“Serafina, listen to me. Only me,” Ryjax says, his words battling so violently with the thoughts inside my head. “Youcando this.”
The ache still lingers, a whisper of a promise of what it can do if I were to try again.
“I can’t,” I tell him, and he knows it, too. Hell, he’sseenit. He was there that night. He was there when Norin beat the shit out of me. He watched my fire go out.He knows.And still, he thinks Ican?He thinks I could have continued tofight?
“Then, why are you doing it?”
What?I stare down at my fingers, and once again, they’re on fire.
I look at Ryjax over my shoulder, my eyes bouncing between his, and his mouth parts.
“I think that’s enough for today,” he says, clearing his throat and pulling his gaze from mine. “I have some duties that need tending to.” He steps around me, heading for the door, but just before he reaches the knob, he angles his head in my direction. “It gets easier, you know. The fact that you can already call upon the flames this soon after forming your connection…” His voice trails off. “I meant what I said before. It’s not something many can do.” And then he’s gone.
My eyes find my hand, trying hard to absorb his words, to let them sink in, and reallyfeelthem.
The fire is still there, along with the ache, but the anger is gone, and the flamestilllingers becauseI’mthe one in control.
My lips tug up.
I can do this. I can become strong enough to wield this magic. I can survive the third trial.
The ball of fire grows.
No one will ever call me weak again.
Chapter 10
Serafina
Those who command the same element will experience a mind link, allowing them to communicate telepathically, even across great distances. The link can be formed between species, and once the mind link is formed, the potential to bond will follow.
Once the Etherbond is accepted, it can never be severed.
-Essentari Bonding, page 16
I close the book Ryjax had brought me, my thoughts whirling in my mind at all I’ve learned. A good distraction from the constant sting in my limbs from calling upon theflames last night.
I’ve been studying the Essentari all day, unable to fill my time with anything else. Partly because I’m stuck in this room, but mainly because I find itfascinating. There’s so much I don’t know, but just like with plants and herbs and how to make homemade remedies, my brain is craving the information, begging to understand as much as possible.
Telfi was the smart one. She absorbed knowledge like a sponge, but I’ve found that when the topic actually interests me, I can do the same. And learning more about what the Essentari can do—about whatIcan do—absolutely interests me.
The Etherbond.
When Ryjax told me the core’s magic had seeped into living beings, he wasn’t only talking about people.
I knew that.
There are certain animals, certaincreaturesthat possess Essentari abilities as well.
The sea serpent, a beast of nightmares, commands the water. Its long, snakelike body with sharp fins lining its spine moves through the ocean with ease, controlling the currents and dominating the sea.
The yellow-tailed phoenix, a radiant bird with shimmering feathers, piercing eyes, and long talons, wields the light, just as Jax does.
The wraithwolf. One of the largest land creatures ever documented with its smokey fur and golden eyes. Far more intelligent than most beasts, keeping to the shadows which they too command.
The stonehide badger with its curved claws and stocky form, allowing it to move effortlessly through the earth, even if it was not able to part the soil, which it is.
The sky roc, an immense bird with powerful wings the size of a small house. Its sharp eyes pierce through the clouds, allowing it tosee all that happens on the land below.
