A Perfect World

Chapter 24

AELIN POV

Aelin was on fire. And that was reason enough to panic. But she didn't. 

The world was a terrifying kaleidoscope of red and orange hues. It was frightening. The ground below her was scorched black. She could smell the char. Yet, Rowan stood in front of her, mere inches away from the column of flame that had enveloped her and hadn't budged. Rooted in place, the look that crossed his face was one of awe. His gaze held her own for a bit before sweeping upwards. By the time his chin was pointing up towards the flames that were at least six feet taller than him, she started to notice the beads of sweat that began to form on his throat. 

He let out a slow whistle. Then his face broke into a grin. It was enough of a reaction to make Aelin's flames sputter. He didn't miss it. She made to quell her flames and lower the column, but he sent an ice cold wind in her direction and her flames leapt in response, climbing even higher. Icy wind came at her in all directions. Her fire danced with them. 

And slowly, Aelin began to feel delight instead of fear. She didn't try to control it, she just let herself burn. She let Rowan guide her flames with his own magic. She felt the flow of her power and the ebb of it, powerful then gentle. Back and forth, again and again. He was helping her build a habit she realized. 

"I'm going to stop now," he said suddenly. "Think you can take it from here?"

She nodded, bracing herself. 

As soon as Rowan's wind died, she felt the full energy of her power. It was wild and erratic, like the churning ocean during a storm. She didn't stop it, though. She let it churn. 

"Talk to me."

"There's more of it. A lot more."

"Do you want to let it out?"

She thought about it for a second. If she started letting more power out, she wasn't so sure she'd be able to stop. Finding the bottom of her well was dangerously tempting, she realized. That's what made it so terrifying. That bottom was so far out of sight. The reality of her depth of power was overwhelming to come to terms with. 

"No."

"So don't. Focus on what you want your power to do. Your thoughts command it. Be precise, set your limits and shape it."

She did as instructed. Taking a deep breath, she thought of her water magic. Finite drops and finite options. Precise, limited, shaped. She had more than a few drops of fire. She had waves of it. She thought of waves lapping against a ship. They were full but short. They moved in a singular pattern, ebbing and flowing. They swelled, curved, broke, then swelled again. She envisioned it. Waves at sunset against the side of a ship, bathed in fiery light. Then, they became fire itself. 

The sound of clapping broke her out of her thoughts. Rowan was slowly applauding her as a knee-high sea of fire lapped against her legs in thick, languid waves. 

There had been a restlessness to her soul for quite some time now. But as Aelin continued to mould her flames, stretching them, thinning them, twirling them, a calming peace settled over her and she could have sworn that the sun had smiled at her. 

AEDION POV

"Does this mean I can't go to the library anymore?" Evangeline asked. 

"Yes," Aedion replied, the same time that Lysandra said, "Of course not."

Naturally, that earned him a rather hostile glare from the shapeshifter. He scowled. 

"You just scouted something that scared the living daylights out of you in the library, yet you're saying that it's okay for her to go back there?" he asked Lysandra.