Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
I’m really angry.
I spend the afternoon and evening secluded in the library reading about the Underbelly of Elysium. Apparently, every world has one, and the idea that one of these demon prisons might break open and wreak havoc is terrifying. They’re guarded by Archangel magic, but is that as impenetrable as the passages I’ve read claim?
That evening, I hang out in my room and do something I have not done in what feels like a lifetime. I spellcast a TV and pizza and watch a cheesy Hallmark movie. It’s an indulgence, but I need a little taste of humanity right now, something light and bright that reminds me of the innocent lives I need to protect, not destroy.
My sleep is restless, filled with nightmares of demons. Come dawn, I don’t even think about meeting Micah to train, and he’s smart enough not to come looking for me. Instead, I shower, dress in my battle gear—black fatigues and boots—tie my hair back, and rift to the library. I spellcast my breakfast as I study the asset of fire and the techniques to teach myself to control it. Now that it’s activated, I’m eager to learn to use it safely. I have to learn to use it safely.
Once it’s late enough for the sun to sit high in the sky, I rift to the lighthouse, and when Silas appears in the dining room, I’m waiting, sitting at the table, a steaming cup of Starbucks in hand. He halts in front of the table, gives me a hard look, and then grimaces. “Oh, shit. What’s wrong?”
Apparently, Micah hasn’t been bragging about tricking me into using my fire. “I need Gabriella.”
“I’m here.” She appears at the corner of the table, dressed in her favorite green fatigues, her silky hair pulled back at her nape, her skin pale perfection. She, too, inspects me, and her brow pinches. “What’s wrong?”
“Micah took me to the Underbelly and left me there to die.”
Neither of them moves, but there’s a jolt of shock radiating through the room. Gabriella slides into a seat. “You survived, though, I see,” she dares tentatively. “That’s good.”
Zeke appears out of nowhere, standing to the right of Gabriella. He’s dressed in black, dark hair slicked back from his face, and the lethal quiet of him would be comforting if he weren’t so damn loyal to Micah. “I heard you found your fire.”
Micah is talking after all.
“That’s good news,” Gabriella exclaims. “Really good news.”
“And scary as fuck,” Silas mutters, reminding us all that I’m the lethal one, not them, not Zeke. “On that note,” Silas adds, “I’m hungry.” He sits down, and a full breakfast spread appears on the table with everything you could ever imagine.
“Is it good?” Zeke asks, watching me, gauging where I’m at with this new development.
“He threw me into the Underbelly,” I say, incredulous over the question. “So, no. It’s not good. I’m not good.” He arches a brow, and I hold my hands up in defeat. “Okay, yes, it’s good that I’ve activated my fire asset, but there were better ways to make that happen.” I glance at Gabriella. “Can we test out my fire and see what I can do?”
“Yes, of course. Now?”
“After you eat.”
“Oh, I’ve eaten. This is all for Silas.” She smirks at him. “He doesn’t understand that gluttony is a sin.”
“You could use a little gluttony in your life, Gabriella,” Silas says rather pointedly. “I’ll help when you’re ready.”
“You need Chie incorporated in your training,” Zeke says, his attention on me as he clearly tunes out Silas and Gabriella. “It’s a good way to calm your mind and body.”
“Chie? What is that?”
“It’s a type of mediation.”
I crinkle my nose. “Really?”
“Really,” he assures me.
“I hate meditation. I can’t be that still.”
“You need to be centered and balanced in every way. Know yourself. Know your abilities. Meet me in the octagon at four. We’ll work on those things.”
“It does help,” Gabriella chimes in. “Zeke actually helped me learn to control my water asset. The truth is, he’s probably exactly what you need right now.”
“If I don’t work out my frustrations first,” I say, “no one is calming my mind, not even you, Zeke.”
Silas fist bumps his chest. “I feel that to the core.”
Zeke inclines his chin. “Fair enough.”
“The bay, then?” Gabriella asks.
“Yes,” I say. “The bay.”
We’re about to rift away when Zeke quickly adds, “I know you’re angry, Ember, but he did what was necessary.”
“Yes, well, fuck you, too, then, Zeke.”
I rift away.
We don’t bother with a barrier.
Gabriella and I sit down at the cauldron while I attempt to create fire and fail. That is, until I close my eyes and envision the serpents multiplying and slithering a path toward me in the Underbelly. I remember it with such clarity that I funnel the fear I’d experienced toward the water that soon becomes flames. Gabriella is giddy, clapping and hopping up and down. We spend hours playing with my flames, and it becomes easier and easier for me to produce fire with simply my will, instead of only when I felt fear in the Underbelly.