In My Possession

Chapter 21-Fire

"Your not concentrating!" My hands curled into stiff fists and I resisted the urge to punch Howard.

"Elemantal magic is the most difficult and out of the elements fire is the hardest to call upon." Howard instructed. "Fire is passion, you have to feel it inside your bones, in every particle you have to feel the fire."

I stood in the center of the training room, legs apart I focused on the pile of paper in front of me. I licked my lips nervously and raised my right hand in front of me. It was shakaing with the effort I was exerting. My breath came faster. WIht a final burst of effort the paper dissolved into a pudde of water.

"You've summoned water again." Howard said angrily, He stalked to the center of the room and made the water disappear with a swipe of his hand and then turned to me.

"Are you not trying? You are lazy!" He spit at me. I ground my teeth in annoyance.

"I"m trying my best." HIs eyebrows rose in amusement.

"Trying are you? Doing your best? Am I being unfair?" He mocked in a childs tone.

"Yes, actually you are being unfair." I said straightening up.

"I am not going to coddle you just because you are the next queen, becuase your a young girl who has been given power that you are not worthy of."

I could feel my hands shaking again but this time in anger. I took a couple deep breaths, trying to keep my fury in check.

"Don't talk to me like that." I said through gritted teeth. He walked in a circle around me, leering at me.

"Why? Are you getting angry?" He shot out a small flame and I had to jump back to avoid it.

"Getting angry?!" He yelled. He started shooting our more fire at me and I started summoning water to block the harmful flames from me.

"Oh, yes summon more water. You're too weak to make fire!"

"I"m not weak!" I finally yelled back, ducking to avoid a another volley. He paused his attack, stepping closer to me.

"Then prove it." I turned my back to him and started walking away. I suddenly smelt something burning and a warmth was tickling my shoulder. With a scream I relized my hair was on fire. I quickly made some water but in my panic I over estimated my amount and ended up drenched.

"Fool." He taunted. I had been through to much of late to be continually mocked like this. I could feel my clothes steaming and I slowly turned to face him again. I could feel the heat in my bones like he'd said, the tingling of the flames in my fingertips. With an angry scream I threw all my frustration at him in a wall of pure flame. Howard threw himself out of the way landing on the floor in a heap.

"That's it." He coaxed. "Be angry, let yoursef be the conduit for the passion." I threw another ball of fire at him which he knocked away with a sweep of his hand.

Again and again I attacked him, letting myself feel the bitterness that had been locked inside me for weeks. My confusion over my powers, my frustration with myself for not being able to do extraordianary magic, my bitterness at the sons for taking me away from my friends. I let it all wash over me and out into flames that licked the ground and dripped from my fingers. Howard blocked me each time, coming closer and closer until he put one arm around me. I could feel tears running down my cheeks and then evaporating from the heat I was producing.

"And now shut it down." He whipsered softly. Using all my self control, the flames flickered and died in my hands, my skin growing cooler unti it was a normal body tempertature again.

"There, it will be much easier to summon fire again, it won't tire you anymore." He walked over to the mini fridge and threw a water bottle to me. I caught and unscrewed the cap with shaking hands.

"Now you know what if feels like so you won't have to get angry to make the fire come." I said nothing, just took a  long drink form the bottle and then dropping to the floor in exhaustion.

"That was cruel." I finaly whispered.

"But necessary." He answered and awkwardly sat down beside me, his old bones creaking in complaint.

"I told you the magic does not come form within but from the earth. That is only partially true, it takes a great deal of emotion and energy to fuel the magic that we bring into ourselves. We must be careful or the magic will burn us up."

"The other day, Walker made a little man and horse out of flame and then he turned it into a bird." Howard sighed.

"That was a very complicated bit of magic he did there then, to create life we must take a little of our own life source. Walker has been studying and practicing all his life. The magic will come much quicker and easier to you then it did Walker but you still can't expect to know everything. Learning magic takes time." He drew himsef to his feet.

"Now I suggest you take a nap, we will resume this lesson tomorrow." He exited the training room but I remained, sitting on the floor until I fell into a deep sleep.