Krew used his magic to put the fire out. “Light the fire, Jorah.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
I kept shaking my head. “No! When I use my magic people get hurt. Or objects. Like the tub.”
“If you don’t start using more of it, you will be the one getting hurt, Jorah. You will fear it so much, it will take over your life.”
“Hasn’t it already?” I snapped back.
He pointed at the fire where he sat on the floor with me. “Light the fire. Don’t make it harder than it is.”
“Harder than it is? If you were going to be a prick, you might as well have just let Owen bring me back up here.”
Krew tipped his head back frustrated. “Yes, well, Owen was right. I was trying to give you space, but you definitely weren’t using enough magic. Tonight proved that. Your magic should never explode out of you like that. Not if you are using it correctly.”
“I don’t know how to use it at all, let alone how to use it correctly.”
Krew gestured again toward the fire. “Well, we will remedy that. Right now. You are going to start the fire. And then put up a sound barrier. And then do it all again. Again and again until you feel so tired you cannot move.”
“I’m already that tired.” Tears spilled out and down my cheeks. “This is why I only ever wanted a drop!”
He clenched his teeth in frustration. “Start the fire.”
Did he finally see now what a waste giving away his magic to me had been? “Are you mad at me? For almost hurting Keir?”
“Start the fire,” he said more firmly.
I couldn’t even see him before me because everything was so blurry. I scooted back away from him, yanking my hand that had been in his away.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I really hoped I didn’t set the entire damn castle ablaze. I thought of my magic, pulling it into my palms, willing it to warm me. Then I thought of just the fireplace and the wood in the fireplace. My hand was shaking as I tried to move it off my lap.
I opened my eyes only briefly to look at the fireplace one last time, just to make sure I didn’t overdo it, but then Krew was there, scooting in behind me and wrapping a hand around my eyes. He whispered, “Just start the fire.”
“I’m scared.”
He moved to put his face next to mine. “I know. I’m here. Just start the fire, love.”
While I imagined only two logs out of the five lighting up, he grabbed my still shaking hands and lifted one palm out while gently rubbing the top of my hand with his thumb. “Start the fire.”
Tears going nowhere, I did as he asked, willing the magic to leave my palm but only light two of the logs. A phantom touch raced across my skin.
I couldn’t see, Krew’s hand was still over my eyes.
“And now the sound barrier.”
I took a shaky breath and I shook my head. “No.”
He ran his thumb over my hand. “Yes. A sound barrier. You’ve seen them hundreds of times. Walked through dozens of them. You know exactly what they look like.”
I pictured one in my head, but with thin strands of magic, not thick ones like I had seen Owen create. Just a small thin one.
Krew’s fingers of his free hand ran through my hair. “The sound barrier. Go ahead.”
I released the magic, still blind, wincing and hoping that the entire wing wasn’t on fire and the sound barrier didn’t break anything.
Krew lifted his hand off my eyes but settled it lower around my shoulder. “Look, love.”
