Page 69 of Let It Snow
So… new, and already addicting.
Still, I decide to steer our conversation toward more neutral ground, even though part of me would love to dig deeper into what just happened.
What do people do on dates? They talk, right? They get to know each other. But should we keep things light, or stick with what lies at the core of who we are? A date between two sorcerers has to include magic somehow, right?
"So what exactly are your abilities? I see you have… quite a few, and they’re different. I already know you can see the future, but not in the same way my brother Moon does, right?"
Snow toys with one of the napkins for a moment before answering.
"From what I heard from Ragnar, Moon has very specific visions. He sees people, their faces, exact events, conversations, even if they can sometimes be confusing or hard to interpret. For me it works differently. Even describing it is hard, it’s more like sensing energy coming your way, whether positive or negative, and learning to interpret how it’s taking shape, ‘reading’ its meaning. At a higher level, it’s also the art of influencing it. I’ve been studying and polishing my abilities my entire life, but I still haven’t mastered them all. I can’t control everything."
"You still can do a lot. From what I’ve seen, besides shaping the future, you can also manipulate light, create luminous forms, and even channel that energy—" I clear my throat, "—like you just did… but that’s still not all, right?"
Snow slowly nods.
"So what else?"
He stays silent for a while. In the meantime, a waiter arrives and sets down our food. We focus on that for a moment, but as we start eating, I’m not about to let it go.
I have to push a little further. I’m just freshly set on the idea that a date between two sorcerers should feel like it.
"Tell me what else you can do. I want to see at least a little something. Something simple."
Since he’s still quiet, I decide to go all in. I lean closer and slip a finger gently under his sleeve where his tattoos begin.
Snow lifts his gaze to me.
"Do these tattoos have something to do with your power? I noticed they vary in temperature."
He studies me carefully for a moment, then sighs, as if he doesn’t really like talking about it, which is interesting on its own.
"My light tattoos symbolize my power over light. I can call it or extinguish it anywhere I want."
He places his hand flat on the table, and in an instant every light in the restaurant goes out. The only illumination comes from the glass ceiling, where the ocean filters down a pale shimmer.
People around us cry out in alarm, but a second later the lights come back on, and I let out a sharp gasp of shock.
Everyone else probably thinks it’s just a brief power outage. Only I notice that the air conditioning never stops humming.
A small smile curves Snow’s lips.
He glances toward the planter filled with flowers, leans forward, and plucks a single leaf.
He holds it up for me to see, and in the blink of an eye frost crystals spread across its surface in a silvery sheen.
My mouth falls open in astonishment.
But it doesn’t end there. Snow’s eyes glow faintly again, and a moment later the leaf bursts into flames—before suddenly vanishing, gone as if it had never existed in his hand at all.
"Oh wow…" I grin, still staring at his hand in disbelief.
Snow keeps smiling, gazing at the empty space where the leaf was, before turning his eyes back to me.
"When I was a kid, I loved doing little tricks like that. I’d turn invisible and eavesdrop on conversations, I’d walk across the surface of the lake in the middle of summer by freezing the water beneath my feet, and I could warm myself up when I was cold by raising the temperature of the air around me."
"So you’re… what? An elemental mage?"
Snow tilts his head slightly, as if considering my words.
