House of Dragons (Royal Houses #1) - K.A. Linde Page 0,18
of the four elements.
“I don’t have anything to show. I mean, I can probably get a flame in here,” she said uneasily.
Magic was a conduit. The elements were its source. It was possible to create something out of nothing, but it was draining. That was why, in fights at the Wastes, all four of the elements were provided for the competitors. A lot of Fae couldn’t even summon them out of nothing. Only the strongest among them.
She supposed this was why there was testing to begin with. To get the strongest among them to compete to be a dragon rider.
A small flame will do.
She sighed and then snapped her fingers. He had already seen her do it, but she would oblige him. Nothing happened. She snapped again. Her eyes grew wide and fingers frantic.
“What is happening?”
Gelryn had his eyes closed. He wasn’t even watching her. He was just swaying slightly, as if to music.
“Gelryn?”
Now, air.
“But nothing happened.”
You do not have control of your magic on the spiritual plane. You only have access to spirit here. It is the energy that moves between us. And when you attempt your magic, you are pulling from the energy to create flame. As you will pull from the energy to create water and air and earth. The energy is still there, being manipulated. I can sense it even if the flame does not actually ignite.
“That is… okay,” she muttered.
She didn’t have words for it. No magic in the spiritual realm. She suddenly felt very exposed. There was energy here that she couldn’t see or feel or use, but it was still there. She didn’t like it.
Air, he repeated.
Fire was her easiest by far. Her chosen element, as they expressed in the House of Dragons. Few had fire as their chosen. But it suited her.
Air, however, was what she chose to fight with in the ring. Fire was too flashy and too destructive. Plus, it would pinpoint her as a target if she had that much affinity for the element.
Kerrigan had watched the air Fae train for years by hiding in an alcove in the mountain. She’d hidden the true might of her powers for so long that she had taken to learning in secret, so no one else could judge her strength.
She brought her hand up like a blade at hip height. She scooped it inward, as if sweeping the air in a current. Then, she pivoted, flipped her palm, and shot her hand at an upward diagonal. Nothing happened. She almost laughed. It was ridiculous. That move would have slashed through a competitor’s skin with ease in the ring. It did nothing here.
Strong in fire and air, Gelryn noted. Earth next.
“Is it normal for me to feel nothing?”
You are not attuned to the spiritual. I would not expect you to be able to feel the energy through the workings. Now, earth.
Kerrigan sighed and then continued. Earth was tricky. She had to be grounded to feel the earth beneath her. And she was currently floating.
Still, it didn’t seem like Gelryn was going to tell her how to get out of here until she finished. So, she widened her stance in the sky. She dropped into a low squat with her hands between her legs. Then, with a strain that she didn’t actually feel but forced into her limbs, she heaved her arms upward, as if she were pulling rock straight out of the ground. Her arms shook with the exertion. Even though she was simply fighting against air. It was bizarre.
Good, Gelryn said after a moment. Now, water.
Kerrigan swallowed and nodded. Water was the opposite of fire. It was smooth and clear and healing. The opposite of who Kerrigan was—erratic, wild, and destructive. It was the element that she always struggled with. Most people had issues with their opposite element. But she had to prove herself here.
Kerrigan reined in her fear. She swiped both of her hands down in a wave stroke. A common move that let a person cup water through their hands and manipulate it like a wave in the ocean. To complete the move, she had to bring the water back up in a figure eight. But her hands were stuck. She buffeted against the energy holding her. She couldn’t draw her hands back. She couldn’t complete the wave. The energy felt as it were drawing taut.
She gasped and released it instantly. Her breathing was labored, and her fingers tingled.