course. But usually people feel drawn toward one more than the others. You’ll know it when you feel it. Once you find yours, it consumes you. Like you were always meant to have it, and it was always part of you.” Azami grabs my hand; there’s no time to stop her as she leads me from the marshes and to more solid ground.
“My affinity is to earth,” she announces as a handful of Valukan men approach, offering bows and their names as they settle in beside us.
Normally Azami would be right; this would certainly be my preferred way to meet the people of each island—relaxed, and in their daily lives. But with half my soul missing, I can’t practice magic, no matter how much I may want to. The High Animancer is meant to be the strongest in the kingdom—what will my people think when they discover I cannot learn Valukan magic?
She was right to say I’d be sweating—more than she could ever have imagined. My body’s numb, freezing, and yet beads of sweat slick my hairline, making me nauseous.
“Start by grounding yourself to the earth,” offers a young man with rich suntanned skin and freckles dusted beneath green eyes. “Let it steady you. Feel its strength from your toes.” He draws a deep, exaggerated breath and waits for me to mimic it. “Do you feel it?”
I curl my toes into the earth, waiting, but all I feel is the need to scrub my feet clean.
I peer over at the others. Vataea has taken to sitting, dramatically declaring it’s too hot here and that we should toss her back into the sea before she shrivels away.
Shanty, Ferrick, and Bastian all concentrate as well, trying their best despite the sweat glistening their skin. Within the hour, we discover that not even one of us has an affinity to earth. The Valukans pat our discouraged shoulders, and though Azami looks mildly disappointed, she remains upbeat.
“It’s no matter,” she declares with the same determination I imagine helps her choreograph such spectacular shows. “We’ve got all day to find your affinity!”
But we don’t find it at the swamps either, where a charming man guides us through the magic he tells us is like a dance—soft and flowing, or angry and precise. I recognize the lesson as the same one I’d seen the Valukan girl giving back on Kerost.
Vataea picks it up quickly, impressing a group of starry-eyed Valukan men who clap for her. Only when they’re not looking do I see her lips moving in a quiet chant to the water, and I know it’s nothing more than her siren magic she’s tricking them with.
Even though I’d love to be able to create my own water dragon to ride upon, it’s not until we get to a roaring bonfire that desire truly stirs within me. When I had my magic, I needed fire to use it. If I had the power to create that fire myself, gods, I would have been invincible.
While we all stretch our hands toward the fire pit, trying to follow the instructions to calm our minds and reach within ourselves for the heat that’s meant to somehow be in our core, it’s Ferrick’s hands that ignite into flames. I jolt at his surprised gasp, and jealousy flares within me as tiny embers flicker up his arm.
“Keep calm,” says one of the Valukans guiding us, taking Ferrick by the shoulders. “Breathe deeply. One must have a clear mind to control this magic. Concentrate on how it feels in your palms. Breathe, and let it go.”
I breathe deeper, trying to do the same, hoping and praying for the magic to come. Hating that it’s not me who gets it, but heavy with guilt for my jealousy when the embers spark excitement in Ferrick’s eyes, opening a new world of possibilities for him.
A tiny bead of blood starts to trail from his nose, but he wipes it away; even the difficulty of practicing a new magic doesn’t sway his excitement.
My frustration and guilt only grow worse by the time we’re practicing the final affinity—air. Azami watches me with curious eyes, waiting expectantly, but it’s Bastian and Shanty who weave tendrils of it through their fingers, lifting leaves into their palms and laughing as they blow gusts of air into each other’s hair.
Bastian’s grin brims with excitement, and from the emotions I feel swelling from within his soul, I understand why—by mastering wind magic, he’ll be able to help guide Keel Haul’s sails, possibly