Tempering Earth: Gathering Water Trilogy, #2

By Regan Claire

After discovering her true identity and coming to terms with an unimaginable heritage, Della Doe Deare finally thinks she has things figured out. She is learning the ropes of both her human, and non-human responsibilities; ones which will soon include leading an army, and may one day mean ruling a people. As the sole person able to control all five elements, she will have the power to protect everyone that she loves–and destroy anything that threatens them. But first, she has to survive the Elfennol training.

When an enemy with a reputation for torture sets his murderous sights on Della, she must submerge herself further into the Elfennol world, explore the other half of her inheritance, and move toward a destiny too large for mortal shoulders. 

But not everything is as it appears; not all Clades are her enemies and the Elfennol aren't as pure as they let on. When Della finds friendship – and protection – in the form of a troubled boy born on the wrong side of an endless war, she discovers that this new world operates only in shades of gray and the only difference between good and evil is which side you're fighting for. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Regan Claire
• Release date: Sep 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386146728

Book preview

1

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. This moment, meeting my dad for the first time—it didn’t feel like it was supposed to. I mean, I’d met Derek before at my Testing, but I didn’t know he was my dad then, not really at least. 

Which wasn’t very observant of me, now that I think of it. Hindsight’s 20/20 and all that. I could beat myself up about being a moron later. I had more important things to attend to. 

Like my father standing in my living room.

My social worker revealed my mother’s true identity several months ago, and with that information came a family I’d never known about. It was more than I dared to hope for growing up in the foster care system, so other than briefly asking my newly discovered family about my father’s identity, I refused to spend too much time wondering about who my dad was. I’d already lucked out and gotten an awesome aunt, uncle, and cousin, so who he was didn’t seem all that important.

That was, until a few days ago when I’d been Tested in front of the Elfennol Council. It was then that we discovered my father was one of the non-human allies to my mother’s family. The Elfennol Council demanded I return in two weeks with him or be considered a traitor—a Clade. 

That was a huge problem since I didn’t know who he was, so, I stopped by the bank to collect the one piece of evidence that might reveal my father’s identity: a picture from the safe-deposit box I’d inherited from my mother. 

When I saw Derek’s face smiling at my mother in the old photograph, several of the puzzle pieces that made up my life fell into place. Not all of them, but here was my chance to find out the rest of the mystery from the man of the hour: my father, Derek—who so happened to be one of the same council members who demanded a little meet-and-greet in two weeks, knowing full well he was the person who needed to show up.

As a child, before I learned not to hope for things that would never happen, I daydreamed about this moment. Yet there I was, standing in front of my father—my dream literally coming true—and nothing felt different. I expected tears, or hugs, or this overwhelming sense of belonging. But I didn’t feel anything other than an odd sort of numbness. 

And there he was, standing in front of me—not saying anything, even though he knew that I knew he was my dad. My stomach was queasy, and my heart was beating a little faster than normal, but it was still… anticlimactic. 

So? I asked, wanting him to say something.

I was half expecting you to know. How long ago did you discover it? he asked, in what was probably the worst daddy-daughter intro ever.

That’s the question you want to ask me? The first question you want to ask your daughter? Ah, now the feelings were coming. My old friend anger was first to arrive at the party.

No, it’s not. Of course it’s not. This isn’t the most ideal situation and—

Oh really? What would have been more ideal for you? Me not to exist at all?

Don’t be ridiculous, Della, I opened my mouth to object, but he waved a hand at me to stay quiet and continued. It isn’t the most ideal situation because I only learned that you existed a few months ago, wasn’t certain you were my daughter until a few days ago, and I had to sneak away in order to speak to you privately. He turned his back and walked over to the overstuffed armchair that I kept next to the fireplace. 

Why did you have to sneak? I asked, curious despite myself.

Spies are everywhere. It’s not only the Clades we need to worry about. The other houses are very interested in you. Some think that you are a Clade and will be used against us. Others feel that even if you aren’t a Clade, you will be the cause of our downfall. And there are others that would see you as a threat simply for being my daughter.

