In front of him stood a middling-sized woman, probably a couple of inches shorter than me. She was curvy, even while looking like she could kick some serious ass. Her red hair was buzzed short and close to her head, and her eyes were the strange orange that only came through in the Salamander lines. As a fire elemental, I knew her temperament would be the opposite of her element. That was their way, to cover that heat with a cold exterior. Like a mountain sitting on top of a lava pit, waiting to be unleashed if provoked. She wore black leathers that covered her from ankle to wrist, the buckles and straps as black as the leather.
The last was an Undine—a water baby—though I would never say that to his face. His hair was a pale green and his skin was iridescent to the point I could see his blue veins clearly in his neck. He had eyes the green of seaweed, which was fitting, I supposed. His leathers were a deep blue with swirls of green that worked up the legs, and it didn’t look like leather, but something else. I squinted, trying to get a bead on the material.
A whisper over my shoulder, one of the other recruits, said, “Shark skin. Hurts like a bitch if you have to rumble with them hand-to-hand.”
“Good to know.”
All three of the other Enders were hard; muscled to the point where I wondered how they got in and out of their leathers. At least our Enders had a vest as a top, which made it easy to get in and out of. Or at least, I assumed.
I shook my head, knowing my thoughts were scrambled because of the fatigue and minimal hours of sleep. As the Sylph turned, I stepped forward, my eyes meeting his. A scar ran down the left side of his face, puckered and pale from years gone past. His stormy blue eyes widened and his face paled to match his leathers.
“Ulani.”
He breathed my mother’s name and I froze, staring up at him. “Who are you? And how do you know my mother?”
He blinked, a shadow falling over his eyes. “Everyone knew your father’s whore. He took her with him everywhere.”
Whore. The word shot through me, and anger like I hadn’t known in my life surged up. It was one thing to call me useless, to throw rocks, and tell me I was about to be banished. But to have another elemental who wasn’t even in our family besmirch my mother?
A sweet, hot rush of anger lit my nerve endings and I held onto it, let it burn through my fear.
“Nobody talks about my mother like that,” I growled, advancing on him. The world faded away. All I saw was the Sylph who didn’t back away from me. I jammed two fingers into his solar plexus. “Apologize.”
The word echoed in the room and with it, the tension rose. He sneered down at me, but it was the curl of sweat dripping down his hairline that fascinated me. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was afraid of me.
“Apologize!”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I spoke out of turn.”
Around us there was an audible drawing of breath. I stepped back. “Good enough.”
I spun on my bare heel, digging it into the earth, a feeling of euphoria floating over me. I’d made him back down. Without ever lifting a finger. Holy shit on a green stick, what had I thought I was doing? And where had that come from in me? I caught Granite’s eye and what I saw there shook me. Shock and fear.
What was going on?
The others in the room got moving, as if nothing had happened. The Ender from the Pit, Maggie, took the lead. “Come on, you little pukes, I’m here to teach you how to deal with a fire elemental on the off chance you may encounter one on a Hunt.”
We lined up and she strode in front of us, her orange eyes seeming to glow from within. “Does anyone know what it would take to fend off a Salamander?”
Mal stepped forward, one hand on his hip, cocky as ever. “Water, of course.” He snorted and looked at the other Seeders, who didn’t back him up. His grin faded.
She barked a laugh. “Really? Get in the pond, puke.”
His face twisted in a sneer, but Mal did as he was told. At least the water had been cleaned. He swam out to the middle of the water, ducked under and slicked his hair back, then floated on his back, splashing about like a child.
Idiot.
I moved to the side so I could watch Maggie’s face. Was there anything to give away what she was going to do? I squinted, and stepped closer. There, in the center of her iris, a flicker of light. Mal let out a gasp and we all looked to him. Below his feet, at the base of the pond was a steady, pulsing glow.
He tread water, trying to look below him to see what we could so clearly observe. “The water, it’s warming up.”
Maggie snorted. “You’re an idiot. No wonder your family is the weakest.” She flicked her hand and the glow spread, steam curling off the water, and Mal let out a yelp. She was going to cook him alive.
My jaw tightened and I stared at her. “And it’s no wonder your family isn’t invited to play with others.”
She whipped around, her teeth bared. “Who do you think you are, royalty?”
The other recruits snickered and the only other girl in my group, Blossom, put her hand up. “Actually, she is. Even if she is a bastard.”
Maggie laughed softly. “The bastard of the king? We’ve heard rumors of you, that you have no power with your element. That true?”
No point in denying it. I held myself straight. “Yes.”
She walked toward me, though it felt more like she stalked me, circling around. “Interesting. So it’s going to be all hand-to-hand and weapons for you then, and hope to the seven hells you can manage with that.”