Page 382 of Axis of Fire

The spikes ignited.

One after another.

Each burst into flame before falling harmlessly to the floor.

Not a single one reached us.

My fire didn't spread wildly.

Instead, it curled upward, forming the shape of a blazing crown—

The very same crown Loretta had shown us only hours earlier.

Only brighter.

Prouder.

As if it were declaring,

I can do that too.

And I can do it even better.

It was...

Strange.

I'd never felt my fire carry such unmistakable arrogance before.

When the last spike burned away and my flames finally began to fade, slow applause echoed through the hall.

Eugene and Miloran stood at the entrance.

One looked as calm and unreadable as ever.

The other wore a crooked grin I'd never seen before.

******

About twenty minutes later, a pair of healers arrived.

They looked nothing like Sulfur, whom I'd met on my first day.

Instead of flowing white robes, they wore dark brown uniforms that closely resembled our training gear.

The female healer examined Loretta's shoulder.

The male healer had already moved on to Seris, carefully removing the spikes lodged beneath his skin.

“Not bad,” Miloran said as he and Eugene approached us.

“Not bad?” I folded my arms across my chest. “That was dangerous.”

“It was,” Eugene replied evenly. “And it will remain dangerous until you learn to separate your emotions from your magic.”

I had no argument against that.

He was right.