Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series

In the morning I found myself restless and unsure of what to do or where to go in the palace. What was my role here? And how long would we stay before continuing on to the Air Temple? While it was nice to have some time to rest and recover from our travels, every second we delayed increased the likelihood of the Dragons uncovering who we were or reaching the temple before us.

Jasin suggested we take this time to train, and while the idea of using fire would have previously terrified me, today I really needed to burn some of my anxious energy off.

The palace was nestled on a tall hill overlooking the city on one side and the ocean on the other, and Jasin and I trekked out to the end of the bluff overlooking the water, where the blue sky seemed endless. The bright sun warmed us as we stared down the edge of the steep, rocky cliff that disappeared into the ocean below us.

“This will do,” Jasin said, glancing around at the sparse trees and rocks.

I inched away from the drop. “Isn’t it a bit close to the edge?”

Jasin shrugged. “If you fall, I’ll catch you. Don’t forget I can turn into a dragon now.”

“Sorry, but I’m not that confident in your flying skills yet.”

“All right, we can move back a bit. I suppose it would be hard to explain why an unknown Dragon was flying near the palace.” He moved to a safer location and spread his arms. “Let’s see what you can do.”

I summoned a small ball of fire and threw it at Jasin, who swept it away with an easy gesture. “How is that?”

“Not bad at all. You’re a natural. Which is surprising since you were scared of fire only days ago.”

“I learned by watching you, I suppose.” Truth be told, I was still scared of fire and what it could do, but I had to get over it. And I could only do that with practice and training.

“Then you know that fire is the hardest element to keep control of. Summoning it is easy. But making it do what you want…that’s the real challenge. I’m still learning that part myself.” He pointed at a nearby shrubby bush and it instantly caught fire, but the blaze didn’t spread to anything else. Jasin’s face pinched as he concentrated, and I could tell it took a lot of effort to keep it contained. Then the fire vanished in a blast of smoke. “For now, let’s just have you concentrate on throwing the fire and making sure it goes where you want it to go.”

Jasin hurled a ball of fire at a nearby boulder, where it flashed and then disappeared with nothing to keep it burning. I nodded and summoned my own flames, then tossed them at the stone. As I did, the events of yesterday came back to me, including everything I’d been trying very hard not to think about, like Auric and how he’d kept the truth about Brin from me. I still cared for him, but how was I supposed to trust him now? Or bond with him in only a few days?

I tossed a huge ball of fire, enjoying the sizzle and the flash of heat. “This is exactly what I needed.”

“Of course it is. Fire is all about passion. Anger, desire, excitement… When you channel these emotions, you’ll find it easier to conjure fire.” He tilted his head. “I get the sense you’re definitely feeling some passion today.”

I wiped the sweat off my forehead. “Anger, mostly. I trusted Auric and he kept a huge secret from me for the second time. How am I supposed to just accept that and move on now?”

“That’s understandable. But we’re all keeping things from each other. I didn’t tell you about my brother’s death, or that my parents were staunch supporters of the Dragons, Sark in particular. In fact, I purposefully kept that to myself because I couldn’t stand to talk about it and I worried what you would think. Maybe Auric felt the same way about his engagement?”

I stared at Jasin. “Are you defending him?”

He held up his hands. “No, definitely not.”

“Good, because his secret is different. I can’t be with a man who is engaged to another.”

Jasin shrugged. “It sounds like their betrothal was more for show or convenience than love, and he told his parents he wanted to be with you instead.”

I summoned another ball of flame and rolled it around in my palms. “Maybe so, but it was still there all this time. I wish he would have told me from the beginning.”

“For what it’s worth, I think Auric loves you and you alone. You have every right to be mad at him, but I don’t think Brin is a threat. Their engagement will end, and soon we’ll be on our way to the Air Temple.”

I glanced away, annoyed at how reasonable Jasin was being. Wasn’t he normally the hotheaded one of the group? And why was he defending Auric when only days ago they’d hated each other? I knew I would have to forgive Auric and move past this somehow, but at the moment all I wanted was to let out my anger and smash things—or burn them.

I launched my next fireball, but it was bigger than I expected and went wide, hitting a large bush, which instantly went up in flames. The fire quickly leaped to a tree beside it and spread faster than I could have imagined, sending cold panic down my spine. Flashbacks of the fire that had taken my parents’ lives flickered in my head as my heart pounded and my breathing grew ragged. I couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t stop it.

“Get back!” Jasin stepped forward and gestured at the fire. His face was tight with concentration as he soothed the flames and contained them, then slowly made them smaller and smaller.

After a few minutes there was nothing but ash and smoke where the tree had been. I’d completely destroyed it, and I’d lost all control of the fire. I sank to the grass and stared at the charred ground, feeling empty and hollow. What if I’d lost control during battle? Or in a crowded area with people and houses? I could have killed someone. I could have destroyed innocent lives. How could I use fire when it had so much potential for destruction and pain?

Jasin sat beside me on the grass and began slowly rubbing my back. “It’s over. You’re fine.”

“It’s not fine. I lost control.” I covered my face with my hands, which were still trembling.

“I did too, at first. Remember when Reven had to put out all my fires?” He pulled me close. “You just need more practice, that’s all.”

I nodded and buried my face against his shoulder, but if I was honest, I didn’t want to practice my magic ever again. I didn’t want that kind of power or responsibility. Even now, I couldn’t help but think this was all a mistake and someone else should be the Black Dragon. How was I supposed to master all four elements when I couldn’t even handle one?