Mine Mia Nature Flies

By Augusto

In a time of Aether and Elements, a child of earth and a child of air find themselves willing to risk everything to be together. As the fight the darkness that threatens their love, they find unlikely ally in the world around them. The only question is, will it be enough?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483670706

Augusto

Cesar Augusto was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration at Cornell University in 1976. After thirty-five years in the hotel and resort industry, he fulfilled two lifelong desires: to write a fictional story and develop his entrepreneurial skills. He now maintains residency in Orlando, Florida making frequent trips to Amatitan, Mexico, where he owns a tequila distillery.

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AUGUSTO

Copyright © 2013 by AUGUSTO.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 07/22/2013

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134956

But nature flies from the infinite; for the infinite is

imperfect, and nature always seeks an end.

—Aristotle

Teqqual peered toward the mountains, his dark green eyes worried. The largest of the mountains had been smoking all day, and even Teqqual, a son of earth, could taste the scent of wrongness in the air. What he smelled, however, was nothing compared to what he felt. Though his strength and connection lay in the plants of the land, as evidenced by his green skin and darker green hair, he could feel the trouble in the earth beneath his feet. He needed to find his sister.

Teqqual turned and ran toward the place he knew she would be. His bare feet beat against the hot, dry earth, each step spurring him onward with more urgency. Something was coming that would change everything. He sensed his sister before he saw her, the strength of their bond emphasizing the need with which the earth was reaching out. Though separated by four lost siblings, they were as close as those who shared a womb. At times they could even sense what the other was thinking.

Tocamia! he called out even as she was turning. She was as familiar to him as his own face. They shared the same fine features that marked them as siblings even if their colors indicated a difference in their element strength. Tocamia’s skin was the color of earth, the orangish clay of the riverbank, and her hair the dark brown—nearly black—of the deeper earth. Her eyes were amber, a shade that had not been seen in generations. This marked her as the earth child with the greatest connection to her element. If anyone could stop the destruction to come, it would be her. Their family hid her ability, knowing full well that the chief would claim Tocamia for a fifth wife should he learn of it. They would wait until she was sworn to reveal her strength.

I feel it. Tocamia’s expression was troubled. There is fire coming, but I feel it in the earth, not moving across it as it should.

Earth extinguishes fire. Teqqual was confused. Flame cannot travel through the ground.

Not this. Tocamia shook her head. It feels like earth but moves like water, burning like fire.

Will it reach the qomunio?

Tocamia knelt on the parched ground and pressed her palms flat against it. She closed her eyes, listening to the land beneath her. A moment later, she stood. No, but it will come to us. We need to run.

She held out her hand, and Teqqual took it. They had come out this far to investigate the strangeness of the smoke in the air, and now they must flee from it. They would go farther from the qomunio, the land telling her that they were more likely to escape the fire that way. Together, brother and sister ran, their long legs nearly the same length since Teqqual’s most recent growth. Their footsteps fell together, each stride propelling them forward.

And then the land beneath them shook, throwing them from their feet. They tumbled to the ground, their hands breaking apart. Teqqual rolled onto his knees, his flesh scraped by the harsh rocks as he used his hands to break his fall. Tocamia cried out as her ankle struck a rock, the air knocked out from her all at once as she fell forward. Pain flared hot and bright up her leg, but the shock that rippled through the earth overshadowed that. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the mountain. Brilliant orange shot toward the sky, and a stab of fear went through her.

Teqqual! She reached for her brother, struggling to get her leg beneath her. She gave a pained cry as her injured leg buckled, unable to hold her weight. Run!

I will not leave you. Teqqual crawled to his sister’s side, his skin coated with a fine layer of dust. He coughed as he inhaled, choking on the debris.

You must. Tocamia gripped his arm, her eyes filling with hot tears.

I will carry you. Teqqual slid one arm under his sister’s knees even as she shook her head.

You will not get far enough. She tried to pull away. If he attempted to carry her, they would both die. Alone, he had a chance to outrun whatever was coming.

A hand on her shoulder made her look up. She squinted into the sun, seeing nothing more than the tall silhouette of a man. He did not speak, merely bent and scooped her up. She made a sound in surprise that was lost in the wind as he began to run. She could not see Teqqual but could sense that he was following. She still could not see much of the man carrying her, but she