Elemental Betrayal

  Elemental Betrayal

  The Essential Elements - Book Three

  Elle Middaugh

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Acknowledgments

  About Elle Middaugh

  Also by Elle Middaugh

  Elemental Betrayal

  Copyright © 2019 Elle Middaugh

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Editing: Editing by C. Marie

  Cover Design: Covers by Combs

  Interior Formatting: Rene Folsom

  Created with Vellum

  To the fans of The Essential Elements Series,

  You guys are awesome! Thank you for reading and loving the very first series I ever wrote.

  It means more than you could ever know.

  1

  I was waiting, hiding in the shadows between the shelves until the shopkeeper locked the doors and drove away. Sweat beaded at my hairline. A nervous exhale escaped my lips. I glanced around in the semidarkness, hoping I’d been right in assuming the little specialty store didn’t have any added security.

  Gargoyle and dragon statues guarded the ledges and mantelpieces while frosted potion bottles and crystalline trinkets dotted the shelves amongst the books. There were black cauldrons set out on display, crooked brooms, and pointed hats. Tarot decks and mythological trading cards lined a metal carousel from top to bottom, and crackers and cookies in individual wrappers lined another. The whole place had a stale yet calming aroma, probably thanks to the lavender incense sticks scattered about.

  It seemed pretty clear to me that the owner was an Elemental hiding in plain sight, a Modernist, if I had to guess. Though, if he really did have the book I was hoping to find, it was more likely he was an Elitist posing as a Modernist posing as a human.

  Confusing, I know.

  But that’s why I was sneaking around rather than simply asking the owner for help—if he really was an Elitist, he’d alert my grandfather to my presence in an instant and probably try to hold me hostage until he showed up.

  No thanks. Radford wasn’t that far from Northland, the Elitist home base, and I didn’t feel like taking any chances.

  I scanned the shelves, careful not to touch any of the spines. They were extremely old and dusty, and any contact would be a surefire sign that someone had been there.

  All right, Aunt Marge, I thought to myself. Where’s this book hiding?

  Ever since Chase had thrown a fireball through Cade’s chest three months earlier, Marge and I had been on a secret quest to figure out how the hell it hadn’t killed him. It was like the Earth itself had fed him power and kept him alive—something that should have been impossible. She’d checked all the books in her own library at the cottage but had come up empty. Now it was up to me to find the information we needed. Luckily, I was somewhat tenacious. I would persist until I found it, and if we could figure it out, we might be able to end the Elemental war before it became even more devastating.

  I rounded the corner and gazed at a new row of books. I didn’t have a particular title in mind, was just sort of hoping something would jump out at me—crack! I hissed and rubbed my head, glaring up above me. That damned dragon statue had come out of nowhere.

  Sighing, I grabbed the two books that seemed to hold the most potential: Religions of Nature and Elements of Darkness. I’d give the first one to Aunt Marge to study and keep the second one for myself; I had other, darker questions that needed answers, too.

  Suddenly, my Fire element perked up. Heat signatures drew nearer outside. I swallowed hard as a drop of sweat trickled down my back. It wasn’t just individuals strolling down the nighttime streets but a group of people milling about in front of the store. When I sensed them moving around the sides, I knew I needed to run. If they were trying to surround me, that could only mean one of two things: either the Elitists had found me or the Shadow Sect had. Either way, I would be in deep shit if I were caught.

  Sprinting, I burst through the back door and left it hanging wide open on its hinges. Yes, it would most definitely alert the store owner to my presence the next day, but at this point, I had to deal with threats in a most-likely-to-kill-me order.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I found them sprinting after me, super-fast, in formation, and dressed in black serpentine outfits with no openings but eye slits. The Shadow Sect.

  Shit, shit, shit!

  Wind howled through the darkened trees behind me, snapping branches in frustration. A wave of greedy vines slithered through the undergrowth, chasing but not quite catching me. Spheres of ice and fire tore across the night, though those at least wouldn’t hurt me if they hit. Still, it was pretty terrifying.

  We had a saying about the Sect, now that we knew a little bit more about them: if you’re caught by them, you’re never seen again.

  I had no intention of going out like that.

  As I left the town of Radford behind, I quickly studied the landscape through the dark. A dip in the mountain range lowered the forest into a wide bowl, and hills rolled on all sides. If I remembered correctly from the journey there, a lake should have been tucked into the bottom. If I could get there quick enough, I might be able to sneak off the soldiers’ radar completely.

  I ran downhill almost faster than my legs could carry me, weaving fluidly in and out of the trees as the lake came into view. Without any moonlight, it looked thick and black as tar. I ran to the edge, leapt into the air, and broke through the surface like slipping through feathers.

