The formality of the silence leaves me cringing at my lack of etiquette. Nailing the “speak not least spoken to” part, though. Good job, me.

Fire intrigues me the most. I predicted him to be unkempt, unruly, and unequivocally volatile, but he’s the opposite. He sits slumped in his chair, directly contradicting his perfectly groomed appearance. Dude is fire bereft.

Earth makes up for Fire’s lackluster personality, holding onto the arms of his chair as if bracing for unavoidable impact. I hear the material cracking under the force of his constricting strength. Wound a tad tight, this one.

Air remains silent, staring at me with a suspiciously youthful face hidden behind long strands of silver hair. Her lips curl into a slow, deliberate smile when she realizes I’m looking at her. It’s neither friendly nor fierce.

I figured Air would function as ambassador, but Water takes the lead. He steps away from the table with grace. I feel nothing from him. No emotions. My heightened sense of smell has also disappeared. They must be masked somehow. Barry has some shield throwing competition.

“Sheelin welcomes you,” Water greets me. “My name is Murphy Driscoll.” He points to Air. “Asteria Guthrie.”

“And I’m Tyler Carroll,” Earth relays stiffly, not waiting his turn. Pushy lad.

The normality of naming conventions confuses me. Why bother? Do I really need their names before we get down to business? Seriously, we can skip the pleasantries. I don’t even intend to ask why they’ve brought me there. I know exactly why. They’re snuffing out my fire. Introductions won’t change that. I’m not exerting effort to remember their names, either.

“Can we skip all the garbage talk and just get this over with?”

Regrets? I have a few. Omitted goodbyes are a big one. Chances are high I’m not walking out of here. Extinguishing my fire will require a total depletion of the source. Bright side: dying means the protection of those I care about most, along with the millions of souls I’ve yet to meet. Worth it. Super sucks, but still worth it.

“Fire elementals are forever in a rush,” Water muses.

“I’m not a fire elemental.”

“Also argumentative,” he adds.

I look over to Fire. Yeah, no. Wrong on both counts, Water. “Yours is burnt out.”

Fire doesn’t even glorify me with an eye roll. He doesn’t look at me at all. Sort of want to poke him, if I’m honest. See if he budges.

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“Would it cheer you up if you got to be the one to do it?”

He lifts a brow, but that’s the most response he’s capable of.

Water steps closer. “What, dear Sheyla, are you expecting us to do to you?”

I stare him straight in the eyes. Well, I would if his eyes were real. They’re the same cloudy white the Keanes get when using their powers. “Naturally, that you’re extinguishing me.”

He takes another step toward me. I cautiously take a step back. Not gonna lie, might’ve peed my pants the tiniest bit for real this time. Fear is a hard thing to hide. Just because I accept my fate doesn’t negate the fear. Will my death be painful? Quick? Fingers crossed, it’s quick.

Water furrows his brow, my assumption inconceivable. I’m on this hill with no armor. Short of my emotion reading for backup, my volcano is restless. It may just erupt before they plug it.

Instead of calming or confirming my fears, Water addresses Brody. “What did you tell her?”

“You’d know the answer to that question if he hadn’t been blocking their sight,” Earth states bitterly. He being Barry with his magical inhibitor. Their being the Writers, Readers, and Archives with their premonition sight garbage.

“It’s the unknown that has us all curious, Sheyla,” Air informs me. “It’s the same thing that’s kept you safe from them.”

“From you,” Barry deflects. “Not us.”

“She has nothing to fear from us,” Earth spits. Standing from his seat, he makes his way toward us. His steps are far from fluid. They vibrate the floor beneath me.

Fire remains immobile in his throne, enigmatically disinterested in the escalating conversation.

“Brody, can you please escort Barry to the departure room?” Water’s voice is void of threat, but Brody flinches.

I straighten my shoulders. “You’re letting him go?”

Water’s eyes widen. “Unless you’d like him to stay?”

Earth cracks his knuckles. Guess abusing joints isn’t exclusive to Brody. Maybe they teach it in Sentry School. “I’d like him to stay.”

“N-no,” I stammer.

I mean, part of me would like his continued support here, but I need to stand on my own. If they’re offering to send him back, it’s best that happens before I meet the firing squad. I’m not opting out of at least one goodbye. “Can I have a moment?” I murmur.

“I don’t see the point, but you may proceed,” Water agrees dispassionately.

Hearing the shifting of rock again, I turn to find Barry standing with Brody by the door. “You’re coming back, right?” I ask Brody.

He looks to Earth for approval. Earth nods. My relief is immediate. Despite Brody acting weird, weird is superior to being alone in a room full of strangers.

I grab for Barry’s neck, but it’s just out of reach. He grins and pulls me up so I can finish the job of hugging him.

“Think they’ll let you go?” he whispers.

“Of course they will,” I lie. “They’ll get bored of me soon enough. Delightful company, I am not.”

His eyes glisten. “What should I tell Derry?”

Seems I’m not the only one who doesn’t trust the Tribunal not to hurt me. I am, however, the only one who wants them to. “Tell him...” My fire pokes at my heart, piercing cinders as it tries to stoke the flame. “Tell him he’ll always be my knight, even if his armor doesn’t shine.”

Does Derry know how much he means to me? If I regret one thing, it’s holding onto my anger. Water was wrong. Fire elementals aren’t forever in a rush. Sometimes, they wait too long. I waited too long to truly forgive Derry. One last hard lesson.

“Don’t believe anything they say,” Barry warns, setting me back on my feet. He kisses me on the cheek, then Brody leads him from the room. I leave my back to the Tribunal. With any luck, they’ll finish me off while I can’t see it coming.