Page 10 of The Study of Storms and Magic
Endre huffed. “A classic overachiever. Must run in the family.” He winked at Zethan.
They mounted their horses and returned to the house. Aunt Larissa had made a hearty beef stew. As soon as the spicy scent hit him, Zethan’s stomach roared. The broody storm had taken more energy out of him than expected. Typical.
The next few days were uneventful. Zethan finally convinced Elley and Surren to go with him to the local pub. He’d been back in Ixia the last couple of storm seasons, but this was the first time he’d been back in his hometown. Zohav declined to join them, preferring to stay behind to study, but Heli was game. Much to Zehan’s chagrin, Annika and Endre invited themselves.
When the six of them entered the Snow Cat Tap, the rumble of voices died as everyone glanced at the newcomers. Of course, they knew Elley and Surren, and they ignored Annika and Endre, but they eyed Zethan and Heli with outright suspicion. Did they consider him an outsider? Already? The gossip network would have informed them that he’d been back a number of times, helping tame the blizzards.
They found a table near the back and ordered a round of ale. Zethan scanned the crowd, looking for familiar faces. The first time he’d returned to Ixia after helping with the Sitian war, he’d sent a letter to Rosalie, a girl he’d been close to before his magic had manifested. She had never replied.
Zethan spotted two friends from school. He grabbed his glass and joined them.
“Dray and Jakob! How the hell have you been?” Zethan asked.
They stiffened and frowned. Jakob shot a quick glance at Annika and Endre before his gaze settled on his glass.
“Go away,” Dray said. “You’ll get us in trouble.”
Confused, Zethan asked, “How?”
“Look who’s forgotten already,” Jakob said to Dray. “Must be nice not to worry about who you associate with in the south.”
All good cheer drained from him. “You don’t have to worry. I’m allowed to be here.”
“And when you leave?” Jakob finally looked at him “We’ll be marked as magician lovers. People will be suspicious we might be hiding magical powers. Your two spies will report us. Go. Away.”
Were the Ixians always so paranoid? Zethan scanned the crowd. They eyed him warily. This was probably why Rosalie never replied to his letter. Huh.
He’d told Zohav,this is no longer our home. He should have added,and we’re no longer welcome here.
“Are you happy now?” Zethan said to Heli as they muscled their way through the screaming winds of the blizzard.
It was a cunning and powerful storm, determined to sweep the magicians off their feet and out of its way. It assaulted them with sharp needle-like snowflakes, or as Heli appropriately dubbed them, iceflakes. In a previous storm, Zohav had tried to use her power to alter the iceflakes’ trajectories with no success.
Heli grinned at him. “I’m living the dream.”
He’d roll his eyes, but he was afraid his eyeballs would freeze in that position. This storm hadn’t needed any of Zethan’s magic. It had aimed right for Icefaren. Everyone else had decided to remain behind in the warmth, including the horses. Lucky them to have a choice. He and Heli had braved the biggest storm of the season because, if it wasn’t for them, this storm would kill people with its extreme cold. It would also collapse roofs, destroy smaller structures, and make travel impossible. Still might.
They had crossed into the NIP an hour ago. After trudging through the snow for another hour, they reached the storm’s center. Zethan stopped. “Here.”
Heli created a bubble of calm, and he wilted with relief. Normally he would stand well away from her, but in this case, it was safer for him to remain close instead of turning into an icicle and freezing to death.
“Wow.” She blew out a breath. “Thisisa strong one. Let’s get to work!”
It didn’t take long for her to fill four orbs. Too bad her efforts hadn’t lessened the monster raging around them. Zethan also carried four orbs, and they swapped packs. While she workedher magic, he kept his senses trained on the heart of the storm, seeking any weakness.
“Zee.” Heli’s strained voice cut through his concentration. “Run!”
He faced her. She cradled a half-filled orb. “Why?”
“Can’t…plug it…no…energy. Go. Now!”
Ice formed around his heart as he understood the danger. If she couldn’t plug the orb, concentrated storm energy would be released, killing them both. Acting on instinct, because he’d never leave her, he grabbed her hand holding the stopper and added his strength to hers. And immediately learned, it wasn’t a physical struggle but a magical one. So, he gathered his magic—that connection to the storm—and added it to Heli’s.
Swirling colored ribbons appeared inside the storm. Blue, green, yellow, and red lines spun together to form a funnel, which ended at the opening of the orb. No, it went inside, but it had stopped being drawn in and now fought to break free. Only Heli kept it from exploding.
He added more of his magical energy. The funnel disappeared inside the glass and Heli slammed the stopper in place. The colors whirling in his vision disappeared as Heli fainted. He lowered her to the ground, which was littered with orbs. Counting them, he cursed. Zethan should have been paying more attention to Heli. She’d filled all eight, exceeding her limits and was now unconscious. To make matters worse, the damn storm showed no signs of weakening.
Now it was his turn. Using his magic, he pushed the storm further north. The ornery spiteful thing blasted him with sleet. He increased his power.
