Page 24 of Oleander
With a flick of his finger, my cuffs release, falling to the rug with a soft thump.
I suck in a sharp breath, both relief and shock washing over me as my red, irritated skin comes into view. I rub each wrist, hissing at the soreness.
“Visit the apothecary on your way home. She’ll give you a cream for that. It’ll be gone overnight. Now. Show me what you got.”
“But what if I don't know what I got? Or how to show you?”
A small smile tugs at the corner of his wrinkled mouth. “What triggered your magic in the Mortal Realm?”
“My girlfriend dumped me with a text.”
Headmaster Goulding hums his understanding. “Classic. Now, call on that feeling. Our magic is controlled by emotions, both positive and negative.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I say seriously.
He chuckles, but not unkindly. “You won’t hurt me, child. I’ve been around far too long. Hold your palm out, and try to conjure your Air magic on a much smaller level. Only call a tiny thread of your power from the place it resides. Your heart.”
Okay then. I close my eyes and think about Jessica dumping me as I hold my open hand out in front of me.
I feel nothing.
Even though it’s only been a little over a week since it happened, thinking about her doesn’t arouse any emotion in me.I no longer care.
“It’s not working.”
“Try a different emotion. Something positive.”
I conjure Oleander’s shy smile in my mind, the way he looks at me. Magic stirs in my heart, and I gasp, feeling the radiant energy pulse. A small cyclone forms in the palm of my hand, and electricity dances between my fingers as I wiggle them.
“Whoa.” My eyes are wide and unblinking, staring in awe at the magic I created.
“Well done, Mr. Fairfield. Controlling multiple facets of your element is an advanced skill, one I am quite impressed that you already possess.”
My smile stretches wide as confidence fills me.
“Now, release the thread and let your power settle back inside your chest.”
I listen to Headmaster Goulding, easily letting go of the power as if I’ve had magic my entire life and know how to use it. By this point, I’m preening like a satisfied cat.
“I’d like to try something else since you seem to be something of a natural.”
“Okay. . .” I’m hesitant to try more. Sometimes, it’s better to quit when you’re ahead.
“An important part of being a Fae is knowing how to defend yourself. One of the first things a newly emerged Fae learns is how to form a basic shield with their element.” Metal armor instantly and seamlessly envelops the headmaster like he’s a medieval knight ready for a crusade. He knocks on his own chest. “Bulletproof.”
“Sick,” I murmur, completely in awe as it disappears in a split second.
“As an Air Fae with an affinity for cyclones and electricity, you should be able to pull an electrical charge from the atmosphere and use it defensively, and not just as a weapon.”
“How?” I’m eager to learn anything he’s willing to teach me.
“Call on a little more of your magic, only a small amount more, and simply imagine it coating your skin like a shield of armor.”
I close my eyes, concentrating hard. I call another thread forward and grab it, imagining the thread expanding and wrapping around me like an embrace. My eyes pop open, and Ican feel the power vibrating behind them. Electricity buzzes in the air around me, and my skin crackles.
I gasp, attempting to duck as an ax comes flying at my chest.
“Fuck!” I shout as it slams into a silvery barrier that surrounds my body, sizzling loudly before clattering to the ground. My eyes are wide as I stare down at the ax, red hot and smoking. “Holy fucking shit.”
