I ran forward, all joking aside, and grabbed one of Austin's flailing wrists. “Austin!”
“I'm on fire! I'm on fire!”
“Stop, drop, and roll!” one of the werelions called out.
“Too far, man,” another said.
“Austin!” I managed to grab his other wrist. “Look at me.”
Austin caught his breath and met my stare.
“I've got you.” I leaned down and breathed in the fire, taking its energy while quenching the flames.
“Oh, thank God,” Austin whispered.
Then his hands caught fire again.
“Jesus is right! God is an asshole!” Austin screamed.
“Whoa, man. I said he was a downer, not an asshole,” Jesus said. “I mean, he's that too, but still, get the quote right.” He looked at Hades, sitting beside him, and added, “People misquote me a lot.”
“I completely understand,” Hades drawled.
Austin gaped at them.
“Focus!” I shook Austin by the wrists, then leaned down and sucked the flames away again.
“Focus how?”
“Think about what you want.”
“I want my body to stop burning!”
“Good. Focus on that.”
“For land's sake, Vervain. What do you think I've been thinkin' 'bout?”
“Fire.”
“Have not.”
“Have too. First, you said you wanted to breathe fire, then you screamed that you were on fire. You need to focus on a lack of fire instead. You're just adding fuel to it by thinking about it.”
“You want me to think about not burning when I'm burning?!”
“Yes. That's the key to magic. You focus on what you want to manifest, not what you already have.”
Austin blinked. “Huh.” Then he looked down at his hands. “It's gone.”
“Don't think about it.” I let go warily.
He grimaced at me. “I saidbreathefire, I never mentioned my hands.”
“What did I just say?!”
“Not to think 'bout it,” he muttered.
“And what are you doing?”
