Page 51 of Gift from the Stone

At my command, my element reaches out, mingling with the rotation of the whirlwinds, then pulls all the air to me. I let it flow around me, a teasing caress that plays with the strands of my hair, before dispelling it back into the open space as nothing more than a small breeze.

Excitement thrums through my veins as I glide confidently across the hundred feet of now empty, airless space. Once I reach the other side, I turn and shoot Ry a cocky grin, throwing in a little bow for dramatics.

“What’s next, Instructor Asshole?”

His shocked expression morphs into an amused grin as he leads me over to the next section where the targets and rings are spread about. With no warning, he tosses a dirt ball he picks up straight for me. My air reacts faster than my reflexes, thank fuck, catching it before it blackens my eye.

“Good. You need to launch that ball through the targets and rings, making it return to you after each toss. If it touches the ground, you’ll lose points. Let it fall enough times, you fail.”

So like what Tillman made me do with my earth element but with air.

Got it.

I never played any sport a day in my life back in the nonmagical realm, so I severely lack in the hand-eye coordination that most athletes have, but luckily, all I have to do is picture my target in my mind and my element follows the command.

Weaving and maneuvering through the air, returning every time I call it back, my ball never bounces off the target or touches the ground. I fly through the first two sets of rings without a hitch, then move on.

My last set is three rings that sit in a horizontal line. The largest is the size of a hula hoop, the middle is about as big around as a basketball hoop, and the smallest is a fraction bigger than the ball in my hand. It’ll be a tight squeeze.

As I go to launch the ball through the largest ring, they all start shifting. The wind picks up, moving faster and faster, and one by one, they zigzag around, making it difficult to follow their tracks.

Shit. Didn’t see that coming.

Snatching the wild winds in my grasp, I command them to stop, positioning the rings in a single line. Without overthinking it, I shoot the ball as fast as I can, my focus solely on the smallest so I don’t mess it up and miss. And I watch as it sails through all three rings perfectly.

Catching the ball on its return, I toss it to Ry with a triumphant smirk.

“Last but not least.”

He, or whoever designed the course, definitely about tripped me up on that last test, but overall, I’m feeling pretty good, maybe even a little cocky as I follow behind him to the last zone.

The obstacle course looms ahead of me, the barriers and walls moving around now that we’ve entered the zone. The small walls shift side to side, up and down. The taller walls shrink, only leaving enough space on the top for you to barely place your foot. The objective is to move from object to object, using my air to propel me to each until I get to the end, never touching the ground.

You got this. Last one. You’re a badass.

At Ry’s whistle, I fly through the first group of smaller blocks. They’re close enough, a subtle use of my air helps me skip right across them, like an advanced game of hopscotch. Landing on the last block, I’m not prepared for the swift shift to the right, and it nearly knocks my ass right off the side.

Air flows through my palms toward the ground at my command, correcting my teetering balance and getting me back on course to make the six-foot leap to the next barrier.

The wall begins to crumble into sand the moment my feet touch down. Adrenaline pumps through my veins as each wall poses a different challenge, making me think quicker, move faster, float higher. Feeling my element obey my every command creates a sense of unity between me and all the elements sitting in my chest. If I listen to them and they listen to me, there’s nothing we can’t do. It’s an intoxicating rush of power and confidence.

The fifteen-foot barrier that stands between me and the end of the obstacle course approaches quickly, so I call a burst of air under my feet to propel me right over the top. Simultaneously, the wall starts shooting higher into the sky, growing, growing, growing.

Shit.

I’m already airborne, heading straight for the wall at breakneck speed, and I’m going to smash right into the side of it, failing this last test. With no time to waste, I imagine myself running up a flight of stairs, just instead of wood, there are platforms of air that bounce me to the next, up, up, up until I reach the top of the now fifty-foot wall.

I can hear the guys cheering for me below as I jump up and down, celebrating my accomplishment. It feels so good knowing they just watched me destroy this test. Pride floods my chest, my own feelings mingling with Draken’s, and small pieces of the others that trickle through.

Looking down over the edge, I don’t think twice before stepping right off the side, free-falling toward the ground. I wait till the last second to call my air out to slow my descent, floating down and landing gracefully.

Four massive bodies surround me from every angle as soon as my feet feel the grass and I bathe in their praises, soaking up every kiss, every touch, letting the thrilled emotions overflow my system.

“Well, it’s no doubt you passed. Damn, Willow, you’re stronger than most of the E.F. members we have. You may have scored better than Corentin did in our fourth year,” Ry compliments, passing Corentin the piece of paper with my evaluation results on it.

“No doubt she did. She’s incredible. Looks like no Air Elemental class for you, baby. How do you want to spend your free class now?” Corentin asks, humming in approval.

There are a couple ways I wouldn’t mind spending it.

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