Guardians of the Elements

Chapter 1: Fire

        The darkness pressed in around me. It took several moments for my amber/sky blue eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. Why do I have a feeling that's it's her work? Ah, here comes my latest captor now. Crap, it is her, why can't she leave me alone already? Hasn't she figured out I'm straight, I'm not going to hand over my powers, and that I'm not going to reveal the location of my friends and allies in this war? Finally it dawns on me, the way I am being held captive. My arms are spread to their max and chained to the wall; my legs are spread as far as they will go as well. And I am naked, nothing between me and my captor to hide my body, no cloth to protect me from the cold of the stonewall behind me. Why does it always have to be me?
        What war? That's probably your first question, well the one right after: "Who the heck is her?" that I keep mentioning. Both good questions, that will be answered in due time. Another question you're probably thinking is "What powers?" Another good question that will be answered in it's own time. Your final question is probably, who am I? That one I will answer now.
        My name is Kathryn Incendia. It translates out to be Pure Fire, Kathryn coming from the Greek word Akatherine that translates to Pure, and Incendia being the Latin word for Fire. My age is 21, and I have 3 older brothers, James, Sage, and Salem. They work for the "dark side", that is, the government of Asuret. I work for the "good side". [1]
        The war I'm fighting in has been going on within the government of my planet for centuries. This statement must have just raised a new question, if I'm not on Earth then where am I? I am on Asuret. Asuret is a place wherever creature a child of Earth could dream of, good or bad, live plus many more. Normally I am mistaken for the Earth Mage, Kathryn Earthsong, but to make it clear, I am not. She left this land many, many centuries before this world ended up like this.
        She was the first mage to ever merge the two continents into housing the good and bad creatures of Asuret. Before Kathryn Earthsong created order and balance on both continents the good creatures or the creatures of light lived on one continent while the bad or dark creatures lived on the other one on the other side of the world. But she was born causing the darkness to want her. I don't know why, my lessons on her were disrupted by this war, I doubt that I will ever find out why they wanted her, but I know something about the dark forces in this year, 5932 N.M. (Nex Malum or Death of Evil), they are after me.
        They are after me because I am one of the guardians of this planet, a person with a special power that lives inside of them from the time they are born to the time they die. I was born with the power of fire, one of the most powerful elements that the guardians handle, there are nine other elements that are handled by other guardians, Time, Earth, Air, Ice, Water, Light, Dark, Thunder & Lighting (they are counted as one), and Weather. Each guardian's middle name is the name of his or her element in a different language.
        I cannot reveal the names of the other guardians at this time but I shall tell you about the "her" I keep mentioning. Her name is Astrid. I believe on Earth it means Beautiful Goddess or Devine Power. Here it means "One of the High Power". A small fact about Astrid that you may have already figured out is that she is a homosexual prat. And she's in love with me. Don't get me wrong. She's not bad looking for another female, but please, I'm Straight! I have no lover at the moment, though I did at one time, but I do not want to see her around me. She basically worships the ground I walk or stand on! I do not need that much attention by her. Now back to my present situation.
        "Ah my love, why do you resist me? All I want is you, you to love me and to reveal who you're little friends are who lead the rebellion," her voice full of poisonous honey-coated sweetness. So, her frustration with me growing. Also she's getting too near to me, so I spit into her face. She backs away wiping off her face.
        "I will never tell you who the other guardians are or where they are, and I will not condemn myself to be your lover! So you can torture me until the end of time or until you tire of me but I will not love nor reveal my friends names or locations." She looks positively upset (to put it nicely) with me but is trying to mask it.
        "Oh I believe you will talk for me, my little songbird, when persuaded the right way. Oh yes, the right way, I have the perfect punishment for you, love." For some reason, her tone of voice scares me slightly but I have trained my face for too long to not show fear or anger or any other emotion.
        I remain silent as she pulls out a dagger and walk towards me, and then thrust it into my midriff. The pain does not bother me too much. I've been through too much pain to let something like that faze me. She runs her hand up on the inside of my left leg, and I shiver slightly. Her hands are so cold, frozen within all boundaries of being alive. Smirking she repeats the gesture this time upon the inside of my right leg. So cold, I try to escape her touch but I cannot. I am giving her pleasure, and I know it, but I cannot stop myself from trying to get out of range of those cold, frozen, dead-like hands.
        She removes the dagger slowly now, bringing attention to the fact that my body has been pressed back against the cold stonework behind me. Her hands wander searching for their next target with that dagger that is covered in blood. My blood. She presses the dagger against my neck, right on the main vein.
        "We shall try this again, my love, where are your friends, what are their names, and will you love me?" she whispers in my ear. I cannot even swallow without her noticing from this closeness. The dagger moves slightly downward. She smiles slightly and scrapes it lightly along my chest between the curses of womanhood. I wish she would just kill me than torture me like this. But that's what she wants, she wants me to beg for death, and then she will not grant it. Surely, if I should plead for her mercy, but it would not come unless I agree to be her lover, and I will never promise that.
        "I will never tell you. I am a guardian, sworn to secrecy by the Elders of the City at the age of 5. I will never tell you where they are or what their names are. And I would rather kill myself and suffer a coward's death than be your lover." She laughs slightly. It is a cold high pitch laugh that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. It is the laugh of something dead. But she is still alive or is she? The last time we met I thought I killed her, but here she is, standing before me. The dagger finds it's way between my legs, and I feel her trying to find a place down there to insert it but gives up quickly. I can only guess what she is thinking.
        I look downward towards my midriff. There is no hole or slit where a dagger would have entered and exited it. She lifts my head to stare her in the eye.
        "I did that, and I can heal you again, but I cannot penetrate that mind of yours so I will leave you with your thoughts. I will return later to see if you have changed your mind. But before I do I think I'll have a little more fun." Oh, how much I wish this torture would end, that she would tire of me quickly. But the gods [2] do not have favor on me, and time seems to stop for a while. The dagger is lying on the floor forgotten as she throws herself onto me. Her mouth captures mine and refuses to release it. I cannot breath very well and she knows it but she will not relent.
        Her hands are groping my nude body searching for spots to play. Oh they are so deathly cold. How can she stand to torture me with these hands? And then I feel her tongue enter my mouth and I feel small fangs against my lips. And then I realize it. She is a vampire, and she means to turn me into one, or actually she wants to turn me into a undead servant for anyone that is not born a vampire and is bitten by one becomes their loyal servant. Oh the cruel monster! Why can't let me be?
        The deathly cold hands leave, as do the fangs, suddenly. I am relieved that she has left but with her, the little warmth of the room. It is so cold within this room and I do not know if I can remain like this and not die. Oh why did she have to pick tonight of all nights to render me useless to my peers?

