Elemental Release Read Online Free

He was my Unmanifested, and I killed him.” Her face softened, her mouth pulled into a tiny smile. “I know you carry a lot for me, Adam.”
    I couldn’t remember the last time she’d said my name, only my name, with so much tenderness.
    “And for a while there, I needed you to carry it all,” she continued. “But I don’t anymore. You don’t have to be the Firemaker and the Airmaster.”
    “I’ll be whatever you want, whatever you need,” I whispered.
    She stood on her tiptoes, bringing her lips close to mine. “I know,” she said. “And I love that about you.”
    I eliminated the “that about” in that sentence, hoping one day she’d say those three words to me, in the right order.
    “But don’t blame yourself for Hanai’s death. I mean it. Cross it off the list, and find the peace by doing so. Become the Airmaster I need you to be.” She withdrew from me, moving to the edge of the shade. She glanced back. “Are you coming? I think afternoon lessons start in a few minutes.”
    She held her hand out, waiting for me to take it and go with her.
    So I did.

 
    Afternoon lessons, it turned out, started in Gabby’s apartment. We arrived last, and she quickly dropped my hand before anyone on the Council could see. I tried to stifle the sting of her sudden distance, but I didn’t succeed. The hurt sang through me for a few minutes, long enough for me to take a seat as far from Gabby as possible.
    I settled next to Isaiah and crossed my arms. Cat and Liz were engaged in a conversation, which ceased as soon as Davison strode through the door.
    Gabby, who had sat on the couch next to Liz, jumped up. “Supremist.” She bowed at the waist while the rest of us found our feet. We all paid the proper homage, and Davison tsk ed.
    “No need for that,” he said. “Though I suppose some customs will take a while to die.” He bade us to follow him. “Come, your Council lesson today will take place in my conference room.”
    I followed Isaiah and Cat out of the room and into the fortress. I’d been in the Supremist’s conference room before, but now it felt different. The air of fear had been stripped from the entire city, and I wasn’t the only one to notice.
    The servants moving through the fortress didn’t harbor dodgy eyes or stiff necks. I didn’t feel the need to constantly check over my shoulder to see who might be watching. I’d never been in the fortress without Felix, except for the one night I’d snuck into Alex’s chambers after Isaiah had told me about his suspicions of her gender. Even then, Felix had been there.
    I chased away those thoughts, unwilling to remember the strong sense of betrayal I’d felt that night. I felt guilty for causing Gabby to feel the same way because of what I’d done. But I’d had a part to play to ensure her safety—as well as mine.
    We joined the crowd already gathered in Davison’s conference room. I didn’t see anyone I knew, though that wasn’t surprising. With so few Elementals left, Tarpulin housed the only operating school, and these people had come from all over the United Territories.
    I found an empty chair in the back and offered it to Gabby. Cat sat next to her, and Isaiah stood against the wall behind them. I joined him, and Liz sat on the floor in front of them. Davison made his way to the front of the room, and the buzzing chatter ceased.
    “Welcome to the first day of training,” he said, his voice amplified through a device called a microphone. The black plastic looked ancient, and I was actually surprised the fortress was wired with the necessary electricity for the advanced technology.
    “Today, I wish to discuss each of your individual roles.” He paced in the small space, though he didn’t seem uncomfortable. “I find it best if every member of the Council understands the other’s roles. That’s why entire Councils are gathered here today. In the future, we may have more meetings like this, but most of your afternoon lessons will