Elemental Shadowed by Helen Scott

1

Tessa

My mind was a mess, everything was coming in bursts of information that overloaded me until I couldn't take it anymore and retreated to the darkness. The cycle repeated over and over again until some voices started to become clear.

"Has she woken at all?" Griffin asked, though he sounded like he was coming from far away, his voice distorted.

"No, the waters are working though. We can see the wounds are healing, so it should only be a matter of time," a woman's voice replied.

I wanted to ask who was watching me, who was speaking, but my body was unresponsive to my demands. It seemed like all I could do for the moment was breathe and listen. The weightless sensation was at least explained by the fact that I was in Atlantis' healing waters. I'd been in them before, once for injury and once with Finn.

My mind rushed with the memory of being with him, followed quickly by the memory of the lustful feelings I'd had for each of the warriors that had found me and brought me to Atlantis. The kiss with Kai flits through my mind along with the supposed date with Dresden. Each of them stir romantic feelings within me, making me want to see them again and soon.

"I can watch her for a while, go and get some rest or some food or something," Griff grumbled.

The woman seemed to debate for a moment before obeying him. I had no idea how long passed before he spoke again, but it was a while.

"Come on, dove, wake up. We need you. I want to show you El Dorado, and I'm sure Dresden wants to show you Hyperborea. If I had to bet I'd say that Kai even wants to show you Agartha. I don't think either of them are as badass as El Dorado though, I mean we have waterfalls that are made of fire, how do you compete with that?" he asked with a chuckle as though he was sure I'd respond. My heart ached with the fact that I couldn't.

When I didn't answer he fell silent for a while and my mind slipped back into the darkness, and once I gained some awareness again I could hear Kai's voice, which surprised me.

"You know I heard Griff telling you all about El Dorado earlier, but he has no idea how amazing Agartha is. My people created the gates, created the ability to travel between realms, and we did so without hurting our own realm. The forest that covers my realm is like nothing you've ever seen before. Think redwoods but ten times as big. We live in the trees and underground, anywhere we want depending on what we shift into.

“How can lava compete with that? He was right about one thing though, I think you should see Agartha, though at this rate you'll be assassinated before you can. And if you're not then you'd probably hate the society within my realm. Why the fuck am I even talking aloud, it's not like you're awake." For a brief moment his voice sounded completely unlike him, full of happiness and excitement, not to mention pride. The only thing I'd ever really heard in his voice before was anger, or maybe disappointment, and for a split second when we were back in my realm, lust.

He muttered something more that I couldn't understand before falling quiet. It seemed the guys were taking shifts in watching over me, which made my heart squeeze with thanks in my chest. One of the few things I was sure of was that they would keep me safe. They always did.

The woman's voice came again but I was already drifting away into the darkness. This time I felt the water move and someone touching me, which was strange, I didn't think that was necessary if someone was in the healing waters. My brain had apparently absorbed enough though because my mind retreated once more into the safety of the darkness.

It was Finn's voice that pulled me back out.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Tessa. I never expected this. I knew there were factions that didn't want the key to be found, but to try and kill you...I suppose that was naive of me. At least that female demon who was obsessed with you is dead. I wish I could have made her hurt more for you." He fell silent for a while and I wondered what he was thinking about. I hoped he wasn't blaming himself, though the tone of his voice said that was exactly what he was doing.

"I need you to wake up, siren," he whispered and it almost sounded like he was crying. "We all need you. Everything is falling apart without you, but even if all the realms went to hell I would want you to wake up just for me, for my selfishness. I can't watch you wither away to nothing in the healing pools. I just wish we could figure out what was happening, what magic they unleashed on you to take you away from me, from us."

Well, at least that was one question answered. I forced my mind back to the last thing I remembered even though I'd been blocking it out. I knew whatever it was had hurt me to the point that my survival was questionable. The last thing I could remember was ice, followed quickly by overwhelming pain. There was light as well, bright and hot.

Fire.

My mind reeled back from that realization as one of my greatest fears was realized once again. Someone had tried to burn me alive and possibly failing at that for whatever reason had used magic to make me, what, wither away in unconsciousness?

If I didn't fight this darkness then they, whoever they were, would win and I would lose not only the men I cared about but the opportunity to save the realms. As much as I want to be the selfless heroine I couldn't say that was the only thing driving me. I wasn't ready for my time to be up, for me to only get a taste of having someone truly care about me like Finn and Griff do.

I'd fight like hell to get back to them. The realization felt like a bell ringing clear and pure within my heart. It was just magic that was keeping me in this darkness. I didn't understand how magic worked, especially with the differences that seemed to exist between the realms, but I could try and fight it.