  Underneath, I could see everything clear as day. Algae-covered rocks paved the bottom with bright green grass peeking through the cracks. Cattails lined the water’s edge, and duckweed floated up above. Pieces of dirt and debris drifted by like dandelions on a breeze.

  As a Water Elemental, underwater eyesight was a definite perk, as was aquatic respiration. I took a deep breath, feeling the heavy weight of water filling my lungs, and began swimming, cutting through the current faster than I ever could have run on land.

  Swimming past a school of metallic-colored fish, I savored the silken feel of my element on my skin and the rejuvenating effects it had on my body. The longer I stayed submerged, the less exhausted I felt. It was as if I was suddenly stronger, more alive, more alert.

  I followed the lake to where it met the mouth of a river then swam upstream for a few miles, meandering around the shallow bends and random boulders that poked up above the surface. When I finally emerged, I was plunged back into the darkness of night. I blinked a few times to adjust my vision and glanced across the water behind me.

  The soldiers were nowhere to be found.

 
; Hopefully I’d lost them. I could no longer sense their body heat, which was a good sign. Even still, I kicked my feet back into a run. I was still a ways from home, and I certainly didn’t want to take any chances.

  An hour or so later, the forest opened up into a broad valley with a small town nestled at the bottom. Buildings and houses dotted the dale, the lights in their windows twinkling like stars in the midnight sky.

  Center Allegheny had been rebuilt from the ground up numerous times, and even Nicholai’s massive bombing hadn’t stopped them from reconstructing the town again. This was not Center Allegheny, though; Modernists had taken over that area. As such, the newly formed Revolutionists, as we liked to be called, had been forced to move one town over: Berwindale.

  I homed in on the illuminated stone steeple of a castle-like cathedral and pushed myself to traverse the last half-mile quickly. Our new house stood directly across the street from the church, and it was an enormous structure with tan siding and gray stone accents. Rushing inside, I shut and locked the door behind me—not that a flimsy metal lock would stop the Shadow Sect, but still.

  When we’d arrived here a few months ago, the whole area had already been abandoned. The previous inhabitants had obviously packed up their valuables and fled to the bigger cities, as most humans had. As such, we had our choice of accommodations. We picked one of the bigger houses in town so Dad, Cade, Xavier, Sienna, Kendrick, and I could all fit neatly into one.

  Yes, I was acutely aware of how odd that dynamic was: me, my best friend, my boyfriend, my boyfriend’s older brother, my father, and my half-brother who wasn’t related to my dad in the slightest. Our mother was apparently too busy being an Elitist to be a mom, and Kendrick’s father hadn’t been lucky enough to survive the bombing. Cade and Xavier’s dad was still balls deep in the Traditionalist campaign, and since the boys had switched sides, they’d also decided to switch houses. Technically, my dad was still a Modernist, but he’d insisted on us sticking together now that he was out of the navy.

  So…there we all were.

  Cade strolled into the foyer and crossed his arms, irritation practically radiating off the top of his dirty-blond head. He’d probably felt my footsteps through the Earth.

  “And where the hell were you?” he asked, emerald eyes hard as stones.

  Even after all these years, his presence still captivated me. He was perfect, with a gorgeous face and a killer bod, but that wasn’t what had ultimately ensnared me. Under that brooding glare and hard-ass attitude was a bleeding heart of gold. He had my back no matter what mess I got us into, and I had his. He was more than just my boyfriend; he was my partner in crime.

  Which was why he was currently so angry. I’d gone out on a solo mission and tried to keep it from him.

  Smiling, I reached into the interior pocket of my jacket and withdrew one of the old leather-bound books: Religions of Nature.

  “Aunt Marge has been looking for this,” I said, avoiding his question.

  His eyes softened a bit and he reached for me. “Val, you’re supposed to have Sienna and me with you at all times, remember? We’ve talked about this. You might have control over Water and Fire, but you still need us to help with the Earth and Wind part. It’s not safe for you otherwise.”

  I sighed and leaned into him, relishing the feel of his arms wrapping around me.

  We had talked about it, and he was right. I just couldn’t stand the thought of being a burden to the ones I loved. I wasn’t a child or an invalid; I was an Elemental, Gifted with two powerful elements to control. Surely I could manage going outside on my own.

  “Sorry,” I muttered into his shirt.

  He lifted my chin and kissed me. The gentle touch of his lips on mine had a tide of heat washing across my skin and through my veins.

  “Don’t be sorry. Just…be careful. Speaking of, what the hell happened to your forehead?”

  I groaned and touched it, realizing there was a lump and probably a bruise to go with it.

  “I was attacked by a vicious dragon statue.”

  “A statue?” He grinned.

