It was working. It was flowing through me like the blood in my veins. It swirled and burned as it pooled in my hand.
I imagined it cooling and condensing.
A weight formed in my palm and my hand began to shake. I snatched my wrist with my other hand, trying to hold it steady.
My arm quivered as all my muscles in my right arm strained to contain the everi flowing through it. It was getting faster and faster.
“Good,” Caelan said. “Now draw it out.”
I stilled my mind. My entire body was tingling with energy and it was getting harder to breathe. I forced my lungs to draw in air, my focus on my hand as I continued to pull at the everi from within.
Then, without warning, it erupted in my palm.
Soft, nearly invisible wisps flashed in and out of view, getting more visible the harder I pulled. A pain tore through my hand. I screamed, certain my flesh had seared open as I released my wrist, and the everi being channeled into my arm dissipated.
My heart raced as I stumbled back.
I stood there, my arm shaking as I caught my breath.
The pain was gone nearly as quickly as it had come.
My hand was unharmed as if nothing had happened.
My everi was calming inside, receding to the depths it had been summoned from.
“That was well done, Anna,” Caelan said. “The pain you felt is normal, unfortunately. You will get past it quickly as your body adjusts to the changes occurring. Releasing that amount of energy is stressful to the body, and you will learn to accommodate the pain and healing process required with practice.”
I grimaced, my bones hanging from my shoulders like anchors, and my heart racing. I was exhausted from that one attempt.
This was going to take forever.
“How long for the feeling of utter failure to not crush my soul every time I do this?” I asked.
Caelan laughed.
“I’ve seen Adepts take anywhere from a matter of weeks to a matter of years to adapt to using everi. And some,” he said, his voice quieting, “never do. Do not dwell on that, though. It will not help you as you train.”
My pulse regulated as I sat by the pool, trailing my finger in the water. “What is this in here for?”
Caelan gently lifted his hand, almost lazily, and the water swirled.
“Demonstrations,” he said.
My lips parted in awe as I watched globes of water rise from the pool before they turned to steam.
“Having access to the different elements helps Adepts to identify what affinity they can manipulate the easiest,” he said. “As you work through controlling and manifesting your everi, you will begin to manipulate the items and elements in thisroom. What you have the most success with will most likely be the affinity that you awaken first.”
“Affinity?” I asked.
Caelan relaxed his hand, and the water dropped into the pool, a few drops splashing me as the mist dissipated.
“Most Adepts awaken a specific affinity and it is usually an elemental one,” he said. He moved to one of the bookshelves and tugged one of the newer-looking books enough to grab it. The pages rustled as he flipped it open, thumbing through the pages, scanning them carefully until he paused.
“Here,” he said. “This will explain it better than I can.”
I took the book and glanced over the pages. I breathed in relief as I scanned readable script. Some of the other tomes were ancient and in forms of Valyrian that I’d never be able to read. Still, being able to read it didn’t mean it was going to be easy. Translating it and then comprehending it was more than enough to leave me daunted.
I sighed and began scanning and translating the text, pausing frequently to get Caelan to translate for me.
