The Chilling Change Of Air (Elemental Awakening, Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

surmised. "Princess," he concluded.
    Every word out of his mouth hurt more and more. Every step down this path that was so alien and wrong sliced through me. What good was wielding two Stoicheio if you couldn't fix a memory lapse in the man who held your heart?
    I felt useless. Ineffectual. And when Dora returned to our sides and Theo immediately brightened again, swinging his avid gaze back her way, I felt insignificant.
    "He's on his way," she announced. "Did you two get reacquainted?"
    "We've just met," Theo corrected.
    Dora's eyes flicked to my face. I couldn't tell what she was thinking.
    She looked back up at Theo. "You know Casey, Theodoros," she shocked me by saying. "You know her quite well."
    "I do?" His gaze returned to me, trying desperately to recognise a feature. Clearly he failed. "I'm sorry," he said with a self-deprecating smile. "I don't remember."
    "It's all right," I said, before Isadora could voice the next words on her tongue. This hurt too much. I needed it to stop. "You've been through a lot," I added and then turned back to look out over the sea.
    I heard Isadora urge Theo to sit down, our help was a distance away. Perhaps this jailbreak had been unplanned. Dora had said it was the first time she'd been allowed to visit Theo, maybe she'd been trying for a while, and had to simply take advantage of the situation when it arose.
    I blocked out their low whispered words, blocked out my mind's interpretation of how close they would have to be sitting to hear each other, and sucked in the fresh sea air.
    Are you there? I asked the Earth.
    Aether, we never left you.
    I closed my eyes, willed the tears to retreat.
    I couldn't feel you . In there, I meant, but the Earth understood me.
    We could still feel you . And the tone of the whispered words in my mind matched the heartache I was feeling.
    So many questions rushed through me. "Why?" being the most prevalent. But I couldn't organise my thoughts. The low hum of voices behind me felt like stabs of a sharp knife through my chest.
    Can it be reversed? I finally asked.
    We do not know , the Earth replied quietly.
    I nodded. If anyone knew, the Earth would know. It was as old as time itself.
    What happens now? I asked, because I needed someone to tell me.
    The darkness comes, the winds blow, the trees burn, the rivers rage, the sky falls and the ground buckles.
    My entire being stilled. The Earth could speak in riddles, but not quite to this extent. Sometimes it made me work for any answer I sought, but usually its ramblings were more pointed than this.
    What does that mean? I asked, afraid to hear the answer. If it deemed me ready to hear it, that is.
    Some call it the Apocalypse, the Earth whispered in my mind.
    My body shuddered.
    Some call it the End Of Days , it added.
    My breaths started coming in short little huffs of chilled air.
    Some call it the Reckoning.
    What do you call it? I asked, my knees feeling too weak to hold me upright. I reached for the rough hewn wall at my side to steady myself, vaguely aware Dora was asking me if I was all right.
    I blocked out her words as well as her presence to my right and waited for Earth to reply.
    It took a while. Dora had become more persistent, Theo had joined me on the other side. Concern and that ever present distance marring his strong jawline, high cheekbones and beautiful hazel eyes.
    We call it the Genesis.
    The Genesis, and I was sure that word required a capital G. Just what the hell was that supposed to be?
    A sharp slap on my cheek had me flaring Pyrkagia , an instant and hardened reaction to being harmed again so soon after leaving the tender care of the Rigas' doctor. Heat filled the cave entrance, replacing the chill that had invaded my bones. I called it back before it could strike out at Isadora, but the damage had been done.
    Theo grabbed Dora and thrust her behind his back, his gold eyes glaring at me as his own Pyrkagia swelled.
    "Who are you?" he demanded, then sucked in a breath of air. "