Guardians Of The Zodiac

Chapter 6

"It's not that bad," Ryder shrugged off the blistering winds.

"Yeah, that's because your insides are made up of fire!" Hazel yelled at him over the wind.

"Here, Hazel. Take this. It's a potion made for Earth Mages to withstand cold temperatures. It should help warm your core," Trinkette held it out to Iris so that she could use some of her fire to warm it up.

"It looks like mud," Hazel stared at it with a sparkle in her eyes and we all cringed as she slurped it down with no hesitation. "Thanks a bunch, you guys," she grinned at both of them.

"Here," Naudia waved her hand in front of all of us and when I looked down I saw I was now wearing snow boots and I had a bulky jacket wrap itself around me.

"Hey! You used the spell I taught you! Well done!" Hazel praised her.

"It's not a big deal," Naudia waved her off.

Fashion magic. That would've come in handy for the cold nights we spent in the woods.

"The finishing touch," Serena pulled out her brand new crystal and a thick scarf appeared around my neck, tucking itself in to make sure not even a breeze would penetrate my skin.

"Now come on. That herb isn't gonna just grow legs and find us," Naudia established, taking initiative as she began to trudge forward.

"Is it really a wonder why anyone calls her Ice Queen?" Cooper whispered to me with a smirk.

I held Trinkette close, shielding her from the snow and wind inside my coat where she was kept warm as we followed in Naudia's footsteps.

"How are you doing in there, Trinkette?" I took a peek inside my jacket pocket to see her going over some blueprints.

"I'm good. That potion I gave Hazel was specially made for Earth Mages so it wouldn't have much effect on you but I think I'm getting closer to inventing the perfect Heat Ring that can keep you warm without catching on fire."

"Yeah, I'd rather not end up like a charred piece of meat," I teased her.

"Note taken," she obliged.

"How do we even know we're going the right way?" Naudia asked as we all ended up falling behind Hazel.

"Well I doubt that Hazel would lead us in the wrong direction," Ryder spoke.

"Wait. I'm leading? I was just kind of walking..." she admitted, stopping in her tracks.

"So this whole time you didn't even know we were following you?" Cooper laughed.

"It's okay, Hazel! We trust your instincts," Serena tried to encourage her.

"My instincts?" she repeated.

"Well your power is earth right? And the herb is a plant..." Iris put it plainly for her.

She thought about it for a long moment. I kept having to put my hair behind my ears because it was whipping my face so violently it was making cuts in my skin. I tried to keep the hood of my jacket on my head but the wind just kept blowing it off.

"Find your core, Hazel! An inner peace. Think about the Camellia and it will guide you to it," I instructed and she just nodded.

"You are really going to tell her how to access her own magic?" Naudia scoffed at me again.

"I've read plenty of books about accessing dormant magic inside yourself."

"Reading it and actually doing it are two completely different things entirely."