Uncle Berilo’s skepticism doubled. I tried again, this time really focusing on the smooth, warm metal knob under my fingers. The moment my will connected with my magic, it hurtled out of me.
There was no warning. Sudden energy ripped through me like projectile vomit, except it didn’t keep me from breathing; it just kept going. The array of gems swirled with my rainbows. It wasn’t myfavorite sensation ever, but without the gut pain and shakes from food poisoning, it was just a sensation.
The array brightened.
I’d done that.
“You can stop now. That will cover you,” Uncle Berilo said.
I nodded and willed my magic to stop, but nothing happened.
“I said you can stop,” Uncle Berilo said again. “I can’t return magic to you.”
“I know.” I gritted my teeth.
My heart thumped hard in my chest. I imagined a stopper for my magic and visualized it going back on a wine bottle. The crystals turned brighter still, and my rainbows sparked between them. A crack split the air.
Uncle Berilo jumped up and down. “Cut it off! Stop, you’re going to blow up my forge!!”
A large, warm hand landed on my waist, and a slightly smaller one on my arm.
“Control it, Q-tip,” Rowan said. “It’s a muscle, just like the ones we’ve been training. Drop your arm. Feel your magical muscles work and relax them.”
“You can do this,” Cayden’s voice came from my other side.
Heat radiated from the array, and another crack split the air. I pulled my hand off the knob, but unlike my destructive magic, nothing happened.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
A low hum filled the air, throbbing with magic. My magic. I could hear Everly in the background ordering people to stand back. A glowing wall of blood-red magic colored the world behind me, and Brit’s skin hardened into moss green.
If this blew up in my face, not only would I hurt my friends, but I’d black out and wake up somewhere. Possibly far away from here. Maybe so far, I couldn’t get back.
I screwed my eyes shut and imagined myself worshiping the porcelain god. Then, I reached for that amazing sensation when it was over, feeling the cooling sweat on my body as my stomach rested pain-free, the hum of the bathroom lights, and the cool floor against my ass. I embodied the sensation, forcing the memory into every fiber of my being.
I could suddenly feel my magical muscle in a band around me, burning with the same pain as my shoulder when holding a bow. I focused and relaxed it, and the heat radiating off my face stopped.
The hand on my waist pulled me, and I found my face pressed into the leather of Rowan’s uniform.
“This is torture.” Rowan’s hug enveloped me. “I hate that I’m not at your side. Yesterday… Quinn. I…”
Before he could finish, Uncle Berilo cleared his throat. “That was unexpected.”
Rowan released me and stepped back to his guard position. In a rush, the world expanded. Brit and Everly still held back the small crowd, now murmuring about my lack of control.
I backed away from Uncle Berilo’s forge so he could inspect it. With my heart racing, I wrapped my arms around myself and shook. I’d messed up. I’d broken something again. This time, with the basic magic everyone could use. I shouldn’t have even tried. This was how it all started when I was a kid. It was going to be the same all over again.
Oblivious to my internal monologue, Cayden physically positioned himself between me and Rowan. The magic protecting the onlookers vanished. The twins and Brit returned to the dry tent, frowning and wet. They had to protect people from me. Just like my dad had, thiswas a cycle. How could I not see this? I should have at least waited and tried something alone.
Uncle Berilo turned back to me. He shuffled uncomfortably, but his eyes were wide open, and he smiled. “I have a few cracked crystals, but nothing that can’t be fixed, and more power than I will use in the next week. My deepest apologies, Lady…”
Wait.
Uncle Berilo didn’t look mad; if anything, he seemed uncomfortably impressed. I blinked as his words slowly sank in. I hadn’t broken anything that couldn’t be fixed. Why was he looking at me and saying, ‘Lady?’ The only Lady here was Everly.
I pointed at my friend. “Grierson… aren’t you two from the same family?”
Uncle Berilo flushed. Everly’s laughter cut through the sounds of pattering rain. She didn’t sound upset at all.
