Elemental Shining (Paranormal Public Series) Read online

  Elemental Shining

  (Paranormal Public, Book III)

  by

  Maddy Edwards

  Copyright © 2012 by Maddy Edwards

  Cover Design: Sybille Sterk

  This novel is a work of fiction in which names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is completely coincidental.

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without the written consent of the author.

  My blog: http://maddyedwards.blogspot.com/

  My goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5288585.Maddy_Edwards

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Prologue

  The dream was jumping around, ever-changing.

  Black silver started to glow. The light was reflected and lost, wisps of dreams floated in the air above the glimmering water in front of the raging fire rolling over the sloping earth. Above it all was the Mirror Arcane.

  Then blood dripped from a fang, as if the point had freshly plunged into an artery surrounded by sensitive flesh. This was no ordinary fang. This was the Fang First, power held in blood.

  Moving again, the globe holding dreams bobbed up and down, lost in white space, waiting until the Globe White was reunited with the other artifacts on the paranormal wheel.

  In one fluid motion a pair of delicate wings of every color green fluttered gently, the diamond-encrusted shapes taking pleasure in the barest movement. Pinion Wings could not beat themselves.

  The Scepter Silver lanced out, striking nothing, fixing nothing. The most stunning object ever created—silver designs with silver jewels on a silver inlay—it was useless without the other artifacts.

  A club lay useless on a bare floor.

  “If we find them all,” former Paranormal Public President Cynthia Malle’s voice intoned to the waiting powers in darkness as she came out of the dream, “we can defeat the paranormals once and for all.”

  All around her a deep groan started to grow into a roar, the demons voicing their approval.

  “How do we find them all?” one dared to ask.

  President Malle turned her black eyes on the offending speaker. With one stab of her finger in his direction he lit up in flame, screaming a thousand deaths as he burned slowly into nothing. When only ash lay where the demon had been, President Malle met the eyes of every demon in turn.

  “We use the Map Silver,” she said, starting to smile. “The paranormals do not stand a chance.”

  Chapter One

  A little bit excited was an understatement. I was euphoric. Like, hello party my name is Charlotte kind of happy. Summer was finally over and Lisabelle and Sip were coming back to Public. I had been there without them all summer, working at the Museum of Masks with Dacer, and although I had learned a lot and found a lifelong mentor in Dacer, I missed my friends, and the quiet campus had becoming unbearably boring. I wanted the excitement and fun of friends and fellow students.

  I had left the grounds of Public once to visit my little brother Ricky. He was still living with my stepdad, his father, and enjoying his childhood. It was difficult to get off the grounds, because we knew the demons were watching for me, but they didn’t have a sophisticated tracking system—yet—and I was able to do it. Once.

  As usual, Ricky was in fine form. He was spending the summer at a day camp but was home in the evenings. My stepdad was the same as ever, doing the best job he could of pretending I didn’t exist. At this point he was a master at it. Ricky and I hadn’t had much time together, but one night we had gone for a walk. I wanted to tell him what was happening with me, specifically that paranormals existed and that I was the only living elemental. My mom had told me when I was young, and although I had thought her crazy at the time, her telling me had helped a tiny bit with my transition and with the idea that my mom loved me.

  My worry about my little brother had grown as the days of the summer slipped past. We had the same mother. What if Ricky was Airlee? What to do then? I was told he was protected and I believed that, but if his magic manifested itself he would have a lot of questions, and I wanted to be the one to answer them. I didn’t want him to worry or be scared. The thought almost made me laugh.

  “Why are you frowning?” he asked, as we walked down Main Street. It wasn’t dark yet and there were still people outside. I didn’t want a repeat of the night when I had been taken to Public the year before; that wouldn’t have been good at all. But of course Ricky knew nothing about that. He thought that we were in a very safe neighborhood in a very safe state and that things that went bump in the night didn’t really exist. I knew differently, but I didn’t want Ricky to know until it was absolutely necessary. I wanted him to enjoy his childhood first, like I had.

  “Frowning gives you wrinkles,” he added. “How are you ever going to get a boyfriend if you have wrinkles all over your face?”

  “I thought you didn’t want me to get a boyfriend. . . .”

  “Not right now, but someday. You gotta have kids. I am going to be the best uncle ever.”

  “You are going to get my kids in so much trouble with me. You’re going to tell them all sorts of terrible things.”

  “Yes. You’re welcome in advance.”

  “Anyway,” I said. “Sorry, I just wish I was here to take care of you.”

  “You take care of me? That would be a first,” he said, grinning as he nearly skipped along next to me. I huffed a laugh, hot summer air pouring into my lungs. I loved the heat of the summer. Somehow everything felt better when it was warm, whereas it was hard to get past the bad stuff in the middle of winter, when everything was cold and dead and frozen.

