Chapter Five
Mother Nature and the Generals decided to split up. It would be faster, since only Ash and Jack could ride the wind and Mother Nature could run faster than any other spirit. So Ash and Jack took to the skies, Mother Nature ran ahead and Sunny and Lila used their network of plants to travel to the Nature Palace.
It was a huge thing made of a type of stone not found on Earth. It sat in the center of the Earth's core and only Emily Jane and the Generals could access it. You'd think that Jack, Ash and Lila wouldn't be able to stand the extreme temperatures of the magma surrounding the Palace, but the passageway that led to it as well as the Palace itself were always kept at a suitable temperature, just warm enough for Lila, Sunny and Ash and cool enough that Jack was comfortable, as well.
This is where they met up again, hours later. Mother Nature was already there when Ash and Jack flew in, and Lila and Sunny emerged from the tunnel a few hours after them. They all walked up to Mother Nature's globe room.
It was a lot different from the one at Santoff Clausen. There were two globes instead of one, and they didn't show lights that represented children. One of them showed the world as it was at that moment, the temperatures, climates and weather patterns that covered the world. The second showed the exact same thing, except instead of showing how the world was, it showed how the world was supposed to be.
These two globes allowed Mother Nature to do her job, they enabled her to give specific instructions to the Generals, who then relayed them to the elementals. When they got to the globe room, Mother Nature went to stand beside the globes and the Generals perched around the room.
"We have much work to do," Mother Nature said. "Without our guidance, the elementals have wreaked havoc on the poor planet."
The globe that showed how the world was at the present was a mess of reds and oranges and yellows, colors that represented heat. The other globe had less warm colors and more blues and whites, especially in regions that were supposed to be experiencing winter.
"God, Jack," Lila said, "you have a lot of work to do."
Jack snorted from where he was sitting on top of his staff. "No offense to you guys, but the elementals are idiots."
"You're telling us," Ash said. "We're the ones who have to work with them."
"Ash, Jack," Mother Nature chided. "It isn't their fault. They don't have access to the globe and have no idea what the planet needs. That's why they need us. Now, you four have a lot of work. I need you to call a meeting. I want all of the elementals to come."
"What about Elliot and John?" Sunny asked.
"I don't expect them to show up," Mother Nature replied. "I will personally be searching for them while you four fix the elementals' mess."
"Awesome," Lila said, rolling her eyes. "Alright, Mother. What do you need us to do?"
"Call the meeting and divide the elementals into their seasonal armies. Lila, you and the Spring Army will be on damage control. I need you to get rid of all of the extra growth that sprung up and control the flora and fauna until Jack is finished with his work."
"Got it," Lila said.
"Ash, you and the Autumn Army will be working on preparing the winter regions for winter. I need leaves off of trees and animals in hibernation. Jack, you will go with Ash and his army. After they've finished prepping for winter, I'll need you to bring the snow, ice and whatever else that place needs."
Ash and Jack both nodded.
"What about me?" Sunny asked.
"Sunny, I need you to gather the summer troops and split them up. Have those that can help Lila go with her troops and those that could aid Ash go with him and Jack. Those that are only summer spirits should stay out of the way and not do anything unless you tell them otherwise, got it?"
Sunny nodded.
"Who's going to stay here if you're going out to look for Elliot and John?" Jack asked.
"Sunny will," Mother Nature said. "Alright, all of you have your assignments, so get to it. And be careful. Elliot and John are planning something."
"We thought so," Sunny said, exchanging looks with Ash.
"We'll be fine, Mom," Jack said. Mother Nature smiled.
"I know you will be, because you'll have your elder brother to watch out for you, right, Ash?" she raised a single eyebrow at the autumn sprite, a silent command and threat all rolled up into one. Ash nodded and slung an arm around Jack's shoulders.
"He'll be fine," he said. "I won't let anything happen to him."
"Good. Now, go."
The four spirits called out quick goodbyes and hurried out of the tunnel, hitting the button that summoned the elementals on the way out. Mother Nature sighed and crossed her slender fingers. She wasn't superstitious, but sometimes she felt they needed just a little bit of luck.
… oO()Oo …
Jack and Ash sped through the sky, hurrying to the meeting point as fast as the wind could fly them. Way below them and much behind them Lila and Sunny were heading to the meeting place, as well.
The closer they got to the elementals' meeting place, the more spirits they came across. Ash and Jack passed many spirits heading to Mount Everest on foot, and a few riding the wind like they were. The two Generals weren't the first ones there. There were already at least a dozen spirits gathered around the base of the mountain when they got there.