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[1]- The "good side" is the nickname of the rebellion that believes they are trying to save the world.

[2]- On Asuret there are gods for everything including the elements. When she states the gods do not have favor on her, she means that the gods either have a cruel idea of entertainment or that they have turned their backs or hidden their eyes from her pain.

Chapter 2: Water

"Where is she?" demands Marcus angrily. I listen to him yell at Amandus for not knowing where our leader is. Oh why did she have to leave Amandus in charge? Amandus is the same age as she is and Marcus is a year their elder. I am one of the youngest of all the guardians (only being 16) and there for she could not leave me in charge because she was bound to the ancient laws of the Elders, of our race. The race of the elate, the race of Element Guardians!

"Iscah, pay attention!" That Wyeth. I will make sure he pays when Incendia returns. Oh, how he will pay. That is if I can find our beloved leader before it is too late.

But before I go any further I believe it is necessary for me to introduce myself. My name is Iscah Aqua, or Jessica Aqua, "She who beholds water". I am but 16 and not much use to anyone on land or above sea level for that matter. See, I was raised by the mermaids (merpeople?) from the time I was 2 to the day I turned 14. Once I turned 14, the Mermaids (people?) told me that I was to go with the Guardians. It was my destiny to become the Guardian of Water.

Ah, my beloved Incendia, she is my leader and I will only answer to her. She does not believe in punishment but lessons. If she is upset with someone you cannot tell, for she never shows emotions. Well, let me rephrase that, normally doesn't show emotions. On several occasions I have seen her with smile, which means happiness right?

