Free Elemental Omen (Paranormal Public Book 10) by Maddy Edwards

and not to have to hide overwhelmed other feelings, like anger, but the fear was always there. I had learned that I wasn’t going to be left alone, and there was a good chance I wasn’t going to be able to survive out there on my own. My sister had known that, she knew more about the world than I did. I just wished I had known it sooner myself.
    I watched the tired trees move slowly past. The river was calm today, flowing gently with barely a ripple. Unlike the stretch that had brought me here, roiled by storm, I didn’t think bodies would sink to the bottom in this calm water like Greta’s had. There was no wind or rain now, just a thick stillness. Every so often I would look to the shore and see animals watching us as we passed. Sometimes they would run, but mostly they would just stand there, thin and gaunt, and watch us move, some with haunted eyes that seemed almost human.
    The further downriver we got, the fewer trees there were and the more the wind picked up. Periodically I caught a whiff of some stench that I couldn’t identify, and I tried not to breathe it in, but it soon got too pervasive to avoid.
    The sky grew darker as the morning went on. We made a quick stop for lunch, which didn’t amount to much. They had dried scones and some roots, and they still gave me nothing. By this time I was getting seriously hungry, but I tried to remain impassive, because I figured I was better off with as little of Spark’s attention as I could manage. As we got back into the boat, I felt a root slipped into my hand and turned to see Spew standing behind me. She didn’t even glance at me as she moved past, and I quickly looked away and stuffed the meager offering into my mouth, trying to look innocent and oblivious.
    Once we were moving again I could feel a sort of pulsing darkness rolling over the hills, down the plains, and through the woods that surrounded us. I turned my face to the cold wind, searching for a clue to what was going on, but whatever it was, it was far beyond my reading. The clan hadn’t really seemed to notice the power rolling through the air, and that, at least, didn’t surprise me at all.
    Suddenly, with no warning, the water started to churn and bubbles started to rise, as if we were gliding over a hot spring.
    “What is this?” one of the clan asked, looking at the dark river.
    None of the others had noticed. Spark glanced over the edge of the boat and shrugged. “Night’s coming, power’s growing. I’m sure it’s nothing.” He returned his eyes forward.
    “There is no such thing as nothing in the paranormal world,” I said through gritted teeth. Spew gave me a worried look. She wasn’t as much of an idiot as her son, and she knew we were in extreme danger.
    When the water started to rise, Sparell leaned forward and pressed her hand to the bottom of the boat, then pulled it away with a cry. “It’s hot,” she said in wonder.
    “Yeah, because you’ve gone and messed with paranormal magic you shouldn’t have,” said Spew angrily. “I knew this would lead to trouble.”
    “One more word, Mother . . .” Spark had drawn the dagger he had threatened me with the night before and was now pointing it at her.
    One of the other clan members intervened, saying, “Stop it, Spark. You can’t talk to your mother that way.”
    For several tense seconds nothing happened, then Spark lowered his knife.
    Before anyone could react further, light exploded in front of us as a fireball rocketed into the air. All eyes turned forward to watch it, so quickly, while no one was paying any attention to me, I reached my bound hands over the side of the boat, shoved them into the water, and instantly felt the welcoming warmth as my power greeted the river.
    I let my hands dangle in the water as the fireball in front of us died down. The river calmed down at my touch, and we were able to keep moving. By the time I removed my hands from the water it was full dark, and no one noticed what I was doing. I