The clearing was in the middle of a giant mountain. The top was straight as if someone took a knife and carved out a block. Water splashed against the edge, miles below.
Aurelie bent down and rested her hands on her knees, attempting to regain her breath. The journey had been silly, to say the least. She had barely any energy left to sit, and Kirin expected her to practice magic?
"I didn't even know that an ocean was nearby." Aurelie sat down, her legs dangling over the edge.
Kirin sat behind her and dropped his chin to peek down, the corners of his lips pulled back. "We share it with the Icelands. You don't realize before you hit their territory, the shift is so sudden that you freeze in place before you can turn back."
Aurelie frowned. "How stupid do you have to be to try?"
Kirin shrugged. "I don't think anyone does, but I've seen some of the ships that have frozen halfway in."
Aurelie's eyes shot up. "What?"
"Those that were lucky swam back. The others are statues on deck." There was tension between them. As he spoke, it looked as if his eyes might roll at any moment. She couldn't understand why he put the effort to take her here if her presence irritated him so much.
"God," she said, her upper lip forming a triangle in horror.
Kirin lay flat on his back and covered his eyes from the sun, drops of sweat forming on his forehead. "I should have brought something to drink."
"This was a terrible idea. I barely have enough energy to sit here. I've no idea what you were thinking."
Kirin curved his palms just enough to see her face and lifted his head. "It's safe. No one will see the smoke. There's an ocean if you muck up and no inn nearby that you can burn down. It's the perfect place." He shook his head irritably and lay his head back down to rest.
Aurelie clawed her fingers and clenched them in a tight grip, her teeth skidding against each other. "Are you ill? Is there a little beast inside you that tells you when to switch characters? One second you're barely tolerable, and the next, you turn into some wretched fiend. The other night we almostâ
Kirin jolted up, his eyes burning a hole through her. "Almost what? Choose your words carefully, princess." His eyes narrowed. "I don't want to cause you any embarrassment."
Aurelie snorted, her nostrils flaring. "I'm done." She turned away. "I hope you get captured at that castle."
"You have five minutes, and then we start," he said and got up. His footsteps paused briefly, "And that's an order!" he exclaimed before walking further on.
Aurelie closed her eyes and listened to the ocean. The wind carried droplets of water to cool her skin. The sting of rejection settled on her heart. She was sure that whatever attraction had occurred between them was not one-sided. His footsteps sounded closer again. Embarrassment, huh! She stood up.
"You know what? I'm not letting you off that easy," she said and whirled around.
Daerious waved with a bottle of water in hand and a bag around his shoulder. "Kirin's over there." He pointed to a spot near the tunnel they had come from, where Kirin sat under cover of shade. "Come on, and I've brought some food."
"Can't take orders either, huh?" Aurelie followed. "What'd you bring?"
"Chicken sandwiches and carrot cake."
Aurelie took the water bottle from him and gulped down half. The liquid spilled from the edges of her lips. She wiped her mouth and sat down furthest away from Kirin.
"Are the two of you fighting again?" Daerious asked, handing Aurelie a sandwich.
Kirin chewed his food, and with a cool undertone upon each word, said, "Aurelie doesn't understand the meaning of limits."
Aurelie's sandwich emerged through the gaps of her fingers, the bread tore, and the minced chicken bulged over her hand. She steadied her breath and attempted to calm herself. Halfway through her second breath, she decided against it. The sandwich left her hand and flew at Kirin's face.
Kirin's eyes shot up to the tree, searching for a clue, then down to his lap. His mouth fell open, and he turned to Daerious, looking for an explanation to her madness.
"What the hell?" he shouted, cleaning the white sauce off his cheek. "Why?" he shouted.
Aurelie scraped her hand on the grass. "Because I can!" She felt mad as an orphaned child raised by animals in the wilderness.
"Shall we start with what we came here to do?" Daerious blushed. His eyes were so enchanted by the sandwich that he seemed to be praying to it.
Aurelie ignored him. "You want to talk about limits? Don't sit on my bed in the middle of the night and prod your fingers into my face. Don't jump into fires, and don'tâdon't make me out to be the idiot who misinterpreted the signs."
