The Elementals | Book 1. The Cliffs of Immensi

Chapter 18

Andrea's warm and fuzzy thoughts were gone. She was miffed at Cascade. Very. Miffed. Cascade had almost let her die. If Cascade had waited one more second Andrea would be dead. Andrea didn't want Cascade to do it again and was showing her this in a most obnoxious way.

Cascade gave a sigh. "We need to find out where the base is."

"Are you sure about that? Because the last time you came up with a plan I almost died," Andrea snapped.

"We need to do this. Just work with me for a moment here, Andrea."

"You didn't work with me when we were in that fight before."

"Andrea, it was the only way that we could win-"

"Oh, so winning one little fight is more important than my life?"

"Andrea, you know that's not what I mea-"

Andrea jumped up and leapt out of the cave that was embedded in the side of the mountain, where they had chosen to move to. It was too dangerous to continue living inside the training area, which was easily accessible by others, like Sephtis and his cronies.

Andrea grabbed a vine that was dangling from an overhanging tree and scrambled up it, moving higher and higher up the mountain, clinging to it over the sickeningly high drop.

As the wind blustered up the mountain, Andrea continued to ascend. Cascade peeked outside of the cave. She was worried for Andrea. If Andrea slipped, then she would be in trouble. Cascade wasn't sure if she could climb up after Andrea. She looked down at the drop and she felt like her head was spinning and she was falling forever into the drop. She hurriedly pulled back from the edge and took a few deep breaths. She couldn't do it. "Can either of you get Andrea back down? Even if I could, then she probably wouldn't talk to me."

"I'm blind, I can't. I can't even see the vine. I wouldn't be able to grab it," Omar said.

Cascade shrugged. It made sense. "What about you, Concord?"

But Concord was gone.

"Concord?"

Concord shot upwards on an earth slab after Andrea, who was sitting on the top of the mountain, her feet dangling over the drop.

As the slab came up below the top of the mountain, Concord sat down next to Andrea. "You did well in that fight earlier."

Andrea continued to stare in silence at the sunset above the mountains, which seemed to stretch on forever. The only sound was the whistling of the wind as it blew over the tops of the mountains in the chill evening.

"Without you, Sephtis and his helpers certainly would have defeated us." Concord smiled warmly at Andrea.

Now Andrea looked up. "You really think so?" Her cheeks were stained with tears.

"I really think so. I also think I've never seen anybody commit such a brave act as you did. I don't know anybody else with the guts to advance like that, in the midst of a crowd that seems unstoppable."

A weak smile spread across Andrea's face. But then she turned away again.

"I know you're strong. You're strong for yourself and for others. But I also need you to be strong for Cascade. She needs you. Cascade knows what you did to contribute. She's just very subtle. But she recognizes what you did. You need to accept what she did to help as well. She would never abandon you. None of us would."

"She w-wouldn't? You w-wouldn't?" Andrea wiped a tear from her cheek.

"No. We wouldn't. We're different from all the other people that you've met, whomever they might be. We want you around, Andrea. You add a special light to the group." He chuckled. "Both emotionally and literally."