Elemental Dawn (Paranormal Public) Read online

  “But what about her life?” I breathed. “Didn’t she want to travel? Have boyfriends and a family?”

  Princess Lanca’s dating life had always been the talk of Public. She never dated anyone there, instead spending time with glamour vampire princes from Europe. At the time of her graduation, though, she had been single. Now I wondered how she would ever find a vampire willing to take on the burden of being her soulless mate.

  “She’ll be fine,” said Lisabelle. “Boys are overrated. You are dating one of the only decent ones.”

  “Lough is decent,” I said.

  “Humph,” said Lisabelle.

  “How eloquent.”

  Lisabelle’s face was stony. “The point is that tomorrow you and I head to Sip’s, and from there we go to the coronation,” she said. “All of that has to happen before winter break ends.”

  We paused the conversation only to order our drinks, and once we had them we found an empty table in the corner.

  “Poor Lanca,” I said sadly, as we slid into a booth at the coffee shop. I wrapped my shaky hands around my hot chocolate, searching for comfort from the warmth, but I was beginning to feel cold inside, deep in my bones, and it was not a cold that felt likely to go away any time soon.

  “There’s more,” said Lisabelle.

  “Oh good,” I said. “I don’t suppose it’s good news.”

  “Nope,” said Lisabelle, frowning into her mug. She had coffee, black, of course, and she was staring at it as if there were answers in the dark liquid.

  “President Malle is starting to make demands.”

  “You mean other than for all paranormals to hand over the elemental and roll over and die?”

  “Yes,” Lisabelle sniffed. “The demons’ power has grown exponentially. Now that they have their own council, complete with darkness mages, for all practical purposes their power is unlimited.”

  “What about vampires?” I asked, taking a long sip of hot chocolate. “Why did they go after King Daemon if vampires are the only paranormals not on their side that have darkness magic?”

  “I’m not on their side,” Lisabelle pointed out, her face tight.

  I reached a hand across the table and touched my friend. At first she flinched away, but I held firm. “Lisabelle,” I whispered. “Love keeps us all anchored to sanity. It’s our moor in the throes of a storm, our light when the rain comes down. You are no different in that. I know what you are and who you are. You can be as gruff as you want with Sip and me and it won’t change the fact that I will love you until the day I die.”

  Lisabelle looked up, a smile playing over her lips. “Yes, well, don’t go getting all mushy on me. All we’re talking about is your death and the end of the paranormal races. Not serious or anything.”

  I gave her a small smile. It was all I could muster at her sarcasm. My heart still ached for my friend.

  “Lanca’s mother died young, didn’t she?” I asked, thinking that now Lanca had no parent to turn to.

  “Yes,” said Lisabelle, nodding. “Childbirth. King Daemon never got over it. He never married again.”

  “It just makes it all the more important that we are there for her,” I mused. “Whatever she needs.”

  “I think right now she needs for paranormal alliances to hold.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning if the demons have formed a Council while the paranormals are fighting, we’re in trouble.”

  I glanced out at the dark sky. The blackness enveloping the street lights and the coldness inside of me grew.

  “If only we had seen the end of it,” I murmured thoughtfully.

  Lisabelle carefully sipped her coffee.

  “We haven’t seen the beginning.”

  Lisabelle stayed at my house that night. Ricky was beside himself with shock and spent the evening walking around and staring at my strange friend. Lisabelle was careful not to do any magic or wear a short-sleeved shirt. My stepfather was away for the night, which was just as well, because I hated to think what would have happened if he had met Lisabelle. He planned on coming back just in time to miss my departure in the morning, which was fine with me.

  Before we went to bed Lisabelle showed me a proclamation she had brought with her. If I hadn’t known how serious the situation was before this, I did now. Reading it turned my blood cold.

  “All the Public students got this,” she explained. “It’s from the Committee, but I told Oliva I’d deliver yours so that your stepdad wouldn’t see it.”

  I snorted. “No one needed to worry. He treats my mail like it’s a pile of burning coals. He would never read it.”

  “Fine,” said Lisabelle. “Well, here’s some bedtime reading for you.” She handed me a sheet of paper that she pulled out of a black folder. It was a very deep green, with lettering in blazing silver. The coloring was the mark of the pixies, which meant that Oliva himself had sent it out.

  To Those Whom it May Concern:

  It has come to the attention of the Committee that outside the walls of Public there is growing unrest. The Demons have formed their own Council, of which President Malle is the head. If this is news to any of you, then you need to spend more time with your Tabble.

  Times are changing and the world is dangerous.

  As the Committee in charge not only of your education, but also of your well-being, we felt that it was our duty to send out this word of caution.

  The Demons are attacking all small parties traveling alone. Public transportation used by humans is no longer safe. We urge all paranormals to employ other methods of getting around. Flying is obviously the best mode of travel at this time. The broom is of course a favorite for those who are not pixies or vampires or fallen angels and cannot fly on their own. Airlee students in particular are urged to travel in groups, since in the air paranormals are less vulnerable to attack.