Clearly whatever it was didn't work all the time or I'd have no idea that the guys were telling me about their realms the way they had been. I wouldn't have heard any of that if I was meant to just fade away, would I?

I had to think that there was something that was helping me fight, I just had no idea what it was.

Though I tried to resist it, the darkness claimed me again. Finn's voice faded in and out as he started talking once more and I tried to grab onto it like a rope or a life preserver, but it slipped through my grasp like sand.

When I came back to myself Dresden was there. I had no idea how I knew, since he was silent, but I could practically feel his presence.

Dresden!I shouted in my mind.

Ladybird?

Dres, please, help me.

You're aware but not awake? What's going on?

I don't know, magic? You guys are the experts here, not me. All I know is that something is preventing me from fully waking up. The world keeps slipping away and I keep fading back into darkness, but I'm aware sometimes.

How are you feeling?

Weak. Tired. Scared. Defeated. I hated admitting the last two, but it was the truth, and I knew he could potentially read it in my mind anyway, so I may as well admit it outright.

He was quiet for a long time and I started to worry that whatever had allowed me that brief connection with him was gone. When his voice sounded in my head once more I was so relieved I could cry.

We'll figure this out, ladybird. I don't know what's causing it just yet, but we'll fix it. Just hold on. Fight for us.

I am. My voice sounded weak in my own mind.

I have to go and talk to the others about this but Malia will be watching over you. We can trust her. Don't worry.

Exhaustion claimed me before I could respond. The darkness of the spell or whatever it was forcing me into unconsciousness once more.

"I'm telling you she was awake, not awake awake, but aware in her mind," Dresden's growly voice sounded in the room around me.

"She's very clearly not awake. She's barely even alive. Don't fuck with us, flyboy," Kai snarled.

"I'm not fucking with anyone. I'm telling the truth."

"Are you sure it wasn't just wishful thinking?" Finn asked, sounding broken and despondent.

Dresden,I called in my mind though I felt weaker than before, as though our previous conversation had almost wiped me out.

Ladybird, you're back. I was worried there for a moment.

I feel weaker, like it's getting worse. Being aware feels more challenging.

We'll figure it out, just hold on, his voice was soothing in my mind but I could feel the undercurrent of concern.

"She's aware now. She knows we're all here," Dresden said aloud.

I still didn't know much about how his abilities worked. I knew he could read my mind, that we could converse silently, and that he could do the same with the others, but I wasn't sure if we could all talk at once. Since he was speaking aloud my guess was that it was easier for him to communicate with multiple people like that instead of mentally.

"Siren," Finn breathed.

Water sloshed against my body where I was floating in the healing pool and I felt his hands wrap around one of my own. I tried with everything I had to squeeze his hand but when he didn't react I knew it hadn't worked.

"What do we know? First, she's aware sometimes, but not all the time. She also said she's feeling weaker after speaking with me, which has to mean that she's fighting whatever magic was used on her but that it's costing her more every time she does. That may even be why we see her withering away even though she's in the healing waters. Her body and mind are using everything they have to fight against the magic that is binding her.

"Okay, so how do we unbind her?" Griff asked, sounding more irritated than relieved.

"I have no idea," Dresden muttered and the four of them fell silent.

I didn't want to slip back into the darkness so I asked Dresden, Am I just skin and bones now? My curiosity was getting the better of me. They had mentioned that I was withering away multiple times and I was starting to wonder just how severe it was.

He didn't respond for a long time before eventually saying, You're not skin and bones but you have lost weight and your muscles have weakened from what we can tell. Malia has been coming in and trying to work your arms and legs at least once a day but it's hard to tell if it's having any effect.

That must have been what I felt before. She was doing what amounted to physical therapy for me, I knew it was part of her job but I couldn't help feeling touched that she was putting in the effort for me.

How long have I been like this? I ask, the question was scarier that I'd like to admit.

Two weeks, well, just over two weeks.

"Isn't there anyone in Atlantis who is familiar with this kind of magic?" Griff asked.

"We don't know that it's Atlantean magic." Finn grumbled.

"Well none of us are allowed to use our powers here, so there has to be someone that can do something," Kai spat. His anger surprised me even though it seemed like he was angry most of the time.

"I don't know what to do. I'm trying to get an audience with the queen but her advisors are keeping her out of harms way and right now they consider us magnets for trouble," Finn snarled back.

Great. Just great. I'm going to die because of some stupid magic that's bound me, forced me to remain unconscious, and every time I become aware it drains me even more. Oh, and there may not be anyone who knows how to fix it. Just fucking fabulous.