  “Thanks, Ricky. Please don’t worry about my feelings or anything.”

  “You can take it,” said Ricky. “We’ve been through a lot, haven’t we? I can take it too. You don’t have to protect me.”

  I stopped and put my hand on my brother’s thin shoulders. His large gray eyes, just like my own and what marked us as siblings, our mother’s children, stared back at me.

  “Ricky,” I said seriously. “I will always take care of you. Today, tomorrow, and always.”

  He wrapped his arms around my waist and held on tight. I closed my eyes, savoring my brother’s presence and knowing that I was with him and that he was safe.

  As it turned out, I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Everything else seemed a little less important than just being with him.

  Chapter Two

  My summer had been quiet. Almost too quiet. I had spent it working to rebuild
the Museum under the direction of the slave driver who was my professor. It hadn’t been all bad, just mostly bad. Dacer was devastated by the destruction that had happened in the spring, and we were forced to spend countless hours repairing the damage before I could even start using the masks again.

  Even so, spending the summer that way had definitely been better than going home to my stepdad, as I periodically reminded myself when I was knee deep in charred Museum waste. NOT a good look for me.

  But it was lonely without my friends, even though I wasn’t entirely alone on campus. One of the other students staying to conduct research was Cale. When I first heard that news I was worried, but without Camilla around I soon realized that Cale was the same kind and thoughtful friend he had always been.

  He had been working on some sort of high tech pixie research. In off hours we had started to hang out again, and without the threat of Camilla’s insanity looming over us it had actually been fun. I had a feeling she had no idea we spent time together, and I hoped that Lisabelle wouldn’t be bored one night and want to set off fireworks, because she would easily be able to manage it, if she wanted to, by telling Camilla that little tidbit.

  Walking across campus alone at the end of the summer, I glanced around at the quiet grounds. Despite the fact that it was lonely sometimes, I liked the school when it was empty. It was a little easier to appreciate the beauty of the place that way.

  Cale and I had made a plan to meet Lisabelle as she made the trek through the woods to get back to school for the first semester of our second year at Public. When I had first started thinking about college a couple of years ago, my biggest worry had been making friends and choosing a major. Now it was staying alive. No big deal.

  I was so excited for my friend to arrive that I was ready hours early, and when I met Cale at the top of the hill to walk down he just laughed at me. I was basically vibrating with happiness.

  Cale looked good. He had a slight tan, which warmed up his pale skin just enough. Tousled dark red hair fell into warm blue eyes. He was tall for a pixie, with a square jaw. He looked a bit like a football player, which made sense given that he had played the sport at our high school.

  The weather, almost but not quite fall, made for a perfect evening stroll. Gale force winds couldn’t have kept me from seeing one of my best friends after three months, but the beautiful evening was a nice bonus. It was warm without being hot, and a slight breeze brought a reminder of colder weather to come. The sky was a brilliant shade of purples and pinks, with hot streaks of orange.

  “This is wonderful,” I said to Cale.

  His full head of red hair bobbed up and down in agreement. “No one has ever said that about seeing Lisabelle before,” he replied with a grin.

  I grinned back. “She isn’t as bad as you think.”

  “I’m sure of that. I’m actually sure she’s much worse. You and Sip keep her in check. How you do it is a mystery to me, but I can’t imagine what would happen if she wasn’t with you two.”

  I laughed out loud at that. “Nothing keeps Lisabelle in check. And we will always be with her.”

  Cale raised an eyebrow at me, a quizzical expression on his face. “Whatever you say.”

  “I think Lough is coming back with her,” I said. “I got an email from him saying that if he spent another day with his family he would blow his top. Apparently his sister has a new, secret boyfriend, and every time she visits her parents she won’t stop talking about him.”

  “So, he chose Lisabelle over family torture. He must be in love with her,” said Cale, rolling his eyes. When I was quiet he looked at me sharply. “Wait, he really is in love with her? Brave guy. Crazy, but brave.”

  I shrugged. “The heart wants what the heart wants, as they say.” An imagine of Keller flashed through my mind, but I shoved it away.

  “Good evening,” said the steely voice of Vampire Princess Lanca as she wafted up to us. The sun was far enough below the horizon that she could be out without the protection known as vampire sunscreen. Her skin was so pale she was practically see-through, but her eyes glittered like hard diamonds.

  “How are you feeling about being a sophomore?” she asked me as she fell into step between Cale and me.

  I shrugged. “I’m positive this year will be better than last, but it’s not like that’s hard. Are you coming to greet Lisabelle and Lough?”

  Lanca smiled demurely. “My sister is arriving, and since I have one more semester here after all I thought I would show her in. Seeing Lisabelle will just be a bonus.”

