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  CLAIMING FLAME

  ELEMENTUM GENUS

  BOOK 1

  DESI LIN

  COVEY PUBLISHING

  CLAIMING FLAME: ELEMENTUM GENUS BOOK 1

  COVEY PUBLISHING, LLC

  Published by Covey Publishing, LLC

  PO Box 550219, Gastonia, NC 28055-0219

  Copyright © 2017 by Deni Lin

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design Copyright © 2017 Covey

  Book Design by Covey, www.coveypublishing.com

  Copy Editing by Covey Publishing, LLC

  Printed in the United States of America.

  ISBN: 978-1-948185-30-1

  First Printing, 2017

  Also by Desi Lin

  Elementum Genus

  Claiming Flame

  DEDICATED

  Dedicated to my mom, Carol – For always believing I could do anything I set my mind to- Except drink without a straw.

  A Special Thanks

  In the fourth grade, my teacher encouraged me to write, telling me he saw real talent in me. I adored stories and was an avid reader, so it seemed natural to follow his advice. Writing became my escape, my coping mechanism to deal with the bullying I suffered. I never believed I could share my work with anyone and for the longest time, I didn’t.

  Then one day I stumbled upon a new author and a style of story, the reverse harem. Once I was done devouring the available books, I went looking for more information. What I found was a special group of birds (and a couple dogs) who took me under their wing. They saw talent and they nurtured it. They encouraged and advised. More, though, they were simply there when I needed them. I’ve made best friends and gained a support group for life. They’ve been my shoulder to cry on, my faith in myself, and my courage to put myself out there. Too numerous to name individually, they know who they are.

  Every author needs those who keep her on task, ensure the story makes sense, and be there to hold her hand or hash things out when characters go awry. Those whose belief in her helps her believe in herself. Kiersten, HK, Amanda and Lyn. I couldn’t have gotten here without them

  Without these people, this book wouldn’t be in front of you. For that, I owe them more than I could ever repay, but I’m hoping they accept a simple

  THANK YOU.

  Table of Contents

  Glossary

  Mythos

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Glossary

  The Elementum are a society living within our own. They are as old as we are and as such, developed in ways unique to them. Here you will find a reference for the terms used throughout this story.

  Ventis – Person with control of air element

  Ignis – Person with control of fire element

  Terra – Person with control of earth element

  Aqua – Person with control of water element

  Genus – Group of Elementum whose abilities are strongest together. One element per Genus is the norm.

  Iunctura – Joining of Elementum abilities into a Genus

  Foederis – when an Iunctura is broken

  Sapientes/Sage – Elder Elementum who serve as leaders and advisors

  Concilium Maximus – Grand Council. One Sapientes from each Concilium sits on this Concilium. These are the overall leaders of the Elementum.

  Tabularium – the Elementum library and archives. One archive is located in each major metropolitan area that is home to Elementum.

  Ad Aetatum – Coming of Age for an Elementum child. Takes place at eighteen. This is the first time an Iunctura can occur. This is a big deal in the Elementum world.

  Lex – Elementum Police

  Scholae – Headmaster of the Illustratio Academy.

  Quintus – Slang term for the fifth Elementum, supposedly just a myth.

  Millenia ago, back in the world’s infancy, humans rose to dominance. Like toddlers they were arrogant, and in their arrogance, they believed themselves above nature and the rules by which the world functioned. They came together first in clans, then in tribes. They pushed the boundaries of the world, until they no longer considered themselves as a part of it but rather as the rulers of it. They created civilizations, the beginnings of villages and towns, not once stopping to consider their impact on the world around them.

  From these beginnings came The First. Their love and respect of nature captured the attention of The Mother herself. She watched them as they walked the hills and valleys, watched them care for the land, as others no longer did. She peered into their hearts, searched the deepest recesses of their souls and found only love and joy for nature. The Mother decided to test them, so she came to each in turn.

  She found the first near a burning mountain, hand outstretched and face filled with longing. She watched as the fingers grazed the boiling red liquid, as the hand snapped back to its owner, tear filled eyes the only sign of pain. She disguised herself as an old man, storming onto the mountain and raging about the dangers, how they should seal off the mountain. Instead of agreement, she received pleas for understanding and ideas for how they could live safely in harmony with the burning mountain. The Mother smiled as her disguise melted away. For the love and care shown to fiery mountain, she granted the gift of fire manipulation. Thus, the first Ignis was born.

  The next she found near a raging river. Disguised once again, she created the illusion that she worked on blocking up the river. When horrified shouts came at her to stop she ignored them, carrying on. Words flew at her, lectures on the harmony of the river, the life teeming inside it, the damage would be caused even as the blockage was torn apart with bare hands until they bled. The Mother caught up the bleeding hands as her disguise melted, healing them as the granted the gift of water manipulation. Thus, the first Aqua was born.

