Elemental

*This article is about the novel written by Whitney Hill. You may be looking for Elementals, a species that is part of Otherside.*

## Elemental

### Published on

April 2, 2020 (e-book)
June 23, 2020 (physical book)
January 22, 2023 (audiobook)

### Publisher

Benu Media

***Elemental*** is the first novel in the *Shadows of Otherside* series, written by Whitney Hill.

## Blurb

**Enter an urban fantasy world where elves, vampires, weres, djinn, and others maintain a precarious balance of power in North Carolina. Welcome to Otherside.**

Private investigator and sylph Arden Finch is determined to come out of the shadows and practice her forbidden magic. There’s just one problem: the elves have a bounty on elementals like her.

When an elf hires Arden without realizing what she is, she seizes the chance to gain leverage in the dangerous world of Otherside⁠—even if it means risking exposure. But as the case grows more perilous, Arden draws the attention of the region’s deadliest power players*.*

## Plot

Arden Finch, an elemental living undercover as a human and supporting herself as a private investigator, sneaks into Verve Health Solutions, a local mundane startup that has hired her to test its security. Her boss, Triangle power broker and former guardian, Callista, has her own interest in Verve; she's tasked Arden with bugging the office.

Arden is resentful towards this request. Callista has been asking more of Arden - including using her magic for Callista's ends. Having raised her, Callista is one of the few who know of Arden's abilities as a sylph, with power over air, and has taught her to keep it shielded. She uses this information against Arden, keeping her afraid of the elves who hunt her kind and life without Callista's protection.

Back at her office, a knock at the door brings a potential client--a powerful elf, Leith Sequoyah. He wants Arden to investigate the recent disappearance of his grandmother, Sybil Sequoyah. Arden, terrified of revealing herself, is suspicious. Elves do not seek outside help - why is Leith coming to a seemingly-human PI? Moreover, she surmises that Sybil is Queen of House Sequoyah, making the stakes incredibly high. Arden feels the presence of Aether and assumes it's Leith pressuring her to accept. While her magic would allow her to resist, doing so would blow her cover. She accepts the case.

Her friends, the djinn Duke and Grimm, curious at the presence of the elf, appear after he leaves. They give her a basic background on elves, information they withheld from her as a child. Arden's resentfulness about her upbringing grows.

The next morning she meets Leith at the Sequoyah home to investigate the crime scene. He is standoffish and claims there is no surveillance footage. Arden, short on leads, consults a contact in the Chapel Hill Police Department and the Raleigh city coroner, Doc Mike. Neither finds a match for Sybil's description in their databases.

She calls Leith, who admits that he was Sybil's bodyguard the night she disappeared. He went out for an errand; when he returned, Sybil was gone and the surveillance footage scrambled. He sends her the damaged video and she takes it to her tech guy and friend-with-benefits, Roman Volkov, who happens to be a banished werewolf who has no clue about Arden's secret heritage, or that she knows his.

Arden, who hasn't had time to relax, is relieved to ease some tension by sleeping with Roman. But, she loses control of her shields as she climaxes, sending a zephyr of air through Roman's trailer. To her horror, he even detects the ozone smell of her magic, though he doesn't recognize it for what it is.

She returns home to find Duke waiting for her. He's had a vision: *"'Arden…something is coming. In the vision, everything around you is cold and dark. Colder than ice. Darker than death.'"*

Early the next morning, she receives a call from Doc Mike who invites her back to the morgue. He shows her the bodies of two women, the area's most recent drowning victims. Three of the victims have had strange marks, which Arden recognizes as partially-healed vampire bites. They all have tattoos of House sigils, identifying them as elves. As a Watcher, she should immediately give this information to Callista, but she delays, not wanting to endanger Doc Mike.

That evening Arden leaves her office for dinner. On her walk back she is pulled into an alley by a tall elf in a ski mask. He roughs her up and tells her to stop digging. Shaken, she returns home. Grimm visits and also tells her to back off. Arden wonders what she's being lied to about, including her magic.

The next day, she attempts to interview elves who know Sybil via phone. They are uncooperative, until she calls a woman whose friend is also missing. Arden realizes the woman is describing one of the drowning victims in the morgue. She pushes for more information, and the elfess drops that her friend had been spending time at a bar in Raleigh called Claret.