That doesn’t really answer my question, Derek.

If they suspect I am your father, they might try eliminating the threat before I can officially place you into our protection. He didn’t sound all that happy with the prospect of threat elimination.

Can’t you do that now? Put me under your protection? Seemed easy enough.

Heirs must be claimed in front of the full council in Eurybis. I’m afraid that’s the only way.

Why can’t you just say ‘hey, don’t kill my daughter, guys?’

That isn’t how claiming has been done for the last several thousand years, and the other families won’t respect any other way. Our people are resistant to change. Anything less than an heir is expendable, and the only way to claim an heir is by full council.

So, call up Etta and Richard and claim me. Problem solved. I knew claiming had to be more difficult than just a phone call, or he would have already done it. I thought. I hoped.

Full council is different. It’s… difficult to explain to outsiders.

Well, give me the dummy course. Plus, I’m not exactly an outsider anymore, am I?

He sighed with a smile on his face, or maybe it was a small laugh on the exhale. Whichever it was, he seemed happy about my non-outsider declaration. "You know about the Council. We three are the rulers of the Elfennol, and we preside over a multitude of houses, of which each has its own family leader. Full council occurs when all the family leaders sit with their council members to help them come to important decisions that may affect our people as a whole. The family leaders don’t get to vote, but they get a chance to say their piece, and a good leader always listens to the arguments of their followers. A Full Council is required to claim an heir—fortunately, one has already been called for you."

That must be what the Council had been talking about at my Testing, when I was supposed to present my unknown-to-them father to prove my non-Clade status.

Unfortunately, until then, it is extremely dangerous for you.

I still don’t understand this danger bit. Am I in more or less danger because you’re my sperm donor? I crossed my arms in front of my chest, knowing I was being disrespectful but not really concerned about it. After all, I’d just come back from a memorial service for my dead mother, got asked out by the first guy who ever seemed genuinely interested in me, and was standing in front of my dad, who by the way, wasn’t even human. My emotions were on a cray-cray roller coaster, and my tact left me completely.

More. For now. But only if others suspect the truth.

Why does that make it more dangerous? I had the feeling we were talking in circles.

Because of who I am, and what that makes you, he said.

This was giving me a headache, so I sat down on the sofa and positioned myself to face him. Are you trying to give me a migraine? Why don’t we pretend for a moment that I was raised as an orphan and didn’t know that Elfennol was even a word, let alone a group of magical people who—

We’re not magical. We are from another realm where— 

"Fine. A group of aliens. I ignored his chuckle since I didn’t see what was funny. That I was genetically tied to."

Okay, I’ll try to explain it better. As if that were all true. He gave me a sad smile to let me know he was joking, before continuing. Della, there are three Elfennol cities right now. Each has its own ruler, and the three rulers make up the Council. He created an image of a world map out of energy and light, and highlighted three innocuous places, which I assumed were the Elfennol cities. The closest to us was Eurybis, and it was the brightest of the three. Eurybis is our capital. It’s the largest and most important city. The map zoomed in on the city. The leader of Eurybis, therefore, plays a more important role in the hierarchy.

Why didn’t Uncle Connor tell me all this?

The city spun on an invisible axis, giving me a 180 view before the light suddenly dispersed into a million little fragments. Assuming he even knows, it hasn’t been relevant up until now, my father answered.

Are we getting to the part about my imminent death?

He sighed, again. Uncle Connor did that a lot with my cousin, Cash, too, so maybe it was just a dad thing. Basically, the leader of Eurybis is the leader of the Elfennol—

And?

And, that happens to be me.

He looked pretty young for the ruler of an entire people.

Oh. Well, that was… cool? Derek opened his mouth to say something else when something occurred to me. That still doesn’t explain—

Do you always interrupt so much? he asked, though he didn’t sound annoyed, which was good since he’d just interrupted me.

Of course, I did interrupt a lot, or at least Luke always said so, but I didn’t want to confirm so I shrugged my shoulders and gestured for him to continue.

