Future to Come

I've spent years in prison, just a little less than half my life. But
there's no prison on any planet that can put me through the hell of the past
two years. Two years since I last saw her face, knew her touch, heard her laugh
or felt my soul burn. It was either her, or our boy. I look across the campfire
at him staring back at me, five years old and already wiser than his old man.
Half Elemental, half Furyan and the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my
life. The first time I held him, wet and crying from the trauma of being born,
I knew I had a new purpose in life. To see that he grows into a man that is
honorable, strong and a survivor.

I motion to him to come over and quickly he obeys. I lift him up on to my lap
and wrap him in blankets and hold him close. I never had a father, I still don't
think I know how to be one. She was supposed to teach me. Like always I follow
my instincts and they tell me to keep him close, keep him warm and well fed
and love him. Because I do, so much. If I'd lost him, that would've been the
end for me. I guess that's the risk you take, and one I was never prepared to
wager in the first place.

Like his mother, he has power. With a wave of his hand the fire extinguishes,
leaving hot embers to keep us warm during the night, but they won't attract
any animals. We'll live in the wilderness for now, until it's safe for us to
go looking for her. This was the only planet left where Elementals still existed
and even then they were few. The Necromongers did a number on them, like they
did with the Furyans, before I could put them down. As it turned out, it was
plain old run of the mill humans that decided that Elementals could be used.
Control over the elements could mean absolute power in the hands of the right
tyrant. That meant taking control of her people.

I only ever met one Furyan in my time, moments before he stepped out for a
nice frying to ashes in 700 degrees of sunlight. I don't want my son to ever
be in my place. I settle my back against the rock face and hold my sleeping
child even closer, tucking his head under my chin. He burrows his face against
my chest and for a moment I revel in the purity of what we mean to each other.
I look out into the dark and see it clearly and know what I've lost. I remember
that last day, when they came upon us, dozens of soldiers. I fought, I killed,
I lost. I would have broken every one of their bodies had her pleas for to me
to take our son and run not penetrated my mind. We were swarmed, my reputation
obviously called for this many to take me down. She compelled me to do it, I
think she somehow forced her way inside my head, and I did what she wanted.
I took him, I ran and that was the end of it. I've never run from any man in
my life and in that moment I hated her. Just when I was starting to give faith
to a God I always hated, the fucker did me over once again.

It wasn't as if I didn't try to go for her, but with the boy needing me, I
couldn't do much. Sometimes I wished I'd never met her, then hate myself for
it, because I love her still, love her more. And god I miss her so much I want
to take my fists to this rock behind my back until my knuckles have been shredded,
but then my son's small fist clutches the fabric of my shirt and I don't move.
I've never felt so fucking helpless in my life. Something's got to give and
soon. Either we'll get off this planet and live without the knowledge of her
fate. I could make us a good life, I'm owed enough favors in every corner of
this galaxy, but something keeps me here. I wrap my arms around the small warm
body of my son and let sleep take me. I always dream of her.

A few weeks later I managed to scope out a ship for us. It's not much, but
it'll get us to where we need to go. Whenever I decide where that is. We don't
have anythingtaketake with us because we never when back to our home. She had
some friends that weren't Elementals that still cared enough to help out, as
long as the government never found out. I appreciate the risk they've taken
and tell them I owe them a favor. They didn't know what became of my mate. I'd
have to learn to live with it. I had a son to raise and a safe haven to do it
in to find.

Like I've said before, I believe in God, but the Elementals don't. At least
not in the kind of God I'm referring to. Their God exists in earth, air, fire
and water. They bend reality to their desires. As I found out, you get enough
Elementals together and they can conjure up a hell of a lot of power and even
get the planet to cooperate. We were saying good-bye to our benefactors when
my son asked me to put him down. When he started to run away I bolted after
him in a sudden panic. He stopped then suddenly and put his palm to the earth.
There was a rumble from deep below and the planet groaned. It stopped me cold.
Then the city in the distance seemed to ignite in a white light so intense I
had to shield my eyes with even the shades on.

When I regained my, my son had run off again. By the time I had caught up to
him he was halfway down into the valley. That kind of stealth had to be a Furyan
trait. I'm a little proud of that. A pick him up and am ready to give him hell
for running away like that, but he points in the direction of the fading light
and says,"Mama..." I had a choice to make then. Either we leave the
planet now and start over. Or we go into the city to find her. He repeats the
call for his mother with more urgency and I find myself heading towards the
city.

There is devastation everywhere, reminding me of how the Necros would leave
dead worlds after their wrath. I hold my son with a hand over his head to protect
him falling debris. People are stunned and scattered, but there are no dead
bodies and that's a shock to me. Then I see them, the Elementals, hundreds of
them coming at me from where ground zero must be. Now I understand. Elementals
calculate and after their capture and enslavement they needed to wait for the
right moment. The Elementals ruled tlanelanet now and relief floods over me.
Despite myself, I can't help but feel a glimmer of hope that she's in the crowd,
coming back to me. There's a tug at my pant leg and I turn around to see what's
there. It's a child, only a year or so old. She's looking at me with her mother's
eyes. I bend down to one knee and she holds her arms out for me to pick her
up too. I beckon her closer and to my amazement she phases out in a plume of
smoke and then I have her. This one is of Air.

"It's difficult to keep on top of her when she glides away from me like
that, but she saw you and I've been telling her all about you...she knew who
you were, I didn't even have to tell her." My mate's words come out in
a rush and I can feel her body vibrate with excitement. Taking my daughter in
my other arm I stand and there my woman is in front of me. I can't seem to move
then, or breath for thatter.ter. She crosses the divide between us, casting
a warm, loving look to our son. She kisses him first and I pass him to her.
They cleave to each other and my heart aches from the joy of it. She stands
up on the tips of her toes and our lips meet. I open my mouth and taste her
and pull her in deep. I think I must have died and gone to Heaven. Didn't think
the big guy would've let me in. The moment is broken by my daughter's palm playfully
smackingfaceface and she giggles when I turn and smile at her. There's no doubt
she's mine and not the product of a vicious attack during my mate's inprisonment.
I love her already. "Take us home, Richard," my lady asks and I oblige.

Besides heavy layers of dust and the mess from when the soldiers first came,
our home is unchanged. On the journey here, she explained what had happened
once the Elementals were gathered in their prison. It alme dme down to timing,
the conjunction of the stars and planets and the combined powers of earth, air,
fire and water. She tells me about how I'd taught her to survive and how all
she had to do to make it from one moment to the next was to think of me. I can
tell there's some dark places she's been inside her head that she might be able
to tell me someday and I feel sick thinking of what she must have endured. She
didn't even know yet that she was yingying another child when they took her,
but my daughter seems no worse for wear for having been born in the slam.

The children sleep nearby, under my watchful eye. I have my woman in my bed
again, in my arms and we're moving together with restrained and quiet urgency.
She looks me in the eyes and sees herself reflected and smiles and despite my
brooding nature I smile back. Afterwards she wraps her arms and legs around
me, keeping me heavy on top of her.

"I've seen more of the future," she whispers in my ear,"We've
just made another child, this one of earth. And there'll be another some day,
of water and then the corners will be filled and the Furyan race will begin
again. There are more out there in the universe and we can call them to this
new home. Our children will bring about a new age." That's a pretty heavy
head trip to lay on a guy all at once. I don't give a shit about prophecies
and building up a new race or empire. She's full of too many damn portents.
I'll care about it later. Right now I just want to make love to my woman for
a few more hours.