Page 46 of Ocean of Silver

I nodded as a flame the size of my head floated over the water. Concentrating, I created a wave of my own, sending it splashing over Tezya’s fire. Sprays of water hit our faces as he smiled down at me. I could just make out his marking that stopped at the bottom of his scar from the water droplets that splashed onto him.

“Good. You’re improving. You’re able to move the water more easily, and your reaction time has gotten faster. Now, I want you to try to create certain shapes instead of just a wave. Picture what you want in your head first. I’m going to use a bigger flame now too, so you’ll have to use more from your reserve. If you feel yourself crashing, tell me.”

“I don’t know what that would feel like,” I admitted.

“I know. Once you get evaluated by the King, they will run tests to determine how large your reserve is. For now, try to look for signs that your body is drained. Using your ability is taxing. You will start to feel physical effects when you use too much of it. Everyone’s warning signs are different. I get headaches, Rainer’s entire body trembles, Brock’s vision blacks out, Kallon’s nose bleeds. It could be anything for you, so just tell me if something feels off, okay?”

“Okay,” I said.

Tezya’s fire erupted, expanding past me. I felt the heat from the flames as they danced around the waves, but they never touched me. They weren’t going to touch me. Tezya confined them to their spots, but it felt too real as the flicker of colors swam, closing me in. I could feel the burn they produced. I started to panic. Lavender eyes flashed in my vision, and I heard the same menacing laugh on the cold beach as my mind brought me back to when I was seven.

“Put it out, Rumor,” Tezya called, but his voice was muffled, distant over the roar inside my head.

I called to my ability, but my eyes were glued to Tezya. I studied him. He was watching me over the flames, giving me time to douse them on my own. My eyes drifted over his markings, matching the flames he produced. The small scar above his eyebrow crinkled as they furrowed together.

Closing my eyes, I tried again and again. I kept trying to call to the waves, but the heat of the flames kept drawing my attention. I couldn’t focus on anything but the fire and the male yielding it. His powers were feeding my soul. My eyes jutted open when I heard him curse. Flames were everywhere, expanding for miles, like a mist settling over the vastness of the ocean.

“What are you doing?” I asked, panic rising in my voice.

“I’m not doing anything,” Tezya yelled as he called to the flames, bringing them into his body. In seconds, the dancing hues of orange were gone. A light smoke lingered over the crashing waves. I hadn’t realized how ragged my breathing was. We were both panting as we stared at each other.

“Holy shit,” he breathed as he ran his fingers through the sleek hair at the top of his head. I watched as he stopped just before his hair tapered to his shaved cut toward the bottom of his scalp. He was staring at me in disbelief.

“What?”

“Rumor, you just did that,” he said softly. His chest was rising up and down, expanding with each breath. The way he was assessing me was unsettling.

“No, I didn’t. I can’t. I don’t have any other elemental abilities,” I whispered as I took a step back. My foot rammed into the tip of a broken shell.

“I know,” he said as his gaze pierced through mine. “I know what your other power is.”

“What?” I gasped.Please don’t be fire. Please don’t be fire.

“You have enhancement.” He ran his fingers through his hair again. I watched in fascination and horror at his unease. Something about the gesture seemed familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint it.

“Is that bad?” I asked because he certainly made it seem like it was a terrible thing.

“It’s not bad, but it’s powerful,” he said slowly.

“What is it? What does it do?”

“You can enhance the abilities of anyone that you’re around. I don’t know your limits or how close you have to be in range to someone—those are all things we can work on, but—”

He paused long enough to grow my unease. “But what?”

“It’s rare. There isn’t much knowledge about enhancement in general because it hasn’t been around since our kind was on Allium. It’s been an extinct ability. But it would explain your back markings. You seem to have little bits of everything across your back.”

I swallowed. “So I basically make people’s abilities stronger?”

“Yes,” Tezya paused for a second. “Rumor, after you and Sie performed the blood bond oath, what did you feel?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did things change for you? Did you feel a spark or anything different afterward?”

I tried to think back to that moment. “No, I didn’t feel anything,” I admitted. I remembered I wanted Sie to kiss me then, but I also wanted him to do just that in his bathroom before the bond was created, and I wasn’t about to admit that to Tezya.

“I think you’ve been using your ability in Tennebris without realizing it.”

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