Page 90 of Heart of Night and Fire

It was something, at least. Kind of.

Focusing on a breath of air, she succeeded in making a few blades of grass rustle. Well, perhaps it was one blade, she thought glumly as she peered into the greenery. Peri now sat with their legs crossed, chins in their hands, watching her and clapping enthusiastically with each new discovery. They were the perfect audience. Excited enough to keep up her confidence without making her self-conscious during her fumbling attempts.

Zarya tried a healing spell, attempting to smooth over a thin cut on her arm with a draw on her spirit anchor. After she was done, she twisted her arm, trying to catch slivers of moonlight, but it didn’t appear she’d made much progress.

She read on, finding a spell Dhawan had penned for creating a burst of fire.

Fire and air.

Using the book’s instructions, she drew on her fire anchor, feeding in ribbons of air bit by bit until it suddenly caught, igniting into a spray of sparks that jumped a foot above her head, exploding like the fireworks she’d set off with Row and Aarav on the beach for Diwali.

The pop echoed through the peaceful stillness before the sparks drifted harmlessly to the earth.

“Woah,” came a voice from behind her, and Zarya whipped around. Momentarily blinded in the darkness, she blinked.

“What did you just do?” Yasen asked, stepping out from the shadows. “How? When did this happen? Why are you hiding out here?”

“I’m not hiding,” she snapped.

“It looks like you’re hiding.” He crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow.

“I wasn’t ready for everyone to know yet,” she said.

Yasen dropped his arms, his skeptical expression softening. “Okay, but I don’t understand. How long have you known about this?”

Zarya recounted a few details about that agonizing night in the forest, careful to omit the full truth of both her old star magic and Rabin’s role in freeing her from Row’s binding.

“But this is good news, isn’t it? Why are you concealing it?”

“It is. I just don’t understand who it’s good for. I think the Chiranjivi want something from me, Yasen.” She gestured in the direction of Dharati with her chin. “Kindle, Suvanna—I’ve heard them talking about me, and I need to understand what they want before I reveal the truth. Row always said this had to be kept hidden, but I never knew why.”

Concern flickered across his face. “Okay, but don’t try this on your own. It could be dangerous. I’ve heard of new Aazheri who’ve blown up entire buildings when they’ve come into their power.”

“I’ll be careful, I promise.” She bit her bottom lip and then confessed, “I can barely light a match.”

Yasen smirked and sat down in the grass. “So, show me,” he said, eyes sparking with mischief.

She dropped down next to him and retrieved the magic book, flipping through it as he lay on his side, his long body stretched out, resting on an elbow.

“I was about to try this one. The bubble of memory. For the forgetful, trying to figure out what they forgot, a combination of spirit, air, and fire.”

“Sure,” Yasen said. “I don’t really know what you’re talking about, but it sounds good.”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her legs with her back pressed against Yasen’s outstretched thighs.

The peri watched intently while one crawled up onto Yasen’s head and luxuriated in his silver locks. Making a sound of annoyance, Yasen plucked the peri off and dropped her on the ground. She jumped up, hands on hips, and kicked the dirt in front of her.

“Don’t climb on me. I don’t know where you’ve been.”

The peri blanched with indignation and stomped over to sit next to one of her friends, throwing dirty looks at Yasen with her spindly arms crossed.

Zarya laughed before concentrating on the three different anchors as they pulsed and shifted, seemingly eager to do her bidding.

A flare of spirit. A spark of fire. A ribbon of air.

It was instinctual, like an equation laid out before her.

A small white bubble of light was now hovering over Zarya’s hand. It expanded and spun slowly before it turned transparent like mist escaping a glass bottle. A moment later, it revealed a hillside covered in green grass beneath a clear blue sky, the sun high overhead. Laughter came from a distance as two young girls with long, dark hair ran into the picture. They both wore ornately decorated salwar kameez, one a vibrant purple and the other a ruby red, covered in black beads and lace.