“Why me?” Surely, I can’t be the only one out there with a temper, with a fire that constantly lives within me, always burning, raging, and begging to be set free.
“You’d have to ask the Ether.” He raises a shoulder, and I scoff.
“You say that as if it’s alive.”
“Of course, it is. And so are the elements. They’re constantly in a state of flux. Even when we can’t see them, they’re there. But only the Essentari can control them and bend them to our will.”
I stare at him as if he’s lost his mind, and when he looks at the ceiling, I start to think that maybe he has.
“There’s magic in the universe, Serafina. How else would entire galaxies exist? How else wouldweexist? Magic is in everything, but most can’t tap into it.”
“But we can,” I state, staring down at my hands, unsure how it’s possible that the Ether choseme—allowedme—to tap into its fire. “You said not to use anger to control it. So then, what do I use?” I ask, a newfound sense of determination flowing through me.
He moves to stand behind me. “You need to form a connection with your element.”
“I thought I already had that.” I resist the urge to roll my eyes. He wouldn’t see it anyway so what would be the point?
“You need to form astrongerconnection,” he emphasizes. “Think of it like an invisible tether. You can’t see it, but you should always be able to feel it, and over time, you can strengthen it.”
“How?”
“Close your eyes.” I do as he says. “Relax your arms.”
I allow them to fall limply by my sides.
I can hear him step closer. He’s standing just behind me now, and I can feel his breath on the back of my neck. There’s something soothing about his proximity—and although he can be infuriating, as I’m sure I am in return, he’s still willing to help me—and I find myself taking a small step back.
My arm brushes his, and his breath hitches, but he doesn’t move.
“Quiet your mind,” he says, his voice sounding more strained than before. “Concentrate on the element. Feel the fire that flows through your veins, the fire that’s always been inside you, ready and waiting. Feel the heat. Visualize it, and the ability to wield it will be there.”
Feel the fire.Feel the heat. Visualize it.
I see orange, then red. The two colors coming together, moving behind my eyelids. Ebbing and flowing in a perfect dance. I can see it. I can see the fire. And suddenly, I can feel it, too. The heat in my veins, from my toes to my fingertips. I focus on just my right hand. Pushing all of that warmth, all of thatenergy, to one location.
I open my eyes.
And my hand is on fire.
But just like before,Ido not burn.
I want to smile, I want to laugh at this small victory, but the pain overwhelms me before I can. An all-consuming, raw, piercing kind of pain that makes my knees buckle and my temples throb. I bite my lip, trying to hold the flame, butholy fuck,ithurts.
“Breathe, Serafina, you can do this.” His voice is steady, in a way that makes my heart want to listen, but I can barely hear him, barely think straight, and I scream.
The fire disappears, and not long after, the pain starts to subside.
How did I do this the first time my abilities emerged? How did Inot succumb to this pain sooner? I was able to hold the flame until Norin and his crew were fleeing down the alley. Long enough to make sure Char was safe, that Norin didn’tkillhim.
Maybe that’s what I need.
Char.
My one constant, the one person who knows me like no other.
It hasn’t even been two days, and I already miss him so much.
Char knows my limits. He knows what I can and cannot do. And this? This is something Icannotdo.