Anyway, we were having a meeting of just the Guardians, or the Leaders of the Rebels as we are known on the 2 continents now. And Incendia never arrived for the meeting, many of the elder Guardians took this as betrayal but I don't think that's the reason. There has to be a different reason. There just has to be! Alas I must return to present.

I look around and make sure that no one is watching me, for if they saw me leaving they would surely stop me, and I hurriedly run out of our meeting place. The streets are cold tonight, for it is the night of the Winter Solace, and snow has started to pile up. Oh how will I find Incendia now? She does not like to be out when there is snow, so I could see her point in staying home but she would have gotten word to us if she wasn't coming, besides she has plenty of warm clothing.
"I might as well start looking," I say out to the empty streets.

I follow the steady stream of clothing that belongs to my leader until I find myself outside a door that has a slot in it. I peer through the slot. There she is! My precious Incendia is alive but just barely. She doesn't even have the strength to warm herself. Oh my poor Incendia, she will freeze if she does not get clothes on soon. (I blush for she is naked and I have never seen her naked as it is rather uncivilized to see such a thing.)

But there is someone else in the room with her and I cannot just barge into the room for that could mean death for Incendia!

"Ah my love, why do you resist me? All I want is you, you to love me and to reveal who you're little friends are who lead the rebellion." The other person in the room is in love with my leader? This can never be! The person's voice was filled with honey-coated poison of impatience.

"I will never tell you who the other guardians are or where they are, and I will not condemn myself to be your lover! So you can torture me until the end of time or until you tire of me but I will not love nor reveal my friends names or locations." Oh that is my beloved Incendia! For the love of the gods! 1 Why does this person have to torture her so?

"Oh I believe you will talk for me, my little songbird, when persuaded the right way. Oh yes, the right way, I have the perfect punishment for you, love." The tone of the woman's voice scares me, not for myself but for Incendia! What will this mad woman do to her?

It takes all my strength to remain silent as she pulls out a dagger and walks toward my Incendia, and then thrusts it into Incendia's midriff. Oh how much torture can she do to my Incendia? What is she doing now? She runs her hand up on the inside of my Incendia's left leg, and Incendia shivers slightly. And with no thought, smirking, she repeats the gesture, this time upon the inside of Incendia's right leg. Incendia is trying to evade the other woman's hands, oh but there is no escape.

I watch as she removes the dagger slowly from Incendia, now bringing attention to the fact that her body has pressed back against the stonework behind her. The woman's hands wander searching for their next target with that dagger that is covered in blood. Incendia's blood! She presses the dagger against Incendia's neck, right on the main vein.

She whispers something that I cannot hear. I cannot save Incendia from this torturous nightmare yet. Oh the torture on my heart! The dagger moves slightly downward. The woman is smiling slightly as she scrapes it lightly along my Incendia's chest between the marks of womanhood. I wish she would just stop this torture to Incendia. But she has not relented and I fear she shan't. Surely, if Incendia pleads for her mercy the woman shall grant it.

"I will never tell you. I am a guardian, sworn to secrecy by the Elders of the City at the age of 5. I will never tell you where they are or what their names are. And I would rather kill myself and suffer a coward's death than be your lover." The woman laughs slightly at Incendia's little speech. It is a cold high pitch laugh that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. It is the laugh of something that a nightmare is made of! The dagger has been moved between Incendia's legs, and I watch in horror as the woman tries to find a place down there to insert it but thankfully quickly she abandons all attempts. I can only guess what she is thinking.

I look on in wonder at Incendia's midriff. There is no hole or slit where a dagger would have entered and exited it. The woman lifts my Incendia's head to stare her in the eye.

"I did that, and I can heal you again, but I cannot penetrate that mind of yours so I will leave you with your thoughts. I will return later to see if you have changed your mind. But before I do I think I'll have a little more fun."

Oh, how much I wish this torture would end, that she would tire of Incendia quickly. But the gods do not have favor on her, and time seems to stop for a while. The dagger is lying on the floor forgotten as the woman throws herself onto Incendia. Her mouth captures Incendia's and refuses to release it. I feel my breath shorten as she nearly suffocates Incendia.

1- "For the love of the gods!" A swear on Asuret that equals using the Lord's name in vain on Earth. Jessica uses this when she see her beloved leader being tortured