A Clove of Fates

16. I Don't Want To Fly With You

I'd become very good at levitation spells. They didn't really work as enchantments, controlling flying objects was next to impossible, and human error made flying objects with the ability to be controlled just as dangerous. This left you with two options: enchant machines or spell living things.

Of course, you can't spell yourself. You'll complete the magical circuit and fry yourself. But on another person, it's perfectly safe. Romantic, even. That's why I practiced levitation spells the most with my practice talismans and homemade wands. It usually killed with the current objects of my affection and resulted in many kisses amongst the clouds.

Jarelis, however, was less than pleased.

"How do I control where I fly?" She asked me seconds before we were due for lift off.

I sighed. "I don't know how to explain it. You just do."

She snorted, her grip becoming rather like a vise on my forearm that was wrapped around her waist. "That's not helpful."

I raised the hand in which I held the wand. "Well, it's going to have to be." I hesitated, my arm falling a bit. She was scared. "It's going to be okay, alright? Trust me."

She let out a deep breath before nodding. "Alright. Alright, do it."

I tapped her shoulder with my wand. And we were off.

I wrapped my other hand around her waist and buried my face into the back of her shoulder as we shot off into the sky. I felt her left arm lift up, probably to block her face as I instructed her to. I squeezed my eyes shut, flinching as we flew through the deep canopy above us, various twigs and branches scraping against our arms and legs. I was sort of annoyed that I would probably be the only one with scratches on their legs because I was dressed in a knee length slip, but then I remembered that our souls were sort of Bound, and she would have cuts in all the places that I did.

Finally, we broke free of the forest and shot upwards even faster. I lifted my head from her back and savored the feeling of the wind stinging my face. Flying was an activity that required you to smile.

Jarelis looked over her shoulder at me. "So how do I stop?"

Fear of falling from the sky like a stone brought me right out of my smiling mood. "Don't stop!"

She shook her head. "No, I mean, how do I stop going up?"

"I can't explain this to you, Jarelis. You just have to do it."

She looked forward again. "Ifera, I don't—"

"You can do it. And you must. Otherwise we'll fly right out to space and die of asphyxiation and frostbite."

"Ifera!"

"I believe in you." And the smile was back.

She grabbed onto my forearms once more, gripping me tightly. I pulled myself closer to her instinctually. She flinched, but straightened once more.