Fate of Elements by M. Stratton, Skeleton Key

make it all go away? I was more powerful than her. I was more powerful than anyone else in this world. I was certainly more powerful than some rock monsters whose only purpose was to guard a small house.
    Closing my eyes, I thought about the monsters. What they were made of? Dayna. Earth. Jealousy. Envy. Power. Anger. So much anger. I needed the opposite of her. We had been focusing on Naida, and it brought us here, which would mean she was here. She was the opposite of Dayna.
    Grabbing Hallet’s hand, I squeezed it. “Focus on Naida, help me send her strength. She is nothing like Dayna. If we can focus on her energy, we can defeat this.”
    Water bubbled up from between the cracks of the rocks around our feet. Drawing more water up, we created a stream, sending it rushing down the hill. Within moments, it was rising higher and higher. The rock monsters were unable to move fast enough to higher ground. Their long roots trying to find air while their rock bodies became harder and harder to move until finally they tipped over and the glow went out of their eyes. It was easy enough for us to move through them, under the water, to the small house.
    Using my magic I was able to open the door, I gasped and raced over to Naida who was on the rock floor, barely breathing. I let the water flow in through the door, her element surrounding her, bringing her back. I willed her back.
    Hallet came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders, adding his magic to mine. She began to stir. I breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to make it.
    “Naida. Can you hear us?” Hallet’s deep voice was muffled under the water.
    “What? What are you doing here?” Her voice was weak.
    “We could ask you the same thing.”
    “No, Hallet, how are you under the water?”
    “That’s the first thing you want to ask me? Now?”
    “Well, it is kind of a big deal. You know, water puts out fire.” Her voice was getting stronger, and she sat up narrowing her eyes at Hallet. “Your eyes…” She looked back and forth between us. “It wasn’t just you the other day. It was both of you. Your combined magic is what I was feeling. How could this happen?”
    “I almost killed him during training. When I went to heal him, this is what happened.”
    “You know there is more to it than that,” Naida said. “This is part of the prophecy. Together you are stronger. You need to go defeat Dayna. You have no idea what she’s planning.” Pushing herself up to her feet, she pulled me up with her, gripping my shoulders tightly. “She’s discovered a way to steal magics from others for herself. Other element magic. She started with our fringe, testing it out with them while learning our magics, but she needs more, if her plan is to work.”
    “Did she take your magic?”
    “She took most of it. She’d been siphoning off my magic a little at a time, letting me heal enough to produce more, but Hallet –” she grabbed her brother’s arm and pulled him closer. “The others, my people, the people of the fringe, they weren’t as strong as me,” she pleaded with him to understand.
    “They didn’t survive.” Hallet ran his hand over his face. “I’m so sorry, sister, I didn’t know she’d do something like this.” He shook his head. “We need to make this right.”
    “No one knew she’d gone this far off of the deep end. Don’t worry about me. I can feel Raina healing me as we speak. I’ll be back to normal in no time. Now go, keep your people safe, especially Ronin. She knows she won’t be able to get to you. You were always stronger than her, but she wants his power, and if she gets it, she’ll have all four elements.”
    “Erion.”
    The way Hallet said that one word almost broke my heart. There was so much pain in it. Erion had been missing longer than Naida. If Dayna was stealing his magic also, it would crush him.
    “Go,” Naida said. “I’ll find him. I have a good idea of where he is. We are connected now, Raina. I will let