Elemental: Heat Rising

Chapter One

Book One

Chapter One

In and Out Again

Holly Redwood rolled across her small bed, her long titian hair dragging across the expertly stitched quilt. Her temper had risen to what seemed an all time high after her lessons.

A knock emitted from the doors surface.

“Holly? Are you in there dear?!” Basil, one of the castle’s many housekeepers, had knocked and was now speaking through the wooden door.

“Yes,” Holly yawned. Her stress had been building ever since her lesson with Oak at training earlier that morning.

Basil entered with freshly cleaned clothing that’s scent wafted through the room. She set down the large wicker basket and began placing the articles into Holly’s dresser.

“How did lessons go today?” Basil asked.

Holly groaned loudly, she had begun hanging her head off the edge of the bed.

“What’s the matter, dear?”

“Just that Oak can’t stand not being in charge for a single minute,” her tone was beginning to morph into anger, “Why does he have to be so stubborn?”

“He’s just trying to help,” Basil said in a calming tone, “You know that.”

“No, I honestly don’t anymore. Whenever I ask if we can ever do anything differently he starts grumbling about messing with tradition or says, ‘Holly, we are at war. We must focus.'”

She had already sat up and begun to talk again before Basil could fit in another syllable.

“Oh, really genius? We are at war? I had no idea! After all, I was just born into it!”

“Holly!” Basil snapped, shocked by her behavior, “You know it’s disrespectful to speak of people that way!”

“Ugh. Another thing all are accustomed to?” she said mockingly.

“I cannot believe your behavior!” Basil snapped, “Have you ever thought that maybe the stubborn one is you?” she said, lifting the wicker basket and stepping out of the room.

“Nice to see you too,” Holly sighed.

Her past had been a mystery to her for as long as she could remember. Her earliest memory was a Christmas with her old family. The family she’d somehow left. She’d never known why.

She lifted her hand to form a small wisp of air that she sent flying around the room, slowly disappearing mid-flight. Air was her touch.

A touch of elements was something gifted to you at birth that Holly had been one of the lucky recipients of to receive such essence. They called the people Elementals.

“Ugh,” she said, letting out a loud, stressful groan.

Ever since the past-worlds age of war, when humanity was on the verge of extinction, civilization had been trying to rebuild itself, and upon this a new era was born, an era of Elementals, militaries, leaderships, and society.

But nothing is flawless, and soon enough humanity was back to their old ways, a war of the civilization rebuilt had begun. A civil war, of the northern and southern sectors of the new world. Their militaries and loyalties divided.

And somehow along the lines, Holly had gotten thrown into all of it.

“I just want this war to end,” she complained.