“This is all you've got,” the elf sighs. “Kaelisar will expect you to know how to use some of your power before the mission,” she warns with a severe tone. “And, frankly, it'll be much safer for all of us if you learn to control it. Using magic without training is very dangerous. You could drain your life energy. There are elementals who've died doing that.”
“Well, that makes me feel so much better,” I mutter through my teeth.
“You don't want to cause a storm every time you get angry,” Sabina adds with a half smile.
“Can I really do that or are you messing with me?” I ask, suddenly interested.
“You can do that and much more,” she responds, and the smile she gives me makes my knees weak.
I wonder if she's flirting with me, but soon I ignore it. She's gorgeous, though I'd rather imagine the possibilities of what she just said. Creating storms to escape from the police after a heist. Suddenly I'm very interested in learning everything in that book.
After dinner, I climb the stairs to my apartment, praying Colt is asleep so I don't have to give explanations. Luckily, he's not even there. He left me a note saying he'll spend the night at some girl's place.
I let myself fall onto the bed, exhausted. Part of me wants to pretend this day never happened. Go back to being simply Nell, the thief with a natural talent for escaping danger.
But another part, one I've never noticed before, stirs with curiosity. If what they say is true, there's a whole world of possibilities I've never explored. Powers I can't even imagine.
With a resigned sigh, I open the book and start reading the first page. The words seem to move, reorganizing themselves until they form sentences I can understand. My heart races when I read the title of the first chapter.
“The Breath of Wind: Basic Control for Air Elementals.”
Chapter 4
Sylara
We arrive at the apartment we share in the city wrapped in a strange silence. I think our encounter with Niletta Collins has affected all three of us too much.
“That girl has potential,” Althea murmurs, collapsing onto the couch. “Did you see how she slipped away from me? She did it almost effortlessly and without being trained. Nobody's ever managed that before.”
“Does she make you insecure, Kobold?” Sabina jokes, emerging completely naked from the bathroom after taking a quick shower to refresh her skin.
Althea waves dismissively. Sirens have no sense of nudity, though it still surprises us when she wanders around the apartment without any clothes on.
On the living room table, the blueprints of Grigore Voronov's mansion still offer no clues.
“That damn arrow could be anywhere,” the Kobold growls, pointing at the map.
“We need to see it from the inside,” Sabina whispers, leaving small water droplets on the floor as she approaches.
“The human,” Althea proposes.
“Nell,” I correct immediately, surprising myself with how quickly I jump to defend her name. “She's not fully human. And I'm not sure it's a good idea to involve her so soon.”
Althea looks up, pins me with an intensity that makes me uncomfortable.
“Are you worried about her safety, or is there something else, elf?” she asks, letting out a slight snort.
I take time to order my thoughts, like I always do. Most people don't realize it, but words have power, and I've never been one to waste them.
“She just discovered she's half Fae. She doesn't know how to control her powers. Besides, she barely knows us and has good reasons not to trust us,” I explain, instinctively touching the small pouch of earth hanging from my belt. “Sending her on a mission like this would be irresponsible. And more importantly, if something happens to her, Kaelisar would kill us.”
“She's supposed to be an experienced thief, isn't she? That's why he chose her,” Sabina interrupts. “She's been stealing for years without magic. Imagine what she could do now.”
“That's what worries me,” I insist. “If she loses control in the middle of the mission, it could be disastrous. And if we send her in there alone...”
An uncomfortable silence settles between us. Each of us has too much at stake to risk failure, though we can't afford to wait too long either. Kaelisar isn't exactly famous for his patience.
Althea rubs the back of her neck, right where a tattoo shaped like molten lava peeks out from her shirt collar.
