The Last Elementalist

Chapter 31

"I swear. If they so much as lay a finger on the Ellipse, I will kill every single one of them."

"It's just grass, Connor," newly arrived Cassidy stated.

"Connor loves playing baseball there when his father lets him. Bet he doesn't want his precious dirt turned," Evie mocked.

"I'd be more worried about Lafayette Square at the moment," she reasoned.

The girls continued bickering and Connor turned to watch Lielle staring distractedly at the raging troops. Her eyes seemed to zero in on a particular spot just outside the semicircle of warriors. She sighed as she tucked her head into her knees.

Cassidy called, "Connor, would you-"

"Miss Cassidy, your father asked me to receive you," a young man in black and gold called up at them. Evie stared confusedly while Lielle stared scowling.

"I'm sure Daddy Callahan has been waiting for his loyal little daughter to come running back into his arms. Here is the proof you idiots should listen to me," she yelled at the pair of them. "This is what happens when you follow Evie's overly large heart!" She stood up, fuming and turned to snap at the dumbfounded girl. "And do me a favor, Callahan. Tell Daddy that I'm not smart, I'm clever, and that's the difference I need to kill the bunch of you."

Cassidy looked sorrily at each of them in turn. "I-"

"Good riddance!" Lielle's demon shrieked.

With a slight stagger, she backed over the edge a moment before Lielle stepped to the side and not a moment too soon. Bullets pattered off the stone around them, most narrowly missing them as they hunkered down. Evie grabbed the two of them for fear that Lielle would not protect herself. She spread as much immunity through them as possible, pushing herself right to the brink. Lielle screamed insults and curses as she threw balls of fire in all directions. Then just as suddenly as it started it stopped, and the head of none other than Brielle popped over the side.

"I was having some trouble with the last few-"

Evie smothered her in a hug. "You are brilliant! I was worried sick about you. Little girls are not to be spies anymore. I'm so sorry for putting you in that horrible heap of rock with a bunch of cavemen in suits."

"Is Lielle going to end it?" she sniffed.

"Yes," she growled, before surfing on a gale into the sky, leaving a whirlwind for each of them to follow.

"Well, are we doing this?" he asked, holding out his hand to his lifelong best friend.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * * * *

Their transparent supports only got higher as Connor silently thanked God that he was not afraid of heights, though this could definitely bring forth that fear in a person who has been through less. He thought now of the normal people whom now stood beneath them, watching their president's son and two other kids soaring hundreds of feet above them. Oh, the stories that would be coming out that night. That was, if Washington DC still existed then. But war still raged beneath them and not a soul seemed to notice their approach, except maybe a few of the Soarers who were attacking Air Forces.

"I swear to God," Lielle snarled, "One more thing to upset my mojo today and I might just kill myself along with everyone here. Then no one wins or loses."

That's when they seemed to notice what each side's Air Force was doing. Soarers fought their way toward the trio, knocking many out of the sky. Soon enough, enough bodies would be raining down on soldiers for them to get suspicious.

A Soarer flew into him and he turned into a falcon with hopes of enough power to knock some of them out of the way. Evie drew her bow and shot arrows in all directions while Lielle sent whirlwinds to knock them off balance, but when one was gone, two more seemed to replace them.

"Connor, can you do something mythical?" Lielle shouted. "I mean if you can imagine it as what you need?"

"If you want me to do a magical unicorn then no," he replied, riding on his windboard again.

"I was thinking more dragon. Fire breathing, maybe. Aren't second generation Thrillers supposed to be freakishly strong, or something? Feared above all and whatnot."

"I- maybe I can try."

He grabbed the front of his board and brought it up another couple of feet before he clearly imagined himself as a giant beast that would surely be the scientific discovery of the century. Then again, he might have some competition in beating the Thrillers.

In a moment, all at once, he felt every bone in his body break or expand, a leathery skin crawled over him, his vision sharpened and his throat burned like fire. Judging by the screams he had done his job.

Ten foot wings expanded, lifting him off of his air platform. He zoomed in on some gold jacketed Soarers and exhaled heavily, but instead of air, a burning sensation filled his mouth and not a moment later fire spewed out. The feeling was sensational as his mind sucked in all of his anger and rage and turned it into what it was in its purest form; fire.

As soon as his green fire receded, the one fueled by pure poison, a blast of reddish-gold followed, the natural type, only hotter, and that's when he realized the gash that ran across his right arm, deep enough to see bone, blood gushing out. He wrapped a torn piece of fabric around it but it soon turned dark red. He began to feel lightheaded and laid down on his air cushion.

He watched half-conscious as Lielle raged, "Don't you touch my friends. Go to hell, the whole lot of you."

Her eyes filled with gold flecks and her palms with fire and water. Wind speeds picked up and bound them together, then rocks and dirt rose to meet her. Her long brown-gold hair now seemed more golden, like her eyes, but more whole. Anyone who did not know her would see craze in her face, but one who did would see anger, and understand her unwavering gaze as a sign to get to higher ground.

The ball of elements and emotion expanded between her fingertips. So, of course, as literal as Lielle was, she then carried through with her threat and released the blast, sending all of the Soarers in range plummeting and many of the Agents and a few of the Thrillers to whatever type of afterlife they deserved. But only moments after the explosion, Lielle went plummeting with them.