Fire Stones - By Kailin Gow Page 0,50

Abzu.

My heart was pounding faster now. Varun in danger was bad enough – but my mother too! At least, I thought, terror flooding my body, they were evenly matched: two against two.

And then Brandon arrived, a strange expression on his face, bolts of fire shooting from his fingertips. He hesitated only a moment.

“Come on,” Haven cried. “Come to me – Brandon! Don’t wait a moment longer.”

But guilt was written all over Brandon’s countenance. He turned to Varun, his eyes full of pain. “I’m so sorry, man. For everything.”

“It’s not worth it, Brandon!” Varun called. “She’s using you – you must know that. She doesn’t love you. She only loves herself.”

Brandon’s face said it all: he knew it to be true.

“But what about your family?” Abzu called out. “You know what happens to traitors. These waves are rising higher, Brandon. Your mother and grandmother’s homes could be wiped out in an instant. And they’re not of Water. They can’t swim like we can…”

“You wouldn’t!” Brandon looked horrified.

“I could. And I will. A wave the size of a mountain crashing down on your precious family, wiping them all off the map, never to be seen again.” Brandon gulped as a wave rose higher and higher on the side of the island where his family lived. He looked helplessly at Varun.

“By the time Brother Poseidon does anything to stop me, it’ll be too late. They’ll be dead already.”

“Come on, Brandon…” Haven was cooing, “come over here where you belong.”

Brandon looked utterly defeated as he swam over to Haven and Abzu, wincing and closing his eyes as he sent a fire bolt towards my mother and Varun. It missed by miles – it was clear Brandon really didn’t want to hurt anybody.

But Abzu had other plans. The wave that had been cresting over Brandon’s home now crashed instead over Varun and my mother.

“No!” I cried. They vanished beneath the waves. I could feel my heart stop. “No!” Suddenly, as I rushed towards them, I felt fire shooting from my own fingers, heading straight to where my mother and Varun had been moments earlier. The hiss of steam sounded in my ears as the waters dissipated. My mother and Varun were still there – clambering to their feet on the now-dry land.

“How’d you do that?” Varun looked up in surprise.

But we had bigger problems to worry about. In the distance, an enormous, hulking figure swam into view, thousands of tentacles reaching out towards us, spikes on every one.

The Kraken.

Epilogue

“No!” I cried out. “Look out – Mom! Varun!” But I couldn’t just watch from the sidelines now. I had to fight. I ran into the waves just as Chance began shooting fire bolts at Abzu and Haven. But neither of us could penetrate the deep, metal-thick skin of the Kraken.

You have to fight it.

I whirled around, looking for the source of the female voice. But nobody was there except Chance, his eyes narrowed and fixed on the Kraken as it approached.

You have to fight it.

I had heard that voice before – in a dream. It was my voice – Vesta’s voice – the voice that had spoken so lovingly to Mars, that had luxuriated in her temple, that had placed those stones…

You must choose, Mac. Fire or Water. Gold or Lightening. You won’t get close to the Kraken – not without swimming. You’ll have to take on Water qualities – leave your Fire self behind. Enter the ocean – save the ones you love.

I hesitated. Take on Water qualities? That was Chance’s greatest fear – that I’d become one with the ocean, lost from him forever.

“Varun…” I whispered. The Kraken was getting closer, and he and my mother wouldn’t’ be able to fight it off alone. My heart was punching against my ribcage. I couldn’t breathe.

Make your choice, Mac. I chose you as my Embodiment – you have all the stones. I trust you to do the right thing. I chose you because you were worthy. You have proven yourself worthy. Now you must decide.

“Varun, watch out!” I called. There was no time to think it over. In a split second, my fate was decided. I followed my mother off the building, diving into the waters below. The waves stung my face, my arms, but I swam harder.

“What are you doing?” Varun called. “You can’t be here – it’s too dangerous. You’re not Water.”

“What if I want to be?” I gasped. “What if I decided to take up those Ocean qualities, after all?”

Varun looked up at