CHAPTER 32 #3
“I have spares everywhere, just in case.” He said.
Of course, he does. During the night of the attack, he was a wolf one moment and then had pants in the next. I didn’t think anyone would have enjoyed seeing him running around naked during the attack; they had other things to focus on, like not dying.
“Well, now that we’ve had the naked wolf show, shall we?
” Zen asked, releasing my waist and walking over to where Ulric stood.
“We’re going to practice over here. Avyn, you can use that mat over there.
I had some items brought in earlier for us all to use.
Take whatever you would like to practice with. ”
I looked over to where he motioned, and in the corner was a basket full of various items. Ended up grabbing a book from the top of the pile, not bothering to look through for anything else, and made my way to the mat where Maya was now sitting.
“So, what kind of powers do you have?” She asked me.
“So far, I can move flowers,” I said, sitting down in front of her.
“Perfect, when the Soulless attack, remind me not to ask you for help.”
I shook my head, laughing as I placed the book down on the ground, pages open in front of us.
The afternoon dragged on, and once I mastered opening and closing the book and flipping through its pages, I moved on to the next item, and then the next after that.
So far, I have unspooled and respooled thread, tied a bow with a ribbon, folded and unfolded paper, and commanded a pen to write on it, tracing the folded lines.
I was currently focusing on a candle as Maya lay on the ground on her stomach, her hands under her chin, watching, glancing at where the boys were.
Her eyes rolled again as she looked at me. “Does this happen often?”
Ulric and Zen were arguing again, “Seems to.”
I concentrated on the little wick poking out of the top of the candle, but Ulric's voice was distracting me as it got louder. “I’m not fucking with you, I put an incantation on the apple, I swear it’s there!”
“Just like the pear before it?” Zen’s voice boomed through the room.
“No, that one I was fucking with you,” Ulric replied proudly.
A dark shadow gathered around Ulric as Zen shot him a pissed-off look.
“Okay, okay, I get the point. Let’s take a break.” Ulric stood up and walked towards us, “Oh, by the way, there was no apple.”
“Asshole!” A line of shadows tripped Ulric, and then Zen was on top of him as he crashed to the ground. The two of them were rolling around beside us now, wrestling like children, no doubt working out their frustration from the afternoon.
Maya was enthralled in the chaos that was ensuing, but I kept my focus on the candle, willing it to come to life.
Imagine the flame coming to life.
Oh, goody, just what I needed, but I did as the voice said. Closing my eyes, I imagined the small red and orange flame coming to life, dancing on top of the tip of the wick.
Open your eyes. NOW!
My eyes flew open at its demands, and a flame erupted from the top of the candle.
It flared and flickered, trying to break free of the candle's wick.
It reminded me of the fairies and their wings fluttering in the wind, flying apart and coming together.
The two children … men stopped rolling around and stared at the candle, watching the flame that now danced atop it.
“Did you do that?” Zen asked as he released Ulric from a headlock.
“Yeah, I think I did.” Not quite sure if it was me or the voice.
With my help.
I paid no attention to the comment. “Is there something wrong with it?” I asked while examining the flame, looking for something unusual.
“No, nothing is wrong, but what you just did, controlling fire, making it appear out of air, that’s a trait that belongs to the House of Flame.”
I didn’t say anything; I'm not sure I could, even if I had anything to say.
“Have you ever been able to control flame before?” Ulric asked while standing up.
“Not that I can recall.” I picked at my fingernails, not mentioning the time I had caught our only set of curtains on fire as a young child.
My mother had been furious, but I could not explain how it had happened.
A shadow whipped out and smothered the tiny flame, causing a stream of smoke to slither away.
“Can you do it again?” Zen asked.
And so I did, the little flame erupted from the candle. A gentle warmth slipped through my veins when the candle flared to life this time, but I kept that part to myself.
“You must have a distant relative in the House of flames, if you can control fire like that.” He ran his hands through his mussed-up hair from rolling around on the mat.
Wrong.
I thought back to the voice; unless you are going to tell me exactly what it is, your comments are not necessary.
“When I see the professor next, I will see if he can research bloodlines from there. Maybe we will be able to uncover a hidden bloodline. But for now, we should keep this just to us.” I silently agreed while nodding my head, knowing I carried more secrets than they could ever imagine.