  “Yes,” I replied before quickly changing the subject. “What are you doing awake, anyway? It’s the middle of the night.”

  He laughed and shook his head then reached into his pocket and withdrew his trusty tin of healing ointment, dabbing the salve on my wound.

  “It’s five in the morning,” he said as he fixed me up. “Time to wake up, grab a quick bite to eat, and start training.”

  I groaned and hung my head as he re-pocketed the salve. I hadn’t realized I’d been out that late.

  “But I’m tired…” I moaned pathetically.

  “You can sleep when you’re dead,” he said with a smirk. “Which hopefully won’t be for quite a long while. Maybe next time you’ll think twice about going out without us.”

  “Where’d she go this time?” a tired voice asked from the stairs.

  I glanced up to see Sienna hobbling gracelessly down the stone steps. Her straight black hair was draped halfway across her face, and her gray eyes were just barely cracked open.

  “Morning, Sienna,” I said, sounding overly chipper in comparison.

  She made a groaning sort of sound and headed for the kitchen.

  I put a finger in the air. “One minute.”

  I rushed upstairs to deposit the books and change into my workout clothes. By the time I came back downstairs, Sienna had a mini-tornado formed on the countertop and was banging cupboards open and rattling drawers. Eventually, three bowls and spoons swirled into the air, clanging into each other before clattering down to the center of the table. I sat down beside her, but I didn’t think she even noticed. It seemed like she was still half-asleep.

  “Your control is improving,” Cade said casually, creating some oats and filling up our dishes.

  She grinned and seemed to wake up a little. “You like that?”

  “I take it training is going well?” he asked her, sitting down across from us.

  With my left hand, I added some water to the oats. With my right, I heated it all up into thick, sticky oatmeal.

  “If by ‘going well’ you mean getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter every day, then yes, it’s going well.”

  “Good,” Cade said, completely ignoring the sarcasm in her response. He formed a plant in his palm and crushed it into dust. “Sugar, anyone?”

  “Of course we want sugar,” Sienna said in disgust. “Who could eat this shit without it?”

  Cade glared at her, and I failed to suppress a chuckle.

  “I’ll take some, too, please,” I added.

  Just then, footsteps echoed on the stairs, and a second later, Kendrick came bounding around the corner with a huge grin plastered onto his little face. He looked wide awake, despite the early hour.

  “What are you doing up, buddy?” I asked, smoothing his dark hair before he moved to sit down beside Cade.

  His brown eyes absolutely shimmered. “Cade said he would start training me today!”

  I raised a brow. “Is that right?”

  Sienna grinned and whirl-winded another bowl and spoon to the table.

  I glanced at Cade, whose smile was warm and genuine. He busied himself with making Kendrick some oats. I silently added the water and heat, still waiting on his explanation.

  Finally, after adding the sugar, Cade sighed. “It’ll be fine, Val. I promise. With the state of the world, it certainly couldn’t hurt for him to have some basic combat experience.”

  “Combat experience? Seriously?”

  “Just some endurance exercises, hitting and blocking, how to use a weapon without hurting himself…”

  I trusted Cade; I did. We’d been in a number of scuffles together, and his skills were incredible. If he said Kendrick would be fine, he would be; Cade would make sure of it. It was just the principal of the matter. He was my little brother, and I wanted to keep him safe.

  “Please, Val?” Kendrick begged through a mouthful of oatmeal.<
br />
  “Yeah, Val,” Cade added, pretending to pout. “Please?”

  Sienna chuckled. “You’d better let them. I can’t take this cuteness overload so early in the morning.”

  I grinned but continued playing hardball. “Don’t you have some seriously intensive Revolutionist training to do?”

  Cade swayed back and forth, contemplating how to answer. “Yes…but I can multitask.”

  “And who will be watching Kendrick while you’re doing other things?”

  “Xavier.”

  I glanced at Sienna. The smile had dropped right off her face. Cade’s older brother was a bit of a touchy subject for her. Good thing he lived with us, making the situation all the more awkward.

  “Xavier has his own training to worry about,” I argued.

  Cade sighed heavily before softening his tone. “Calla won’t mind, Val, and this is important.”

  Calla was in charge of all Earth Elemental training. When I’d decided to form the Revolutionist party, I’d scoured the entire country to find the strongest Elementals willing to teach us. Turned out, no one was stronger than Cade or me, but we still hired a skilled coach for each element—just to be safe. Calla coached the Earths, Tom coached the Fires, Miranda coached the Waters, and Soren coached the Winds.

  I sighed, knowing I’d lost the fight against Cade and Kendrick a long time ago. “Fine.”

  “Yes!” Kendrick shouted, pumping his fist. He shoved away from the table and ran for the door.