The Elementals : The Dawn of Darkness

Chapter 41 - Calm After the Storm

Two rooms in the library for as long as Mum and the kids need them, as well as food, medicine and clothes, all free of charge. Maxie's pneumonia was cleared up in a matter of days and even though all three of them were still a little on the skinny side, they were healthy and safe. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.

Oh don't get me wrong, we still got our asses handed to us. Ms Harper's rant lasted a grand total of twelve minutes and forty-three seconds before she collapsed into her chair, her hair and face considerably whiter than it had been before, and waved us away, muttering incoherently about punishments.

It could have been worse. Much worse.

Guard duty three nights a week as well as maintenance and labour duty for the rest of the summer. In a nutshell that essentially means we were glorified cleaners. We also weren't allowed to partake in the tournament and we were basically on house arrest until further notice. Ah well, there are worse places to spend a glorious summer.

A light tap on my elbow distracted me from the sight of the running track phasing out of existence. Sheira jerked her head towards a tall, dark figure standing off one of the stands just as four archery targets were rolled ono the green. The enormous rhino stood beside him certainly singled him out in the crowd

"Hey man, how's it going?" I asked as we strolled up to meet our friend, our own two big cats padding beside us.

Shadow smirked, probably thinking about how the English language had devolved to where 'Hey man' was now an appropriate substitute for 'Hello'. "I'm good. Just finished talking to your boss."

"And?" Sheira leaned forward hopefully. "Did she say yes?"

He nodded, smiling just a little bit wider when Sheira cheered happily. "Until further notice, I am a permanent resident with complete access to the facilities. Thanks for that by the way."

"No problem, a deal is a deal after all."

The apparent mental breakdown Ms Harper suffered at the sight of us troublemakers still alive and breathing was not helped when we introduced our new friend to the entire council. And when we told them we'd promised this total stranger complete access to the library, well...

It had actually been part of the emergency meeting we'd had a few days after we came back, right at the end we'd voted for or against. Six against four in favour of letting him stay.

If it hadn't been for Sophie deciding to make me her co-councillor the night before it would've ended in a stalemate. Yep, yours truly is now Fire Cabins councillor. I'm not sure if that should be a relief or a nightmare, but only time will reveal that possible mistake.

Still, councillor or not, that meeting wasn't exactly fun. Sheira and I gave a play by play account of what we'd done from my weird visions of the future to Scarlett and her death train, the zombies of Truespear Hollow and the serum producing factories that stretched the length of the country.

That wasn't the worst part though. All of those graphic details paled in comparison to looking my friends in the eye and telling them about what had become of the kidnapped kids, describing their addled minds and cold empty eyes, completely of who they were before they received that lethal dose of magic medicine.

I remembered myself swallowing as I tried to clear the dryness from my mouth. Fire Cabin had been begging to know if I heard anything about Annie and Darryl but I hadn't said anything. Not until that meeting anyway. A stunned silence filled the room as I told them about Darryl dying in the dungeons and what his little sister had done to get him back.

A lot of people cried that day, including myself, and the effect of that meeting was still rippling through the grounds like an aftershock. It had taken a few days before Sophie really talked to me again. A memorial was held a week ago for the two of them. Even Shadow turned up. I think he sensed that we needed him to be there.