Elemental Release

Chapter Nine

I opted to walk to Hesterton, abandoning my Element completely. I realized I needed a break from more than just my training. I needed a reprieve from all things airmaking. I arrived at the city gate near sundown, which meant I had to show my traveling pass to a guard before I could enter.

I hiked through the city's steepening streets, drawing nearer and nearer to the mountains as the last rays of daylight went to sleep. I needed a place to stay, but as I found the first star in the night, I stopped and smiled. It felt so good, so freeing, to be here in Hesterton, against these mountains, experiencing this dark night.

Up ahead, I spied an inn, and I went in to inquire about a room.

"It's nearly the fall festival," the innkeeper said. The stout woman gave me a once-over, her eyes stern and sharp.

"Are you full, then?" I asked, thinking of the traders who'd likely be here from their summer homes in the mountains. "When does the festival begin?"

"Day after tomorrow," she answered, a slight accent to her words. "But I have one room left, if you don't mind the wind."

"I don't mind the wind," I assured her. "Is there a schedule of activities for the festival?" I wanted to abandon my Airmaster lifestyle for the next several days, and becoming a tourist at the fall festival sounded like just the way to do it.

She slid me a length of paper with my key. "Room's on the top floor. Let's hope it doesn't rain."

I flashed her a genuine smile, unsure of how such a thing even looked on my face. I climbed six sets of stairs before the case ended. Only one room sat on the top floor, and the grin returned. I'd put up with any amount of weather for the privacy this room provided.

Upon opening the door, I found windows blanketing the wall in front of me. Beyond them, the mountains gleamed in the moonlight. Every thought, care, and worry about my training, my relationship with Gabby, and my Council drained away.

I set my backpack on the floor near the door, exploring the wide room. The bed felt comfortable enough; the blankets thick enough to keep the weather from bothering me. I glanced up, noticing why the innkeeper had said she hoped it wouldn't rain. Slim patches of the night sky showed through the roof in several places.

I smiled. This room was perfect.

#

The next morning, I arrived at the city square as it opened. The merchants had been baking since dawn, and I knew, because the tantalizing scent of sweet pastries and warm breads had woken me.

I'd asked the air to stay away last night, and it had obeyed. When I paid for my raspberry scone with wild honey, I was practically whistling. Everything about the food in Hesterton was superior to what I ate in Tarpulin. The berries didn't have to be packed or shipped. Simply picked from the bushes growing along the mountainside. The honey wasn't clarified or bottled, but pulled right from the hive.

I'd never eaten anything so good, and as I wandered the market, I made a mental list of everything I'd eat that week. All of it came from the locality.

I bought a bottle of water, an apple, and a breakfast croissant and headed into the mountains. The sun beat down on my shoulders after a couple of hours, and nothing had felt so glorious. By noon, I'd hiked to the waterfall the innkeeper had told me about, and I stretched out on the ground to relax.

Nobody else was at the popular site, which suited me fine. I faced the sky, closed my eyes, and just breathed. The air smelled like dew, and leaves, and dirt. The wind rustled around me. Birds twittered and sang. Everything in my life melted away, until only the blazing sun painting the backs of my eyelids red remained.