Through a Masked Maiden's Eyes

Chapter 12: Training and Decisions

I heard the whistle of the wind and felt a cold draft run over my arm. My eyes opened quickly with a shot of panic, sitting straight up. I had closed everything up before I went to bed. Was it Awa or had someone found us?

I relaxed when I saw the window was still latched but just barely with the wind pressing it in as far as it would go.

So I might have been a little bit paranoid, go swallow dirty dishwater. I should be, considering my occupation, oh and how many people would love to see my unmoving corpse sinking to the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen again.

Such pleasant thoughts to wake up with, I thought as my fingers rubbed my temples. They were cold against my skin. My eyes went to the fireplace to see it was out. I stared at it in annoyance. Now I'd have to get up and find some kindling or some starter wood- or would I?

The incident from last night came back; I could set myself on fire, surely I could set a piece of wood on fire, how hard could it be?

I swung myself over the edge of the bed my feet touching the ground sending cold signals up my legs. The fire had been out for a long time apparently. I sighed heavily and saw a bit of my breath in the air. Ok now that was just ridiculous, I scowled at the dead ashes where there should have been a roaring fire while rubbing my hands over my arms quickly to heat them up.

My hair was down and wild from not braiding it before I went to bed. I ran a hand through it trying to keep it out of my face, it just tumbled back in. I huffed thoroughly annoyed and stood wrapping my arms around my waist. I was pleased when I didn't even feel a twinge in my formerly injured leg and I looked down past my long nightshirt to examine it. The place was a little red but otherwise looked normal. I went to the window just as a gust of air blew through coating me in cold damp air. I shivered and quickly pressed the window closed; the clasp was bent making it unable to hold it perfectly in place, so I froze the edge so that it would stay shut. Then looked through the now foggy glass to see what time it was. It was a cloudy day with wind whipping small trees to bend to its will leaves were flying everywhere and it weaved through the trees too strong for it to conquer. I couldn't tell the time, but I supposed it didn't really matter.

I turned quickly stalking to the fireplace. I glared at it; I was almost sure I had put a few logs on before I climbed in bed. I must have slept longer than I thought. I placed another log on the fire and sat on the less than clean rug in front of it brushing off most of the dirt on it first. I sat and stared at the log. I imagined smoldering embers on the log, cracking it with orange lines with blue flames slipping up and out of the cracks.  I didn't close my eyes. I wanted to see it happen. I wanted to prove to myself that last night and even yesterday had really happened. I watched as a thin line of glowing green slowly traced it way along the log like I had pictured the orange lines doing. Was my fire always so odd colored? Why wasn't it the same color as normal fire? Maybe Awa would know.

I realized I had lost focus and now my little vein of heat was dying with a trail of smoke flowing up from it instead of flames.

I sighed and stared at the long imagining small flames consuming the log from that line. I watched as it slowly did just like I was expecting while making small popping and crackling sounds and releasing a slight smell of smoke; just enough to be pleasant, with the feeling of home. I made it burn bigger and then smaller once again watching it practicing my control, seeing how hard it was to control when it was not on my skin. Once I was satisfied with my second self taught lesson on fire I sighed, backing away from the fire.  My face was now hot and a trickle of sweat ran down the back of my neck and I stretched tiredly. I added another log to the fire and turned away. 

When I looked back the fire was a normal color snapping with its usual intensity. I paused; maybe it was only while I was controlling it that it had a different color. I briefly wondered if that was normal. I had only met one person bonded with fire before and that was when I was small and a traveling festival had come through town. I didn't remember his fire being a different color though.