Xander held his breath as he and his grandfather flew over the puffy white clouds. The dense gust of air that carried them felt like traveling on a pillow. While the ride itself was comfortable, the fact that it didn’t appear that anything was holding them aloft left Xander feeling highly unnerved.
They passed quickly through the air. The wind stung Xander’s eyes, causing tears to streak down his cheeks. From the intermittent breaks in the clouds, he could see mountains giving way to wide expansive plains. In the distance, far beyond where the plains ended, rivers merged into a giant river delta that fed into the ocean.
The pair passed the time in forced silence. Neither had the urge to speak—not after their recent attack at the hands of the Fire Warriors. His grandfather’s throat still bore the scorched finger marks from where he had been held. Even had they wanted to talk, however, it would have been impossible. Every word was stolen by the roaring wind as soon as it left their mouths.
Xander used the time to retreat into his thoughts. Despite being angry at her betrayal, his thoughts invariably fell back to Sammy. He had seen the handiwork of the Fire Warriors firsthand and knew the ruthlessness that they would use to get what they wanted. Logically, he knew that he should have killed her in the house when he had the chance. Logic, however, lost time and again to the strong emotions running through his heart. The connection he had felt for Sammy could easily be explained away as the connection they shared between the elements. It would have been easy to tell himself that it wasn’t love that drew him to her—it was the evolution of the elements from wind to fire. He was made to fuel her power, which is why he was inexplicably drawn to her time and again.
Even if it made sense, Xander didn’t believe that explanation. From the first moment he had looked into her eyes, he knew that she was someone unique. To lose her meant to lose his heart forever. He knew that’s why he took her betrayal so badly. Before him was a woman he wasn’t sure he wanted to live without, even after knowing her for only a week. Yet her first instinct when they were alone was to try to burn him, to kill him, so that her kind could claim their rightful place as the prime element.
It all sounded so crazy in his mind. Strangely, the thought that he had a deep spiritual connection with Sammy was the least crazy thing in his life. The fact that he so openly thought in terms of ‘prime elements’ and ‘wind fueling fire’ was why he was concerned for his sanity. Never mind the fact that he was currently flying through the air at an insane speed, all thanks to the special powers of his geriatric grandfather.
He hadn’t been happy in school, but it had been a way to put off planning for his future. Now, he would have given anything to go back to being the oblivious college student, dating an annoying sorority girl, and hanging out with his geeky best friend.
Thinking of Sean made him almost as sad as thinking of his parents. At least his parents would understand why he had to leave. For Sean, Xander would just be there one day and be gone the next. He’d hear the stories about a wildfire in the city park and the rumors of a tornado touching down and he’d make assumptions, but never really know the truth.
His grandfather tapped him on the shoulder, pulling him from his revelry. He pointed below them, where the cloud cover had cleared and the crystal blue ocean sparkled in the moonlight. He knew the ocean was over six hundred miles away from White Halls and wondered again just how fast they were flying.
Xander wanted to ask where they were going but knew the attempt was futile. He would have to be patient, which clearly wasn’t one of his strongest attributes.
He wasn’t entirely sure if he fell asleep—or if his mind just began daydreaming to pass the time during the long flight—but Xander was startled by another impatient tap on his arm.
He followed his grandfather’s gaze out ahead of their flight path and his eyes widened in awe and fear.
From the depths of the ocean, a massive waterspout sprang high into the air. The swirling water was a cyclone formed over the ocean, sucking up the salty water into a funnel reaching above the clouds. The power of the waterspout was remarkable and stole his breath. Had Xander ever bothered with a bucket list, he would certainly have been able to mark this experience from the list.
He expected that they would fly past and continue on the way to their destination. When his grandfather didn’t veer away from the mile-wide waterspout, Xander began tapping his shoulder impatiently. His grandfather brushed away his impertinent complaining and continued forward.
Xander’s tapping quickly became a fervent shaking, against which his grandfather lashed out and knocked his hand aside.
The pair sped up as they approached the edge of the cyclone. Xander could smell the salty air mixed with an aromatic scent of fresh fish. The sea spray from the waterspout coated his face and soaked his clothes as they flew even closer. A much louder and more violent roar of the devastating swirling waves replaced the roar in his ears from flying—a sound to which he had grown accustomed.
Xander screamed despite himself as the duo crashed into the wave. He expected to be buffeted by the spinning water but was pleasantly surprised when he wasn’t. Daring to open the eyes he hadn’t even realized he closed, Xander saw a small bubble of air surrounding them as they passed through the water unfettered.
The trip through the cyclone was much quicker than Xander would have estimated. They emerged into the eye of the storm, a pillar of still air that opened to an incredible view of the stars above. The sound of the waterspout was greatly diminished in the eye as was the torrential winds.
The pair slowed considerable in the eye and began drifting downward. Xander stole a glance past his descending feet and was stunned by what rose to meet them.
In the eye of the waterspout, hovering above the choppy sea waves, an island floated in the air. The surface of the island was unnaturally flat and a giant marble keep rested on its top. Large pillars rose up to meet sloping rooftops. Ornate steps led down to flowering gardens. Mosaics were intricately designed into the walkways connecting the multitude of outlying buildings.
As they touched down in the center courtyard of the keep, a group of men and women emerged from the buildings to meet them. They were all similarly dressed in white shirts, pants, and sandals that reminded Xander reminiscently of a modernized-ancient Greek culture.
None of the men and women in the group was younger than their mid-forties. For once, Xander felt horribly out of place, like a volunteer in an old folk’s home during Bingo night.
He smiled sheepishly and waved to them as they approached.
“Hi,” he said and was surprised that he could hear himself within the waterspout. He had no doubt that this remarkable feat was their doing.
The gathered group smiled broadly at him, though Xander suspected most of their affection was directed toward his grandfather. Their gazes told of a great reverence to the old man.
“Everyone, I’d like you to meet my grandson and the newest Wind Warrior, Xander Sirocco.”
His grandfather turned toward Xander with a more confident smile than he remembered seeing on the elder man before.
“Xander, I’d like to introduce you to your aunts and uncles. They’re going to teach you how to be a legend.”