Kirin put down his food, his eyes turning to Daerious for help, where they found none. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." His eyes darkened, the purple rim settling in.
Aurelie lowered her head. They had all lost their words; the crashing waves and Daerious' chews filled the silence. That was not the answer that she wanted from Kirin. She pushed her wrists into her sockets and sighed. She felt embarrassed by her outburst and hurt by his empty reaction.
"Let's get started," Kirin said, breaking the awkwardness. "Can you summon your fire without anger yet?" he asked her.
Her eyes refused to look up at him and burned hot with tears. "I don't know, let me see," she said and swung her head from left to right to shake off every emotion inside that begged her to scream at him more and perhaps beg him to love her back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for the warmth to fill her toes. Their eyes burned into her.
"Stop staring at me. I can't focus," she scolded them. Keeping her eyes closed, she focused on her fire once again. The warmth ran through her body, filling every part of her from her toes to the tip of her head. When she opened her eyes, the world turned orange.
She extended her arms, relaxing her shoulders. The heat settled in her head, and sweat gathering on her forehead and neck. She frowned and stiffened, pushing the fire back down. Her hair absorbed the moisture, drops of sweat dripped down her back. She pulled her lower lips over her upper lip and blew to cool herself down.
"Aurelie, stop," Daerious called out. Heat disrupted her vision. The steam blurred out their faces.
She let go of the fire, and it calmed, letting the gentle breeze cool her down. "Ugh," she moaned. "This is useless. I'm no further than I was weeks ago, years for that matter." Aurelie tapped her foot.
"Take control, let it flow through you," Daerious suggested. Maybe, if he were actually a bearer of magic, she would listen. "What do you have to lose?"
"Fine."
Why is everyone so damn poetic about it? She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Oh, sweet fire, enter me and flow through my veins. Use my blood as if it were yours. Share my body as if it was yours. She rolled her eyes under her closed lids.
"Huh!" Daerious peeped. "Well, what do you know? I was right!"
Aurelie's eyes shot open. Fire danced upon her right hand. Her vision had not changed, and her insides were not burning to use more. It was just there because she wanted it.
Seriously, you want poetry? Her lips curled. Find, I'll give you poetry!
Smoke wavered from her hand. It turned black and rose above her head. She flapped her hand. Stop! The smoke thinned, gave two puffs, and disappeared.
"You have not lost control, which is good. Just keep trying. You'll get there. This is good. You are progressing," Daerious said and looked at her sympathetically.
She gritted her teeth. The last thing she needed was to be pitied. It created a rage within her, which would defy the entire exercise's purpose. Aurelie relaxed and buried her explosive nature.
"You are too subtle with it. You are its master. Make it obey you," Kirin said.
His suggestion wasn't even slightly surprising. Of course, Kirin would resort to hostility. "The Keeper said that I should not force it, that I should treat it as if it is my own." What did he know about being a dragon?
"What the Keeper said is irrelevant now since it's obviously not working," he replied derisively.
Aurelie slapped her hand against her face in frustration and kept it there for a minute while she stared irritably at Kirin. "You have not given me even a minute. How do you know what works and what does not?" she asked him, barely containing her voice below a screech.
"If it were to work, you wouldn't even have needed a minute," he replied.
"Oh, and you know everything, don't you?"
Kirin's lips turned into a smile, but his eyes were dark and cold. "As a matter of fact, I do."
"Fine, work right now!" she shouted. Her foot met the ground with a heavy stomp.
A puff of smoke came from her hand, she jerked her head away, and the smoke died out. "I told you, it wouldn't work," she said. "Can I do it my way now?"
"Oh, please." He folded his arms. "It didn't work because you didn't want it to. Plus, this time, it worked faster."
"It only worked because you were getting me angry," she said. The rage was boiling over. Her breath left her nose faster than it reached her lungs.
"Well, if it's anger we need," he said and shoved her. "Get mad!"
Aurelie stumbled back, her eyes blazing. "What is your problem?" She shoved him back but didn't even manage to move him a little from his place.
