Free Fate of Elements by M. Stratton, Skeleton Key Page B

listen to anything I had to say.
    There wasn’t much left to the story. It was do or die. Each footfall of the encroaching troops’ march was like another keystroke bringing this adventure to its end.
    Ronin whisked back in next to Hallet and leaned over to whisper in his ear.
    “What? Don’t hide anything from me,” I demanded.
    “Sorry, habit.” Ronin nodded in my direction. “I don’t know where she is.”
    “Did you look everywhere?” Hallet asked.
    “Of course I did. No one has seen her in days.”
    “This isn’t right.” I couldn’t keep my nerves at bay, and I started shaking. “Something is seriously wrong. First Erion and now Naida? No, Dayna’s behind this.”
    “I think you’re right.” Hallet ran his hand through his hair. “I have an idea. Ronin, you’re in charge. Keep everyone focused at hand, hopefully we’ll only need a few minutes. Come.” He held out his hand for me and without a second thought, I grabbed it, and he whisked us out of the canyon.
    We appeared in a small circular room with four windows overlooking the land, not unlike the windows in the library back home. I was able to see for miles from up here and wished I was able to relax and enjoy the view for a moment.
    “Sit.” Hallet pointed to the ground in front of him. Once I sat on the cool stone, he grabbed my hands. “I’ve never done this for another element, only my own. I’m assuming because of your power and now mine, we should be able to reach any element. You’ve met both Erion and Naida, I need you to focus on her water energy first. We’re going to see if we can find her. Now close your eyes, I’ll try and get us going.”
    Doing as he said, I remembered the fun we had in the water, how she showed me to breathe and walk under the water just the other day. Watching her with the creatures who had called her Mother was a treat. She cared about all of them.
    “That’s it,” Hallet whispered.
    Suddenly, we were racing across the land to a dark, rocky fortress. There was nothing soft or inviting about this place. There was something so evil here, I wanted to turn and run. I wanted to find the Skeleton Door and use the key. I wanted to go home.
    “No.” Hallet’s strong voice stopped my thoughts. “That’s what she wants. Be stronger. Change the appearance.”
    I wasn’t sure what I could do, but I thought of Hallet; his strength, his warmth. This place was so dark, it needed light. I started small bonfires burning around the walls to light the area, allowing us to see more clearly.
    It didn’t make things better to see the monsters waiting for us. I’d never seen anything like it. Everyone else I had met in Aimsir were human-like; these were not. These were the things nightmares were made of. These were the things in fairytales that stole little children. Their bodies were made from granite and they stood at least fifteen feet tall. Thick roots grew from their heads, moving independently of the body. There was a green glow through the slits of their eyes and their mouths gaped open, an echoing cavernous hole screaming at us from their face.
    “What are they?” My voice was barely audible.
    “They are made of the Earth. These were created from Dayna’s darkness, to protect what she holds most dear. They are very dangerous creatures.”
    “What does she hold most dear?”
    “I don’t know, but I’m willing to guess whatever it is, it is in there.” He pointed to a small building in the middle of the fortress. It didn’t look too difficult to get into, if you could get past the thousand or so rock monsters.
    “Any ideas?”
    “Besides fighting them? No, I’ve never seen anything like this in our world. I wasn’t sure it was even possible for an element to create something like this.”
    If Hallet hadn’t ever heard of anything like this and had no idea what to do, what could I possibly bring to the table? How could I make this all go away?
    I stopped. Maybe that was it. What could I do to