The Frozen Beginning (Elemental Diamond Book 1) (37 page)

Brink’s nostrils flare like an angry bull, wild and untamed. Suddenly, there are two figures standing above her, the exact same. Swirling around like a whirlpool, Glacier’s head rushes with heavy dizziness. For a moment she forgets where she is, what she is doing, and what is at stake.

The figure reaches towards her with an orange glowing hand, a terrifying snarl contorting his handsome face.

What’s going on?

Before the blurry hand can reach her, the figure is catapulted in another direction by a large, dark object. Blinking her eyes to clear them, Glacier glances around the room, trying to understand what is unfolding around her.

A blonde girl with beautiful bouncy curls tied into a stylish ponytail stalks into the ring, her arms out in front, her fingers splayed.

Her eyebrow is creased in concentration, her green eyes dancing with adrenaline. Recognition settles in her mind as the girl’s small face triggers a fresh memory.

What on earth is Bronze doing?

The earth elemental moves closer, her stance guarded. “Bronze, what the hell?” Her teammates call out their confusion, but she ignores their shouts. Instead, Bronze has her eyes settled on the lava elemental she holds down beneath the giant boulder.

“I’m not going to let you hurt her, Brink.” Her words are powerful, projecting from deep within her lungs like a call to the gods. Bronze is making a stand similar to Fielder, rising against her elemental kind in protection of someone abnormal to her species.

Brink tries to breathe around the heavy boulder that weighs heavily on his chest. Glacier heart grips with a vice-like tightness as the image of Brink’s chest caving beneath the boulder has her worried for his life.

What the bloody hell is wrong with me? Stop worrying about that killer.

“You need… to get out of… the ring…” Brink’s words barely escape his lips. He presses his glowing hands against the boulder, slowly melting it into hot lava.

Well, that is wickedly unfair…

Despite his warning, Bronze continues her path towards Glacier until she stands where Brink had stood moments before. She says nothing despite her team’s escort loudly reciting every profanity known, standing at the entrance of her team’s cubical.

Glacier sits up slowly, heavy pressure pounding against the fragile walls of her skull. She squints her eyes around the arena, searching for Fielder.

Her eyes locate him scrambling to his feet a couple of metres from her feet, his eyes holding a hard edge. There is something cloaked in his eyes, almost unnoticeable. He looks at Brink, almost as if for confirmation.

“Blondie, you better get back. You won’t have a choice in what will happen if you don’t.” Brink’s voice is vicious as he rises from the pool of lava that seem to cloud him like puddles of water, holding no effect to his person.

“I’m not going anywhe—”

Glacier’s eyes try to keep up with her ears, when there is suddenly a large explosion.

Before she feels the floor collapse beneath her, a controlled and calming heat encompasses her like a blanket of safety. Two large arms around her back pull her close to rest her face against a warm cushion of warmth. The balminess alone could send her off to sleep, with the state of pain her head continues to remind her of.

Before she can have any chance of closing her eyes in hopes of oncoming slumber, the earth beneath her gives out. Falling for a short while, all of Glacier’s senses are thrown off kilter. Her nose swarms with dust and heat. Her ears ring from the detonation, and her mouth is suddenly filled with dirt.

Fielder holds her body close as they hit the broken rubble hard. She cries out in pain as she feels a sharp angled rock connect with her ankle in a painful collision. Fielder grunts above her, his body shielding her from any slow-falling debris.

Glacier can hear coughing and groaning beneath a loud siren that chants around her. Fielder moves above her, brushing her now dirty hair back from her face and wiping any soot from her cheeks.

“Glace, are you OK? Tell me you’re OK…”

The desperation in his voice is heartbreaking. The sudden rush of affection clouds her chest like a thick fog, suffocating her quicker than the humid air and soil. She groans in response, her eyes fluttering open as Fielder continues to stroke the filth from her face. He releases a relieved sigh, resting his forehead against hers, enjoying their moment of closeness.

Despite the pain resounding throughout her limbs, the heartache thumping in her chest, and the unexpected collapse of the floor, Glacier can’t help but enjoy how close he is. How warm he is. And how tight he is holding her. With her mind swimming in chaos, her heart reaches through her chest to beat in rhythm with his.

Please don’t leave me…

The thought floats through Glacier’s mind before she has time to come to terms with the fact that she needs him. She needs Fielder like she needs clean air.

He is the only one I have left
…

“Farmer, we have to go. You grab Glacie, and I’ll grab Blondie.” Brink’s hoarse voice surprises Glacier, dragging her back to the present.

The floor collapsed!

Glacier’s heart pumps a mile a minute as she tries to assess the damage. Fielder leans back, groaning slightly as he clambers to his feet. His legs start shaky, but soon tighten with resolve.

Glacier tries to climb to her feet as well, her head hefty with soreness. She cries out in surprise as her ankle snags on a boulder that has it pinned painfully. A searing pain echoes across her foot, cramping her calf.

“It’s OK, Glace. It’s OK…” And with those re-assuring words, Fielder carefully unjams her ankle and scoops her into his arms.

Squeezing her tight to his body, he manoeuvres through the rubble, careful of any loose rocks. The damage was apparently isolated to only the ring in the arena. The large circle opening far above them is filled with thick black dust, clouding the view for anyone on either side.

“Bloody hell. Blondie’s head is bleeding… They better have a bloody doctor with them.”

“Where are we supposed to meet them?” The strain in Fielder’s voice doesn’t go unnoticed.

