Page 69 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

“Do you really want to do that, boy?” asked Zuri with asmirk.

“I know all about you, hunters. I’ve been trained how to fight you. You don’t want to mess withme.”

Zuri chuckled at the nervousness in the boy’s voice. “I’m sure you have. And I’m sure you would last an entire two, maybe three minutes if you were to attack me. But why would you? I can helpyou.”

“I know what they teach in the academies … how to killelementals.”

Zuri shrugged. “Only the badones.”

“There are no good or bad elementals. Only strong or weak elementals,” the boy said quickly, as if he’d been waiting for someone to say those exact words and he’d practiced his response in amirror.

The hunter rolled her eyes. “Really? Do you even know how cliché you sound rightnow?”

This seemed to take the boy aback. “I’m not … you don’t know … my master is more powerful than you,” he finallystammered.

Zuri raised her eyebrows. “Maybe he is … or sheis.”

“She,” said theboy.

“Why don’t you take me to her? If she is as powerful as you say, I’d love to have a little test of strength against her.” Zuri took a step toward theboy.

He made a squeak of fright and bolted. The wind picked up all around him, pushing him forward to inhuman speeds. He didn’t take flight, which told Zuri he was not all powerful, or simply hadn’t been training long enough to learn how to use his wind power to propel himself to flight. Either way, she knew she could catch himeasily.

But she couldn’t chase him. If she followed the boy, she’d be leaving Jax’s Mark unprotected. And Zuri had given her word she’d protect Tara. Zuri growled at herself.Idiot. I didn’t learn anything from that little punk. Oh, well, back to watching andwaiting.

She climbed back to her spot in the tree and again leaned against the trunk. She patted the limb next to her. “Thank you, young one,” she said to the tree’s spirit. “I appreciate you letting me take shelter here.” Though the tree’s spirit didn’t respond with words, Zuri could feel appreciation coming from within the tree’s trunk. With another glance at Tara’s house, Zuri scanned the surrounding area. Nothing. Wait. She squinted her eyes as she tried to make out what was moving toward her. The creature moved so quickly that it was right in front of her before Zuri could identify it. A woodnymph.

The wood nymph stood on the branch just to the right of where Zuri sat and blinked her big green eyes at her. The nymph was around three inches tall and wore a dress of leaves that reached just below her knees. The nymph’s long, chestnut-colored hair was as wild as the forest she lived in, and on top or her head was a woven band of vine. A royal wood nymphthen.

“Your majesty,” Zuri said softly and bowed her head ever so slightly. “To what do I owe the honor of yourcompany?”

“There was an elementalist in our forest today,” she said. Her voice sounded much older than she appeared. “With him was a femaleMark.”

“Yes, I know of them. That is why I’m here, to protecther.”

“My forest has enjoyed a long time of peace. But their presence brought three acolytes into mykingdom.”

Zuri nodded. “Hmm, to what element did theyascribe?”

“The acolytes represented three of the four dark elemental powers. Thankfully, fire was not in their midst. But they caused an unnatural storm with winds that damaged branches and hail that battered the spring flowers that we’d finally managed to coax out ofslumber.”

Zuri wasn’t exactly sure where the royal wood nymph was going with this information, but she nodded and said, “We are aware and are dealing with thesituation.”

“The Mark is stillundecided.”

Zuri frowned. “What do youmean?”

“She is to be an Earth elementalist. I can see her aura. But half of it is black. There is still a chance that she could turn to theacolytes.”

“Not on my watch,” Zuri said. “I am sorry for the damage that was done to yourforest.”

“It shall be healed,” the wood nymph said. “But if the acolytes come into our forest again, we will be forced to take matters into our ownhands.”

Zuri raised her eyebrows and turned up her palms. “By all means. You must protect your kingdom. Do as you see fit. The acolytes aren’t myresponsibility.”

The nymph stared long at her. “You would stand by while we punishhumans?”

The hunter let out a long sigh. “My patience with humans who have chosen to serve the darkness wanes, your majesty.I’mnot allowed to harm them without provocation. But I cannot control the beings of the forest. Again, the land belongs to you. Protect it how you seefit.”

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