Page 16 of Up In Flames
“I asked if you truly weren't up to training.”
“Oh. I can handle a little while. Just not double. Please, Xae.”
Xaedren looked from me to Taroc, then grunted.
Taroc sent me a secret smile that spoke volumes—he was the only one who could punish me.
Oh, Goddess.
“All right, we'll do an hour of swordwork, then work on our magic,” Rath said.
“Agreed,” all of us said together.
Chapter Nine
Later that day, my team and I—we were a team when training—were at Fress, training with magic. Once they were bonded with me, my lovers had access to my magic. This meant that they had power over all the elements now. They just needed to learn how to wield that power.
We'd started training at Fress a while back when we realized that our control over the elements would be a great help toward rebuilding the town. All the Wraith Lords had Spirit Magic, but that didn't help with lifting heavy objects and hammering nails. Some of them had other elemental magic, and the Varraens had all of them. So, a few lords could use their magic for lifting and carrying objects, but the precision required to do things like hammer in nails was too high for most of them to use the elements, even the Varraens. It was too much for most of my team too, but my men could improve. That was the point.
Xae had improved the most, but he'd been working on his magic the longest. Now, he was helping the others along with Rath and me. Ratharin, as a Varraen, had been born with access to all the elements. He wasn't a master of them all, as I was, but he was damn good and getting better now that he was bonded with me. And that was another thing we trained at—bonding. Not just them with me, but all of us together. We needed to be prepared to become the weapon we were meant to be. And wewere getting damn good at—as many a building in Fress could attest to.
With the village mainly finished, we were now working on extra homes, in case there were visitors or new residents. It was always good to have extra. Especially when the number of residents was so low. There had been some talk of the survivors moving to a new town, but they decided to stay and instead invite people to move to Fress. There were a lot of humans who were looking for a fresh start, and Fress offered that.
But back to the training.
“Yes, like this, Kel,” Rath said.
To keep the winter chill at bay, we had a portable brazier in the middle of the house we were building. But it also served as a target for our Fire Magic. Rath fanned the flames within the metal tub, drawing them upward with Air.
“And this?” Keltyr, as a Dhon, had been born with Earth Magic. He added it to their mix, summoning up some loose soil to spin with Air and Fire.
“And this.” Ratharin smirked at Kel as he added Water to the hovering mass. Then his expression hardened. Focused.
Keltyr stepped back, his hands falling to his sides.
The rest of us stopped what we were doing to watch Ratharin. It was impossible to look away. Air spun around him, lifting his heavy, dark hair; Fire sparked in his violet eyes; Water condensed on his skin; and Earth summoned flowers to blossom through the hard-packed earth at his feet. He looked like a god. And before him was his creation. The elements unified, brought together by Spirit. They flashed and bubbled, steamed andhissed. Tiny specks of sand separated from the soil and became glass. A delicate tree formed to the side of the brazier, glossy roots stretching down to form a sturdy base while apples formed on its branches. At first, the glass was molten orange, but then it cooled into translucency.
With a sigh, Rath dropped his hands, and the magic subsided. It swirled past the rest of us, leaving the glass apple tree behind—a shining symbol of Rath's new power. Yes, new. Although all Varraen were born with access to all the elements, they couldn't unify them, not even the Varraen Wraith Lords who had the Spirit Magic that was necessary for blending the elements. Only I could do that. And now, Rath.
“Holy fuck,” Keltyr whispered.
“Rath!” I exclaimed. “You combined the elements!”
Ratharin blinked his beautiful eyes and shifted his stare to me. “I did. Great Goddess, I did! I've finally done what I've only ever seen you do, Ember!”
We hurried over to congratulate him with back slaps and hugs. His achievement was our achievement. It made us stronger. And if Rath could combine the elements as I did, then surely the other three would be able to as well.
Giving voice to my thoughts, Xaedren said, “When we all have this power, we will be strong enough to defeat the Corrupter.”
The momentousness of Rath's achievement set in, and we stared at each other with hope. This was the sign we needed. The proof that we were what the Goddess said we were, and we were becoming what she hoped we would. We could fulfill her prophecy.
Chapter Ten
I fell into a new routine. Every day, I'd wake up early, sneak up to the roof to train with Death, then come back down to slip into bed if my men were still asleep. If they were up, I'd go downstairs for breakfast before they could see me. Death would warn me either way. Then, after breakfast, I'd train with my lovers—swordwork, then magic. Our new goal was to get all of them to Ratharin's level.
It felt wrong to deceive them, but I was doing this for all of us. I needed to know if I could trust Death.
But three weeks had passed, and I still wasn't sure. I was showing a mastery of Death Magic that Death said was impressive. And I was leaning more and more toward trusting him. He hadn't tried to trick me or get me to submit to the magic, caging myself as Aranren had. He never tried to sway me into doing anything unethical. He only taught me. Occasionally, he'd offer some advice. But that's all.
