Chapter 9
I’d been staringat the leaf for over an hour. I was tired, thirsty, and jumpy as hell. Logan sat next to me, walkie-talkie in hand. The entire pack was on highalert.
Light on fire, you little bastard!I mentally screamed at theleaf.
Nothing.
Isaac groaned. “You’re trying too hard. I can tell the energy gets squeezed when you do that. Just relax and light the leaf onfire.”
I loved Isaac. I did. But I wanted to freaking punchhim.
I could aim my hand and using the necklace energy light it on fire. I could point my staff and using the crystal tip light it on fire. But I couldn’t skip across the air and light it on fire with myeyeballs!
At that moment a low buzzing zipped up my feet, drawing my attention to theground.
Whatthe…?
Was the Earth trying to communicate with me, like Isaac insisted she always did? I stared at the leaf. The ground zippedagain.
What? What are you trying to tellme?
The blades of grass between the leaf and I moved then, ever so slightly, and my eyes bugged out. The light bulb went off in that moment. There wasn’t air between the leaf and me, there wasEarth. She wanted me to use her to direct my magic to theleaf.
I sprang up so fast on the balls of my bare feet that Logan fell back and pulled hisgun.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, lookingaround.
I just grinned. “I’m going to light the leaf on fire now,” I stated, with absoluteconfidence.
Logan frowned, righting his position on the grass so that he was sitting erect. “Okay…”
Isaac stepped closer and I took a deep breath, centering myself. I felt for the ground, the energy that ran there, and opened myself to it. Unless something was suspended in midair—which not much was—I could use my connection to the Earth to harness my fire magic. I didn’t see why I couldn’t light anything up that was touching theEarth.
At that thought, a large jolt of energy zipped up my feet. Mother Earth approved of my idea. I had officially entered Insanityville with Isaac, because I’d just had a conversation withdirt.
Planting my feet a good distance apart, I called upon my fire magic. Instead of willing it outward through my hands, my eyeballs, or whatever else I’d tried before, I tried to direct it along that path of grass, channeling it through the ground and to the leaf. But I didn’t push right away because I didn’t want to light the grass on fire and leave a trail, I just sort of let it flow without thinking about it too much, like Isaac had said, and then when I felt my awareness hit the leaf, I pushed—just a flick of my magical power—and purple and orange flames erupted fromit.
I stumbled backwards, gasping and laughing, in total shock, as Isaac leapt towards me. “Yes! You see now? That is how you doit!”
Logan was staring at me, mouth dropped open, about to speak, when the walkie on his belt squawked tolife.
“They’re here,” Keegan said in a clipped lowtone.
Ohshit!
The three of us burst into action, Logan going for his second gun, me bending down to get my staff, and Isaac grabbing both staffs, then charging the ten yards into the clearing where we’d left thegroup.
“I love you. Be safe,” Logan ordered, before jogging along with me afterIsaac.
‘Same to you,’I told him. I was in the zone. I’d just freaking lit a leaf on fire with my mind! Ardan was going toburn.
Isaac reached the opening first and stopped, so I knew right then something was wrong already. If Ardan touched a scale on Lily’s body, I would explode with anger and burn everything in mypath.
“What is it?” I shouted, coming up behind him to assess thesituation.
When I saw Ardan standing in a bubble of yellow protective magic, surrounded by a dozen sorcerers, I wanted toscream.
“What the hell is he doing?” Iasked.