  “You have siblings?” Cale gulped. I glanced at Cale sidelong, knowing the fear in his voice. Lanca was scary. Not scary like Lisabelle, but no one messed with the Vampire Princess.

  Lanca nodded. “I have a younger sister. She is a Starter this year and is very nervous. I told her I would bring her back to Cruor and help her feel at home.”

  “That’s nice of you,” I murmured. “Cruor is so homey.” I nudged Cale, who appeared lost in thought.

  “Yeah, that’s nice,” he said. “I mean, it could be worse.”

  “Excuse me?” Lanca demanded.

  “I mean, Lisabelle could have siblings. Can you imagine what her brother would be like?”

  “All you have to do is look at Risper,” said Lanca, waving her delicate hand dismissively. She wasn’t afraid of the darkness mages, given how much darkness she herself possessed.

  “How much longer do we have the Committee?” Cale asked. “I was sort of looking forward to a new president.”

  “I guess we have them indefinitely,” said Lanca. “Lealand, or should I say Oliva, really likes it here, even if all the students are now wary of him.”

  “He shouldn’t have tricked us,” I muttered. “He was messing with our heads to get what he wanted.”

  “He had good reason,” Lanca argued. “He needed information. The vampires were almost eliminated. It would have been disastrous.”

  “I know,” I said, “but still. So, we’re stuck with all the Committee members for another semester?”

  “Yes,” said Lanca, amused. “I think so.”

  “I like Lealand,” said Cale sweetly. “He tries to help.” We were walking so close to each other that periodically our arms would bump.

  “He’s just so young,” I argued. “I’m not sure he can be trusted.”

  “You can trust him,” Lanca told us. “All the Committee members are trustworthy. Considering what happened with the President, they have to be.”

  We had reached the tree line and were now making our way into the woods.

  “It’s a beautiful night,” said the Vampire Princess, glancing up at the deep blue sky.

  “Yes, it is,” said Cale.

  Without warning he reached down and brushed his hand against mine. Shock waves crashed through my body at his touch. He never touched me; it was an unspoken agreement between us. If he touched me, Camilla would probably be able to smell me on him, and she would probably come to kill me, which I was sure she could do without much trouble. She was a powerful pixie, and the fact that I was the only elemental did not mean I was especially strong. I hated myself for reacting the way I did, but Cale was an old crush. Looking into his eyes, which were shining brightly in the fading light, I quickly gulped and looked away.

  “It’s nice that there are no demons out and about,” said Lanca. “For once we have peace and quiet. I just wonder how long it will last.”

  “They never came back,” said Cale thoughtfully. His voice was wonderfully calm for what had just happened, whereas I was finding it hard to breathe.

  “You okay?” Cale murmured to me.

  I hated hearing talk of the demons. Ever since I had vanquished them last semester I’d had a hard time with the whole demons trying to kill me thing, even if the summer had been quiet. I had learned that quiet was fleeting and danger was not. I just wished it was the other way around.

  “Charlotte,” Lanca’s voice cut into my thoughts.

  It
was harder to be in the woods as the shadows lengthened and got darker and more enveloping. We had come to that point where the evening was more dark than light, and it was getting creepier by the step.

  “Yeah?” I said, forcing myself to sound normal. I don’t know if I succeeded.

  “You’re going to be fine,” she said kindly. Kindness from Lanca was so rare. Vampires didn’t understand kindness, or love. Luckily, they understood loyalty.

  “Thanks,” I murmured. “And I know I am.”

  “How do you know?” Cale asked. He didn’t say it in a threatening way, more just curious at the confidence in my voice.

  “Because,” I said slowly, stepping around some branches. “I have to be. And I have the best friends in the world.”

  I looked between them. I knew my friendship with Cale had an expiration date, the date being: When Camilla Got Back. But I was going to keep on enjoying it while I could. I brushed my brown hair away from my face, but that turned out to be a mistake. It gave me a better view of the woods, and I wished I could block it out again. The darkness was circling and embracing us.

  “We should be getting close,” said Lanca thoughtfully. “It’s so much better being in the woods when there’s nothing dangerous out there.”

  “There’s still stuff like bears,” Cale argued. “It’s not only demons.”

  “We can handle bears,” said Lanca, bemused. “And by we I mean I can handle bears. I don’t think any bear in the woods would stand a chance against us, or even all of them together. But even if bears are better than demons, there might be things that are worse.”

  “We have almost everyone we need for the Power of Five,” I said.

  Lanca looked at me sharply. “We don’t need anything like that for bears. Besides, we’re missing the cute little fallen angels and someone from Airlee.”

  “Lisabelle’s in Airlee,” said Cale. “She would help us, and maybe there will be a fallen angel in the group she’s coming in with.”