Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

Chapter Nine

Ella walked out into the meadow. She hadn't been able to find Ermac anywhere and had decided to check out here as a last resort. Not seeing him in the meadow she let out a frustrated sigh.

'Where could he be,' she thought to herself. Hearing a noise behind her, she turned to see Ermac standing there.

"Oh, Ermac! I've been looking for you." Ermac didn't answer. He instead began walking slowly towards her.

"Um, Ermac, what are you do—" she cut off and ducked as his fist came at her face. Coming up, she threw a punch back at him. Bringing up his arm, Ermac blocked her punch and redirected it so it went harmlessly past his head. Spinning around, she kicked him square in the stomach, knocking him backwards. He caught his balance, flipped, and landed in a crouch a few feet away. Without warning he threw a broken limb from a nearby tree at her with his telekinesis. Ella ducked under the flying branch and came up just in time to see a flash of metal. She jumped out of the way as Ermac's axe sliced through the air where she'd been moments before.

'Well this isn't very fair,' she thought as she jumped over the axe as it was swung in a low sweep at her ankles. She kicked at his chest but he blocked it with the broad side of his axe. She used the momentum of the kick to push off the axe and land on her feet. Ermac swung the axe again, this time aiming for her torso. Sidestepping his attack, Ella jumped forward and caught him in the jaw with her fist. The blow caught him off guard and he lost his balance, falling backwards. Walking over to him, Ella was taken by surprise when his leg shot out and knocked her feet out from under her.

"Ow," she said as she hit the ground. Ermac jumped up in the air and came down with his axe aimed straight at her head.

"Crap," she said as she held up her hands without thinking. A long wooden staff with a pointed, green jewel on the end of it appeared in her hands. With a clang, the staff stopped the axe as if it were made of metal and not wood. Using this turn of events to her advantage, Ella kicked Ermac in the chest, causing him to fly over her head and land behind her. They were up on their feet at the same time, circling each other. In one swift motion Ella knocked Ermac's feet out from under him and had the sharp end of the staff at his throat.

"That was very good. You beat us," he said as he sat up. Ella stood there examining the staff in her hands.

"Where did this come from," she asked.

"We imagine you summoned it. This means you have finally unlocked your elemental magic."

"My what?"

"You are an elemental. As is your sister and your friend. From the look of things, it appears that your element is earth."

"So this is why you wouldn't teach me telekinesis," she asked. Ermac nodded. Ella was about to ask more when she noticed a sharp pain in her leg. Looking down, she saw that her leg had a long horizontal cut running along the calf. Blood was already running down her leg to stain her sock a bright red.

'How did I not notice,' she thought in surprise. She looked up to see Ermac staring at her leg.

"You are hurt," he said in surprise.

"Oh, it's nothing," Ella said as she tried to brush it off. In truth it hurt quite a bit. Before she could say any more she felt a hand wrap around her ankle. She looked down to see Ermac examining the cut on her leg.

"It's really not that bad," she protested. He ignored her, however, and continued looking at her leg. It surprised her at how careful he was being. His touch was so light it was almost as if he wasn't touching her at all, and Ella found herself blushing at her thoughts.

"It is not that deep but you should bandage it up all the same," Ermac said as he looked up at her.

"Okay," she said as she started to walk off, or rather, tried to walk off. She stopped when she noticed that Ermac's hand was still around her ankle. Looking down she found that he was still staring at her. Ella didn't quite know what it was, but something in Ermac's gaze froze her in place. She didn't know how long they stared at each other before she was able to get her voice back.

"Um… Ermac? We should probably go back to the house." He blinked, as if coming out of a trance, and stood up.

"You are right. Let us go," he said as he walked off. Ella stood there a moment longer, watching his retreating figure.

'What the heck was that?'

Author's note: Enjoy!