Arden dresses up and and heads to Claret. Once seated, she's approached by the bar's proprietress, Maria. Maria is a vampire and immediately picks up that Arden is not human. To avoid revealing her true nature, Arden admits that she is a Watcher. Maria takes Arden downstairs to meet her master, Torsten. The vampires identify the young drowning victim as a customer and one of Maria's hunts. Leith they recognize as a rabble rouser who'd been against vampires drinking from elves. They marvel that Arden is able to break eye contact with them and that they cannot identify her scent. Arden leaves and is attacked by Aron, an aging vampire losing his senses. She is saved by Torsten who recognizes the vampires owe her a favor.

Back home, Arden calls Roman who is nearly finished with the footage. She thinks of the other night - their encounter plus those with the elves and vampires makes her realize: maybe Elementals are so rare, other magical species don't even know what to look for. Deciding she'd rather know her powers than continue hiding in fear, she spends the evening practicing with Air.

Roman sends the unscrambled footage the next morning. It shows an unknown, dark-haired man arguing with Sybil. Determined to find the man, she's also angry at Roman - why did he sit on this?

Arden calls Leith to her office and shows him the footage. He identifies the man as Troy Monteague and provides her with information on Troy's habits, including that he frequents a martial arts gym. Arden identifies the location, stakes it out, and trails Troy home.

The next morning Arden tails Troy to a grocery store. She waits for him outside and when he exits, shows him Sybil's picture and asks for information. He rebuffs her, sending a sting of aether through her shields. She backs off, terrified that he's discovered her, but he continues walking. To maintain her cover, she returns to ask other customers if they recognize Sybil. One man does, telling her about Sybil's hobby of watching for bald eagles at her favorite spot on Jordan Lake, New Hope Overlook. Back at her office, Arden recruits Grimm to continue following Troy.

Arden feels increasingly compelled to find Sybil and decides to drive to New Hope Overlook. The the trail is overgrown and location remote, with no sign of the matriarch. Based on air patterns, Arden realizes there is a hollow beneath the cliff. She decides to scramble down. Once there, she meets the eyes of Sybil: dead, wrapped in a blanket, and dumped in the hollow.

Suspicious of Leith and knowing that *not* calling the mundane police would out her as Otherside, she dials 911. Authorities arrive and begin questioning her; in her stress, Arden's power reaches out to the increasing wind, bringing the attention of a firefighter. The two women stare at each other. Arden recognizes her mirrored terror and lowers her shields. The firefighter does the same, revealing herself as a dea, a fire elemental. Arden is shocked to realize there are others like her in the area. As she's led from the area, Arden drops her card for the dea to pick up.

In a fury of inspired energy, she returns to her office and graphs together the little she knows about the drowning victims. Maria arrives with a message from Torsten: the vampires don't want to be pinned for the death of the queen or the drowning victims. They want to hire Arden like the elves did, offering double. Arden eventually agrees, asking four times what Leith paid her. She returns home, determined to not be Otherside's pawn, and again practices her magic.

Duke wakes her early the next morning, returning her call from the day before. She asks him about elven supremacist groups and realizes he's under a geas, forcing her to guess what he knows. He shows her a red baseball cap, which she narrows down to "Redcaps". She begins to ask if the drownings and Leith are connected; Duke is frozen by a vision, then vanishes.

Arden goes to see Doc Mike, hoping to examine the bodies again. He tells her that the victim's families have insisted the remains be cremated and the records destroyed. Arden suspects the elves have interfered and perhaps mind mazed him. He informs her that Sybil's case is now a murder investigation. She realizes that the upfront cash payment and Leith's spell were an attempt to ensure the police weren't involved. She also realizes that Callista likely knows what Arden has been keeping from her and goes to see her.

Callista is furious, but allows Arden to deliver a full overview of events. She approves of Arden's continued involvement and reveals her interest in Verve: they've developed a genetic test that can detect Othersiders. Callista is planning to push Otherside out into the open and partially blames the decision on Arden for calling the police. She sniffs and senses that Arden has been practicing and congratulates her - she'd been waiting years for Arden to grow a spine. Arden leaves in a fury, feeling used and manipulated.

Arden meets with Grimm to hear a report on Troy; Grimm maps out Troy's locations over the past two days. Arden plans to trail the elf over the weekend. She's about to leave her office when she gets a call from Val, the firefighter dea, who invites her to coffee.

