The Elementum

“Everyone, I want you to meet your captain: Lucy,” Legatus extended his arm towards a tall woman with short dark hair and handsome features.

“Hello, everyone,” Lucy said before walking forward and shaking each of their hands. “Don’t worry about the voyage; with me as your captain we won’t have any problems along the way,” she said after greeting all of them.

“Nice to meet you Lucy, so when will we take off?” Sean said giving Lucy a flirty grin. Shana looked at Sean and frowned.

“We will be leaving in ten minutes. I just need to make some final preparations. You kids should arrive on Scindo two days from now. I believe Legatus already told you about your training during those two days,” Lucy responded ignoring Sean’s flirtatious manners.

“Will you be training us?” asked Jane.

“Oh, no, my job is simply to get you to Scindo safe and sound. In fact, here comes your trainer now,” Lucy nodded in the direction of a tall muscular man with tanned skin. He was wearing a wife beater even though the night air was close to freezing.

“Hello Legatus, sorry I’m late,” the trainer said as soon as he boarded the boat.

“Nonsense, John, you’re just in time,” responded Legatus.

“You guys must be The Elementum I’ve heard so much about. My name’s John and I will be getting you guys ready for the journey ahead. Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to train during our journey there, so Legatus and I have decided that I should accompany you on your adventure. That way you will at least have someone who can protect you guys while you become accustomed to your powers and weapons”

“That sounds like a great idea actually. Well, it’s nice to meet you John. I’m Tristen and this is Jason, Jane, Shana, and Sean,” said Tristen as he warmly introduced himself and his friends.

“Well, now that everyone knows each other let’s get you five settled in inside the cabin. Unfortunately, we only have two cabins so the females will share one room, and the males the other. Come on now, follow me” said Lucy. She walked towards a door which led to a narrow stairway. All six of them walked one after the other down the stairs until Lucy reached the bottom. The basement smelled stuffy, and the lack of arm space didn’t make them feel any more comfortable. There was not enough space for all of them to fit into the small hallway at the bottom of the stairway, so they remained on the stair while Lucy showed them which room was for the women and which one was for the males. Afterwards, Lucy opened the door to her right, and entered the ladies room allowing the others to walk down the stairs and into their corresponding cabin.

The cabins were small but strangely elegant. The walls were ivory and the carpet was a rich maroon color. Two full sized beds were placed on the right side of the room, and a small square wooden table lay in between them. There was just enough room to walk in front of the beds and between them; it was clear that this room was only made for the purpose of sleeping. There was a small closet to the right of the door. Jane and Shana put their back packs inside the small closet before walking back upstairs to the deck. Tristen and Jason were talking to John when the girls reached the top.

“So, you’re going to teach us how to fight?” Tristen asked with a hint of boyish enthusiasm.

“Yes, I will give each of you a different weapon, and I will show you how to use those weapons, but more importantly I will also help you control your powers. We will begin training tomorrow,” replied John.

“You know how to help us control our powers?” Jane asked thinking about how difficult it had been to keep her own power under control.

“Yes, I come from a long line of Elementum trainers. The knowledge I possess has been passed down my family for generations, so don’t worry, Jane, I will help you control that troublesome gift of yours,” responded John kindly. Jane smiled her thanks at him. She felt more secure knowing that there would be someone with them who knew more about their powers, and would show them how to use them while on their quest.

“You guys are in good hands with John by your side,” Legatus added warmly. John grinned at Legatus.

“You bet they are!” John replied with a booming laugh.

“Alright, everyone, looks like we’re all set to go,” Lucy announced as she emerged from a room in the middle of the boat. Everyone gathered in the middle of the deck to bid farewell to Legatus.

“Very well, I suppose it’s time to say farewell. I’m very glad to have met you, and I’m positive we will meet again. Goodbye, everyone,” said Legatus with a sad but hopeful voice. Jane walked up to him and gave him a hug. She felt a strange connection with the man even though they had just met that same night.

“Good bye, Legatus,” Jane said as she released him from her arms. The others repeated her words, and Legatus looked fondly at Jane and her friends for a moment before walking to the side of the boat and the down to the pier. Lucy rushed back upstairs to the cockpit and started the boat. Legatus waved goodbye as they left the pier. Jane and Shana leaned slightly over the rails and waved back at Legatus. Jason leaned with his back on the rails, and gave a last sideways glance at Astrum City before closing his eyes and enjoying the breeze.

“Goodbye!! Take care of yourselves!” Legatus yelled after them as the boat left the pier. Soon, they were well on their way to Scindo.

Sean followed John into the boat’s kitchen and helped himself to some coffee. The kitchen was small but cozy. The walls were a warm mahogany brown, and the floor was covered by black tile. There was a square wooden table in the middle with four wooden chairs around it. Along the walls were a few wooden counters, a stove and a small white refrigerator. Sean sat down on a chair and rested his head on the surface of the table after taking a sip of hot coffee.

