Air {Elements of Power 3}

Chapter 56: Jasmine

My feet pounded across the solid, slightly frozen terrain as I tore after Roxy, desperate to get down into the camp. The drakons stirred, lifting their heads as their interest piqued. Cinaer seemed to be shouting at them, ordering them to attack, but they just beat a lazy wing and ignored him. I wasn't so sure that would be the case when the fighting got closer. They also gave Cinaer an easy escape route. Escape definitely couldn't be an option for him.

I watched as Roxy dove to the ground, skidding downwards along the icy mud to avoid two Helian soldiers. She was heading straight for the nearest drakon.

I had my own plan in mind though and veered right, to where they were keeping Tristan.

"Jasmine?" His eyes were glassy, his voice weak. His face and arms were covered in burns; evidence of the Helians' attempts to get information out of him. His shirt was torn and bloody and I imagined that the damage must extend to his torso.

A small flame ignited on the index finger of my right hand and I rubbed it against the ropes that tied Tristan to the tree. I was pleased that they hadn't felt the need to use anything more heavy duty. I suppose that was a perk of being a Sephan Protector-constantly underestimated. Not that Tristan could have got himself out without his powers.

"How? What?" He tried to ask, blinking his eyes as though he didn't believe that this was really happening.

"Shh, it's okay-it's my turn to rescue you." I grinned, as the last link of the rope began to burn away. But I had spoken too soon; I was grabbed roughly from behind and swung away from Tristan, into the path of a furious Helian.

"Not so fast, Hybrid." He grinned with menace, keeping one hand gripped tightly on the sleeve of my shirt while using the other to pull a knife from his belt. I had to move fast. I brought my hand up to his, using an electrical charge to loosen his grip so that I could twist his wrist off and away, forcing him over as my knee collided with his face. He grunted with pain, splattering blood across the white ground. But he used his position to yank behind my knees, sending me down to the ground. His face a mess of blood and rage, he stood over me, the knife gripped tightly in his palm. Before he could make full use of his advantage I thrust my hands up in front of me, hitting him with a torrent of water strong enough to force him back. My head was ringing from where I had hit the ground, but I scrambled to my feet at once and fired another burst of water at his chest. He staggered backwards, but remained standing. I needed to get close enough to shock him, without giving him an opportunity to use the knife... Water spiralled out from my hands, wrapping itself around his head, shielding his vision. While he swung the knife blindly I darted forwards, grabbed his soaked clothing firmly and sent a concentrated charge into his body. Unconscious, the Helian fell to the floor.

"You could have just killed him with a bolt to the heart," Tristan said, somewhat ungratefully, as I returned to his side to continue burning the ropes.

I looked back at the fallen Helian, frowning. "I didn't want to kill him. He's only following orders. For all we know, he could even have been controlled into being here."

As the last of the rope fell away, Tristan sighed but pulled me in for a hug, kissing me fiercely on the forehead. "You're too kind for your own good. But thank you for saving me."

"I'm not finished yet, unfortunately. The next part is going to hurt-a lot. But it's the only way to get you out-you need to trust me."

He nodded and held out his hands, at least half understanding what I needed to do.

As the heat of the metal reached his skin, he couldn't hold back the scream.

{Thanks for reading, please click the star if you enjoyed this chapter. The next few updates are all going to be quite short as I'm switching between characters quite a bit. Do you think Jasmine is right to knock out the Helians instead of killing them?}