Rootbound

Air pressure and eyes. Not a good combination as far as I was concerned.

I jerked hard, loosening the hold on me, but not breaking free entirely. The air bubbles flitted around my face, pressing against my cheeks as they slid closer to my eyes.

Worm shit and green sticks, this was not going well.

Kicking backward, I caught the Sylph in the family jewels, and his hold disappeared. The Sylph in front of me drove his knife at my face, the blade’s edge so close I knew I couldn’t dodge it.

I jerked my head backward, already knowing it would too be slow, that the knife would cut across my eyes.

He was yanked down and back, the blade going with him. Below him, Peta had her jaws clamped around his ankle as she bit down, pink swirls of blood flowing from the wound.

I swung backward without looking, using the full length of my spear. It buried into a body and I yanked it forward. Peta wouldn’t have long before she needed air. I spun in a circle and saw Finley and Bella arguing by the way their hands were moving. The Sylph I’d dropped was injured, but still alive as he floated downward, his eyes closed with pain.

Perfect. I swam forward and grabbed the Sylph Peta had in her jaws. Holding him by the throat with one hand, I drove my spear through his heart with the other. His body convulsed, blood spilled into the clear blue water and his eyes fogged over. Bubbles raced from his mouth and this time they did as they should have, floating up above our heads.

I let him go and gripped the blue stone. With a quick gesture I sent the water out the windows.

It dropped in a rush, and I belatedly realized Peta and I were going with it.

I reached for her, barely catching her by the tip of her long tail. I tapped into Earth and pulled us toward the tile floor even as the power fought me, bucking against the hold I had on it. The spire around us trembled, the sandstone cracking under the pressure. As soon as our feet touched I let go of Earth, but Spirit was having none of it. “Bella, help me!”

She raised her arms and her power collided with mine. The stone around us groaned, but held steady as I brought Spirit to me and eased off on my connection to the earth. I lifted a hand. “Good enough.”

Peta pressed her body against mine, her fur plastered to her frame. “What is it about you and water?”

“Damned if I know,” I muttered. I spat, trying to clear out the taste of salt water. Finley sat across from us on a bench, the Sylph on his knees in front of her as he clutched his side.

“He won’t speak, Lark. Can you help?” Finley’s voice was as sweet as I’d ever heard it.

If I were the Sylph, I’d be worried.

I pushed to my feet and moved to stand beside her. The Sylph wouldn’t look at me. He could have still fought. His power was strong enough that there was no doubt he could have battled us with the water gone. But he didn’t, which was strange.

“You were sent to kill the queen?”

He rolled his eyes and drew a slow breath but didn’t answer.

“So you were sent to kill me?”

His jaw tightened.

Bingo.

I cringed thinking about using Spirit so soon after it fought me. Bile rolled in my guts and I had to force my hand to settle on his forearm. I sent a pulse of Spirit through him, clearing out any connection he would have had to another Spirit user.

He glared up at me.

“He’s not under any compulsion. Which means he’s here on orders.” I slumped against the wall, struggling to speak around the need to lie down and close my eyes. Each time I used my connections to the earth or Spirit, the struggle worsened. In that Talan was right; soon enough I would lose control completely.

I knew my limits, and I was fast approaching them.

Finley tapped a finger to her chin. “How could they even know you were here? And why would Samara send assassins after you?”

I wasn’t entirely sure they were only after me. “If they could have killed you, the Deep would be in upheaval again. You have no obvious heir to the throne.”

“But what would that do to help Samara?” Finley shook her head. “It makes no sense.”

In that I had to agree. I couldn’t see what Samara hoped to gain by attacking Finley.

Peta cleared her throat. “Finley, may I ask him a question?”

The young queen nodded. “If you think he will answer.”

She trotted in front of the Sylph and sat down. “You are an Ender, so you are trained to withstand interrogation so I will not ask why you are here. I only wish to know if your queen still wears a gift we gave her. A sign of peace. The smoky diamond?”

He grunted, his lips curling downward. “There is no peace between us, so while she wears it still, do not count it in your favor.”

Clever, clever cat. I ran a hand over her head. “Peta, you are a gem.”

“Oh, I know.” She winked up at me, and Bella smirked, though she covered it with a hand.

The smoky diamond was the stone that controlled air, giving its wearer more power, as the blue sapphire had done for Finley and water. So whoever was controlling Finley was also controlling Samara. And that was the true enemy. The one behind the stones.

“I’d throw him in the dungeon until you know more,” I said. The dungeons of the Deep blocked an elemental’s ability to touch their power, rendering them useless.

Almost like a human.

Dolph and three more Undine Enders bolted into the hallway. “What the hell happened?”

Finley smiled. “We took care of it. Take this Sylph to the dungeons, Dolph. I will question him later. And send a healer to him, I don’t want him dead. Yet.”