He’d given her hope and a sense that she was not as strange as she often felt. That was a gift she could only hope to someday return.
When she fell silent, Cal did not immediately fill the gap. He stared at her for several long moments, his full lips parted and eyes wide. Finally, he said in a strange voice, “You… were very lucky, Hele. The gods blessed you.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I know I am lucky. Maybe the gods have something to do with that, or maybe they don’t.”
Cal turned his head away. His gaze fell to some distant point beyond the bridge when he replied, “Loft’s acolytes told me that I was a test from the gods. A great cataclysm meant to prove their devotion and humble them.”
“I know this.” Lightning snapped in response to her flare of righteous rage. “That was wrong of them. You are not a test. You are aperson.”
His head turned slowly back to her. That tiny smile returned. “You would get along well with my mate. She says the same thing.”
“Your mate is very smart and right, like I am.”
He snorted. It was not quite a laugh, but very close. “Yes, my Elise would love you.” He shook his head, smile dimming. “But you didn’t say why you wanted to meet me. Was it just because you read my mate’s book?”
“No.” Hele kicked her legs a bit, buying herself a few seconds to find the right words. “I wanted to meet you because your story inspired me.”
“To do what?”
She met his dark eyes, identical to her own, and answered, “I want to make a clan. Forus.”
Cal leaned back suddenly, as if she’d landed a blow. “Aclan?”
“Yes,” she said, speaking slowly so she could not be misunderstood. “A clan of elementals. We are born alone, but we do nothaveto be alone. We can have a family — each other. That way no one will suffer when they need help, and when a new elemental is made, we can look after them. We can care for each other, like the dragons do.”
She got the impression that it was not easy to surprise Cal, but she had. He sat there, fingers gripping the cold metal edge of the tower, and looked at her like he could not comprehend the words she had spoken.
Hele didn’t rush him or try to over explain. She knew from her own experience that sometimes it took a while for words to find purchase in the mind, and it was not a process helped by overcrowding. So she waited, patient, and looked out across the bridge to find the form of her mate once again.
Minutes passed. Then, “...How?”
“My mate suggested the first step should be identification. We cannot help elementals if we do not know who or where they are.”
Hele held up one hand and began to tick off points on the tips of her fingers, “First, we must track down and identify as many elementals as we can. Their information will be put in a secure database only open to us — things like physical characteristics, abilities, place of birth, approximate age. Next, a network. I want all elementals to have access to communication devices. I want every new being to have information on how to exist in this world — access to education, tips on overstimulation, and healthcare. No one should live in ignorance. After that, an alert system linked to m-weather units, which will alert us when a new elemental has been made.”
She dropped her hand to tangle her fingers in her lap. Canting her head to one side, she continued, “Eventually, I would like to make laws to protect us and others like us. It will take many decades, I think, to accomplish all I want. But some of these things can be done quickly, if I have the right help. My cousin Taevas has offered me much, but I will need help from my own, too.”
Like he hadn’t heard her, he murmured, “Afamily.”
Hele gentled her voice. “Yes. It is good that we have mates, but that is not all in this world, and not all of us have Chosen. Ours should not have to if they don’t want to. A mate should not be the only being who cares for you. We deserve family, too. People who will look if we go missing. People who will tell us when we are wrong. People who will love us and welcome us always, even when it is hard.”
Cal’s eyes took on a glassy sheen. They reflected the golden light of the massive lamps that topped the tower. That same light cast dark blue shadows across his stricken expression when he said, “A family for all of us. That is… Yes. I would like that.”
Hele’s heart soared. “Will you help me find others?”
“Yes. I don’t know many, but I will help you as much as I can.” Cal swallowed. She could see his throat bob in the dark, as if he had to force a lump down before he could speak again. “I do not need more than my mate, but… it will be nice to have a family, I think.”
Hele reached over to clasp his hand. She could feel the tension in his knuckles as he gripped the edge. Aware that he did not know what it was to have clanmates yet, she told him, “We are a clan now, you and me and our mates. That means you are my brother. I will look after you, and you will look after me. We will not always get along, but this is normal. Our clan will grow. We will learn and adapt together.”
His hand began to relax under hers. Each finger uncurled, just a little bit, from the cold metal edge. “What will you call it?”
“The clan?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I was thinkingPiiritu.”
Cal’s brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”
