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I fling flames. The dragons occasionally assist and add their own flair with dragonfire, tails, and even gusts of gritty wind.
Hmm, not a bad idea. The next time Sterling pivots to focus on Kaida’s dive, I widen my stance and unfurl my wings, beating them back and forth. While the sand swirls and spins, I heat the grains until they start to glow and then fling them at Sterling’s unprotected flank.
He keeps pace with everything, his layered ice sheets chilling and trapping my fiery sand.
His power is incredible.
Finally, with my lungs burning almost as much as my magic, I call for a break. “Enough! I surrender to your superior endurance.”
Sterling collapses onto the blanket we brought, chest heaving. “About damn time. I was actually starting to worry I might keel over.” Tanwen swoops overhead, blasting him with a snort strong enough to stir the sand. “I surrender, Tanwen!”
I flop down beside him. “You were amazing.” The dragons take to the skies again and drift lazily on the updrafts.
“Thanks.” He passes me a water flask, and our fingers brush. Even that innocent contact ignites a spark between us. “So what about you? Want to try some of my training routines?”
I gulp several mouthfuls of water, considering. “The ones you were doing last week with Rivlan?”
“Yes. The training might benefit you since your magic classes were cut short at Flighthaven. In the beginning, Rivlan’s lessons were less about using the magic and more about getting in tune with my element. If that makes sense. It’s a lot easier than what we were just doing.” He stands and extends a hand. “Come on. Your turn to suffer.”
I let him pull me up. To my surprise, he only lifts me into a sitting position.
He settles on the blanket beside me, putting enough distance between us so we won’t accidentally touch. “First, I want you to sit there with your eyes closed. Relax. Without calling on your power, try to feel the magic. Notice where it lives in your body.”
I fill my lungs and close my eyes, understanding exactly what he means. “There’s two spots, actually.”
Surprise laces his tone. “Two?”
“Well, yeah.” I shift on the blanket, surprised I never explained this to him. “My elemental fire and the phoenix fire. The phoenix fire is,” I focus on the portion that thrums like a second pulse, “somewhere just below my own heart. The other fire sort of sits behind my belly button.”
“Can you merge the two?” Awe colors his words. “And keep the result inside you?”
I used both types of fire at the same time while fighting Narc, but merge them?
“Well…” I reach inside, coaxing the two magics to join. They twine easily, offering no resistance. Swirling, combining, but not actually mixing, each flame holds a distinct place. Gold, red, and a brilliant white shine behind my eyelids.
“Like that. Yes. Now instead of calling the flames up, allow them to rise to the surface.”
My nose wrinkles. What does he mean, like that? The fire is still inside my body. Can he see something anyway? Or sense something?
His husky voice soothes like a warm breeze after playing in the snow.
Heat surges to my skin. “Okay.”
“This might sound strange, but try to picture your magic as part of you rather than a separate entity living beneath your skin. Accept that the magic shifts with a thought, the same way you unconsciously move your arm or leg.”
I flash back to the cave where Narc’s bones rested. Under duress, I didn’t need to focus on pulling my magic along with me. I just did it. I was holding Rose when I destroyed Narc and all the drachen. I imagined what I wanted, and then it happened.
“Holy shit.”
When I register the amazement in Sterling’s voice, my eyes fly open.
Red, yellow, white, and orange swirl as my flames engulf me. I have to admit, it’s pretty damn cool. On the far side, Sterling gapes.
A tiny lick of flame stretches out and taps his tongue.
He sputters, slapping at the fire while jerking back. “Wha-wha…?” His dry tongue prevents him from finishing the word.
“Oops. I didn’t expect it to move so fast!” I collapse to my knees, howling. “You should have seen your face.”
