Page 35 of Commanding Flame and Shield
“Jumping is crucial. Until yesterday, no one could fly. So that should be interesting to watch play out. Regardless, it’s the fastest form of transportation, and the only way in and out of Grayshell.”
“As in, to jump from one place to another.”
“Yes. All we are is energy, August. We’re not actually solid matter. You must release that expectation in your mind and accept energy can materialize wherever it may choose. The crucial part of jumping is that an energy burst that powerful can be used by anyone nearby. So, you must scour both where you are, and where you’re going for anything predatory.”
“Stow aways.”
He quirked a bit, smirking, and then nodded. “Yeah. They can tag along on your heels if you’re not careful. Or bait you with trouble and be waiting when you arrive. If we jump into chaos, it’s best to be prepared, like we were yesterday.”
Alec walked me through the process of moving my energy from one place in the room to another, which came fairly easily, to my surprise. We then moved from one room to another, after he’d altered the wards to allow it. Grayshell only allowed jumps into the hall, so that should there ever be a breach, they might contain it. Once I’d mastered the allotted rooms, we moved one floor to another. And eventually, to the grand hall, full of all its distractions, and back. He almost seemed disappointed the clamor of the hall didn’t slow me down. But it was second nature, like a reflex, the moment I’d done it once. Leaving the bedroom, I popped back into the hallway he was waiting in, only for him to lunge at me—I parried, throwing up my arms to block his advance, but I staggered backwards, and he swept my legs out from under me. Again. I rolled to the side, lunging to my feet, anger pulsing. But his shit-eating grin stopped me in my tracks.
“Asshole.”
“Number one rule—don’t get cocky.”
We followed my wild hunch to go to the lounge, something in my gut telling me that’s where I should be. Alec was a big proponent of following intuition. As were Aren and Alvara, according to him. They believed that sixth sense was scarcely wrong.
The only dark room in all of Grayshell, the lounge had already become my favorite place to be. We stepped into the dim, cozy space, the strain of the light leaving my eyes immediately. The smell of honey, sage, and summer hit me, and I looked around expectantly. The sight of her in another tight tank top, leaning casually against the island, dark hair curling down to the small of her back, left my heart brimming with warmth, and beating in an uneven rhythm. She seemed to be studying a map, which was sprawled across the counter.
Alec snickered at me, and then strode forward to take Aphaea in his arms, pulling her away from the counter. He nuzzled into her neck. The envy of his ability to touch her. To press his lips against her bare skin. To wrap his arms around her slight waist. It was overwhelming. I craved the contact. A pang of guilt twisted my gut as I realized it still wasn’t Layla’s touch I was yearning for; and had no business wanting anything from a stranger.
Alvara turned her face to me, and it was like I’d known her all my life. Her eyes were my anchor. Steadying a bucking boat in heaving seas. The only woman in the world. Like any ties I’d had before had been carefully pruned away. Unwanted branches, meticulously plucked from a shrub.
She beamed at me and crossed the small room. For a moment, I thought she was going to grab my hand, and then she shoved her own into her jean pockets.
“I saw you learned to jump today,” she said proudly, chin lifting.
“Saw—”
She tapped her fingers to her temple and winked at me.
“Oh. Right. Err—you look good.” I shuffled my feet. Did I justshuffle my feet? “I mean—you look like you’re feeling better.”
“Christ,” Alec muttered as I felt his eyes on us, “at least I don’t have to worry about Fae with that level of game.”
I shot him a glare as Ansel and Aren chuckled, and Alvara suppressed a smirk, keeping her eyes on me. She smiled softly and said, “Much. Thanks.”
“Yeah. I’m glad. So, what’s on the schedule this afternoon? Another daring rescue?”
She snorted. “Not so far. No promises though. Would you like to go outside with me?”
I’d heard nothing about the grounds at Grayshell, and my curiosity peaked. “Sure—I haven’t seen anything but the walls of the castle since the battle.”
“Real air will be lovely.”
“Real air?”
“I thought we’d head to Colorado for some practice.”
“Oh.” Earth. Back to Earth. Back to real life. To the human dimension. I could do that. Couldn’t I?
“Oh?” She kicked her boot against the floor. Did she sense my trepidation? “Personally, I’m ready to feel clay and fresh air.”
It sounded nice. I agreed, and she walked me through the complexities of a jump between dimensions. Alec and Fae joined us and then took her hands on either side—both having nothing to hide from her eternally prying mind. I grabbed Alec’s free hand and felt the way the energy bent and flexed around my mind. Felt the clarity of the mountain we were beaming ourselves to. And together, we jumped.
After all my practice with Alec, the ground collided firmly below my feet. Cool air whipped around my face, smelling of pine and earth. I noted the way my body felt, all my senses dramatically enhanced after ascension. Suddenly, I was intensely aware of the pressure of an oncoming storm in the air, the feel of the moisture on my skin, and most acutely, how strongly the world smelled of grass, dirt, sap, and pine. There was a vibration to everything, and I wasn’t sure how I had missed something so glaring for my entire life. I took a long moment to sense the energy in the ground, as Alec had taught me.
Just as we had felt when we probed ahead of us, the peak was clear of life—outside of the towering pines, covered in climbing moss, an endless variety of berry bushes, and the abundance of insects crawling and flying around. I slapped a mosquito that landed on my arm and chuckled at the simple feel of normalcy. Grayshell had no form of life outside of the souls inside it. And I hadn’t realized the absence of other beings had felt so strange until they were back.
