Jay Winston glanced cautiously over the cliff to the sheer drop he was about to take into the crashing waves below. He frowned. It was a very long way down. Hell, it even gave him a moment of vertigo, his head spinning at the sight. Alas, the jump had to be made. One of the items was hidden in a cave about twenty kilometres offshore.

He looked out, shading his azure eyes from the sun of this world. Jay hadn’t discovered his name. Hadn’t asked. All he knew was that it was made of mostly water. Some great flood or something. Tayla had made mention on the way here. Jay hadn’t paid that much attention.

He was now standing on one of the few remaining landmasses above the almost planetary-wide ocean. A small stone island – no doubt much bigger underwater – was peaking through the surf. He figured that was where they would be swimming to. The distanced suddenly looked a lot further than it really was . . .

A hand squeezed his shoulder firmly. Jay turned to find Ethan looking over the edge with a slight smile. He could all but see the man’s excitement at the sight of the drop. “Don’t worry,” Ethan said, not bothering to hide the humour in his voice. “It’s a lot further than it looks.”

“Thanks for the support, man,” Jay muttered.

Ethan held out a blue-green gemstone on a small rope. It seemed to have a slight glow around it. “So you don’t drown,” was all the Light-Bender said as an explanation, gesturing to the one around his own neck.

“I’m already dead,” Jay sighed, playing the stone around his neck.

Kay and Tayla could breathe underwater no problem. Their species – Zer and Water-Weaver – either lived underwater or spent enough time there that gills were necessary. Light-Benders and Fae on the other hand . . .

The two women joined them on the edge of the cliff.

“Ready?” Tayla asked, pinning her azure fringe with a few clips.

Jay snorted. “No.”

As much as he enjoyed underwater missions, this was one he wasn’t looking forward to. This time, he wouldn’t be able to take his time, enjoying the feel of the currents – both warm and cold – along his skin. This one they had to rush. Time was of the essence. Still, Jay couldn’t deny he was glad no one had come to try and stop them.

He cursed under his breath at thinking one of the ultimate jinxes. Now shit really would go down.

The group tense as the air around them rippled, the sign of someone zapping into the area. They turned back, finding two people – a man and a woman – dressed in Terpolite clothing.

The woman Jay recognised as a Fae female from her scent, though the pointed ears and canines certainly gave it away when she smiled. Her wine-coloured hair was cut short, falling slightly over her silver eyes and pale face. The female smirked at him. Jay growled an animal’s growl.

The man he recognised as Festus, Leo’s childhood friend. Mainly from the picture Leo had shown him after getting drunk a year or so after Jay joined the Court. The Terpolite man looked identical to the picture with his dark skin, long brown hair, and charcoal eyes.

Kayla looked between them, the cliff, and the group. “Okay, who jinxed it.”

Slowly, Jay raised his hand.

She shot him a dirty look. “Nice one.”

“I didn’t mean to!” he exclaimed.

Kayla huffed, crossing her arms and turning away.

Tayla interrupted their almost argument by addressing the Terpolites. She kept her voice calm. Even. No doubt from spending years dealing with their Queen’s anger issues. The woman certainly knew how to destroy a galaxy – or universe – on a bad day.

“What brings you two here?” Tayla asked.

“Same as you,” the female drawled. She eyed Jay. “I see you have a male with you.” Her slight smile became wicked. “I am Ema. And you are?”

He didn’t answer.

Ema clicked her tongue, disappointed at the lack of an answer. “A pity. Here I was hoping we could be friends and play together. We are Fae, after all.”

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“You work for those who enslaved our kind,” Jay growled, barely able to leash his anger.

“Perhaps you would be up for a race,” Festus said. “First to get the item and escape wins. Looser has to do whatever the winner wants without question.”

Ema grinned at the idea. “I’ll take the male for myself when we’re done.”

Festus rubbed his hands together. “Let the race begin.”

Ethan blinked. “Wait, we never agreed to any–”

The Terpolites jumped from the cliff.

Ethan flinched. “Oh, that’s a problem.”

Without checking the others were following, Jay took a run-up and leaped from the cliff

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Jay was expecting to freeze the moment he hit the water. It had been far from warm while waiting on the cliff, so he expected the water to be colder. Due to that, he was shocked at how warm it was. And was quite sure he hadn’t peed . . .

Kayla, now with a blue-green tail instead of legs, tugged his arm with her webbed hands. She pointed to where Tayla and Ethan were swimming ahead. “Come on,” she said. “Who knows how far ahead the Terpolites are.”

“Right.”

