Page 61 of Destined to Fight

Kade walked up and stood in front of her, taking her face in his hands. “Ye willnae hurt any of us. We’re all here to help and we’ve been through worse, I can promise ye that. Ye dinnae care to cause any of us harm, so the chances of ye doing so are slim.”

“Let us get moving then. Kelly, come sit down, just as you would if we were meditating,” Fabian said.

She followed Fabian over to a mat and sat down.

“Remember the skills we have worked on. Remember how you pictured your power last night, how you made it move within you. Do that again, but this time push it outward.”

Nodding, Kelly closed her eyes and felt within herself for her power. It was hiding close to her core. Somehow, she knew she’d directed it there for fear of hurting everyone.

With some effort and a few tries, it traveled through her body and out from her fingertips. Hands to her sides, she directed it to the floor rather than at anyone or anything in the room.

No one screamed or yelled; they didn’t even curse. The room was silent.

Fear clouded her mind, and she tried to push it away like Fabian had taught her. Directing her thoughts back to her power, she let it flow from her in waves. She felt it even as it entered the floor and traveled outward. It was like an extension of her fingers, traveling over the floor, feeling every crevice and crack as it moved along.

What felt like minutes passed, and worry began to settle in. Had she stopped time? Was she alone now?

Kelly opened her eyes, ready to pull her power back. Instead of the frozen figures of her friends, she saw water. A thin sheet of it covered the floor in front of her. Looking around, she saw it pooling out from her, not quite reaching the edges of the room.

Still no comments or sounds from the others, so she dared a peek at them all. Fabian wore a smug smile on his face. Kade’s eyes were amber, but his face was blank as he concentrated on her. Ginna had her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised, and a look that suggested Kelly may have reminded her of a smug teenager in that moment.

Braving speech, she directed her question at Ginna. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You can stop showing off now, Rookie.”

“Huh?”

“Look around, you’re not only pushing power, you found some water and brought it in to share with everyone. Only, you’re not sharing. Our feet are dry because you’re directing the water around us.”

Thinking Ginna was off her rocker, Kelly stole a peek around and realized her mentor was right. There was a pool of water surrounding her. It had clear edges to it, almost like it was Jello instead of water.

“Seeing as you all don’t need me, I’ll be on my way out.” Ginna turned to leave.

Kelly didn’t want her to go, though, and the next thing she knew, water was up around Ginna’s knees and the woman couldn’t move.

“Jesus Christ, Rookie, call off the dogs. You’ve clearly got some separation issues we should discuss.”

Afraid she’d hurt Ginna, Kelly pulled her power back in. She tried to be careful like Fabian had directed, but Ginna’s comment threw her off. Water engulfed her like an ocean wave, and she was soaked for a brief moment before it all pooled out onto the floor the way it would when no one was controlling it.

The others burst out laughing, and Kelly couldn’t help but join them. All of the stress and anxiety that had led up to this moment had simply washed away with the water. It dripped from her hair and face while everyone else was completely dry and comfortable. Well, except for Ginna’s legs, but that had been out of love, right?

They all laughed for a while, and it felt so good to just let go. That moment was one she would never forget; it was the moment Kelly first witnessed her inner strength and her ability to protect those she loved.

It was also a prime example of her clumsiness, but that detail didn’t have to go down in the history books.

Fabian finally broke through his laughter to speak. “That was one hell of a training session.”

“That was no training session. That was more of a Kelly did what she wanted to session.” Ginna seemed a bit disheartened.

Shit, she’d fucked up. “What was I supposed to do?”

“What Ginna means is that you demonstrated power at the level of bonded mage. We expected you to emit some sparks and color, and instead you called on water and willed it to go where you pleased.”

Fabian’s face was serious, suggesting he was telling the truth. She was at a loss for words.

“Guess I’ll just have to start training you like you’ve already been bonded,” Ginna said, a wry smile on her face. “You’re still a rookie, though. That name is yours forever.”

She shrugged. “Whatever works. What next?”

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