Arden spends the next days following Troy, photographing the people he meets. She takes the photos to Callista, who identifies Troy as the little-seen *prince* of House Monteague.

Arden meets Val for coffee, who tells her there is a community of elementals in the region who avoid Callista. In spite of her tension, Arden finds herself relaxing around Val and mentions that Callista raised her. Val realizes that Arden is the rumored "true born". Val asks about her parents - Arden knows her mother was a djinni and had assumed her father was as well; she wears an onyx pendant she'd inherited from him, her only momento. Val is astonished that Arden knows nothing about elemental history, and reveals that Arden's father would have been an elf.

That evening, Arden calls over Grimm and Duke to confront them about what they've withheld from her, breaking her callstone in frustration when they resist. They acknowledge her parentage and reveal that her mother was their cousin; they blame Arden's elf father for her death. Duke acknowledges that they've kept her in the dark, saying it was to protect her from the Wild Hunt and that the gods are looking for a powerful elemental. She will have attracted them by practicing openly.

Arden, angry at those she thought she could trust, is determined to gain freedom and independence by solving the elf drownings. Troy is her best lead, so following his usual habits, she finds him in Chapel Hill. However, he breaks his pattern and goes downtown, parking in a garage. She follows and he eventually corners her. In that moment, she realizes he is the same elf who accosted her in Durham. He denies killing Sybil and reveals Leith has gone rogue, threatening her unless she helps him root out Leith's followers. He tells her they use a boat house on Jordan Lake that he hasn't been able to access because it's warded against elves. She agrees to stake it out that night.

Arden drives to the boat house, hides her car, and approaches. She sneaks around outer buildings hoping to find evidence when she notices a shadow--she slips and struggles in the mud, and is picked up by Troy. Before she can learn why he's there, they're discovered by another elf, Callum. Troy tells him that he wants in. Callum attacks and disarms Arden, locking her in one of the sheds.

The elves later remove her to the boat house where she encounters Leith. He reveals that he killed Sybil and plans to bring down the elven matriarchy; Arden's investigation was meant as a distraction from the drownings. He attacks her with Aether, realizing she has magic based on her ability to resist. Troy steps in due to his family's skill as shield breakers; Arden drops her shields, revealing herself as a sylph. She attacks with Air, nearly escaping until she is tackled and Troy binds her with brass, cutting off her power. Leith spells her to sleep.

Arden awakes chained to the wall. The elves have brought in another captive, an elf they caught with a vampire, who Leith attacks as a blood traitor. Leith tells Troy it's time to be initiated into the Redcaps--Arden realizes too late that this is related to Duke's vision. Leith notices Arden's pendant and rips it from her, then orders Troy to throw her and the elf captive into the lake. Arden attempts to fight, but Troy uses Aether to mind maze her, subduing her in a mental haze.

Arden struggles against the magic, attempting to find what he'd woven through her head. She breaks through as Troy speeds the boat to the middle of the lake. Troy records himself for the Redcaps as he throws the elf overboard, comments how curious it is that Arden broke the enchantment, then throws her overboard. Arden's world goes dark and Duke's vision is fulfilled.

Arden wakes in an unknown bed, stripped of her clothes. Troy saved her over the elf (Javier of House Luna, allied with the Monteagues) and demands her assistance with capturing Leith, admitting that Arden is the only person he can trust; he doesn't know how deep Leith's conspiracy goes. They agree to go in as partners.

Troy and Arden struggle to plan their attack, due to their mutual antagonism and distrust. Arden swears her commitment to the mission and Troy begins to reveal some of the complexities, including that they'll need testimony from a trusted witness, which Arden can provide as a Watcher. In exchange, she asks for immunity from House Monteague.

They need a signal jammer, so Troy drops Arden off at Roman's. Roman is scared after her extended absence, and tells her that people came to his trailer looking for her, which she realizes were Duke and Grimm. She reveals her knowledge of Otherside, telling him she'd gotten mixed up with elves, that she knows he's a werewolf and that she is a sylph. He agrees to help, asking for dinner and a movie in exchange. While Roman builds the signal jammer, Arden catches up with work. She calls Maria, who demands Leith--Callista punished the vampires for the elf bites, and now the coterie wants their own pound of flesh. Arden agrees for Maria to join them at Leith's, in exchange for the vampires to leave her alone. Roman overhears Arden and, shocked at her connections and influence, tells her he wants in, hoping he can leverage his involvement to repair his relationship with his family. She consents.