  We beg you to take care. You cannot assume your own safety, or that other paranormals will come to your rescue. For your reading pleasure we are enclosing a diagram of current governmental entities that you may contact in the event that you are attacked by demons. Please contact such agencies with care. They are busy. Senior paranormals are working around the clock for your safety.

  The Paranormal Police are hiring, and several Public students have put their education on hold to attend classes at the police academy. We applaud your sacrifice.

  For those of you returning to Public, we look forward to seeing you again soon. The usual security precautions for entering the campus have been reinforced, and they should be effective as methods of entrance to Public. Again, we urge care.

  Yours, The Committee.

  I read the note three times, then turned to a sheet of paper that had been in the folder along with it. This sheet was white. I was glad that Oliva had gone to the trouble of enlightening us about paranormal government. I felt sure that his summary would clarify some of the questions I’d been having about who was in charge of dealing with the demons, because as nearly as I could see, the paranormals had left it up to a bunch of Starters in college.

  After I read the document, I was going to wish I hadn’t.

  The Paranormal government consists of countless division, as mentioned in the previous letter. There is now a police academy for paranormals. Until recently, senior paranormals had always policed themselves, a community justice if you will. This new academy is meant to centralize and formalize the solution to our security needs, an important requirement in these trying times.

  The government consists of representatives proportional to the numbers of each type of paranormal. There are no longer any elemental representatives, since all elementals, including former royalty, are deceased. Should elemental numbers rise again, the councils will be readjusted to reflect the new numbers.

  There is also a distinct difference between the royal families that rule the various paranormal types, and the government that rules all paranormals. Sometimes these representatives are one and the same, but in many instances they ar
e not. For example, Airlee paranormals and the Strange paranormals, those in the sixth House of Public, are not represented by royalty, whereas vampires are. Werewolves do not have royalty and neither do fallen angels. In the case of the fallen angels, there is a distinction between full fallen angels, those of purer blood, and fallen angels who have other blood mixes coursing through their veins. All representatives are welcome in the halls of government.

  At this I rolled my eyes. I had read the bit about elementals eagerly, but it said what it usually said, that there were not enough elementals to be represented in government. I was basically just lumped in with Airlee.

  I glanced over at Lisabelle on the floor. Her back was turned to me and she appeared to be sleeping soundly. She had read all of this already and had thought I should read it too. I was glad that I had, because I wanted the government to do something about the demons, and starting a police academy seemed like a step in the right direction. I just wondered who would apply.

  I continued to read.

  The last bit was about the vampires. It was long, but the basic points were these: There were three sects, and every vampire was a member of one of the sects. Lanca’s Rapier sect was the largest and most powerful. All Rapiers had a home at Vampire Locke, which was where Lanca’s coronation would take place. The other two sects, both also governed by kings, but less powerful ones, were the Raor and the Radvarious. Dacer had once said that both he and Zervos had grown up together in the Rapier sect, and now I had a better idea what exactly that meant.

  I fell asleep that night clutching the pieces of paper to my chest and trying not to imagine an older man, who looked alike like Lanca, being ripped to shreds.

  Chapter Four

  The next morning Ricky got up early to have breakfast with us, a first. He was fascinated to see Lisabelle come in and just want coffee. Her perfect porcelain skin was glowing from the shower, and she looked even more ethereal than usual.

  “Where are you going now?” Ricky asked. He was a little upset that we didn’t have any more time to talk. I still hadn’t told him about Mom, and I felt a little guilty about it.

  “We’re going to our other friend’s house. You and she would get along famously,” said Lisabelle. “She’s eye level with you.”

  “Are you calling me short?” He put his fists on his hips, much like Sip always did.

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t think Sip would appreciate you calling her short,” said Ricky, changing tactics when he realized that Lisabelle didn’t care if she offended him.

  “That’s right, she would not,” said Lisabelle dreamily, as if the idea of annoying Sip was sunshine to Lisabelle’s day. “But I am just stating facts. I can’t help it.”

  “You could try,” Ricky grumbled.

  “You wouldn’t want me to lie, would you?” Lisabelle asked mischievously.

  “No,” said Ricky. “You don’t strike me as a liar.”

  Lisabelle eyed him for a moment, and I saw something that might be liking flash in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by her sarcastic deadpan.

  “How long will it take you to get there?”

  “Who can say?”

  “Why are you going?”

  “Love and friendship is everything?”

  “Why are you really going?”

  “Why do you ask so many questions?”

  “I’m trying to annoy you.”

  “Good job,” said Lisabelle.

  Pushing herself up from the table, she vanished upstairs. Once she was out of sight she yelled, “Charlotte, we leave in five. Say bye.”

  I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut. This was the hard part. I knew that when I opened my eyes Ricky’s gray eyes would be staring back at me out of his pale face, filled with sadness. He was always hard to leave.

  “Don’t be sad,” he said. “This makes seeing you again all the better.”

  I smiled at him. “Very true. I will visit sometime this spring, so we can spend more time together.”

  “Will you bring Lisabelle?” he asked eagerly. He was too young to even try to hide the fact that he found her fascinating.

  I chuckled. “We’ll see.”

