“Yes. Yes. Yes.” Hope kissed Silas. “We’re loyal to our own people, but we’re also loyal to each other. We can do this. Already there’re us and our inner circles. We just have to keep extending our reach. The more people on our side, the better.”
I looked deep into Guy’s eyes, seeing the depth of his need. He wanted this, just as much as I did. “This is what your father would want too. He said so few Magiolings are finding their mated ones. Our skills continue within our family lines, but they don’t return to full strength unless we’re born of the mated bond. And we all know that. It’s also been centuries since my fire skill was seen, and you’re one of few left who enchant. Your father’s right in saying we’re losing the battle, and it’s with ourselves more than any other. Just imagine when we can all live openly with our mates. When our secrets are gone.” Oooh, yes. My blood heated at the thought.
“Love, that sounds—” He lurched back. “This rising really sucks, and you’re getting too hot to handle. I’ll spell again.”
Silas lifted Hope from the water. “Sis, really? You need to cool it. And could you please keep your distance from Moyer? It would be helpful.”
“Maybe Silvie should go for a swim,” Hope interjected. “So her energy distributes in other ways. I’ll come with you, Silvie. I have a gel which coats my skin. It’s part of my skill and kicks in when I’m diving deep in the ocean. It insulates me from the cold, but I don’t see why it can’t insulate me against your heat.” Her skin shimmered with the slippery gel, and she slid out of Silas’s arms, escaping him with ease. She swam around me.
Having someone swim with me would be good. I wanted my closest near.
She popped up then ran her palm down her arm. “Oh, it works like a treat. The gel melts away, but my skin produces it again just as quickly. I’ll have to watch my hydration, but I can do this. Let’s swim together.”
I blew Guy a kiss and followed her out into the deep, only, I’d barely begun to swim when a wave of heat shot through my veins. On my back, I lifted my hands free of the water and pointed upward. Fire blasted out and hit the rocky ceiling.
Beautiful. Such a glorious explosion of red, burnt orange and sizzling yellow.
“Silvie!”
I grinned at Guy’s shout. “Don’t you like it, honey?”
He let out a long sigh. “Get some control. There’s only so much I can spell at once, and now I have to cool the ceiling before it collapses on us. Aim for the walls if you have to.”
“Oh, good idea. The walls.” My fingers tingled to release more fire.
“Give me a second first to work out a spell for the roof.” He rubbed his forehead. “Okay, hopefully this will work. Take the rising steam and along the ceiling of rock, layer and lock it into ice. I need prisms of white, and I need them spun nice.” His words floated to me, and above, the steam crystalized across the ceiling, adding layer upon layer of the tough white stuff.
“Okay, ice opposes fire. Now for the walls.” Guy glanced at Faith. “You should be forewarning me of these problems before they arise.”
“There aren’t any forewarnings. You’re dealing with them first, but I’ll certainly holler if you slip up anywhere.” Her brow furrowed. “Hey, what was your rising like? I’m trying to imagine how that would work for an enchanter.”
“Nobody could stop the barrage of rhymes which spilled from my mouth. I did a number of terrible things whenever somebody attempted to contain me. It wasn’t pretty.” He shifted his gaze toward Hope, who now bobbed in the water, waiting for me to catch her up. A look passed between them.
“You were there.” I kicked toward her. “What did he do?”
“It was unbelievable. He turned me completely purple. Skin, hair, everything, and all because he liked the color of my violet eyes and thought the rest of me should match.”
I laughed. “No way.”
“Yes way.”
Silas chuckled from where he’d clambered onto a large rock at the water’s edge, no doubt to get a better view of Hope. “I would have loved to have seen that, Moyer. Can you do it again to my mate?”
Hope gasped. “Silas, not funny. And no, Guy won’t. Not if he values his life.”
Pushing a hand through his slick black hair, Guy said, “It took me a couple of days to figure out how to reverse the spell, and I’ve learnt my lesson. No one messes with a Wincrest.”
I kicked away from Hope as another wave of heat pulsed through my veins. “Guy, this one’s gonna be bad.” I aimed my fingers at the wall. “Can you get that now?”
“One sec.” He mumbled a short ditty, and ice shimmered over the surface of the walls as my fire flared.
It slammed into the layer of ice and blasted off. Chunks of pristine white flew and everyone ducked. “Stay low. My rising is definitely rising.”
“You’ve gotta swim.” Having dove off the boulder, Silas swung back onto the top of it. “Force your energy out, but not through your fire. There are other ways. Use them.”