

"Alex isn't a Firemaker," I answered for Hanai. "She's stealing our Elements. Right? Did she steal my power? And Isaiah's? How—? Well, how does she do that?"

"I don't know," Hanai said. "But it explains a lot."

I waited for what, exactly, it explained. Adam shifted next to me, clearly expecting a better explanation as well. Hanai remained silent.

"Like what?" I burst out.

Hanai took his time responding. When he did, his words were controlled, spoken in a voice barely louder than the buzzing of the vehicle. "Like why this winter won't end. Somehow she's using the heat from the earth, robbing the spring from blossoming."

"Holy tornadoes," Adam said. "When I left, she used the wind to slam the door behind me. I fell to my knees, weak and sweaty. Maybe she stole my Element, and that's why I couldn't use it?"

"Hmm," Hanai said. "Maybe. Maybe not." He spoke to himself more than to either of us.

#

Hanai slept, his head resting on my shoulder. Adam didn't strike up a conversation, and like I was going to. He'd always been the chatterbox in our relationship.

I squirmed, and Hanai's head slipped to my chest. I adjusted so he would be more comfortable, which meant I had to lean into Adam. "Sorry, is this okay?"

"It's fine," he said, but he didn't sound fine.

"Are you okay?"

Adam hesitated for a fraction of a second. "I'm fine."

"That's the second time you've said 'fine.'"

"So?"

"Which means everything is not fine."

When he didn't answer, I wished I could read minds. I concentrated really hard, hoping to hear a whisper of what he had going on inside his head. I heard nothing.

He chuckled. "You're funny."

I didn't find anything amusing. I wanted to know what he was thinking.

Adam gripped the steering column until his knuckles turned white. "Okay, I'm thinking that I wish I could find a way to tell you how sorry I am. I'm wishing I had the words that would make you feel clean again. Something that would convince you that I'm your Airmaster—that I'll always be your Airmaster—and anything else you want me to be."

I swallowed hard. Felix said that once Adam put his mind to something, he followed through. I just wished I knew what he'd decided first—to be my Airmaster or to be Alex's sentry.

Adam stiffened, and he sighed.

But I couldn't take back the thought. He didn't offer an assurance, so I stared out the windshield with confusion swirling in my mind.

Finally, darkness swallowed the sky. I fell into it, welcoming the unthinking realms of sleep.

A lull in movement woke me. We'd stopped. I opened my eyes to a navy blue blanket of chilly air.