Page 90 of Swift Wings Shadowed Heart
Phoebe and I take our positions a safe distance from each other. I turn slightly to the left to ensure she’s out of my peripherals. I don’t want to be distracted by what she does.
Our dragons lie on the ground, enjoying a sunbath. They don’t seem the least bit concerned about us.
—Any advice on what I should try, Zephyros?
—None. It would be a waste of time. Human’s way of thinking is mostly baffling to me. What works for one, the other one finds useless. Dragons? We simply wish it, and we make it so.
Simply wish it and make it so. May as well try.
“Wind Wall… appear,” I say under my breath.
Nothing happens. Not like I was expecting to succeed on my first attempt.
All right, I’ll begin with Wind Blast, and then… I sway with the flow of my elemental power, then release a medium-sized attack, except this time I wish for it to become something different.
“Wind Wall… appear,” I murmur once more.
No Wind Blast comes. Instead, the air in front of me wavers, while the ground a few feet ahead seems to vibrate, causing small particles of dirt and pebbles to jump, agitated by the tightly compacted particles of air I have gathered and contained in the form of a wall.
“I did it!” I exclaim.
Vaylen, who stands off to the side examining the various spears in one of the weapon racks a group of Claws just brought in, glances over his shoulder. He abandons what he’s doing and comes closer. With the same critical eye he was just using on the weapons, he appraises my handiwork. His gaze travels upward, then to the sides, judging the size of my wall.
Bigger!I think at the wall, and it grows, the line of jumping particles stretching further right and left on the ground, creating a straight line.
Vaylen does a double take. “On your first try?”
“Second,” I shrug.
“It looks strong. Want to put it to the test?” He glances back toward the spears.
My hands fall to the sides, the wall disappearing. “What?! Already? Um, I don’t…” I shake my head.
Vaylen chuckles, a low sound that puts my hairs on end. The man drips sensuality in everything he does, and I’m not sure he’s aware of it.
“That’s an excellent Wind Wall. It will hold.” He retrieves a spear from the rack and tests it in his hand. Once he has the right grip, he lifts it, acquiring the proper throwing stance—one foot in front of the other, his arm and spear cocked back and leveled with his ear.
Behind me, Phoebe yelps and runs to stand at Vaylen’s side. On the other end of the plateau, a huge ball of fire erupts from where the Skyblazes train, climbing toward the sky like a second sun. We get distracted by it and watch it burn an upward straight path until it hits a gray cloud and hisses angrily, searing the cloud out of existence and leaving only blue sky in its place.
“Holy Heratrix,” Phoebe says under her breath. “That was awesome.”
“Not bad, indeed.” Vaylen nods approvingly, while I wonder if that was Silas’s or Nate’s doing. I’m rooting for the latter, of course.
Returning his attention to me, Vaylen rechecks his grip on the spear, aims it straight at my chest, and lets it loose without as much as a warning.
I barely have time to panic and act on pure instinct. I sense Zephyros’s sudden awakening from what has turned into a deep afternoon nap as he senses the threat. He’s late to the show, though. My arms are already up, and a wish for a strong wall has been issued at the speed of thought—a speed much faster than Vaylen’s spear.
The weapon hits my barrier with a loud clunk as if it has hit a wall made of stone and not air. I blink at the weapon as it clatters to the ground and lands several feet away. My wall dissolves as Zephyros growls, one silver eye set on Vaylen.
—I will kill him.He lowers his head, his maw opening.
Behind him Fragor stirs from his own nap.
“No!” I run and stand between Zephyros and Vaylen, waving my hands overhead like a lunatic.
—He attacked you.A growl rumbles in Zephyros’s throat.
—Settle down. It’s all part of training. Besides, I’m fine.
