Page 52 of Phoenix Academy: Mayhem

"Before we go, I want to show you one more thing." Yohan leans up against his desk and watches me keenly. "Something only those with very controlled phoenix fire can pull off. A trick I think you'll be able to do very well. Stand up."

Unfolding to my feet, I survey him warily. "What is it? And if it involves another earworm, please spare me."

Yohan chuckles, a soft smile on his mouth. "No, nothing like that. This is a weapon—one those who have mastered full control can summon at will. Observe."

Holding out his right hand, he summons his flames. Then he concentrates, eyes narrowing, fingers trembling. At first I think he's going to create a giant fireball, so I step warily out of the way—but he does something completely unexpected instead.

He makes a sword out of flames.

Reaching into his desk, he pulls out a ball and tosses it in the air with his left hand. With his right he wields the sword. I watch in awe as the blade responds to his motions and desires, lengthening and sweeping out to cut the ball in half before it hits the ground.

Then he does it again. And again. With barely any effort.

By the time he dismisses the flaming sword, I'm impressed—and a little uncertain. I don't think I can do something like that, no matter how much training we've pulled off today.

"Your turn."

I swallow. "Maybe another day?"

"No, now—while the lessons are fresh." Yohan motions towards me. "I know that you can do it, Ari. You have the temper and the power. Now I've shown you the control. Simply focus. You're a witch, after all, and you've been through worse."

It's true. I've lost my family and my life, come back reborn, and been all the way to Hell and through the other wise again. The last few hours included in the "Hell" portion of all this. I can make a flaming sword... probably.

Sweat trickling down my face, I push flames into my right hand and concentrate.

They burn, blue and dancing. Nothing happens.

I think about sword. Long, sharp, pointed. Kind of phallic in nature, like a lot of things. My mind wanders, so I force myself to call up my meditation techniques and empty my mind.

Then I picture it: a blade. Simple, elegant, curved. Weighted to fit my hand. Blue, bright, and burning.

It springs to life inside my grip.

A gasp leaves my mouth. "Is this really real?"

"Try using it." Yohan tosses a ball, and I instinctively swing the blade. It follows my movements as well as my intentions, sharp and flat, slicing right through the ball in midair. He grins at me. "See? I knew you could do it."

"Thank you." I let the blade go, exhausted and wrung out but no longer quite so frustrated at Yohan. "I'm sorry I was so short-tempered earlier. It's just been a long... well, year."

"Not to worry, Ms. Wolfe." He puts his hand on my shoulder, a rare moment of comfort from a normally distant teacher. "If you thought that was exciting, just wait until next year's class. It will be many times more challenging and much more educational."

My stomach drops.

I should've known.

* * *

"There's something I want to give you." Mage Auerbach is waiting outside my room when I come back from Yohan's lesson, pacing back and forth with a nervous air to him. "I want to talk to you about it, Ari... oh. You look like you've been exercising."

"I'm coated in sweat." I can feel it drip down the back of my neck; truly, I've never wanted a shower more. "Can this wait until after I take a break? Or maybe we can do it now if it's short? I need to let the guys now we should prepare to go off-campus. I got the dispensation."

"That's fantastic. And why I'm here, actually." Reaching into the long black duster he wears as a coat, he pulls out a slim blue book with silver lettering and hands it to me. "I had a whole speech prepared, but I find in the moment I'm too nervous to remember all of it. Something about forging new connections between the mage world and the world of witches. No longer hoarding knowledge. You get the gist."

"Thank you." Considering the book, I make a decision. "You can wait inside, I'll only be a minute."

"Of course."

When I'm done quickly showering the ick on me and have a fresh academy uniform on, I come out of the bathroom to discover Auerbach awkwardly standing in the middle of the living room, his duster still hanging from his shoulders.

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