“Astalle,” he practically growled in her ear. “If you continue to squirm, you’re going to owe me a new pair of pants.”Oh.Iyana’s neck and face flushed, hoping Emmeric and Talon weren’t close enough to overhear.
“There’s just so much magic within me right now, and it feels like it needs to, I don’t know, come out.” Altair didn’t answer for a moment, but then halted his horse. She twisted around towards him with a question on the tip of her tongue.
“We need a break,” Altair called out to Emmeric and Talon, who were a few paces ahead of them. The two friends turned their horses around.
“Everything okay?” Emmeric asked. It was the first Iyana had heard him speak all day.
“Iyana needs to purge some magic.”
“What would happen if I don’t purge it?” Iyana asked.
Altair shrugged. “Nothing much of importance, but you’d be extremely hyper, and I can only deal with this for so long.”
“Okay,” Iyana chirped, swinging a leg over Pryn’s neck and sliding off the horse. “What do I do?”
“You’ll need Emmeric,” Altair said. The soldier pursed his lips, clearly unhappy about the demand.
Iyana waved him down. “Come on, then,” she said, smiling up at him. His brow furrowed in confusion, and she couldn’t blame him for the reaction. She’d been rude and unwilling to let him into her life, but since it seemed he’d be around for quite a while, she would make a conscious effort to change their rapport. Emmeric landed on his feet gracefully, pushing his dark hair off his forehead. Talon and Altair also dismounted, tying all the horses to a nearby tree.
“Eventually you’ll be able to do this without physical touch, just as eventually healing won’t require blood,” Altair continued. “But while you’re learning, it will be easier to hold hands.” Iyana held out her hand towards Emmeric immediately, practically bouncing on her toes to try something new.
“Why?” Emmeric asked, keeping his hands close to his own body. She lowered her arm slowly back to her side, reminding herself Emmeric didn’t owe her friendship or civility after the way she’d treated him.
Altair shot Emmeric an annoyed glare. Because he didn’t automatically grab Iyana’s hand? Or because he had dared to question the all-knowing star? A giggle bubbled in Iyana’s throat, but she didn’t let it pass her lips. “Magic doesn’t have any physical properties until it is channeled into something, like so…” Altair held up an open palm with a dancing flame sitting in his hand.
“You can do that, and you still had me make a fire last night?” Talon complained. Altair casually flicked the fire towards the red head. Talon screeched, dodging the fire, causing Iyana to laugh at the sound. Tal gave Altair a rude gesture, then winked at Iyana.
“But,” Altair said, glaring at Talon, daring him to interrupt again, “when learning, some find it easier to imagine magic as a tangible object, and because you two are connected, touching will ease the transition.”
“I’ve been wondering,” Talon mused, “if Emmeric is the Kanaliza, doesn’t that imply he’s channeling magicfromsomething into Iyana? But if he doesn’t have any magic, how does he do it?” Iyana hadn’t thought to question the how, only focusing on accepting her new reality and thinking about why.
Altair heaved a long-suffering sigh as if to say,humans are so tedious. “He is channeling magic. Not from himself, although Iyana can ‘store’ magic within him.” Iyana perked up, wanting to learn the new trick immediately.
“No,” Emmeric said, pointing at her. “You are not using me as storage until you master more of your magic.” Iyana pouted, looking to Altair, hoping he’d side with her on this endeavor.
“He’s right, my star. You might accidentally injure him. Or cause him to explode.” Altair hummed. “On second thought…”
“No!” Emmeric insisted.
“Fine,” Iyana sulked.
“As I was saying,” said Altair, “Emmeric channels magic from nearby sources. Yesterday, during Iyana’s healing, you siphoned some of my magic.”
“How am I supposed to channel when there’s practically no magic in Arinem? We might not always be around you to draw from your magic,” Emmeric asked.
“Nor would I want you to. I need my magic and can’t afford it to be weakened further. But there’s less magic inhumans, not necessarily in Arinem. Magic surrounds us, in the earth, the trees, the animals, even the wind. That’s what you would draw from.”
Iyana clapped her hands together. “Less talk, more magic.”
Emmeric huffed a small laugh, and Iyana mentally patted herself on the back for the small win. Holding out her hand for him again, she wiggled her fingers, trying to entice him to join her. He smiled crookedly and held her hand, intertwining their fingers together. Iyana frowned; she’d been expecting the magic to flow into her as it did the day before, but they were standing there like two idiots holding hands. Emmeric shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
“Altair?” Iyana asked.
“Connect with your magic, and it should pull from Emmeric automatically.”
She nodded and saw Altair motion Talon to move away from them. Probably a good idea. She had no control over any of this yet.
Iyana inhaled deeply, and timidly began seeking her spark of magic. But since Iyana had been thrown into the dungeons, she couldn’t find that little woman made of fire, and the terrifying thought of never connecting with her magic again crossed her mind. Then, out of the darkness, a flame came to life inside of her, materializing into the woman. Iyana swore she beamed at her, welcoming her back as she reached out a hand. Their fingers brushed, and the magic rushed through Iyana.