"Jack, why don't you start the meeting and I'll wait out here for the others to come," Ash said. "I think we're just waiting for Sunny and Lila."
They both knew what he was doing. He was giving Jack the option to tell the elementals himself of what had happened to him or not tell them. Jack flashed his brother a grateful smile and walked up to the mountain. He placed his palm on the rough rock and pushed his power out.
A thin sheet of ice spread around his hand, only to be absorbed by the rock a moment later. He stepped back as a doorway etched itself into the mountain, the rock crumbling to dust and leaving the opening to a tunnel where solid stone had been moments before.
Jack led the way into the tunnel, the elementals following behind him silently. After a minute or two of walking, they came upon a huge cavern hollowed out of the mountain. Jack flew over to a large , flat lump of stone in the center of the cavern that was raised high above the ground. He landed and watched as the elementals filed in.
Jack raised his staff and the room grew silent, the spirits watching him expectantly.
"Okay, guys," Jack began, "I know that we haven't exactly been Generals of the Year, and I'm sorry for that. We had a little… situation to deal with, but everything's cool now. The planet's a little bit out of whack, and the other Generals and I are gonna need your help to fix it."
A tall elemental near the front raised her hand and Jack nodded, indicating that she could speak.
"What do you mean by 'situation'?" she asked. Jack sighed internally, but answered anyway.
"I meant we had to deal with a traitor," he said. Gasps echoed loudly around the room and Jack could hear whispering all around him. "The spirits called Elliot Burns and John Haze have committed treason and attacked a General. They are being found and dealt with as we speak, but I urge you to try and catch them if you see them while on assignment, and for the love of God, don't listen to anything they have to say."
More hands were raised, but Jack ignored them. Ash, Lila and Sunny emerged from the tunnel, unnoticed by the elementals. They climbed up next to Jack and glared out over the crowd, which went silent instantly.
"Mother Nature has a huge job for us to do," Lila said, looking out over the crowd. "We'll all need to pitch in, so we need you to get into your armies."
Instantly, the elementals started moving, pushing past each other to stand with their group. After a few minutes of chaos, there were three groups of elementals standing in front of the makeshift stage.
"Okay," Sunny said, stepping forward. "Spring elementals, your job is to get rid of extra growth and keep the animals in check until Jack's done bringing winter." The spring army nodded and Sunny turned to the autumn elementals. "You will be preparing for winter. Mother Nature needs leaves off of trees, animals in hibernation and the plants prepared for the snow."
"What about us?" one of the summer spirits called out.
"You will split into three groups," Sunny said. "Those who are also spring will go with General Lila, those who are autumn will go with General Ash and those who are only summer will come with me. Everyone understand what needs to be done?"
The spirits all nodded and Sunny smiled in satisfaction.
"Then let's move out."
There was a flurry of commotion as all of the spirits flooded out of the tunnel all at once. The Generals followed last, making sure that no stragglers were left behind. Once everyone was out in the open, they split into their three groups. Sunny headed back to the Nature Palace with her summer elementals, Lila sped off with her spring army and Jack and Ash led the autumn spirits to the first place on the globe, the wind whispering in their ears Mother Nature's instructions.
… oO()Oo …
Mother Nature waited until Sunny came back to leave on her search for Elliot and John. She gave the General a quick crash course on how to direct the spirits, then headed out. The clouds around her were dark with muted anger and nervousness.
The first thing she did was use the underground system of roots to search the globe for any sign of either spirit. She didn't find anything, which meant one of two things. Either John and Elliot had died, which was unlikely, or they were somewhere without any roots, which was equally unlikely.
Still, the second option was less crazy than the first; only Mother Nature or a stronger spirit could kill another spirit, and while John was probably one of the weakest elementals out there, there were only a few spirits more powerful than Elliot.
So, Mother Nature adjusted her search. Instead of using the root network to search for signs of the traitorous spirits, she spread her awareness and tried to sense any anomalies that might give her a clue as to the whereabouts of either one.
Her brow furrowed when she got to the United States. Smack in the middle of Arkansas was something she had never come across before in her life: a lack of receptors. The roots that allowed her to feel the planet were gone, leaving a circle exactly a mile wide with no life at all.
It was undoubtedly Elliot. No other spirit would know how to do this, nor would they want to. Mother Nature stood up from her crouch, tiny clouds around her almost completely black, as they always were when she thought about Elliot.
Without further ado, she took off, running across the barren ground at a speed unmatchable by any natural force. She worried about what she would find when she got there, but she had to know what Elliot was planning that required him to completely kill a part of her planet.
"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into, Elliot," she muttered angrily, "because you sure as hell aren't getting out in one piece."