Turning to him, a confused crease forms between Glacier’s eyebrows. The lava elemental holds the unconscious blonde elemental in his arms, her head and other limbs hanging limp over his biceps. Both Brink and Bronze wear grimy skin, their hair filled with large clumps and smaller grains of dirt. Brink’s nose has a small cut through the left nostril.

Glacier closes her eyes as she snuggles her head into the heated skin of Fielder’s neck.

So sore… Just need… to sleep…

He nuzzles her back, causing her heart to swell with bubbling affection.

“Cartmen said they’ll be waiting at the end of the tunnel.”

Glacier’s confusion grows. Thoughts swim in her brain loudly, worsening the uncomfortable pressure in her head.

Silence falls between the four of them as the boys start with a slow walk, gradually breaking into an easy jog.

They jog for a while, though Glacier is barely jostled in Fielder’s arms. When the two of them start to slow to an uneven trot, Glacier tries to pry her eyes open.

Fielder holds her tighter to his chest, nuzzling her neck once more in reassurance. Glacier raises her palm to hold his face against her neck gently, the embrace calming her nerves and settling her rapid heartbeat.

“Please don’t leave me,” she whispers, her voice scratchy and sore. Her other hand clenches around his Deliverance uniform, holding him tightly against her.

He presses a long kiss to the flesh of her neck, “I won’t. I promise.”

“Hey Farmer, cut it out. We’re nearly there. You can already see the light from the end of the tunnel…” Brink’s sour tone does next to nothing to spoil their moment. They have each other – they
finally
have each other.

Fielder raises his head to look forward, squeezing her body in his grip, letting her know that he has her. That he isn’t letting go.

Despite her body trying to shut down from the exhaustion and agony, her eyes manage to stay open the tiniest bit, enough to see a number of large and small figures waiting at the end of the dark black tunnel. The boys approach the group of strangers with caution.

Brink seems unfazed as they grow closer to the large group, taking the lead. Slowly, Fielder comes to a stop, his eyes guarded.

Glacier looks to him in confusion, unsure why he has stopped. “What’s wrong?” Her voice still comes out throaty and tired.

Fielder watches as Brink reaches the group, easily handing Bronze over to one of the large men. Now having come closer to meet Brink midway, it was easier to identify the gender of most of them.

Glacier can tell from the pure size of them that the company is dominantly male, whilst the other ratio mixes between indistinguishably lean men and rough females.

There are three who meet Brink in the middle – one smaller female, and two largely defined men. One of the men takes the still unconscious Bronze from Brink’s tired arms, whilst the other man and the woman stop and speak to Brink.

“I’m nervous…” Fielder unashamedly admits, his eyes hard and his jaw tight. Befuddled by his answer, Glacier asks him another question, “What are you nervous about?”

He doesn’t look at her right away. Instead, he continues to watch as Brink converses with the strangers.

When Fielder finally meets her eyes, his hold an untold angst.

“I don’t want them to hurt you…”

His large orange eyes are wide with concern as he watches for her reaction. She smiles softly in his direction, stroking his jaw to ease his clenched muscle.

After a few moments, his jaw slackens, but his eyes continue to search her soul. “It’s still yellow.”

He gives her a confused look, “What?”

She smiles, “My favourite colour. It’s still yellow.”

Fielder returns her smile, a strange glimmer igniting in his eyes. She nods her head for him to continue towards the group.

When they look up to the large group of strangers, they notice Brink raising his hand, indicating for them to hurry.

Fielder continues walking until they reach where Brink and the three strangers stand. Glacier’s burning eyes absorb their features, drinking in their outlandish styles.

The guy cradling the still unconscious Bronze has his hair in a bun on the back of his head, tied loosely. His eyes are a steel grey, something that Glacier has never seen before. His jaw is straight and his nose is pointy.

The larger male has an alpha-air around him, indicating a position of leadership. His head is shaved close to his scalp, an inch long at most. His eyes are a strange blue, with flecks of black.

When his eyes meet Glacier’s he draws in a sharp breath, his eyes elated with urgency.

Something about him has warning bells sounding in her loudly pulsing brain.

When her focus lands on the woman, Glacier’s eyes burn with something familiar.

Her small nose, her thick, curly brown hair and her strangely perceptible blue eyes. The woman makes Glacier’s mind itch with recognition, but she can’t call anything to mind.

“Hello Glacier… My, you’ve grown into such a beautiful woman.”

I know that voice.

Glacier recognizes the voice that has spoken to her, coached her through the labyrinth.

Sparrow.

With her body now thrumming with caution, Glacier’s eyes widen with suspicion. If she is here, then she doesn’t work for the Chancellor.

“How do you know me?”

The woman gives her a small smile to reassure her. A dazed look settles in her eye like a sparkle of light, full of pride and anticipation.

“Because, darling, I’m your mother.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are so many people I have to thank, that have supported and loved me throughout this journey and my life.

Mum. No matter what I wanted to be, you have supported me to no end. You make me laugh, and you drive me crazy – but you have been the best mother I could have asked for. I am who I am because of you.

Gran and Grandad. All this time you have believed in my dreams and in me. You have pushed me toward success – I would not have made it this far without your encouragement and support. I love you both so much. You are the best people in my life.

My brothers and sisters. You have all helped me throughout my journey, sometimes not even noticing you are helping me. You guys give me the truth, and you have never given me any less support over the years. But this moment is finally here, and I am so glad to share it with you.

Sheridan. Even though you were just a customer, you believed in my dream. You are an amazing person, and I hope that one day I will be able to give you a copy of this book – even though you might not read it. Your support has always been very encouraging and motivating. You will always be my favourite customer.

My friends and family. You have believed in my writing, and have encouraged me to finally reach this point. This is for you guys. I finally made it.

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