“Man, I have a feeling I’ll be feeling this tired very often from now on,” Sean mumbled after closing his eyes.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” teased John as he put a heavy hand on Sean’s shoulder. Sean gave a small tired laugh before lifting his head back up and drinking from his coffee cup. Jason walked inside and sat down on a chair while taking off his black sweater.

“Hey, you know what I just realized?” Sean asked Jason.

“No, but do tell,” Jason responded with sarcasm.

“We’ll probably be doing a lot of sleeping on the ground and camping out and stuff. I should’ve brought the sleeping bag dad bought me…” Sean said with regret.

Jason laughed at Sean’s comment.

“We’re going to be fighting beasts and whatnot, and you’re worried about sleeping on the floor?” Jason mocked. John gave a booming laugh and tapped Sean roughly on the back.

“Don’t worry kid, I’m sure you can take some of the extra blankets we have on board with you,” teased John with a light tone. Sean rolled his eyes and leaned back on his chair to stare at the ceiling. John sat down in the chair next to Sean’s with a coffee mug in his hand. The three sat in silence contemplating what was ahead of them.

Outside, Shana and Jane were still leaning with their hands on the rail. Jane hugged her white jacket against herself as she felt the cold breeze penetrate deeper into her skin. Shana gave Jane a sideways hug and smiled.

“You know, I’m really glad I’ll get to have this adventure with you and the guys. I’m sure that even though it’ll be deadly dangerous, and incredibly difficult, it will still be a little fun just because we’re together,” confessed Shana. Jane smiled at her words because she felt the exact same way.

“I know what you mean,” replied Jane. She looked back when she heard someone walking towards them. Tristen smiled when their gazes met, and put his hands inside his black thigh-length coat.

“I’m going to go see what Sean is doing,” Shana said while giving Jane a nudge with her thumb. Jane quickly furrowed her eyebrow at Shana for her obvious intentions. Shana walked away with a smile and gave a small wink to Tristen as she walked past him. Tristen gave a small chuckle then walked towards Jane. Jane felt as though the pounding of her heart was audible from miles away. She turned her back to Tristen and focused her attention on the splashing water below her. Tristen arrived at her side and casted a sideways glance at her before looking at the water as well.

“Have you felt any different since you got your powers?” Tristen asked without looking away from the water.

“Yes, I’ve been feeling a strange heat within me ever since I touched that orb. Plus, I have this weird sensation of, like, power, flowing within me. I can’t really explain it though,” Jane replied. Tristen looked at her and smiled.

“I know exactly what you mean; well, not about the heat part, but I have the same sensation of power,” confessed Tristen. Jane couldn’t contain the urge to turn and look at him. She felt her hands start to sweat, and her breathing become heavier. She could smell his cologne; the soft yet masculine scent aroused her sense. She wanted to hold him in her arms and indulge herself in this magnificent scent. She wanted to run her hands through his hair and gently caress his cheek with her fingers. Jane turned her face towards him and saw him smiling at her. At that moment, the thing she wanted the most was to wrap her arms round his neck and feel his soft lips brush against hers before becoming entwined in a passionate wet kiss. The harsh wind kept blowing her hair in her face, so she used the excuse of brushing it out of her face to look downwards again. She knew she was blushing, so she cursed herself for being so easily influenced by him. Tristen opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. He looked towards her hand that rested on the rail. He hesitated for a moment before reaching his hand out over hers. At his touch, Jane’s eyes snapped open and her heart skipped a beat. Time seemed to stop as she thought about the warmth that was coming from his hand. She looked at his hand and then up towards his face. Their eyes met and she couldn’t help but smile. Jane couldn’t tear her eyes away. Every inch of her wanted to lose itself to him. She inched her face closer to his, and for a short precious moment it seemed that all her wishes would be granted. Tristen cleared his throat and turned his face away. He cursed himself for being so nervous every time he was around her. He wanted her to be his, but he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to give her all that she deserves.

“You know, there was something that I had been meaning to ask you back home. I was going to do it tomorrow, or I guess that’s today now…” Tristen began.

“What is it?” Jane asked softly still recovering from the intensity of the previous moment.

“Jane, I just…. I lo-“Tristen began.

“Hey, you two! You should go inside before you freeze!” interrupted Lucy as she walked down from the cockpit and towards the kitchen.

“Yeah, we’ll be right there,” Tristen said with a tinge of annoyance. Jane knew that Lucy had the best intentions in mind, but she was slightly angry that she had interrupted such a perfect moment. Jane knew that they wouldn’t be able to pick up the conversation again tonight, so she gave Tristen a small disappointed smile.

“What were you going to say?” Jane asked with a last glimmer of hope.

“It’s nothing, besides Lucy’s right we should go inside,” Tristen said avoiding the conversation. With that said the two of them walked quietly into the kitchen.