  Satisfied with that, he sat back in his chair, still watching me as if he was trying to memorize my face.

  Once we were finished with breakfast, Ricky disappeared into his room while I finished packing.

  By the time I had my stuff gathered in the hall, all ready to go, I was thoroughly depressed and missing my brother already.

  “Ricky, we’re leaving,” I yelled up the stairs as Lisabelle stood waiting in the doorway.

  “Stop throwing a party in your room,” the darkness mage called up the stairs, smiling.

  The noise of the video game my little brother was playing shut off. I heard his door bang open and his feet pound down the stairs. He skipped the last three steps by doing a huge jump and landing on two feet.

  Grinning widely at me, he sauntered into the kitchen, pushing his blond hair out of his eyes. My throat tightened at the sight of his happy face. I wished I could see it every day.

  He threw his arms around me and squeezed tight, his head buried in my shoulder. He was getting tall.

  “Bye, Sis,” he murmured. “Nice to see you. Come visit.”

  “You know I will,” I whispered softly, fighting back tears.

  When we finally pulled apart he gave me a sad grin. “Be careful. I want to hear all about your fourth semester. Hope leaving early was worth it. I need to meet this Sip character.”

  “She’s way nicer than me,” said Lisabelle with amusement. “If that means anything.”

  “Like that’s hard,” said Ricky.

  Lisabelle gave him her razor sharp grin and he stifled a laugh.

  “For a child you aren’t so bad,” she told him.

  “For a mean person you aren’t so mean,” Ricky retorted.

  Lisabelle nodded curtly and stepped out the door, smiling a little to herself. My brother had won her over in less than a day. I would have laughed except that Ricky would have taken offense.

  I gave my brother one last hug. As I walked out the door I heard him yell, “Next time we see each other I want to know what’s going on. No joke.”

  I didn’t respond. It was a promise I could not make, a risk I could not take. My brother was the one thing in my life I had to protect, more than the other paranormals, more than my own life. Ricky would be kept safe even if it meant that I died. He had to be, and that was that.

  I followed Lisabelle down the street, trying not to cry over what I was walking away from.

  Lisabelle paused and slung her arm around my shoulder. Never actually looking at me, she whispered, “You have to leave what you love so that you can come back. Your leaving is an act of love. He understands that.”

  I snuffled. “He might, but I’m not sure I do, Lisabelle. I’m not sure I do.”

  “Come on,” said Lisabelle, dragging me away. “Let’s go see that mangy mongrel we’re friends with.”

  “You mean Sip?” I dabbed at a wet spot at the corner of my eye.

  “If you want to be nice about it,” Lisabelle glowered.

  Sip met us at the gate at the end of her front yard. She lived in a community of werewolves in the mountains of New Hampshire, where they rarely had visitors. In fact, Lisabelle told me, Sip had to get special permission for the two of us to come, because the werewolves were getting more and more wary of other paranormals these days.

  “Hi,” she said, flinging herself at me. She wore a black jacket and jeans, her spiky blond hair perfectly messy as usual. Her bright purples eyes lit up when she saw us.

  I returned her hug with just as much gusto. Seeing Sip and Lisabelle felt like home. Now if only Keller and Lough had been there, my circle of dear friends would be complete.

  “Hi,” I said happily. “Thanks for having us.”

  Sip pulled back slightly and eyed me.

  “Of course,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Hap
py to have you. Lisabelle not so much, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “Wouldn’t take no for an answer?” Lisabelle scoffed. “Look who’s talking.”

  “I listen,” said Sip indignantly.

  “You have selective hearing like nobody’s business,” said Lisabelle.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Sip asked, cupping her hand around her ear just to annoy Lisabelle a little more.

  “Nice to see you too,” said Lisabelle, stepping around me and giving Sip a hug. The darkness mage had started doing such things with her roommate, but no one else. I was sure Lough was jealous.

  “Of course it is,” said Sip. “Come on. Let’s get to my house before anyone realizes you’re here.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked, looking around. I had just now realized how eerily quiet it was. The last time I had visited Sip there had been werewolves everywhere, in both human and animal form. They had mostly ignored me, but a couple of times I had gotten a curious look, as if they knew who I was.

  Now I saw no one.

  “Did Lisabelle scare everyone away again?” I joked. Sip just pursed her lips and looked straight ahead.

  “It’s not that,” she said quietly. “They just don’t want anyone that isn’t werewolf here.”

  “That’s insane,” Lisabelle snorted. “This is an outlying town. Lots of paranormals stop here on their way to somewhere else.”

  “Like Vampire Locke?” I asked. Lanca’s stronghold was a mountain in New York that humans couldn’t see. Long ago it had been moved out of lower Manhattan because there had been too many people around who could potentially see the vampires.

  “Vampire Locke is basically a city of its own,” said Sip. “Have you ever seen a picture?”

  “No,” I said. “It’s not exactly something you can Google.”

  “I’ll show you when we get home, or maybe Mom will. She’s really excited to see you.”

  “I’m excited to see her too,” I said, trying hard not to look around at the empty town that surrounded us. If this was the future of the paranormals, I wasn’t sure it was a future we could save.