The Elemental's Guardian


 
 The Elemental's Guardian
 
 
 
 The Elementals Trilogy, Volume 1
 
 
 
 S.W. Raine
 
 
 Published by S.W. Raine, 2023.
 
 
 
 
 
 This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
 
 
 
 THE ELEMENTAL'S GUARDIAN
 
 
 First edition. February 16, 2023.
 Copyright © 2023 S.W. Raine.
 
 
 
 ISBN: 978-1734879568
 
 
 
 Written by S.W. Raine.
 
 
 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
 
 
 Table of Contents
 Title Page
 Copyright Page
 Dedication
 Chapter 1 Ferenc
 Chapter 2 Olivia
 Chapter 3 Ferenc
 Chapter 4 Ferenc
 Chapter 5 Ferenc
 Chapter 6 Ferenc
 Chapter 7 Ferenc
 Chapter 8 Olivia
 Chapter 9 Olivia
 Chapter 10 Ferenc
 Chapter 11 Ferenc
 Chapter 12 Ferenc
 Chapter 13 Ferenc
 Chapter 14 Olivia
 Chapter 15 Ferenc
 Chapter 16 Ferenc
 Chapter 17 Olivia
 Chapter 18 Ferenc
 Chapter 19 Ferenc
 Chapter 20 Ferenc
 Chapter 21 Ferenc
 Chapter 22 Richard
 Chapter 23 Olivia
 Chapter 24 Olivia
 Chapter 25 Ferenc
 Chapter 26 Ferenc
 Chapter 27 Ferenc
 Chapter 28 Olivia
 Chapter 29 Ferenc
 Chapter 30 Olivia
 Chapter 31 Ferenc
 Chapter 32 Ferenc
 Chapter 33 Ferenc
 Chapter 34 Olivia
 Chapter 35 Ferenc
 Chapter 36 Richard
 Chapter 37 Ferenc
 Chapter 38 Ferenc
 Chapter 39 Ferenc
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 About the Author
 
 
 
 
 
 To Judy, who knows my writing and style almost better than I do.
 
 
 Chapter 1Ferenc
 
 Ferenc felt most at home in the sky.
 He couldn’t remember exactly when his taste for flight started, but that love—that longing—for gliding through the air had always been there, deep inside of him.
 The money wasn’t his favorite part about being a freelance test pilot. While it definitely helped, the sensation of sheer bliss mattered most. Flying was like pulling a fast one over Mother Nature herself and getting away with it—to a certain point. Gravity was a cruel mistress.
 Ferenc focused on the blanket of black clouds ahead. He’d successfully completed test plans through storms in the past, but this one didn’t sit right with him. He had an excellent and natural feel for any aircraft he flew and could sense exactly how they behaved. While jets were easy to handle in most conditions, flying too fast in heavy turbulence sometimes caused structural damage—something Ferenc sensed this aircraft already had.
 Lightning flashed inside the dark, dense clouds. Ferenc checked his radars and flipped a few switches before descending into the summer storm to finish the test plan.
 A familiar British voice sounded through the headphones of his flight helmet: “Stick to the perimeter, Jazz-Nine-Two. Bring her home.”
 “Roger.” His voice had been called “folksy” on occasion; he’d sometimes been told it held an infectious calm.
 But a frown soon made its way to his face. There it was again, that barely detectable oscillation through the frame despite the buffeting turbulence. The jet was built to withstand battle damage, but that wobble made the skin beneath his flight suit prickle. He’d need to record it in his report.
 As he slowed to maneuvering speed, a bright light illuminated his surroundings. He flinched back as something slammed into the front of the jet, rolled up the nose from the momentum, and came to a stop at the canopy. Ferenc froze as he stared into an equally surprised pair of emerald eyes.
 All the training in the world could never have prepared him for a moment like this. It wasn’t an everyday occurrence for people to fall from the sky, especially when the radars showed there was nothing around him for miles. Usually very level-headed, his brain simply couldn't compute the sight of this woman, soaked platinum-blonde hair whipping wildly about her, watching him with bulging eyes.
 How she miraculously hadn’t splattered like a bug against a windshield was beyond him. His head tilted, his mouth opening—to say what, he had no idea—but a shift in the aircraft pulled his attention back to the larger issue at hand: while distracted by the sudden appearance of the woman, he’d forgotten what he was about to do and had lost control in the turbulence.
 He’d have to worry about the woman later—if he didn’t regain control soon, they’d both be in trouble. He reasoned that if she hadn’t died on impact, she would manage a bit longer. Muscles tense, he slowed his speed as the jet jerked about, his skin going cold as the blood instantly drained from his face and body when the woman slipped from the aircraft.
 As she fell, a large bolt of lightning struck down, briefly illuminating her form . . . and then she disappeared.
 “Shit!”
 “Jazz-Nine-Two? Report.”
 His heart racing, Ferenc tried to chase what he had witnessed from his mind in favor of his current situation. A loud clatter helped hone his focus.
 “Jazz?”
 “Lost control in air pocket.” His undisturbed voice did not once betray the jackhammering of his heart or his concern with the loud rattling. “Maneuvering speed failing.”
 “Copy, Jazz-Nine-Two. Climb and maintain one five thousand.”
 Before he could reply, the aircraft gave a judder, and one of the tail stabilizers tore off, causing the jet to spin out of control through the air. Clenching his jaw, Ferenc pressed a few buttons and flipped some levers, but every time he attempted to slow down to regain control, the aircraft rolled. The only way to straighten it was by increasing his airspeed, which was what had gotten him into this predicament to begin with.
 “Unable.”
 Another flash of lightning evoked fresh images of the woman, and Ferenc desperately tried to blink them away, but quickly found himself drowning. For the first time in forever, he couldn’t think straight; he couldn’t focus in the most critical of moments.
 “All right, Jazz-Nine-Two, amend altitude and report.”
 “Unable, I’m in a spin.” Despite being thankful for the British woman pulling him back to reality, it