Page 62 of The Lost Elemental

“So, Atlas and I can help with that,” Kai argued.

The bite of casserole I’d just swallowed turned to lead in my stomach at the word fire. “I don’t know if fire training is such a good idea.”

Phoenix leveled me with that inky-black stare. “Wouldn’t you rather work on it with me than in that classroom with those idiots breathing down your neck?”

I tore at my croissant, ripping it into little shreds. What I wanted was to never go back to fire class ever again. “It’s not like I’m going to have that affinity. That much is clear.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Atlas said gently.

Kai turned to Phoenix. “You talk to your brother yet?”

Smoky shadows leapt around Phoenix. “I had a word…”

My stomach clenched at the menace in his tone. “No murder, right? Promise me no murder.”

The shadows pulled back a fraction. “No blood was shed, Pip.”

My breath released at that.

“Did he hear you?” Kai asked.

There was something beneath his words that I couldn’t quite read. A subtext that was beyond my understanding.

The muscles in Phoenix’s jaw began fluttering again. “I’m not sure.”

Atlas muttered a curse. “You need to stick close to her in that class.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s in all my classes.”

This time it was Kai who cursed. A string of expletives that were quite creative. “We all need to keep a close eye in the elements classes.”

“One of us needs to sign up to TA combat classes when they start,” Phoenix added. “If they go head-to-head in that class, he’ll do everything he can to hurt her. And he’s been trained by my father’s guard since he was five.”

“When they say combat, what do they mean?”

“Hand-to-hand, special weapons, the works,” Kai answered.

Each little piece of information only made the dread in my stomach grow. “Why do we need it?”

Atlas’s hand rested on my thigh, squeezing gently. “It’s tradition. There was a time when all of us would’ve ended up in battle after our training.”

“Hell, it could happen again if we’re not careful,” Phoenix grumbled.

“What do you mean?”

Kai glanced around the dining hall, but no one was close by. “Not everyone wants the kingdoms to live in harmony.”

Atlas’s eyes flashed. “Some just want more. Land, people, power.”

“And now you don’t have the aethers’ help bringing you together.” The thought made me incredibly sad. The creatures that existed to bring peace now were nowhere to be found.

Phoenix shot a look at Kai and Atlas. “It’s more challenging for sure.”

“What happened to them?” I asked.

“You don’t know?”

I shook my head.