Air {Elements of Power 3}

Chapter 21: Roxy

The Arcan Realm had become a demolition zone. The attack had not been relentless, by any means. Cin preferred to keep his opponents in a constant state of paranoia. The attacks were random. No one ever knew when they were going to begin. Fire would pour from the sky, in tiny delicate droplets. Raining down destruction and death.

Arcan buildings were more sturdy than Sephan ones; made from concrete, brick and stone. But the Arcans did have a fondness for glass ceilings, to allow them to watch the sky go past above them. Unlike in the Helian Realm, their glass wasn't fire resistant. It melted under the impact, transforming into scalding hot gloops which poured down onto the building's occupants.

Following our work on the previous day, most of the citizens had already fled deeper into the country, away from the city.

So far, no other territories had been attacked. There was no point, when Cin's real targets were me, Brae and Jasmine.

This war was strictly personal.

I walked alone through the almost deserted streets.

They had only let me out of my room yesterday, realising that, if they were fighting to keep me safe, there was no point in having me locked up.

Houses had been reduced to rubble, unable to cope with the heat, with the strain of the fallen debris. The Bubble-Cart-the Arcans' overly cute, but also somewhat clever form of transportation-stood still in its station. It had been one of the first things to stop when the attack began; transport that trundled through the sky wasn't practical during an aerial attack.

Debris crunched under my feet as I walked. Every now and then, I saw a frightened face peep out at me from a window. Those brave enough to stay in their homes weren't brave enough to go out on the streets, where they might be seen by Helian attackers overhead.

Tris thought that the Helians must be based somewhere in the Arcan Realm; either out to sea or, more likely given my people's aversion to water, actually on land somewhere.

This idea terrified Brae: if the Arcans were fleeing out of the city to safety, there was every chance they would come across a Helian assault force.

He was already proving to be a considerate, generous leader. He cared greatly about the Arcans, and it made my heart ache to see his pain at their tragedies.

But it all led back to me.

Sure, Cin wanted to cause some mayhem: destroy a few buildings, massacre Arcans. But what he really wanted was me.

If I wanted to help Brae, I needed to find Cinaer. Then, I could either turn myself in, or end his sorry excuse of a life.

I was hoping for the latter.

A snap sounded behind me and I stopped dead. My eyes instantly lifted to the sky, checking for any sign of attack. But the air above me was blue and cloudless; it was a beautiful day-there was nowhere for the Helian attackers to hide.

So the sound must have come from the ground.

I was being followed.

My muscles tensed, on high alert now, and I let the tingling sensation spread quickly through my fingers.

The Arcans had been keeping well away from me until now. But it was obvious that I was a Helian. It only took one brave idiot to decide that I either needed to be killed immediately or captured and offered up to their aggressors as a sacrifice.

But there was no way I was going down without a fight.

When another noise came from behind me I spun around, my fingertips already ablaze.

"Brae?" The Arcan was standing in the shadows of a recently destroyed building. Amongst the tumble of white stone and charred debris, he looked ethereal in pale stone trousers and a white shirt. I was pleased that he didn't appear any worse for wear after his heroics the day before.

His hair glinted in the morning sunlight. It still took my breath away every time I saw it.

"What are you doing here?" I tried to sound stronger than I felt. Confident. Independent. "Were you following me?"

"It's not safe for you to walk through the city alone," he replied, taking a step towards me. "Cinaer might see you."

My blood boiled with a burst of anger. I didn't need a baby sitter. I didn't need Brae to look out for me. I had been doing a pretty good job of rescuing myself for months. I could take down Cin all by myself. Maybe. Hopefully.

"Perhaps that was the point." It wasn't. But Brae didn't need to know that.

"Roxy!" He scrunched up his face, as though he was in pain. "You can't!"

"Why not? All this-" I swept my arms out around me, gesturing at the desolation. "It's my fault, Brae. Cin's only doing this because of me."

"It's not your fault, Roxy. It's Cinaer's and Cinaer's alone. You are not culpable for his actions."

"But he wouldn't be here if I hadn't come."

"Who knows what kind of a state you'd be in if you hadn't! This is the safest place for you right now and I'm not going to let you leave."

"You really should," I replied, my eyes unable to meet his. My shoes were covered in dust and ash.

I felt him move closer, closing the gap between us, until I could feel his breath, cool on my face. When I looked back up, he was only inches away. His eyes, bright with questions, hopes and fears, were level with mine.

"Stay. With me. Please."

"Brae, I-"

"Roxy." His voice was soft, yet serious, almost pleading.

He was moving even closer now, his eyes alight with purpose. When he placed his hands on my arms, I felt electricity at the points of contact. I wanted to move towards him too, to be swept up in his arms, safe and secure. And he would let me, I knew he would.

His lips were mere millimetres from mine now. He was going to kiss me.

I could let him. Every cell in my body was desperate to; poised, tingling with anticipation. I wanted to feel his lips against mine, to give in to all of the desire and longing I had been keeping inside for months.

But what the flames did it mean? What about Jasmine? My mind was instantly overwhelmed by the image of his hands running through striking violet hair. It had only been a few days ago.

I took a firm step back, causing Brae to stumble, shocked, confused. "No, Brae," I said, trying to make my voice sound firmer than I felt. "I am not your rebound. I am not going to be someone else for you to place up on a pedestal, only to be cast aside when I do something wrong."

I pushed past him and ran the whole way back to the palace, hot tears streaming down my cheeks.

{Sorry this is late. I'm not going to follow it with another chapter today, as I think that would diminish the effect of this one. Has Roxy done the right thing? Or has she lost Brae forever? Please vote/comment to let me know what you think!}