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The sauna had filled a part of her that Darien and Ivy explained was connected to red magic. Fire magic. The arcane term for it was ‘Inferno’, birthed by Ignis herself. The pool, on the other hand, had quenched her thirst and replenished her blue magic. The arcane term for that one was ‘Mist’, these gifts given birth by Caligo.
She came out of the sauna for a second time that afternoon to find Darien waiting for her, like usual, though this time he sat on one of the poolside chairs. Elbows on his knees, hands clasped between them. He had a way of commanding attention in any room, no matter what he was doing or who he was with. Both Ivy and Joyce were with her this time, and Jack had joined too. Tanner was playing video games upstairs, and Kylar had left to pick up Paxton and Eugene from an arcade in the Theater District.
“Still good?” Darien asked. Loren still couldn’t put a finger on what was bothering him, though he’d disappeared for a second time about an hour ago.
She nodded and crossed her arms over her breasts, her skin pebbling from the change in temperature. “Still good.”
“What do we do about green?” Ivy asked, using her towel to blot the excess moisture from her hair. She’d gone for another dip.
“Green?” Jack asked, looking lost, water dripping off his curls. “What’s that mean? Someone fill me in.”
“Loren has every color magic, right?” Ivy began.
“Okay?”
“Which is how we woke her up in the Caliginous Chamber.”
“Okay?”
“Well, Caliginous was closed early today—”
“I heard.”
“But Darien figured out another way to replenish her magic. She constantly feels thirsty, and thirst is connected to water and blue magic. So she went for a swim, and now she feels better. She was also complaining about feeling cold. The sauna helps with that. Fire magic equals heat—pretty obvious. But…” She chewed on her full bottom lip, eyes flicking to Darien, who looked as deep in thought as his sister did. “Green. Hmm.” She tapped a finger against her chin.
Joyce got out of the hot tub and wrapped herself up in a towel she’d draped across a chaise lounge. “I have an idea.” She pointed at the windows behind Darien. “The yard. Ever heard of grounding? ‘Earthing’ is another term for it.”
Jack said, “Nope,” while Ivy exclaimed, “Yes, Joyce!” She was grinning from ear to ear. “Yes, you are a genius! I’m in a house full of geniuses!” She grabbed onto her husband’s tatted arm with enthusiasm and shook him until his teeth clacked together. “Geniuses!”
Jack said, “I’m clearly not one of them.”
Darien stood. “What’s grounding?”
Joyce tied her towel under her arms and crossed the room, hair dripping down her back. “Come with me.”
She led the way to the glass door that would take them outside. She pushed it open, and they filed out into the twilit yard. It was cold out, a storm brewing over the city. A sprinkle of rain fell from the sky, and strong winds howled through the neighborhood, the temperature so cold it burned. The gusts turned Loren’s wet hair into frosted whips that stung her skin.
“Grounding,” Joyce began, turning to face them, “is when you stand on the earth in bare feet, and the energy in it electrically reconnects you to nature. People claim it helps with inflammation, blood flow, and sleep.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Darien said. He looked a bit skeptical, but he said to Loren, “Go on, it won’t hurt.”
She walked out onto the lawn, the blades of grass cool under her sauna-warmed feet. She felt very seen as everyone—Darien especially, that stare of his more powerful than ever—watched her.
Ivy, clearly noticing that Loren felt awkward standing out here by herself, stepped out to join her. “I’ll do it too,” she offered. “I’m into yoga—I can get into stuff like this.” She faced Loren. “Try wiggling your toes. Focus on how the ground feels under your feet.”
Jack hissed to Darien, “This is cuckoo.” Darien didn’t respond.
Joyce said, “Try breathing techniques.”
“I’m good at that,” Loren said. She breathed in deeply through her nose…and slowly exhaled through her mouth. She did it all while facing Ivy, the two of them breathing in unison.
In… Out…
In… Out…
After a few minutes, that squeezing sensation in her chest subsided. For the first time since she had woken up in Yveswich, she felt like she could draw a full breath. She was still comfortably warm too, and not the least bit thirsty.
How very bizarre.