The four swum at a fast but steady pace. Tayla and Ethan led the way with Jay and Kayla close behind. They were aiming for a dark shadow barely visible through the clear water. All the while, the group kept an eye out for Festus and Ema. The Terpolites seemed to have vanished. Jay was beginning to question if they’d actually hit the water–

“Aw, shit,” he said out loud, stopping and swimming upward.

Kayla followed close behind after calling to the others to keep going.

Jay broke the surface, the chilled wind all but turning his skin bluer than Kayla. His eyes scanned the sky. As he feared, there were the two Terpolite figures ahead of them. Flying.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he murmured.

“Do you have a plan?” Kayla asked.

Jay raised his hand, pointing at the Terpolites. “When don’t I have a plan?” He closed his eyes, feeling his power surge. “You know what? Don’t answer that.”

Emerald energy shot from his hand, directed toward the Terpolites. A puff of green smoke in the sky told Jay his shot had hit something. The sight of two figures falling into the ocean told him exactly what it was.

“Right,” he said to Kayla. “Let’s catch up.”

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As the pair approached their companions, jay could make out the sound of fighting. At least, it sounded like fighting. It was hard to tell. Sound was muffled through the water. Jay grabbed Kayla’s hand, bringing her to a halt and dragging her behind a large stone. The two peaked over the top.

Ema and Festus were facing off against Tayla and Ethan. Tayla was holding up much better. Her power came from water. Ethan, on the other hand, was more relying on strength. Light-Benders needed a source of light to use their power and, down here, the sunlight barely reached them. Even so, he was able to hold his own.

Jay didn’t realise he had floated out of his hiding space until Ema looked directly at him. Her eyes narrowed and she growled. He growled right back. Using the rock as a platform, Jay pushed with all his might and tackled Ema to the sand.

She grunted, pushing him off. “What is with you?” she exclaimed, attempting to shake the sand from her hair. “Why are you fighting against me?”

“I’m fighting against you?” Jay laughed. He threw several bolts of energy toward her. “You’re the one trying to stop me from getting the item.

Ema flipped over his attack. “Because you work for that bitch.” She summoned her own power, twinkling lilac energy, and shot it toward his as a beam.

He countered with an emerald shield. “That bitch happens to be my Queen.”

Jay prepared to fire another shot but stopped. It was the look in the female’s eyes. Nothing but rage. For some reason, it bothered him. He wanted to know what was causing it.

“Your Queen got what was coming. She’s locked in a dark room, right where she should be.” Ema said, using her power to pick up a large boulder and throwing it at him.

It was large enough that Jay knew he couldn’t get out of its range. His power morphed into a sword. He counted down, waiting for the boulder to get closer. Closer.

With a push from the ocean floor, Jay leapt at the boulder. With a roar, he used the sword to slice straight through the boulder. Now cut in half, the two sides hit the ground on either side of him, kicking up a cloud of sand and dirt.

Ema was looking around, confused. She couldn’t see! Jay took the opportunity to tackle her again. He placed his hand over the gemstone – the same as the one which let him breathe. “You aren’t dead,” he snarled, holding her down with his other hand. “If I take this away from you, you won’t get to the surface fast enough if I hold you down. You’ll drown.”

For a moment, fear flashed across the female’s eyes.

“Tell me where my Queen is.”

“Your Queen?” Ema laughed despite the position she was in. “You would willingly follow that woman? What for?” Before Jay had any time to answer, she continued. “She has no respect for you, always makes fun of you, and never asks for your input – the rest could be said for the rest of your Court – and you still want to save her. Are you crazy?”

“It’s been suggested.”

Ema placed her hands on his chest, slowly moving them down. “You should join me instead. Help us release the Dark King then, you and me, we can defeat him.” Lower. “I have a friend – a girl with power on par with Amneris’ – who could do it with ease.” Lower. “We could run away. Find somewhere where the War doesn’t exist and stay there.”

The offer was sincere. This female, whoever she was, she really wanted him to go with her–”

A flash of blue. Jay was pushed off Ema as the Fae female went flying. Confused, Jay looked around only for a blue-agree blur to rush past him. “What the – Kayla?!”

Kayla and Ema went rolling in the sand, clawing at each other. Kayla’s fist connected with the female’s face. Between punches she yelled, “Keep your hands off my boyfriend!” Another. “He’s mine!”

Jay grabbed Kayla from behind, pulling her from Ema who was on the verge of unconsciousness. Were they not underwater, he suspected the female would look a lot worse than she currently did.

“Come on,” he said to Kayla, holding her hand. “I doubt she’s going anywhere.”

A reluctant nod.

With one final look at the now-unconscious Ema, Jay pulled Kayla away to catch up with the others.