Elemental Release

Chapter Five

Afternoon lessons, it turned out, started in Gabby's apartment. We arrived last, and she quickly dropped my hand before anyone on the Council could see. I tried to stifle the sting of her sudden distance, but I didn't succeed. The hurt sang through me for a few minutes, long enough for me to take a seat as far from Gabby as possible.

I settled next to Isaiah and crossed my arms. Cat and Liz were engaged in a conversation, which ceased as soon as Davison strode through the door.

Gabby, who had sat on the couch next to Liz, jumped up. "Supremist." She bowed at the waist while the rest of us found our feet. We all paid the proper homage, and Davison tsked.

"No need for that," he said. "Though I suppose some customs will take a while to die." He bade us to follow him. "Come, your Council lesson today will take place in my conference room."

I followed Isaiah and Cat out of the room and into the fortress. I'd been in the Supremist's conference room before, but now it felt different. The air of fear had been stripped from the entire city, and I wasn't the only one to notice.

The servants moving through the fortress didn't harbor dodgy eyes or stiff necks. I didn't feel the need to constantly check over my shoulder to see who might be watching. I'd never been in the fortress without Felix, except for the one night I'd snuck into Alex's chambers after Isaiah had told me about his suspicions of her gender. Even then, Felix had been there.

I chased away those thoughts, unwilling to remember the strong sense of betrayal I'd felt that night. I felt guilty for causing Gabby to feel the same way because of what I'd done. But I'd had a part to play to ensure her safety—as well as mine.

We joined the crowd already gathered in Davison's conference room. I didn't see anyone I knew, though that wasn't surprising. With so few Elementals left, Tarpulin housed the only operating school, and these people had come from all over the United Territories.

I found an empty chair in the back and offered it to Gabby. Cat sat next to her, and Isaiah stood against the wall behind them. I joined him, and Liz sat on the floor in front of them. Davison made his way to the front of the room, and the buzzing chatter ceased.

"Welcome to the first day of training," he said, his voice amplified through a device called a microphone. The black plastic looked ancient, and I was actually surprised the fortress was wired with the necessary electricity for the advanced technology.

"Today, I wish to discuss each of your individual roles." He paced in the small space, though he didn't seem uncomfortable. "I find it best if every member of the Council understands the other's roles. That's why entire Councils are gathered here today. In the future, we may have more meetings like this, but most of your afternoon lessons will be on diplomacy for your specific Elemental ability."

He nodded to someone, and a screen blazed to life on the wall behind him. His picture became brighter as he continued to speak. "The Firemaker is the Councilman. Ultimately, the decisions are made by the Firemaker, though the Council holds conferences and meetings to come to an agreed-upon solution to whatever problems have arisen."

Another picture flashed on the wall, and I recognized Jones, Davison's Airmaster. "The Airmaster serves as the primary advisor to the Firemaker. As the Airmaster is a huge potential threat, his life is usually taken before the Firemaker's if it comes to combat." Davison paused to take a drink. "The Firemaker and Airmaster should be one in purpose, and trust one another explicitly. If either party feels like the Council isn't working because of the other, reassignments can be made."

I glanced at Gabby, though she had her back to me. In a rare moment of weakness, I found her thoughts and listened.

...Hope Adam doesn't want to be reassigned .

The smile that came unbidden to my face felt like it might crack open my skull. I wanted to lean forward and whisper, "Never," but I didn't want to admit that I'd eavesdropped. She glanced at me, and I wiped the grin away.

She refocused on the screen quickly, as Davison continued. "The Earthmover plays an important role, acting as lead counsel in matters directional, as Earthmovers have a sixth sense with the flow of the planet. Their abilities are often underestimated, and they can provide additional protection for their Councils, even to the point that, when their powers are combined with a Watermaiden's, sentries are not needed as bodyguards."

Davison took another drink. "Therefore, the bond between Earthmovers and Watermaidens is often emphasized as well. The stronger they are together, the more protection they can offer their Councilmen, their city-states, and their citizens."

Cat turned and grinned at Isaiah, and I knew there weren't any bonding issues there. I almost rolled my eyes at the lustful look he gave her. Amazing how he could do that and not be able to see her.

"The Unmanifested represents a huge population of people in the United Territories. Their opinions should not be taken lightly. In the past, the Unmanifested Councilmember has functioned in an...unsavory role, carrying out orders the Firemaker did not wish to do himself. It has been our custom to never pit Elementals against Unmanifested citizens. I still believe that to be important, but I am creating a new role for our Unmanifested Councilmembers."

He scanned the room, letting the tension increase until it found its peak. Someone coughed, and it sounded like gunfire. My eyes flew to the guy, whose face turned bright red.

"Our Unmanifested Councilmembers need to be diplomats," Davison said. "Each will be assigned a city-state as their home base, and they will complete four six-week internships in each city, among the citizens. They will find out the attitudes of the people concerning Councils, government, and Elementals. They will report their findings to their Airmaster every three days via the functioning Airmaster in their assigned city-states. We all will use their reports to learn how we can better serve the people in the Union."

The screen behind him faded into nothing. "That is our duty," he said, and I felt the stirrings of pride inside me. "We have not been given these talents to hurt others, or only to serve ourselves. We must learn how to master the elements so that we can better the lives of those we lead. I believe this completely, and I expect all Elementals who go through this Academy to subscribe to this philosophy as well."

He let the microphone drop from his mouth as whispers began. He allowed only a moment of conversation before saying, "That is your assignment for this afternoon. Meet in your Councils and decide if the relationships are working, if you trust each other, and if you can adopt this important philosophy of serving mankind."

He laid the microphone on the table, a clear indication that this lesson had ended. Gabby stood, but she didn't make eye contact. She linked her elbow through Liz's, leaving me to follow them—and Isaiah and Cat, who had their arms wrapped around each other—as the unpaired Councilmember.