“Good. Now I want to see how you can use your fire.” He stepped away, picking up his sword. This time when he faced her, his smile had turned predatory; hellfire flashed in his eyes. Ursula’s stomach lurched.
His blade whipped at her gut in a blur of metal, but she dove out of reach. “Use your fire,” he said, his voice husky.
Her sword clashed against his, and her heartbeat raced. He was going to disembowel her. “I don’t know how.”
His sword flashed again and she was only just able to deflect it above her head. The sound of clashing steel rang in her ears.
“Use your fire,” he commanded, louder this time, eyes burning with hellfire.
She tried to envision flames blazing through her body. “I’m trying.” She had to leap into the air to avoid losing her legs as his sword passed clean under her.
“Try harder.” He struck at her, and she parried. Immediately he struck again. She deflected, gasping for breath. Sweat broke out on her brow. His attacks grew faster, driving her across the room. She had to call up the flames, but she could hardly focus her attention with Kester’s sword threatening to rip her to shreds.
She stepped back, banging against the wall. Retreating was no longer an option. Kester struck again, locking his sword with hers, and slowly pushed his blade closer and closer to her face. His breath was warm against her cheek, fueled by Emerazel’s flames.
Her arms burned with exhaustion. She hadn’t been training, and her muscles weren’t ready for this. Kester’s blade pushed closer, grazing her cheek. He’s going to cut my face off. As panic flooded her, an image burst into her mind: a blood-soaked floor, a crumpled body, twitching fingertips. What was that? She didn’t recognize the images, but a hollow opened in her chest all the same, a void so deep and cavernous it could never be filled. Her heart ached.
Kester’s eyes were incandescent, the heat from his body overwhelming. He was going to kill her. She was certain of it. “Get away from me.” Fire kindled in her core, filling the void with a burning sensation. Almost instantly, it turned violently hot, like a dying star. Strength burned through her nerve endings. I am hellfire, and I will bathe the world in flames.
Fire blasted out of her body, knocking Kester away.
He dropped his sword, holding out his hands. “Get it under control.”
Glorious flames poured from her body in waves. She was no longer standing in the armory. She was in the center of a volcanic maelstrom, blessed with the power of a god.
Distantly she heard a hissing noise. Within moments, the inferno was gone, replaced by snow, and she coughed. But this snow wasn’t cold; it was suffocating. She couldn’t breathe. She fell to her knees, gasping.
Kester stood above her. “Use Emerazel’s fire for strength. Don’t burn down your apartment.”
“Something snapped in me when you held that blade to my cheek.” Whatever spell Kester had used stung like hell, and it tasted awful. The room smelled of burnt straw, and the tatami mats lay scorched. As she turned toward the wall-length mirror, she caught a glimpse of herself covered in white powder.
“I was trying to teach you to use your power. It doesn’t burn me, but it will be burn the shadow demons.”
“It looked like you were about to cut my face off.” She rose, shaking off the powder.
“Why would I do that?”
She cocked a hip. I don’t know. Why did you leave a man to bleed out across from my bedroom? “Maybe you wanted to wear it on your next mission because of my considerable allure.”
“I’m pretty enough as it is. And I was trying to teach you how to use your power to fight. Remember, Zornhau’s oil won’t let me hurt you.” He raised his sword, wrapping his fingers around the razor sharp blade. With a grunt of pain, he yanked the sword from his fist. Blood poured from his fingers, and Ursula gasped. But when he opened his hand, the wound had already healed. “It still hurts, but you can’t seriously injure yourself. But if you don’t learn to channel the hellfire, you’ll find yourself trapped in a burning building.”
“I think I need a lot of practice.” She wiped the white foam off her cheeks. “What kind of spell did you cast on me?”
“Not a spell,” he nodded at a fire extinguisher.
“Ugh. I’m going to make use of that shower.” She turned to walk out of the room.
“Ursula. You did well, at least until you exploded. Use that charm on Hugo tonight, and everything will be fine. But if anything happens—if you need me, just use that mobile I gave you.”
“I thought Emerazel wasn’t letting you help me.”
“I can help you. I just can’t go with you.”
“That is good to know.” She flashed him a tentative smile.
Even with her aching muscles, as she strode up the stairs to the bathroom, she felt a little better than she had that morning.
Chapter 21