"Making you angry, obviously," he replied, shoving her again.
Aurelie stumbled backward in a run, her hands flapping up and down, trying to keep her from tumbling. "Stop!" she exclaimed.
Daerious sat down, his face falling into his palms.
Kirin smiled and shoved her again, followed her, and pushed again. "Angry yet?"
"No!" She shrieked and pushed him with all her strength. A black ball fell from his shirt pocket and rolled over, stopping at Aurelie's feet.
Two white dots stood out of the black ball. Aurelie gasped, her eyes searching Kirin's. "A Jilpod seed?"
He reached down to grab it. Aurelie stomped, the seed cracked and split beneath her heel. "What on earth for?"
Daerious looked up. "Yes, Kirin, what on earth for?"
Kirin dragged his hands through his hair and kicked the grass. "Do the two of you have any idea what it feels like to go back to that damned castle every single day?"
Aurelie huffed, her head jerking backward. "So, what? You just take the seed and die?"
"I could be caught at any moment," he said, his hands forming into fists. "Do you not see why I need a plan?"
She pointed her toe at the flattened seed. "You call that a plan?" Aurelie skids her toe against the ground, sending pieces of the seeds flying.
Daerious pressed his fingers into his temples. "You could have come to me. You could have told me about this moronic plan," he said.
"Don't you two dare gang up on me," he said, his finger jumping from Daerious to Aurelie. "Magic immunity is a moronic plan?"
"The chances are one in a thousand, you fool!" she barked. He said that he would stay alive, he promised, and all this time he was actually planning a suicide. "That's why every buffoon in Highfire doesn't gobble them down. It's not called the black death for nothing!"
"Your aunt and uncle are safe because of it." He raised a finger as if his statement changed anything at all.
Daerious wheezed. "You're really basing your life on the luck of others?"
Kirin grunted, his fingers clawing. "It isn't as if I'm trying to jump off cliffs or setting myself on fire." He glowered at Aurelie. "It isâwas, therefore, peace of mind."
The world covered in deep crimson, she closed her eyes. "You said that you would live. You promised."
"Aurelie," Kirin whispered, nearing her.
She pushed her hand against his chest. "No," she said, exhaling heavily. "You're a shadow walker. You could have planned to escape. Instead, you planned to break your word. What would we do without you? Did you even think about that? All your scowling, all your stupid comments, I braced myself through each one. And all this time, you were planning to die."
His hands cupped her waist, and he pulled her in. Kirin's chin hovered above her shoulder, and his breath caressed her skin. "I'm sorry," he whispered, the breath from each word echoed through her body.
She pushed him away. "No!"
Aurelie heard Daerious jerk up off the ground. "Kirin, your cloak!"
"Aurelie," Kirin shrieked. He yanked the cloak off his shoulders and threw it onto the ground, stomping out the fire. The flame grew angrier, burning a great hole through the material. "Make it stop," he ordered her, his eyes wild. "You are going to get me killed."
Aurelie stepped back. She let go of the fire, but not before half the cloak was gone. Daerious and Kirin stomped out the flames, but they might as well have just left it.
"Kirin, you can't go back now. Not with your cloak burned like that, they will know what caused it," Daerious said.
Kirin gripped his hair and turned from side to side. "No, I must. I need to know what they've heard about her or if he took her uncle's power yet. I can't just leave it to chance. You know that, Daerious."
"How are you going to explain this?" Daerious asked, biting his nails.
Aurelie dropped to her knees. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll fix it," she said, picked up the cloak, and clutched it to her chest. "I'll get some thread from Sasha. I'll fix it."
"Don't worry about it," Kirin said, his eyes softening upon seeing her state. "Aurelie, drop the cloak. I have a plan," he said and helped her up off her knees. "I'm so sorry," she said again.
"Hit me," he said and turned to Daerious.
"What?" Daerious asked. "No one will ever believe that. Everyone in the kingdom knows if they lay a hand on you, they're dead."
"A fool that did not know me would," he proposed.
