Free elemental 01 - whirlwind by Larissa Ladd Page B

elementals. Aira looked at Dylan again and wondered just what kind of spell the other man had used on him and how long would he be unconscious.
    She had no way to keep track of how long they had been driving. Aira curled up, aching and becoming more and more exhausted as the iron pulled her down. Whoever had grabbed them, they knew exactly what they were doing. She tried to keep her mind occupied with her mental list of elemental correspondences to distract her from the pain, thankful at least to have something productive to do. If they were fire elementals, she thought, she would find silver bracelets and anklets and somehow find a way to get them on the two men. If they were water elementals, she’d give them a taste of brass. If they were earth elementals, she would damned well wrap them up in aluminum foil if she couldn’t find anything better.
    Abruptly, the car came to a stop, and Aira opened her eyes. From her point of view on the floor, all she could through the thin strip not covered on the back window were signs of a lavishly landscaped location, trees overhead. She heard the men in the front of the van talking to someone. While her mind wasn’t as quick as it might be, she realized they must be talking to some kind of gate guard. Aira struggled to try and sit up; the iron felt as though it weighed so much more than it must. She fought against it, breaking out in a sweat from the simple act of trying to pull herself from the floor of the van. She knew the longer the restraints were in place, the more difficult it would be, and the heavier they would feel. The van began moving again and Aira caught sight of the top of a gate they were passing through just as the movement made her fall to the floor again too weakened to keep herself stable. She needed to find a way to get the restraints off. The sooner they were gone, the sooner she would regain her abilities.
    Dylan was beginning to stir when the vehicle came to another stop. Aira considered struggling with her assailants once more when they came to get her, but the amount of effort it would take was next to impossible. Until Dylan was fully awake and aware, she was in too weakened a state to take care of them both. The best thing to do would be to find a way to get the restraints off, and deal with the rest afterwards. Dylan groaned, and Aira held a small hope he would be able to help her soon.
    The van doors opened. She cried out in pain when one of the men the pretend client, shifted her and pulled her toward the back opening of the van. Every minute the iron touched her was a practice in withstanding torture.
    The other man grabbed Dylan and managed to lock a gold bracelet on each of his wrists. Aira knew she was in more serious trouble than she had first suspected. If they knew an elemental technique to quell powers, they were likely to know more. The question was, how they had known Dylan was a water-aligned elemental? This was a serious situation, and Aira’s fear—and anger—intensified. She occupied her mind with thoughts of revenge as she and Dylan were lifted out of the van and carried towards a house.
    The correct term for the residence, Aira decided as she got a better look at it, would be a mansion. It sprawled over a huge piece of land. The grounds were as well-maintained as any wealthy Victorian would have them, with topiary and perfectly manicured grass. The house was brick and timber, a half-Tudor style Aira would have admired more if it were not for the fact her assailants were carrying her toward it shackled. Her surprisingly sluggish mind realized the men who had attacked her and Dylan were not the ones in charge. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the deep, cold fog settling in, to no avail. As she was carried towards the house, Aira thought if she never saw another iron bracelet in her life, it would be too soon. She could consume iron as part of her diet, and with certain precautions she could use cast-iron cookware, but from a