Before now, there has been no direct heir to the Leoht line, after me. Of course, there is plenty of time for that to change in the future; I’m still rather young for our people, let alone one of our rulers. My heir would be rather important politically. Since that’s you, and some of our more misguided people think you might be an enemy, it makes possible assassination attempts seem likely if they discover the secret. Once you are claimed, however, anyone who thinks of killing you will be considered a traitor. Which means Clade. No one would dare risk being cast out and forced into darkness. And if you can get the heads of all the lesser families to support you, not a soul would want to kill you, even if they wouldn’t suffer the consequences afterward.

I wasn’t too sure about that, but before my brain came up with all the reasons why that didn’t make any sense, it snagged on the word heir. At first I’d thought he simply meant child, but I was starting to think he meant it in the traditional sense. Whoa. So, like, by heir do you mean child, or do you mean—

Child who inherits everything I am, have been, or ever will be? Yes. You’ll take my place on the Council, and help rule our people one day. I wouldn’t worry too much about it right now though, I plan on living for quite a while longer. 

Me, rule? That sounded like the most preposterous thing I’d ever heard. Seriously. I sat there and stared at Derek with a head full of questions swarming around and refusing to leave my mouth.

Is there something you want to ask me? Derek leaned forward, one elbow on each knee and his hands held between them, with a concerned furrow on his brow.

I gave a humorless laugh. "I don’t know where to start. I keep waiting for some bit of normalcy—I deserve a bit of normalcy. Just a couple of months where I have a chance to adjust before something else is thrown at me." My eyes watered, again, but I refused to give into the prickling sensation; I’d cried too much that day already. Instead, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to slow my racing heartbeat. When I was sure I had my emotions in check, I opened my eyes and saw Derek sitting upright and staring. 

Okay. Questions. So, how do we keep this a secret, and me safe, for two weeks? You mostly explained about your people wanting me… I struggled for a word other than dead. Out of the way because I might be a Clade. I’m not, so won’t those people be happy once the news does get out? I guess I can’t do anything about the ones that think I’m dangerous for existing, but why would some want me gone just for being your daughter? Why does it take so long to call a full council? Are you like the king or something? Do I have to live with the Elfennol forever? How can I possibly rule the Elfennol one day when I’m not even one? Why is Eurybis the most important city? And you keep hinting at living a long time? How long is a long time? Can you die? Do Elfennol age? Will I? How did you and Gabby even get together? What would you have done if you’d known she was pregnant?

Strangely enough, it was the last one that I most wanted to hear, and was most afraid of the answer to.

Della. He stood up and turned away to look at my mother’s portrait again. I’ve been asking myself that question a lot. I’m not sure what I would have done, to be honest. Derek turned back around, this time to look at me. But I do know if I’d been aware of your birth, you wouldn’t have been alone all those years.

The damn prickly feeling was back, and this time I couldn’t stop it until one tear escaped, tickling the side of my nose until I wiped it away. 

Um. What about all the other stuff? My voice was smaller than I wanted it to be; the careful control I’d built up my entire life was becoming tenuous. I’d meant to sound nonchalant. To sound like his words didn’t really mean anything to me. But they did. This wasn’t, however, the time for a heartfelt conversation about all the would-have-beens. Right now was the time for practicality, and I needed those other questions answered. Questions that could help you survive your future should always win out over questions that help you understand your past. 

Derek waited a few seconds before going on, as if unsure whether I really did want to move on to the less (slightly) personal answers. He nodded his head in approval. I don’t have time to go over everything right now. I wish I did, but your safety is more important. He paused with his eyes steadily on mine. 

I understand. Just hurry up and tell me what I need to know, and promise you’ll tell me everything else after the Council, okay?

