Academy of Elements: Earth

Chapter 31: Wilting Fires & Burning Flowers

The others wake up three hours later, even Nora coming down a bit later than usual. We had one more night before we got to go home before we could get a good sleep. The same plan is instated after breakfast, this time Aira joining us for our hunt.

The rain was falling mercifully from the heavens when we had given up on our quest of finding another team to dispatch, hopefully, most teams either were withdrawing now from the horrid weather, were starving themselves, or had been eliminated from an injury instated by a duel or the steep terrain.

The others had returned with some berries and some fire wood a few minutes after we got back, claiming that the cold that would come from being outside of the caves would only cause them to become weaker.

Once a fire is crackling, our jackets splayed around it we cook up some lunch, confident that with the amount of food we had we could last the next three meals.

Haley had even grown some rosemary from the ground to season the chicken.

"So is there no limit to your power?" Reighnen asks Haley as he bites into his chicken. "Can you just grow anything or make the stone. Could most Elementals do that?"

"Most Earth Elementals tend to favour either using stone or nature, a lot of them use nature more since it is supposedly easier to control. Before this," she motions to her shoulder where her marking is hidden. "I used stone's and rocks more, but with the marking, I control both easily. And yes, I can grow anything if the area around it will support the plant, most Elementals can't do that, it's really hard to do since you are creating a living thing."

"So what's the biggest thing you've grown?" The Fire Elemental asks.

"I've grown a few pine trees before, but after that, I was drained, it's easier if there is a seed or something planted."

Reighnen nods, smiling at Haley sweetly. I look to Aira and she shifts her eyes between the two before raising her eyebrows at me, confirming my suspicions of a romance blooming between the two.

The rest of the afternoon is spent quietly playing certain games to keep our spirits alight. Haley and Reighnen had disappeared about 30 minutes ago, Aira and I both laughing heartedly at them when they returned, a flustered Haley bringing the collar of her jacket up to hide what looked suspiciously like a hickey.

Granted, I shouldn't be making fun of Haley since about thirty minutes after dinner, Nora and I had gone up to our cave, not taking the step to do what we had done the other day, but it was safe to say, Haley and I would be sporting very similar marks on our necks...

I wake the next morning to sunshine, water dripping from the mouth of the cave. The sun streams through the cave opening, already rising over the clouds, touching the world in gold, it's light tiptoeing through the forest and awakening it.

After a hearty breakfast of an attempt on turkey bacon, Nora and I walk along the pebble-lined beach, the river moving swiftly beside us. "I wish moments like this lasted forever." I sigh, her hand in mine.

"We wouldn't be able to appreciate the good moments if we didn't have bad moments." She replies. "I can't wait to sleep in a normal bed."

I laugh heartedly nodding as throws a smooth stone into the river.

"How are things with the gem going?" She asks.

"Same as always," I reply watching Nora pick up a smooth rock and throwing it into the river again. "I told Ella about what happened with John."

"Really?" She questions. "She was still sitting beside John yesterday."

"I think she's still processing it, maybe deciding that having a pissed off John isn't a good idea in the midst of a competition." I shrug.