Keres are evil incarnate, and even though after centuries, the Elementals have finally found a way of keeping the darkness back, of helping us find our women. It is still a fight we have every day with ourselves—the fight of keeping sane.
“Are you there?” Esmeralda’s unexpected whisper has me stiffening. She has reached out to me!
“Yes,” I reply, waiting for her to continue. After what seems like hours, I start to lose hope that she will say anything else until she once again whispers.
“Why do you want to protect me?” Her question is hesitant, as if she is unsure about talking to me.
“I’m against the bullying and mistreatment of women and children.” I would love nothing more than to tell her that she is mine, and she’s the only woman for me. I want to tell her that she’s the only woman that will bring light to my life, and I will ever be able to love, but I don’t. She needs to trust me and want me to help her. I don’t want her to be afraid that I will be someone like Sean.
Just the thought of what she must have suffered at the hands of that heartless son of a bitch has my insides burning like acid. “But why me?” There is a tone in her voice that has my heart wrenching. It’s desperation—a desperation to hold on to any hope she can get. But a world filled with fear is also evident in her voice.
“You heard what Tor said.” I close my eyes, feeling a semblance of calmness while I talk to her. “We have fought the kidnapping and trafficking of our women for a very long time, and we have come up against obstacle after obstacle at every turn. You have brought us some answers, answers that we have been able to use to stop some of their work.” Lifting my hand, I pull my fingers through my hair, feeling a slight tug on my scalp. “Let me help you.” I can hear the pleading in my voice, pleading that I have never done before. But I have never been this afraid before.
I fear that she won’t ever want to come to me, and fear that she might get hurt before I can get to her. I have never been afraid of anything. I’m an Elemental. I can bend earth to my will, but I can’t control the fate of one woman. That has me feeling helpless, a feeling that I have never felt before, either. Going down on my haunches, I place my hand flat on the ground, trying to feel any vibrations of movement in the close vicinity. As an earth bender I can feel every vibration, every nuance in the ground around us. If Esmeralda continues to talk, I will be able to follow the vibration in the ground if she is close enough.
“I don’t know if I can.” The sorrow in her voice has my stomach tightening, but there is a very slight disturbance to my right, a disturbance which could mean anything.
“I will be here whenever you need me just let me know.” No matter how much I want my woman by my side and safe, I don’t want her to come to me under duress, I believe that she has had more than enough of that with the Desperados, she will not need it from me too.
“What is your name?”
The fact that she is even curious to know my name has my hopes soaring.
“Dag,” I reply
“Dag?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Dag.”
Standing up straight, I start making my way towards where I think she is. Even though it’s early in the morning, and hardly anyone is up, we are still in a busy part of town and there are many vibrations all around me, which makes it impossible to figure out where she is. But I can try to get as close as possible. If we continue talking, I will soon know where she is. She doesn’t continue our conversation, but at least I know that she is starting to trust me, even if it’s from afar.