The Protectors: New Generation Book 1

28 - Fire Elemental Magic - Dominic

The sun filters through lower in the forest as we head back to the cabin. We travel along a path barely etched out of the forest that snakes around multiple trees. The forest floor is covered with ferns, other green plant material and leaves. Ande is beside me conversing with Carleigh. It's nice to see Carleigh is trusting some of us.

It doesn't take us long to get back to the cabin and gather around the fire pit that has a small amount of wood stacked in it.

Estel waits for everyone to settle before she turns to look at me.

"For training in the woods, you have potentially one of the most dangerous elements to train. Back on Everling, we can have someone working with you more extensively in an area with a brick enclosure until you get control of your abilities, and then you can learn advanced techniques. Right here, hopefully you can work on gaining enough control of simple fire manipulation. EJ is working on finding some place suitable for more intermediate techniques, which I am sure we will need in your case."

"Why in his case?" Hunter asks, and I roll my eyes. 'Because you don't listen to all of the instructions.' I want to answer, but my mouth stays glued together.

"Because, Hunter, some people are just better at instructions and controlling their emotions." Estel says, and I so want to laugh at how she skirts around what I am already thinking.

EJ walks up. "Anyway, you have a difficult element to try and do defensive moves with. You can form a fire shield or wall as an offensive move, but the majority of times fire is better suited to offensive moves. You can create things such as fire bullets or shoot streams of fire from hands or legs. If you get advanced enough, you can do things like warming your body and fire missiles, to name a few."

Estel continues after he stops talking. "Now that the fire is going, do as I instructed Tanner and Mick. Center yourself first. Then concentrate on the fire, the color of it, the heat that comes off from it, the feeling if it burns you. Imagine everything you can about the fire itself. Next concentrate solely on the flame itself, picking out a single flicker. Try to pull the flicker closer to you. Manipulate the direction the heat and particles are moving. Instead of it rising straight up, imagine it bending."

The fire is roaring, so I concentrate on the reddish color of the flame coming from the logs. Then at the change in color from red to a combination of red with yellow and orange. I focus on the column of flames the fire is creating as it reaches up into the air. I imagined that column bending, as if it found a better source of oxygen. The reaction isn't immediate, but quicker than I thought it could, the flame gradually starts shifting in a sideways direction. Hearing someone clap behind me, my concentration breaks.

"That was very good for your first time. It takes a lot of restraint not to quickly bend the flame and end up burning yourself, someone else or an object. I may have to have EJ find that area quicker than I expected."

EJ breaks in. "No need to worry. I already found the perfect place when we get more into training."

Estel's lips turn up slightly. "Miracles never cease. You thought ahead for once."

"Now, don't make me look bad in front of everyone."

The news that EJ has found another place for us to use or powers more is an exciting idea. How long would I be away from the cabin?

The large fire is put to good use this evening as we all sit around it to eat dinner. Everyone is talking to someone, but I'm not sure what to do. We are only roasting marshmallows this evening instead of making s'mores. They taste good, but they sure are messy. I really should have helped Ande last night. Swallowing my nerves, I get up and actually head Ande's way as she is trying to get some sort of even roast on her marshmallow. She succeeds in catching one side on fire once again.

"Having trouble?" I chuckle.

"You wouldn't be laughing if you had to work with this deformed limb," she says, shaking said stick in front of me.

"Do you want some help?"

"Are you an expert or something?"

"Or something. My little sister and brother, Grace and Evan, always have trouble with this too."

"You have siblings? What's it like?" she asks excitedly.

"For me, it's actually great. I love both of them dearly. Grace is a homebody, who loves her family and can be very sentimental. Since our parents haven't really been emotionally available to us growing up, Grace and I have always had a strong connection. The fights between my adoptive father and I hurt Grace deeply, but sometimes that man pushes too many buttons."

I didn't notice my fists were clenched until Ande lays her hand on mine - squeezing gently.

"He's not here. Tell me about Evan," she says with a smile.

I chuckle, "Where Grace is a homebody, Evan wants to be in the spotlight - or what spotlight there is for a fifteen-year-old. He plays baseball really well and actually plays for the local high school. He has tons of friends he hangs out with playing video games or walking to the park to play a game of basketball or whatever else everyone decides to do. He was even interested in asking a particular girl out before I left. Grace says he hasn't gotten the nerve to ask her out yet."

The fire light catches the color of her hair giving it a wheat color. "You talk to them often?"

"As often as I can. I even purchased special phones for the three of us. Grace and Evan can keep them hidden from our adoptive parents, that way they can communicate with me when they want. Unfortunately right now, they have to call and leave a message and tell me when they will be free. I try and check my phone several times a day for any messages from them."

"Your adoptive parents are that strict?"

"My adoptive father is a controlling asshole and my adoptive mother just does whatever he says. I got over trying to please them years ago."

"I'm sorry," she says looking up at me with her honey-colored eyes filled with compassion.

I see Tanner talking to Hunter off to the side. I hope Tanner can talk some sort of sense into that boy. What has happened to make him the way he is or is that his natural personality? Surely not. Shit, I hope not.