“Right here,” he says, appearing out of the mist ahead like an apparition, smiling as he zooms back toward me.
“You’re doing this?” I ask, laughing. “But… what is this?”
“I told you. Air magick, lesson one.”
“I thought you were going to start me off with something small!”
“Yes,you’regoing to start with something small. But I want to show you what’s possible first. So for now, just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
I do as he instructs, my bike sailing through the air after his, curving and looping around the spires, dipping low, only to race back up again. It’s like a rollercoaster, only without friction, without limits.
“Remember, Stevie,” he says, coming up behind me. “Everything is energy. Magick is just harnessing that energy and directing it where you want it to go for a desired outcome. Right now, I’m directing air molecules to push us around.”
“This feels incredible!” I’ve flown before—through the energy of my owl familiar—but this is so different. This is me, in my real body, sailing through the sky.
“Close your eyes,” Kirin says.
“I can’t—I don’t want to miss anything!”
“You won’t. You’ll just be experiencing it differently.” He waits for me to obey, then says, “Now, I want you to really focus. Think about the air around you. Really feel it on your skin, in your hair, in your eyelashes. Feel it caressing your body, lifting you. Feel the molecules shifting around you as you move through it.”
I focus all of my senses on the air, the coolness of it on my skin, the water droplets in the mist, the dusty desert scent. I hear it rushing past my ears, taste it on my lips, feel it filling my lungs and blowing back out again.
By the time I open my eyes, we’re descending, touching down as soft as feathers landing on snow.
“So,” Kirin says, his cheeks red from the cool air, “How did I do? Did my Dirty Dancing moment pass muster?”
“Are you kidding me? Your Dirty Dancing moment is now solidified as a top-five experience of my life. Maybe even top-three. And way better than your rhyme game.”
Kirin laughs, then hops off his bike, gesturing for me to follow. We leave the bikes against one of the spires, then walk out to a clearing at the center of several looming towers. The ground here is littered with small, fist-sized rocks. Kirin scoops up two, passing one over to me.
“Remember what I said about feeling the air,” he says, placing the stone in his palm and stretching his hand out. “Picture all those air molecules coming together, pushing the stone up from the bottom, lifting it out of your hand. If it helps, you can call on the energy of any swords card that feels particularly relevant. I usually picture the Ace.”
He glances down at the rock, and seconds later, it levitates from his hand, then drops back down. “Now you try.”
I follow his instruction to the letter, but instead of the Ace, I call on my Princess of Swords, imagining her standing here with her magick sword, willing the rock to rise, rise, rise. At first nothing happens, but Kirin just stands there patiently, his mere presence encouraging me not to give up.
I close my eyes, focusing on the feel of the rock in my hand, the weight of it, the coolness, the rough texture. I imagine my princess ordering an army of air molecules to rush in and lift it.
And then, suddenly, the rock begins to tremble.
I open my eyes, laughter bubbling out of me.
“Kirin! I’m doing it!” I watch as the rock lifts off my palm, floating in the air before me. It’s a little wobbly, but it’s there, levitating. “Oh my Goddess! I’m doing it! I’m doing it!”
Tears spring to my eyes. It’s such a little thing, but it’smylittle thing. My magick.
“Yes.” He steps closer, his energy beaming with pride. “You are.”
The rock finally falls to the ground, and I rush at Kirin, overcome with happiness and warmth and a new sense of possibility that wasn’t there just moments ago—not even when he took me flying. He scoops me into his arms and spins me around, laughing at my sudden outburst of affection and glee.
“The more you practice, the more natural it will become.” He sets me on the ground, my head spinning, my hands tingling with leftover energy. “Remember, it’s already part of you. You’re just learning to recognize the subtle feel of different energies, and the feel of your own magick coursing inside you.”
I crouch down to grab another rock to try again, but movement on top of one of the shorter spires behind him catches my eye.
“Kirin!” I get to my feet, waving at our new visitor.
Kirin merely grins. “Yes, the owl has been watching you for some time now.”