The four meet at the edge of the Sequoyah property. Troy is angry, but agrees they need the backup. He enters the house, giving Arden instructions to wait before breaking in and following. They fight Leith, eventually joined by Maria and Roman. Arden notices Leith is wearing her father's pendant. Maria bests Leith and begins to drain him of blood, only stopping to recognize Arden's superior claim on his life. Arden rips her pendant from his neck, taking a second chain with it, then stabs him in the heart with her enchanted elf killer.

Maria turns to attack Troy; Arden subdues her with a wall of air then passes out. When she comes to, they've been joined by Duke. He prophesizes: *"Power gathers here this night, the makings of a new era with you at its center, not Callista. For the first time in millennia, the balance of Otherside is shifting, and not in the hands of gods and goddesses."* Arden shares what she knows about Verve Health and Callista's plans to reveal Otherside to the mundanes. She recognizes they can not handle this threat as factions and proposes a pact. The others agree, with the requirement that Arden serve as representative to mediate the alliance.

Troy drags Arden out to present their evidence against Leith to the Monteague queen. They're stopped by Callista and Grimm, who take Arden and Leith's body to the Crossroads. Gods appear and Callista gives them Leith as an offering of bone and blood. The gods are not convinced Arden is the Mistress they've waited for to lead their Hunt. One of the gods shoots Arden with an arrow, sending her back to earth.

The others are unable to remove the arrow as it pulses with electricity. Troy identifies the magic as elemental in feel, but older. With this, Arden focuses on the Air in its magic. She recognizes it also contains Water and Fire; she is scared of Water after drowning, but the Fire reminds her of Val's warmth. With that thought, she's able to focus the Fire and extract the arrow.

Troy takes Arden to the Monteague house where they encounter his teenage sister, Evangeline, who greets her brother with a warm hug. Evangeline attempts to introduce herself to Arden, but is stopped when Troy brings himself between them, signaling that Arden is a threat to the future queen.

Troy and Arden are taken to meet Keithia, who immediately recognizes that Arden is not an elf. Arden admits that she is a Watcher, and Troy adds that she is a sylph, and that he offered her immunity in exchange for assistance bringing down the Redcaps. Keithia sees Arden as an animal who should be killed, but accepts her testimony and Troy's promise. She recognizes that the Lunas will want a life in exchange for Javier's, and orders Troy to execute Clay Sequoyah, Evangeline's companion and Keithia's ward, who admits the family knew of Leith's extremism and previous murders. Keithia mind mazes Arden, not knowing Arden is resistant, before Troy removes her.

Troy returns Arden to her car and she drives home. A kobold has claimed the house in her absence; Arden remembers the protection the fae can offer and agrees to pay weekly rent in beer. Once inside, Arden examines the two pendants she took from Leith; his is a yellow topaz wrapped in white gold, identical to her own except in materials. She keeps it as a hint to her past.

Arden makes a deal with Callista for her independence, telling her of the Redcaps' conspiracy, the Sequoyah's knowledge of it, and Keithia's attempted mind maze. With her freedom, Arden commits to strengthening herself, visiting a martial arts studio every evening, running, and practicing her magic. One night, Troy is waiting for her. He reminds her of the Aetheric tag he has on her and refuses to remove it, before informing her that Keithia has agreed to negotiations to join the alliance.

## Characters

* Callista
* Leith Sequoyah
* Duke
* Grimm
* Nils, tomtar blacksmith
* Detective Tom Chan
* Doc Mike
* Roman Volkov
* Maria
* Torsten
* Aron
* Troy Monteague
* Val
* Callum
* Javier Luna
* Evangeline Monteague
* Keithia Monteague
* Clay Sequoyah
* Zanna

## Notes

* The events of the novel happen in January 2021
* Val's PoV after meeting Arden for coffee is told in "Smoke and Fire"
* Troy's PoV of his encounter with Arden at the boat house and his decision to save her is told in "Difficult Decisions"
* The audiobook is narrated by Nina Kasuya