The Ritual of Blood and Bone

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Stains, except Seren, all sit on the beach. Seraphina can't help but stare at the gentle waves as they effortlessly glide over the sand. The sound of the water relaxes her, and she sighs happily.

Kirnon and Ari play in the water. Drevon cheers as Kirnon picks Ari up and throws her in deeper. Seraphina laughs as she squeals. When she stands up, she is completely drenched, but smiling widely. She hurls water back at Kirnon, making him trip and fall back. 

"Here," Cora says, holding up a thick towel as Ari runs up the sand away from Kirnon. She wraps it around herself, shivering.

"Come on," Cora laughs, "let's get back so you can change."

Ari nods her head, her teeth chattering. Though she had taken off her corset and main skirt, Ari was still wearing her underclothes and they are now drenched, clinging to her skin.

Kirnon laughs to himself and sits down. He takes off his shirt, showing off his muscular chest.

"I bet Ari's sad she's missing out on that," Drevon jokes and nudges him.

Seraphina and Nysa roll their eyes.

"Relieved, more like," Nysa says, making them all laugh.

Kirnon gestures at the sky. "Come on Seraphina, you wouldn't mind helping a man out and make it a little sunnier," he jokes.

Seraphina laughs. "I'll try, but if it starts raining then don't blame me. I don't have the best handle on my powers."

"Yeah, we've seen," Drevon chuckles, recalling the incident with Seren. Nysa smirks and then looks at Seraphina.

"You can do this," she says calmly and lies on her back, resting on her hands.

"Okay," Seraphina says and looks up. She licks her lips and stares at the clouds. It isn't like it is completely overcast. There is lots of blue sky beyond the puffy white clouds, but there's a little too much for the sun to properly break through.

Seraphina holds up her hand and pushes out with her magic. Immediately, pressure encases her body. It's like she's trying to funnel her magic through a straw.

Her hand aches and she grits her teeth, pushing harder. The veins pop on her forehead and sweat begins to dribble down her face.

Slowly, the clouds dissipate. The clearer the sky becomes, the more Seraphina's body trembles with the force of trying to push out her magic.

When there are no more clouds, she stops and lets out a whoosh of air, falling onto her back.

"Thanks," Kirnon says and sighs, enjoying the sunlight that beams down onto him.

"That looked like hard work," Drevon says.

"Yeah. My magic works completely fine when I don't want it to. But the moment I actually try and control it, well, it's like I can't get it out of me. I feel the magic there, inside me, but I just can't get it to quite work, you know?"

"I don't have powers, so no, not really," Drevon chuckles.

"You're untrained," Nysa says casually. "Magic is like a muscle. It needs proper work and regular training in order for it to become strong." 

Seraphina frowns. "But I have been training my whole life," she says, thinking back to Calla's lessons.

"With another weather magic Ethereal?" Nysa asks.

"No," Seraphina sighs.

"There it is, your magic is very strong and very specific. You need specialised training."

"Well, that's why I'm here," She huffs. "How did you get so good? You seem to be in complete control over your powers."

Nysa pauses and looks away awkwardly. Seraphina narrows her eyes slightly, confused at Nysa's reaction.