Read The Soothing Scent Of Earth (Elemental Awakening, Book 2) for Free Online Page B

which were usually dark blue like mine, and flashed green when he called on his Stoicheio , flashed... gold.
    Pyrkagia gold .
    And the root incinerated before our eyes.
    What... the freaking hell... was that?

Chapter 4
It Was The Flaming Rose Dream That Woke Me
    "You're...you're Pyrkagia ," I stammered, unable to get my head around what I had just seen.
    "What?" the doctor replied, stunned. Whether it was stunned at my question, or still stunned from being attacked by a root because of me, I'm not sure. But he was stunned.
    "Um," I murmured, suddenly doubting what I had seen. Then my eyes landed on the charred remains of the root. I pointed a shaky finger toward the evidence. " Pyrkagia ," I said simply, then flicked my eyes to his.
    He stared down at the root for several moments and then smiled. It was an amused smile.
    "Oh," he offered and pulled a lighter from his trouser pocket, flicking the flint-wheel ignition and making a burst of tall, robust flames flow from the top. More powerful than normal lighters.
    "Oh," I replied, noting the disappointment in my tone. For a brief moment he'd been a connection to Theo.
    A heart-aching blink of my eyes and I pushed forward, dusting my hands down my pants and stumbling to my feet. Remnants of the dizziness determinedly clinging to my mind.
    "We need to keep moving," I suggested, suddenly wanting to put as much space between me and the Gi stronghold as we could.
    "Definitely," the doctor agreed. "Are you able to run?"
    I wanted to laugh, but I lacked the energy.
    "Maybe walk, I'm not so sure of running."
    "Have you fed?" he asked, cocking his head to the side to study me, as though he'd see evidence of the fuelling of my Stoicheio on my face, or in my frame.
    "A little, but time's not on our side. It'll have to be enough."
    He nodded and then replaced his lighter with a compass from his pocket. He check the direction and then nodded off to the left, indicating the path we needed to take.
    I was too tired to argue or question his plan. He obviously had one, and right now I was not in a position to complain. Without him here I'd have to rely on the Earth to guide me, and although that was a pretty solid plan, it also had a major downfall. If the Queen's Guard, or the Basilissa herself, got too close, the Earth could be compromised.
    I hated doubting my Stoicheio , but for now I had no choice. I was still in enemy territory. I needed the hell out.
    So, that left me with the doctor, whose name I didn't even know.
    We'd been hiking several minutes by the time that realisation hit. Taking a short pause under the canopy of a S eringueria - or rubber - Tree, I turned to my unexpected ally and asked, "So what's up, Doc? Got a name?"
    He laughed, a deep chuckle, and swung to face me. "Noah," he said, surprising me with its un-Greek like sound.
    "Noah?" I queried. "That's..."
    "Not Greek," he supplied.
    "Yeah."
    A shrug of his shoulders. "Just because the Athanatos are centuries old, does not mean we must all conform to time's traditions." Now that sounded more like an elitist immortal.
    "OK," I said with a small smile.
    His eyes studied me closely for several long, and rapidly becoming uncomfortable, seconds. I shuffled my feet under his intense stare.
    Finally he gathered himself enough to murmur, "It's still another two hour trek from here, so let's get to it."
    Two hours. I wasn't entirely sure I could do two hours.
    One hour in and my clothes were soaked with sweat and moisture from the humid air. My lungs were straining for breath, my heart was beating a cardiovascular workout fit for an aerobics instructor, and my feet had actually become numb.
    I wondered if I could get gangrene after so short an amount of time barefoot in a jungle. I dreaded to think of what diseases and infections I was subjecting myself to. But the Earth seemed to make each footfall gentle and soft, protecting the tender flesh of my soles. Even though I couldn't trust its direction and compliance when still so