When the Crows Turn WhiteCH.27

Chapter 27  

It hadn't crossed the children's minds that the desert sun would be three times as hot with the heavy gear they were wearing. Adam looked up to see that Ocean's forehead was drenched in sweat which made his hair stick to his skin. The effect was the same on all of the kids; except for the Dimensionals, of course. Living in this heat had adjusted them to this extreme heat. The Elementals, however, were used to the colder climate of Temple.
"How do you survive out here?" Rain groaned as she swiped sweat from her forehead. Rowan nodded in agreement at her side. Sam and Alex shrugged in unison while Luna half turned to face them. "We train out here every day." They explained nonchalantly. Their voices seemed to merge as they spoke which made everyone stare. The twin Dimensionals turned back around as they continued to walk. Dust clouds made the heat waves in the air turn grainy and confusing while the sun seemed to laugh at the sweating children. It was very tempting to just turn back to walk to the trailer; that is, if the Elementals could find it in the confusing waves of dust.
The minutes that passed by were shrouded in heat and silence. Losing track of time was common in the desert, thought the kids. "Where are we going again?" Wonderweiss croaked with a dry throat. Luna skipped backward to stand next to him. "We're heading out to the Lutetia Marfa Lights." She said cheerfully. Her cheeks were flushed with the heat as she spoke. "Say what now?" Wonderweiss asked dumbly. He looked so genuinely confused that Luna giggled. "Did you say lutetia?" Perseus asked but he sounded a bit out of breath. Luna looked over her shoulder then nodded. Perseus looked to the cloudless sky as he thought. "Paris?" he suddenly asked in a hoarse shout. "How are we going to get to Paris?"
"We just said." Natalia said firmly. She was perhaps the only one who wasn't sweating like a pig with no mud. No one spoke. Perseus could practically see the vain pulsing on the side of her head. "The Marfa Lights!" she turned to shout. The Elementals nearly jumped back. Natalia, they realized, was obviously the leader though she wasn't the oldest. Her dagger-like eyes traveled to her brothers. "How long till we get there?" she asked calmly. Sam and Alex looked at each other then looked back and shrugged. "Maybe an hour to the main road," Sam said evenly. "maybe twenty minutes off that road to the Lights." Alex finished with a shrug. Natalia slapped her forehead. "These wimps will die before we get fifteen minutes further!" she said. That's when the Elementals discovered exactly what it meant to be a Time Dimensional.
In a flash of silvery light and navy blue Natalia's broadsword was pointed straight up to the sky. The Elementals took a step away from her as she plunged the tip of the sword into the dry earth. In a flurry of light and sound the kids were blown back off of their feet onto the hard ground. Rowan scrambled over to Maer who instinctively tried to shield his little sister. Ocean looked up to see that Natalia was blanketed in thick dark blue light. Sparks of black electricity ran down her long hair while more of the sparks flashed over the blade of the broadsword. Her eyes were solid navy blue disks which matched the glowing eyes of the golden snake that wrapped around her sword; it was moving. The ruby in the golden serpent's mouth shattered into dust as it let out a terrible ear-splitting shriek.
The ruby dust flowed in a ring around the rest of the children as the snake slithered up Natalia's arms. The world around the ring of red gem dust swirled into a vast oblivion; the dusty baked desert floor shifted and swirled into a hard grass-speckled landscape within moments. The snake's screech died down as the ruby dust flowed back to its maw then solidified back into a gem. The snake itself returned to the handle of the broadsword which was now stuck into a new landscape. Natalia's eyes winked back to their natural forest green shade while the sparks disappeared from her sword and hair. The shimmering dark blue light that once surrounded her slowly began to dissipate into thin air.
Natalia jerked her sword out of the ground which sent rocks and grass into the air. The beautiful sword had no scratches; any dirt that dared to cling to the blade was turned to ash. With as much grace as a deer, Natalia flipped the sword in her hand then returned it to the sheathe on her back. She spun on her heel to see the stunned look on the Elementals' faces. They slowly climbed to their feet while carefully avoiding eye contact with the Time Dimensional. She stifled a chuckle, impressed with her.
Sam and Alex snuck up behind her in her moment of triumph. Each placed a hand on her back and a chin on either of her shoulders. She jumped almost unnoticeably. "Why'd you give it so much power?" Sam said with a sly grin. Alex mirrored his grin before speaking, "For that All kid over there?" he accused. Natalia growled in her throat before shrugging away from the twins. Her cheeks were bright red as she glared at them. She looked at one, "Sam," she shouted. The twins pointed at each other. "That's Sam," said the one she'd yelled at. "That's Alex." Sam reminded her. Natalia exhaled deeply in an attempt to not yell. "You must be pretty flustered." Said Alex slyly. Sam nodded, "You only confuse us when you're angry." He added. Natalia's fist in each of their chest's proved their theory.