He looked at me carefully and nodded. Keeping a secret will be both easy and hard. First, we’ll agree not to tell anyone else. That’s the easy part. We can’t really do anything about it if someone figures it out by themselves. That’s where keeping you safe comes into play. I’ve asked Alexander to keep an eye on you. He held up a hand, preventing my interruption. He’s frequently away on business for our family, so his presence won’t be missed. It’s unlikely that you’ll see him, simply be comforted that he is around to watch over you. Keep your guard up, always. Try to be in this house after dark, since that is the most likely time for an attack. And stay clear of the open ocean. The sound should be safe, but please be especially careful if you decide to swim. You glow like a beacon when you do it, and any Clade or Elfennol within miles will be able to sense you until you learn how to Shield yourself properly.

Wait. I know how to Shield. What do you mean Shield properly? I was kind of offended. Shielding was the only thing I actually had a good grasp on. Uncle Connor had explained to me that I’d probably been doing it my entire life as a defense mechanism, and I noticed I had better control over my emotions when my Shields were in place—I felt safer.

I meant no offense. You have an excellent Shield when it’s up. I’ve never seen one stronger. But it’s like a wall, and seems to require a constant sort of vigilance from you. When you relax, or do a larger Gather, your defenses fall. At least, your spirit Shield falls. The other elements you use seem to stay in place.

I have no idea what you’re talking about. And I didn’t, not a clue.

Ah. I suppose you don’t. He looked around quickly, as if searching for a clock in the wall, but there wasn’t one. "You’re Shielded right now, unintentionally. It’s unusual. I don’t know how you can do that without knowing how to do it."

Uncle Connor said pretty much the same thing. Wait, I thought Elfennol couldn’t Shield. That’s what they told me.

That’s not entirely true. We can’t Shield ourselves physically, only metaphysically. We can protect our own Spirit energy. When we aren’t Shielding, we naturally Gather any unprotected energy around us. Only small amounts, of course, but it’s as if our aura, energy, is spread out all around us. Very dense around our body, but it’s like a cloud that gets thinner the further from our body it goes. 

Like the way the water is in front of the entrance to the base? I asked. The Elfennol base was underwater, but the water did something very strange in the cave that served as its entrance. The water thinned out, slowly, so that one moment you’re swimming, and the next you’re walking and you’re not exactly sure where the water stopped and the air really started.

"Yes. Good, that’s exactly what it’s like. Our auras dissipate into our surroundings. We can sense more in that state, any type of living energy, but it’s also very compromising for us if there are any Clades around; we’re not only more visible to them without our Shield, but also susceptible to having our essence—our energy—Gathered from us. Essentially, Shielding with Spirit is calling that large cloud close to our body, keeping it dense around ourselves. I wish I could show you the process, but letting down my Shield will reveal me to those who know how to see me.

I have time for another question, but after that I must leave. They’ll surely have noticed I’m gone by the time I get back.

That’s my next question. You didn’t really answer why some of the Elfennol would want me dead just for being your daughter.

Politics. Even among our people, there is corruption. The Leoht line has led Eurybis for thousands of years, since the last great city was destroyed, and some feel that the Elfennol would be better served with a different family holding our Capitol. You, as heir, stand in the way. But you, as my heir, the Deare Duxa, and as powerful as you already are? Well, you are a great asset to our family, an asset that others would prefer we don’t have.

My hackles rose at being called an asset, and Derek noticed.

"Believe me, Della, you are far more than only an asset, but to ignore your power would be foolish. Your enemies will not do so, and are more likely to strike before you reach your full potential. You are strong now, but nothing compared to what you will be once you learn complete control of your abilities.

He walked towards the exterior wall and placed a hand in its center while turning his head back towards me. Do you know what runes are? I nodded my head, thinking back to the Elfennol base and all the symbols that glowed with power there. I was placing some before you got here. You’ll have to keep them charged with energy, of course, but they will work as a secondary Shield to protect your entire home.

Then he did something, I wasn’t sure what, and made a rune I was certain wasn’t there before flare up, visible to even my non-Tempered eyes.

He turned to me and crinkled his forehead. I’m trying to think how to explain this to you. You must give a piece of yourself to the rune—

"Maybe