  The third she found perched among branches of a tree. With her disguise in place, she began chopping down a nearby tree, one of the oldest in the forest, with branches reaching high into the sky and a trunk wider than three men abreast. The strike of the ax against the tree rang out several times before a hand yanked the ax from her. Gentle words told her to look at the tree she chose, to choose one more appropriate to her needs but to leave the ancient ones. The Mother’s disguise melted, and she granted the gift of earth manipulation. Thus, the first Terra was born.

  The last she found in a field, twirling in the blowing wind. She fixed her disguise in place and stomped across the field, hands gripping tight to a hat threatening to leave her head. She grumbled loudly about the wind, but a hand stopped her. Words taught her about the benefits of the wind, all the good it did for nature and for people. The Mother melted her disguise and granted the power of wind manipulation. Thus, the first Ventis
was born.

  And The Mother smiled upon them, granted them her blessings and good fortune and bade them go and sow harmony between the people and nature.

  —Creation Myth

  Though the Creation Myth supposedly tells of how the Elementum came to be, no one truly knows the beginnings. We do know as long as humans have existed, the Elementum have existed beside them. Tales of The First are abundant, though our knowledge of them is lacking. Historical documents prove they once existed, but do not provide truths of their origins. The main thing to understand is The First are the founders of our society. They created the laws, rituals, and structures of the society by which we live. They established the first Illustratio Conservatory as a safe place for Elementum children to learn about themselves. It still stands in its original place near Rome. They also altered the language of their time to serve our needs. Even today, we still live by the same structure, use the same words, and perform the same rituals. Though The First did little in regards to their supposed charge from The Mother, they set up future generations to live in safety and harmony, not only with nature but also with the realities of the societies developing around them.

  Excerpt from “Shaping History: The Elementum Effect”

  CHAPTER ONE

  There is something to be said for changing schools, and states, every year since the age of five. Know what it is?

  It sucks.

  Seriously, I didn’t know whose brilliant mind decided I needed to swap schools from year to year, but if I ever found out, I might be inclined to set their hair on fire. They failed to understand what if felt like to be the new girl all the time. Being new all the time held nothing next to being a ward of the Concilium Maximus, the grand council, ruling body of all Elementum worldwide. Luckily, I only dealt with one on a regular basis, Maybelle Washington. According to the human government, she was my legal guardian. I liked May. For an old lady, I thought her to be damn cool, but her pleas failed to get the stupid Concilium to stop shipping me off to a new school every year.

  It wasn’t always this way. According to May, for the first couple years I stayed with one foster family. Around the time I turned five, my foster mom got pregnant. They told the Concilium they couldn’t care for their own child and me. The Concilium failed to find another foster family, and from that point on, my permanent home became the various Illustratio Conservatories around the country.

  Now, like so many times before, I found myself standing in the darkened hall of another Illustratio Conservatory, this time in Marysville. I listen, popping bubbles and rolling my eyes, as they give me the same stupid, boring speech given to me every single year, from every single Scholae, of every single Conservatory. The low buzz of the fluorescent light overhead filled the nearly silent hall and offered a blessed distraction to the dull drone of Scholae Jones’ voice going over rules I memorized long ago.

  “Curfew is eight o’clock sharp. No leaving the dorms after and lights out at eleven. We aren’t stupid enough to believe you kids listen, which means we conduct a bed check at one and again at three. The consequence of missing a bed check and subsequent discipline lists are posted in all common rooms. Since you are only seventeen you’ll be attending the last year secondary courses with other incomplete Genus and individuals.”

  Whoa, wait a minute.

  “Say what?” I interrupted. “Other incomplete Genus’?” At fourteen, an Elementum graduated from the Primary courses to the Secondary courses. The Secondary courses helped prepare you for Iunctura, the bond between a Genus, teaching you everything you needed to know. Since an Iunctura couldn’t occur until eighteen, the older kids usually took separate classes from the rest of the students. I turned eighteen in less than a month. I should be in the last year classes with others on the verge of possible Iunctura, but my previous conservatory refused to advance me due to disciplinary issues. I made their life hell and enjoyed every minute.

  “Yes. It’s standard practice for all incomplete Genus groupings to take most of their courses with others who’ve not experienced Iunctura. It’s the best way to ensure a complete Genus forms.”

  “Fucking wonderful,” I muttered. I hoped the unbonded last years would be separated from the Genus groupings, complete or not. Fortunately, dull-as-dishwater Jones didn’t catch my grumble and continued his monotonous drone. I let my eyes, and mind, wander.

