THE FIRE SAGA

BLAZE 97 - NAVIGATION

The day is well gone, but the stars are having a grand game of peek-a-boo, hiding behind the clouds to reappear moments later. Brody and I are lying on the ground, long periods of silence passing between us as we watch the sky show.

"How are you feeling now?" I want to touch him, but every time my hand gets close, the electrical charge he's emitting is too intense for me to connect in a personal way.

"Awesome," he states sourly.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

I sigh. "Because you can't shapeshift anymore."

He lost more than he bargained for when his connection to the Tribunal was severed. Cutting the ties was only supposed to disconnect him from forced loyalties. I didn't mean to alter his Sumair status entirely. Regrets? Yep. Loads.

"I'm mad at myself," he admits.

"Why?"

"For shocking you."

"Don't be ridiculous," I hiss.

"I can't be that ridiculous for thinking it." His chin tips toward the house, pointing out our still-attentive audience. "You should be doing what they're doing."

"What? Being creepy peepers? Hard pass."

He chuckles, a deep rumbling sound coming from his chest. It makes me smile.

"You're not scared of me," I remind him.

"Scared for you." He cracks his knuckles. "I'll get used to it."

"So will they," I assure him.

"An average cloud weighs the same as a hundred elephants."

"That's heavy."

He grins wide. "I'm full of useful information."

"You're full of something."

He closes his eyes and inhales deeply. "Do you see it when you close your eyes?"

"See what?" I roll on my side to face him. "I can't see anything but clouds and stars."

"Feel where they are," he persists. "See it with your imagination."

I scoff. "You can't feel clouds."

"I feel them. I couldn't before. Each cloud has its own vibration."

I lie back down and try to feel what he's feeling. I read nothing but the unnecessary concern of my window watchers.

"I feel each one, where they are and where they're going. Is that how it is for you? With people?"

"Nothing so navigational for me. I just get a sense of what they're feeling."

"Close your eyes," he suggests. "Feel the people around you to navigate their position."

"Now you're just being ridiculous. I can't do that. Maybe you short-circuited something important in your brain."

"Just try."

I groan dramatically and close my eyes.

"Where's Derry?"

"You know where Derry is. He's at the window."

"How can you tell?"

"Deductive reasoning. I just saw him there."

"How's he feeling?"

"Irritated...anxious..."

"How can you tell?" he repeats.

"Deductive reasoning."