“So, you can learn.” Kai smirked and took my hand.
I looked at him, hopefully.
“No, you are still not ready to go home, yet.”
I controlled my reaction. I chose just to simply nod before we continued our
walk.
Our pace was casual, and I began to enjoy the scenery. The sky above was an azure blue with birds of many colors, soaring through the soft, white clouds. I wondered if these were real birds or Air elementals.
“Is that Breeze up in the sky?” I asked.
Kai laughed. “No, just birds.”
The trail began to incline slightly, and we found ourselves at the end of the
path of trees. We stood in front of a rocky road of black stone. The rocks looked
sharp, so I searched for another way to go.
“Giving up already?” Kai wrinkled his brows at me.
Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of lecturing me, I stepped off the dirt path and onto the dark, jagged trail in front of us. As I expected, the ground
sliced at my feet. The sandals I wore offered little protection. Every step agitated
me, and I felt a slow rage building inside me, once more.
“How much farther until we are out of the rocks,” I asked impatiently. “My
feet are killing me.”
Just as before, Kai ignored my question, which only made me angrier. Before
I could tell him what I really thought of him, I felt a sting on the top of my foot.
“Ouch,” I cried out in pain. Looking to see what was attacking me, I realized
the rocks were smoking, and flames were starting to slap at my feet and legs.
Damn it, I thought to myself. “You're a slow learner. You are burning yourself.
I pushed back the pain and continued walking. I tried not to pay attention to
the fiery sparks that were still licking at my skin or the sharp edges of the rocks
cutting into my feet. My focus was on the endless path ahead of us. Eventually,
the fire slowly stopped burning me, and I was able to ignore the fact that the rocks were still uncomfortable to walk on.
As we continued, I began to think about how my feelings were affecting the
world around me – how they were only hurting me. Proudly, I comprehended
that I was capable of controlling my environment. I could prevent the fire from
feeding off my anger by simply releasing it. At that moment, I realized that was
what would be necessary when I faced Eliza.
I released Kai's hand and excitedly spun around to share my epiphany.
However, one second of taking my eyes off the trail cost me. The ground
underneath me shifted, and I was falling off the edge of a cliff that had come out of nowhere.
Chapter
Thirty
Ireached out to stop myself from dropping into the unknown. My hands
dragged down the side of the mountain. They didn't catch, but they
slowed me.
Panic filled me. This is another test. You can stop this, I told myself. You can stop the fall. Just breathe and think.
