Page 40 of Our Radiant Embers

“I know,” I said, and I did. It had been years since she’d traded her teenage eating disorder for a more balanced devotion to fitness, but some memories you just didn’t quite get over. Finding her doubled over the toilet, retching up her most recent meal, again, was among those memories.

Cassandra had been a constant in my life, always right there when I needed someone to lean on or pull me up on my rubbish. And then there was Liam, starting to morph from a one-night blunder into…something. A wildcard who, against all odds, was inching closer to my preciously small circle of trust.

I doubted it was mutual.

* * *

In true British fashion, I didn’t tan. My skin went from creamy white to red, and back to creamy white. Liam, on the other hand? Two sunny, unseasonably warm weeks, and his face had taken on a light honey glow. It couldn’t quite mask the tired circles under his eyes.

I stepped aside to let him into my flat.

“How’ve you been?” I asked, only to wonder if that sounded reproachful. It wasn’t like I’d proposed a dozen get-togethers and he’d claimed to have better things to do. “Must be quite the challenge, working on so many prototypes at once.”

He watched me close the door, his full focus on me for a few beats. Then he relaxed. “Yeah, it’s been busy. And turns out our workshop is too small, so we expanded into the backyard. The mild weather’s been a blessing.”

Good thing their property was surrounded by high walls.

“Coffee?” I asked, already moving towards the kitchen corner. “And let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“You?” A frown coloured the question, and right, he’d hardly want me poking around his designs when no one had succeeded in copying them yet. Too bad—it felt like lately, all I did was talk, talk, talk. I could have used some proper, hands-on work.

I shook my head. “Never mind.”

“No, I mean…” He trailed off. When I glanced over my shoulder, he was back to watching me as though I was a riddle that needed solving.

I turned back to the coffee machine, and for ten seconds, the noise of the grinder efficiently eliminated the option of a conversation. Then I tamped the coffee powder down, still with my back to him.

“Yes to the coffee,” he said, rather belatedly. “And if you’re serious about helping…”

Again, he trailed off. I busied myself with making his coffee—no sugar, a dash of milk, wasn’t it? The robust, slightly bitter scent of fresh brew wafted through the space.

“If you’re serious about helping,” he restarted, “I actually could use a hand. With a couple of things.” He sounded pained about admitting as much. “I’m not very powerful, right? I’m precise, I’ve got excellent control, but my magic reserves tap out too quickly. And Jack and Laurie—my siblings—they’re not as precise because they’re still young.”

I didn’t point out that Liam must have been around Jack’s age when he’d invented the Aqua Reclaimer.

“So,” I said instead, “you’d need me to do what, exactly?”

“To very carefully, very slowly, pour a controlled amount of magic into certain things—I’d have to show you.” He leaned against the kitchen counter and shot me a tiny smile. “Your control is incredible.”

Flattery, oh. I was stupidly susceptible, maybe because my father was so tight-fisted with his approval. “You’ve seen me in action only once,” I told Liam, trying to hide just how pleased I was.

“Define action?” He moved on quickly, as though he hadn’t intended to say that. “What I meant—once was enough. I mean, yeah, you were trying to show off and intimidate me?—”

“Not like it worked,” I cut in, letting amusement twine around the words. “You called it a party trick. Other people who’ve seen me melt sand into glass were ready to sign whatever I pushed at them afterwards.”

“Nah, I was impressed. Just didn’t want to give you the satisfaction.” A small grin creased the corner of Liam’s eyes. “Also, I knew you weren’t the type to keep beach souvenirs in your office. How often have you replaced that sand bottle?”

“A half-dozen times, maybe? It’s a trick I reserve for special cases.”

His grin widened and turned real. “I’m honoured.”

“You should be.” I took two steps towards him and handed over his coffee, our fingers brushing over the warm porcelain. He pulled his hand back quickly and took a sip, glancing away.

Hmm.

“So,” he said. “Anyway. If you were willing to help with that? That’d be massive. I’ve already got a friend covering the earth aspects—George Sands? I want him on the Finsbury park area, for the record. But, anyway. If you can do fire, it frees me up to focus on the other two elements.”

The other two…

---