“Telekinesis?” I asked, looking up at Caelan.
His arm extended before him in a relaxed position as his fingers hung delicately. As he did this, the bracelet my mother made for me lifted my arm by the wrist.
“Wow,” I muttered, my fingers twitching at the itch to use such a skill.
When he released his connection to the piece of jewelry, my arm fell to my side again.
“Can you manipulate anything?” I asked.
“It depends,” he said. “Living creatures are far more resistant to it but it can be done. Controlling the mind, however, is an entirely different story. Most inanimate itemscan be manipulated using telekinesis; however, more complex elements require more complex affinities.”
The warmth drained from my face. Was controlling living creatures possible? My cheeks stung as I tried to shake the eerie feeling that tightened my chest.
“Like what?” I asked.
Caelan paced slowly, thinking before he spoke. “Once a mage masters Everi Sensing and Everi Control, which are the two most basic connections a mage can make with everi, they begin training to awaken an elemental affinity.”
He gestured to the book in my hand, and I read:
“It requires far more connection with everi for a mage to manipulate elemental forces,” Caelan said. A splashing sound made me look at the fountain. From the pool, several globes ofwater were rising in the air, the light refracting within them, making them mesmerizing spheres of iridescent colors. They floated through the air like bubbles but when they fell they exploded in a spray of water.
“Most talented mages develop one elemental affinity. For Adepts, it is currently around a 50% success rate,” he said.
“And how do you know which elemental affinity to try for?” I asked.
Caelan smiled. “You don’t. You figure it out with practice.”
I nodded, my lips pursed. “Okay, what comes after that?”
“Many mages never move beyond elemental affinities,” he said. “However, there are higher affinities that can be attained.”
I glanced at the text as he spoke.
“Is this how I was brought here? By a mage using a high affinity? Or did they stuff me on a plane while I was unconscious?”
Caelan laughed. “While mages cannot teleport, there are powerful artifacts that can be used for transport. It’s called aWaystone.They are created and bound to the group of mages that created it—in this case, Nightfall keeps one, but it can only be used for the purpose of bringing Initiates here.”
The idea of an artifact that could teleport me, and that I had used one while unconscious was giving me a headache.
“And do Adepts recruited in this world ever develop one of these ‘higher level’ affinities?” I asked.
Caelan paused. “I believe Commander Everson is the first and only one. Even among the Aurkai, they are not common abilities.”
My Affinities class was a nightmare.
“You have to search within, Kamoria,” Everson said.
I hated having Everson as a professor. He had zero patience and zero compassion. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to search within when he was hovering over me, correcting every little non-pertinent thing he could.
I didn’t look at him as I ground my teeth together.
“Finding your affinity is like trying out a few different sports and seeing which one you are most suited for,” he said. “Though I suppose some people are not good at any sport.”
He walked off, and I glared after him.
The classroom was a practical training hall with tables and areas to safely attempt to manipulate fire, water, air, and earth.I started flipping through the text, pretending to be busy, but I was done with this for today.
“Remember,” Everson called out to the class, “there are three more affinities that are harder to master beyond elemental affinities: Weaving, Mind, and Soul. It is within these more difficult to harness affinities that such techniques as healing, mind invasion, and the ability to temper someone’s anger became possible.”