  As high school hallways went, I stood in a pretty standard version of one. Crappy, ugly linoleum on the floors, walls with white on top and a pukey yellow color, someone must mistakenly believe appeared golden, on the bottom. No lockers lined the halls to hide the bad paint job, since we didn’t need them. All the classrooms held copies of the textbooks, and every student got assigned an e-reader with the textbooks downloaded. Some owned their own tablets of course, like me. I wouldn’t own one, except May surprised me with it last Christmas.

  A variety of posters lined the wall screaming about everything from club meetings to the next school dance. Kelly green doors lined the hall at regular intervals, and under our feet, a hideous yellow circle containing an equally ugly green man on horseback proudly advertised our school mascot, the crusader. I never possessed less school spirit than I did while that ugly thing stared up at me.

  “Alright, then.” Since Jones sounded like he might finally be winding down, I forced myself to tune back in. “I think that’s everything. Follow me, and we’ll get you settled in the Ignis dorm.” Jones turned more gracefully than I believed a man of his size would be capable of. It made me wonder if he might be an Aqua, a water Elementum. It made a certain amount of sense. He did kind of remind me of a walrus, overly rotund in the middle, waddling walk, bald, and gross, brown mustache hanging limply under his nose. I snickered at the mental image, smiling innocently when Jones shot me a questioning glance over his shoulder. I followed him out the glass double doors at the other end of the hall. They led to the courtyard areas and the dorms.

  The moment we stepped out into the chilling air of January in Washington, gratefulness for the cropped, black leather jacket I wore swept through me. One of my few indulgences, I wrapped it around me, tucking my hands into the pockets while wishing for the beanie packed away in my luggage. I didn’t bother checking out my surroundings or saying anything as I followed Jones.

  I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be anywhere but here but my little vacation from school couldn’t be extended anymore. Maybelle managed to get me a reprieve during the Christmas break, but break ended tomorrow. I didn’t normally change schools in the middle of the year. Unfortunately for me, the last one didn’t appreciate my efforts to liven things up, and I was told not to return after the holiday. I think the hog run through the hallways pushed things a bit too far. Really, though, I needed some entertainment. There was not a lot to do in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere Nebraska.

  Despite keeping my gaze fixed firmly ahead, I knew at least a dozen pairs of eyes turned my direction as we walked into the Ignis dorm. I took a quick glance around as we moved through the common room. It appeared the same as all the others I stayed in. Wood floors, beige walls, decent sized tv, a couple different game systems, older couches, but clean and in good repair, stacks of little side tables, a couple small, round dining tables and chairs, bar counter with stools to one side, and a bunch of little kids staring at me. No doubt wondering at the teenager in their midst.

  Most kids at Illustratio lived nearby, which meant the school bused them in daily or their parents dropped them off. Some lived a bit too far to be bused in, and they stayed in the dorms during the week. More commonly, the elementary kids used the dorms when their parents went out of town. Illustratio Marysville made my thirteenth school, and I had yet to meet another permanent resident, one more thing to make me stick out among my peers.

  I ignored the frantic whispering, which started the second we went down the hall. Jones flung open the first dark wood door he came to and gestured for me to walk in.

  “We set this room up for your stay. One o
f the girls’ monitors will be with you shortly. Your schedule and a school map should be on the desk.” Jones didn’t bother to enter the room behind me as he spoke in a monotone. He speared me with a stern glare, or at least I hoped he aimed for stern and not constipated, before continuing, “How about we try to make the next few months a bit quieter than your last school, Miss Embers?” I restrained myself from sticking my tongue out until after the walrus turned and left.

  I swung the door shut, letting it close with a satisfyingly loud thud as I rolled my eyes. I stripped off my leather jacket and took in my new digs. The wall opposite the door held a window topped by mini blinds with a simple desk beneath and a tall bookshelf. To the right of the entry, a dresser squatted between two more doors holding a tv. A twin bed with a disgustingly cute flower and rainbow comforter, which would be replaced as soon as I unpacked, sat opposite the dresser, a plain white nightstand and alarm clock beside it. To my surprise, an overstuffed, red armchair sat in the corner closest to the door. Next to it sat a small, round side table and a tall, black iron lamp. Overall, it created a nice place to read. I found my bags in the middle of the room and skirted around them to check out where the other doors led. They turned out to be the closet and, glory of glories, my own bathroom. Small, yes, but it held all the necessary requirements: toilet, sink, and shower.

  I went back to the closet and hung up my jacket as the door swung open again. The woman who lumbered in barely made it without hitting her head on the top of the doorjamb. At least six feet tall, she towered over me. Her arms crossed over a massive bosom, cold, brown eyes glaring at me. With her severe, steel-gray attire and stern, glaring countenance she reminded of a prison warden.