Chapter Thirty-Five
Skylar Cathal
“Come on, Skylar. Focus!”
The winds whispered across the jagged peaks at our backs, lifting sparks of dust that danced like tiny fireflies in the high sun. Below us, the high desert terrain stretched toward Crimson City, along with endless paths weaving through untouched lands once home to the wilt to the west.
“I. Am. Focusing,” I said through gritted teeth.
Raising my palms, I summoned my magic once again.
A red flame sparked to life, turning orange, before flickering yellow, and then fading into a pale white.
I focused all my might into the flame, willing it to burn brighter.
And then, despite my stubborn determination, it fluttered and dimmed before sputtering into nothing but air.
“Hmm,” Adohan hummed. “You’re not progressing as quickly as I’d hoped when we started this training weeks ago—”
“You try conjuring the eternal flame and tell me how easy it is,” I cut in, glaring at the High Prince of Crimson City.
Laughing to himself, Adohan leaned casually against a boulder in the middle of the field, arms crossed, gaze unflinching with an otherworldly patience. His dreads swayed freely in the soft desert breeze as he watched me, not with annoyance, but with something more like quiet amusement.
“I can’t summon the eternal flame,” he said, his voice smooth like honey. “Only a phoenix can. So, unless you know of any others in the area…?”
“No,” I said, letting my magic fizzle out, frustration swirling inside my heart. “I don’t.”
I clenched my jaw, trying once again to summon the eternal flame, but my magic was slow to respond. Attempting this same task over and over again all morning was beginning to wear on my reserves. My limbs felt like stone pillars each time I lifted my palms, yet I refused to give up.
“We keep going,” Adohan added with a subtle nod, his tone gentle but firm. “We know from the texts that you can do this, Skylar.”
“What we found wasn’t much help.”
“But it was a start.”
Optimism? Fantastic… I wasn’t a fan.
I dropped to my knees, fingers digging into the warm desert sand. The heat from the soil seeped into my skin, but it was nothing compared to the storm of magic I felt swirling inside me. I could feel it… the fire in my chest, the pulse of it beneath my middle.
“Is there anything else you can tell me about summoning the eternal flame?” I asked, with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “Any words or guidance besides focus?”
Adohan straightened, his gaze softening as he considered my question. “How about… try harder.”
I laughed. “Great.”
Adohan grinned as he stood and walked toward me, taking elegant, gliding steps. The warmth of his presence washed over me, a stark contrast to the icy frustration gnawing at my bones.
He’d mastered his magic centuries ago, bending fire to his will with effortless control, while I was still fumbling, unsure of my own power.
Even now, with his magic fully restored, he could summon only a white flame.
That led us to the conclusion that the eternal flame was simply one step beyond his limits.
The fact that I could summon a white flame with only weeks of focused training was a miracle in itself.
“Maybe it’s more about your connection to your animal,” he said. “The magic of the eternal flame… it lives within the phoenix. You hold the spirit of the phoenix inside you, correct?”
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words settle over me.
I looked down at my hands, my fingers still tingling from the failed attempt to summon the flame.
The fire flowed through my veins, as if it were a part of me.
Many didn’t understand, and as a shifter, it was hard to describe to anyone outside our kind.
My phoenix wasn’t a separate entity—it was me, woven into the very fabric of who I was.
“In a way,” I said, my voice quiet. “We’re two souls. But we’re also one.”
The memory of the Labyrinth flashed in my mind, of being torn apart and then put back together. My phoenix had been ripped from me, and when I had been reformed, we’d become something stronger.
But it wasn’t like I could talk to my animal spirit and ask for help.
Adohan crouched down beside me, his movements deliberate and controlled. His once brown but now hazel eyes, that carried a golden hue from the veil’s collapse and release of his full magic, studied me.
“You don’t need someone to tell you what to do,” he said, reaching out to touch my sternum. “The magic is within you. The phoenix is a part of your soul. Your fire, Skylar. It’s not a separate being. You need to trust it.”
I blinked, his words slowly sinking in.
Trust.
Was it that simple?
“Alright, let’s give this one more shot.”
Adohan grinned, giving me a nod, and stepped back a few paces.
I closed my eyes, focusing inward. I could feel the pulse of fire swirling inside me, like a smoldering ember that refused to go out. This magic was a deep, intrinsic part of me. I just needed to figure out how to reach for it.
