Free Billy: Messenger of Powers by Michaelbrent Collings Page B

guess, channels and bends the Life Element—the Element that controls the earth’s plants and living things. Tempus is a Power of the Wind and Storm. And as for me, I am a Power of Earth.”
    Another connection was made in Billy’s mind. “The dragon! That’s what saved us! You made that stalagmite that saved us from the dragon!”
    This garnered a second approving nod from Mrs. Russet. Billy thought he might lift bodily off the table with pride. “Very good, Mr. Jones. I have a deep and—if I do say so myself—very powerful connection with Earth. And on that first day, when you had your eyes closed in sheer panic during the test, the Earth said something to me.”
    “What did it say?” whispered Billy.
    “I don’t know,” she answered.
    Billy realized then that she hadn’t mentioned one of the Powers in the room. “What about her?” he asked, motioning to Eva Black. “What is her, uh, Element?”
    Mrs. Russet frowned. “She is a Power of the Black. The Element of Death. As is her son, Cameron. Black Powers are the fighters of our world. The weakest of them is capable of fighting off dozens of normal people at a time, and the most powerful in our history have laid waste to entire cities. That’s why I finally decided to bring you in here. Even accidentally, you shouldn’t have been able to even touch Cameron Black. Not unless he wanted you to—which I doubt—or unless you were a Power yourself, most likely another Power of the Black.”
    “So I am a Power?” asked Billy, both excited at the idea of being someone magic and disturbed that the magic he likely had was such a gruesome one. Although, he realized, having power over Death would probably enable him to stop the bully attacks at school.
    “I’ve already told you I don’t know if you’re a Power or not,” said Mrs. Russet. “But we have to find out. And that’s why we’re here. Because there is a single way that is one hundred percent certain of determining whether a person is a Power or not.”
    “What way is that?” asked Billy, suddenly and inexplicably chilled.
    “It’s rather simple, actually,” said Eva Black, her eyes snapping open. She smiled, the first genuine-seeming smile that Billy had seen come across her face. “I get to kill you.”
    Billy looked at Mrs. Russet. Eva Black had said that already, but he had figured—or at least hoped in his heart of hearts—that she was just trying to scare him, or was making some kind of very unfunny joke. Mrs. Russet just looked back at him. Billy suddenly knew: it wasn’t a joke. Eva Black really was going to kill him.
    He jerked into a sitting position before being pushed roughly back into place by something. He looked down and saw that vines as thick as his arm had emerged with lightning speed from the floor below him and wrapped themselves around his body, forcing him onto his back again.
    “Ow!” Billy yelped, thrashing against the grip of the greenery. It did no use, however: all he accomplished was to scrape his body on the hard surface of the plants.
    Mrs. Russet was shouting something at him the whole time, and it was only gradually that Billy became aware of what it was.
    “…in no danger, Billy! Nothing is going to happen!”
    “Nothing?” yelled Billy back at her. “This crazy woman just said she’s going to kill me!” This sent him into a new frenzy, trying to get himself loose though he already knew that he could not escape from the plants.
    “Let me explain!” she said, moving near him. She looked at Ivy, who watched with obvious concern on her face. “Ease up a bit, Ivy,” snapped Mrs. Russet.
    Ivy nodded, and though the vines didn’t loosen at all, they became softer somehow, as though made of steel wire wrapped in soft cotton. Billy’s struggles slowed a bit, though he still jerked spasmodically, his body refusing to just give up.
    “It’s okay, kid,” whispered Vester. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” The young man smiled