There was another way. They all knew it. Aurelie grabbed Kirin's shoulders and made him turn to her. "Don't go," she pleaded, her hands rising to touch his neck. "Don't leave. We need you here just as much as we needed you there. Noâmore. Kirin, stay." Her eyes stung. She swore that she would not cry in front of him again . . . but maybe just this once.
Kirin took her wrists and pulled them off his neck. "I have to."
A tear rolled down her cheek, followed by another right after. She wiped them away and nodded.
"It wasn't your fault. Kirin's a big boy. He knows not to play with fire," Daerious said and patted her on the back. Everyone around her kept getting hurt because she was so useless.
"He is right; I knew what I was doing," Kirin said.
Pathetic, you're pathetic. You even have Kirin feeling sorry for you.
"Look, Daerious, this is the only possible way," Kirin said.
"Then fight me, I will not attack you without you fighting back." He flicked his eyebrows and stepped back. "No cheating with your shadows," he said and smiled wickedly, crouching.
"I wasn't planning on it. You know I can beat you blindfolded, right?" he asked and grinned back.
"Well, we'll see about that, won't we?" Daerious replied.
Daerious crouched and put up his fists, moving slightly to his side. Kirin laughed and imitated him. Daerious ran at him, pulling up his fist and releasing it. Kirin's skin flattened, and his head jerked sideways.
He had not blocked the attack even though he could have. Daerious lifted his hands in frustration. "Fight me," Daerious yelled.
Kirin's blood covered his teeth. He spat it and wiped away the blood that crawled down his cheek. "I wanted you to have a head start, that's all," Kirin replied.
Kirin's right hand shot up to Daerious's face, stopping right as Daerious stuck out his hands to block. His other hand shot out from underneath. Daerious double up and puffed.
Kirin's hand flew back, ready for another blow. Daerious ducked and kicked out, hitting Kirin's shin.
Kirin jumped on one leg, rubbing the other. "Oww!" he cried. Daerious shot up, his fist landing on Kirin's nose. It cracked. Specks of blood landed on Aurelie's face. Aurelie swallowed, trying to break the lump in her throat.
Kirin spiraled down, clutching his nose. Daerious dove, his hand turning into fist mid-fall. Kirin's body jerked as he landed on top of him. Blood oozed from his nose and mouth, covering half his face. He moaned, bubbles of blood popping out of his nose.
A deep cut formed on his nose, and the skin beneath his left eye cracked.
Each hit echoed through Aurelie's stomach as if she had received them. She turned her face away, but there was no escaping Kirin's groans and collision of Daerious' fists against his face.
"Stop, Daerious. Please, stop," she begged him, with a small voice.
Daerious rolled over Kirin and lay flat on the grass, blood dripping down his mouth. "I hope your face hurts as much as my hand."
Kirin moaned and sat up, dropping his forehead to his knees. He turned his face, his eyes barely open. A wave of nausea swept over her, but she dared not look away. She would keep this image of him in her mind as punishment. Aurelie clenched her jaw and stared until stars appeared in her eyes, a dark frame formed around the edges of her vision.
"Stop it," Kirin said and moaned, rubbing his fingers against his torn lip.
"Stop what?" she whispered.
"Sulking," he replied. "Use this and make your magic obey you, instead of punishing yourself because it doesn't."
"Okay," she said and stood. Sulking was exactly what she was going to do, but not there. She turned to walk, her expression blank and the hole inside her growing bigger.
"Where are you going?" he asked her. But she did not turn back.
"I'm tired," she whispered. "I'm going back." She rushed toward the mountain tunnel. She heard them stand and fastened her pace. Tears rolled down her cheek, when she was sure they could not see, and mixed with the specs of Kirin's blood. They dropped past her lips and left a salty, metallic taste in her mouth.
She ran down the rocks, pebbles pushed into her heels, and scratched her feet.
"Aurelie, wait!" Daerious's voice echoed through the tunnel.
Her throat was raw, and her nose filled with fluid. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. She had caused all their misfortune. Every person in the inn was surely wondering if she was worth the trouble. She exited the tunnel and ran straight through the trees. The sound of their footsteps no longer sounded through the tunnel.