But there was a twinge of fear I couldn’t deny. Fear that I wouldn’t be able to control it. Fear that the flame would consume everything in its path and there would be nothing left in Valdor to save.
If I created the eternal flame and kept hold of it, I could tame it. But once it was summoned and released from my control… it would never burn out.
Adohan’s voice broke through the silence again, calm and grounding. “Let go, Skylar. Don’t force it. Trust that the flame will not consume you. Don’t doubt yourself. Let your power rise from within.”
I exhaled slowly, sinking deeper into the sensation of heat in my chest. It was there, far beneath the surface, when I dove deeper into my wells of power, near the source of my healing magic…
It was there, burning within me.
I stretched my hands out in front of me again, palms open, and tried to sink further into the magic coursing within my very soul.
My own eternal flame.
The heat in my palms began to rise like a slow, steady pulse.
It crawled up my center, sending waves of warmth through my body.
I could feel it, feel the power building within me.
It wasn’t an explosion, but instead, a controlled burn.
My fingers tingled with magic as the flame burned yellow and then white.
“Keep going, Skylar!” Adohan encouraged.
But I held back, not forcing the flow of magic. Instead, I trusted my powers, letting the fire come to me, all on its own.
I cracked open my eyes, seeing a spark of blue flicker amongst the dancing white flame.
Adohan’s voice was barely a whisper. “There it is!” he said in awe. “You’re starting to summon it.”
I closed my eyes again, a small smile tugging at my lips. I could feel the power coursing through me and pulled it back.
“It’s there,” I said as I released my powers, the flames disappearing in a swirl of wind. “I feel it. Just… a spark.”
Adohan gave a slow, satisfied nod. His golden hazel eyes gleamed with pride. “It’s a start. Trust in that, Skylar. The flame is yours to command. You’re closer than you think.”
I exhaled, my chest heavy as the realization settled over me… It was about trusting myself.
Believing that I could do this. That I could summon this power and use it when I needed it the most.
I felt my phoenix stir. A warmth spread through my chest at the thought, telling me I was right.
“No rush in learning to wield it, right?” I asked.
Adohan chuckled softly, his gaze warm with affection. “None at all. When the time comes, Skylar, I trust that you’ll know how to wield it.”
Suddenly, the air around us shifted. I barely had time to register the chill that swept across the desert before Daxton appeared beside me. He wiped a bit of frost from his leather armor. His muscles flexed as he moved with the grace of someone who hadn’t teleported across miles in an instant.
“Any progress?” Daxton asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked from me to Adohan.
I stood slowly, brushing the sand off my knees. I didn’t want to admit it, but a part of me felt guilty that he’d been handling the transport of so many of our warriors while I’d been here, focusing on mastering my magic.
“We’re getting there,” I said, forcing a smile, though I could feel the worry still gnawing at me. “But… how are you doing? You’ve been busy teleporting the bulk of our forces to Solace over the last few days. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, Daxton.”
He smiled at me with that familiar teasing gleam in his eyes. “I’m fine, Spitfire. There is nothing to worry about. I’ve handled worse.”
I wasn’t convinced. But before I could protest, Daxton’s voice softened, his smile lingering. “I believe you’re dancing close to the line of being overprotective.”
I shot him a sideways glance, placing my hands on my hips. “Sorry,” I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster. “Sorry I care about how my mate, my husband, is faring… when I know he is pushing the limits of his powers by teleporting thousands of warriors across the Narrow Sea.”
“I’m touched,” he replied, a hand splaying across his chest. “But I’m fine, wife. There’s no need to worry.”
“Come on, Dax,” Adohan said with a laugh. “It’s what they do best.”
A deep laugh rolled through my mate. “This is very true.”
“Males.” I sighed, not fully buying it, but letting it go. “Are you ready to go to Silver Meadows for our last night in the Inner Kingdom?” I asked, changing the subject, knowing how much tonight meant for all of us.
“Idris and I can’t wait to taste this noodle dish,” Adohan added.
“We’ll see you at seven?” I asked.
Adohan nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Daxton’s eyes softened as I turned to him, a genuine smile spreading across his face as he reached out and gently cupped my cheek. “I’m ready if you are, Spitfire.”
I nodded, reaching my hand up to lay atop his. “Let’s go.”