Iris. Chapter VII

Elder felt a part of him fade away as he left the girl alone with her misunderstood power as her only protection. She’s strong willed and can get through this… he reassured himself. But she’s also naïve and scared…
The second though remained in his mind as he took his seat next to his master.
“Ah, Elder. I must say, a damn good job. Master of the Elements. Imagine what we could use her for!” Use her? The words echoed in his head until they merged together and he could no longer make sense of them. He bowed his head, as he always did when deep in thought.
“I wonder, Master Strider, is it necessary for our war to have an Elements Master?” The man known as Strider craned his neck downwards from his chair, which was much higher than Elder’s, and gave a look of foreboding.
“Exactly what do you mean by that?“ he asked in a voice that questioned his loyalty.
“I am not against our army, my lord. I am merely pointing out we have a number of other creatures that could contribute towards it. The merpeople are useful with the Water element,” he added hoping it would be enough to convince him.
“And die within seconds of exposure to the Earth element,” Strider added, no longer looking at Elder, but at Curaga, who was nervously looking about the crowd.
“I must wonder, Elder, are you trying to protect someone?” Strider muttered, not taking his eyes off Curaga. Elder didn’t answer. He couldn’t remove his eyes from the stadium. His heart was pounding with anxiety. A Master of Elements…Or something else?
“You know the price of treachery, Elder. Don’t forget were your loyalties lie,” Strider spoke quietly. By now neither was looking at the other, both stared only ahead, taking in all that could happen in the next hour. Elder sighed.
“Yes, master,”
“Organisation!” Strider had stood on his large platform and called out to the entire crowd.
“I have brought you here, step by step, to find the perfect army for out battle against the Kingdom…” there was a ripple of jeers as the word “Kingdom” was mentioned. “Today I present to you…An Elements Master!” Simultaneously, every head turned downwards and faced Infinity. She looked fearfully back up again, scratching her arm lightly. Her eyes darted from person to person and for a split second. Their eyes met.
“Release the darkness,” Strider ordered across the stadium to the guards at the doors in his loud strong voice. There was a deafening creak as the door of darkness was opened. The girl standing lonely in the middle of the stadium turned slowly facing her possible doom. The guards disappeared from the scene and she was left in the gaping and seemingly empty space around her.
“And let the battle commence…”