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“If Mother is so opposed to becoming paired, how did you two get together?”
They exchanged tender smiles at the memory. “As you know, I can read the emotions of anyone’s heart,” Trinity began. “I encountered Blaze, a stranger at the time, and immediately sensed his heart’s connection to mine. It was the sweetest, most powerful moment—marred by the fact he was entirely uninterested.” She sighed. “Nothing is worse than finding your heart’s match and having them reject you.”
“Didn’t you recognize your connection to her?” I asked Blaze.
He shook his head. “Not at first. Ebony had corrupted me with her beliefs that being paired was the worst fate that could befall anyone, so I didn’twantto recognize my own. But Trinity was persistent, and the more I was around her, the more I felt it. Experiencing such a connection for myself convinced me that despite what I’d been taught to believe, it wasn’t horrible; in fact, there was nothing more wonderful.”
I smiled at that. “What does it feel like?”
“I can’t explain it, but if you feel it you’ll recognize it.”
He didn’t need to explain, not when what I sensed between Darius and me felt exactly like what they’d described—the instant connection we’d shared, my heart’s yearning for him and fierce need to be with him, and the feeling of being home whenever we were together, the sensation of being drawn to him even while standing still.
Could we possibly be paired after all? How else could I explain the lure of my heart towards his? But if we were connected, and Darius had chosen to disregard his feelings and be with Shade instead...that thought was almost more painful than if we hadn’t been paired at all, for his disregard would go against the strongest magic in the Universe. As unbearable as the thought was, I couldn’t deny it was what I likely deserved after everything that had happened between us, everythingIin my weaknesses had chosen.
Yet my mistakes didn’t change the draw I felt towards him, one I was almost afraid to feel when becoming close enough to trust my heart to him would make me vulnerable again...not to mention what Mother would do should she learn how much I longed to pair with him. She’d threatened to do all in her power to prevent any connection between me and another, and I didn’t want to find out what this would entail, especially if it meant additional harm coming to Darius.
As if sensing my doubts, Trinity spoke again. “Pairs are meant to be together. Every heart has a match, and once one finds it, they naturally have to become one.”
“Once I recognized Trinity as my Pair, I wanted to merge with her, no matter Ebony’s opinion on the matter,” Blaze said. “We snuck off for the Pair Ceremony and have been together ever since.” He chuckled, but it was without humor. “Ebony was furious once she learned of it, but it was shortly afterwards that she was banished to Earth, so we didn’t have to endure her disapproval for too long. She’s grown to accept it, even though she doesn’t like it.”
We reached the Weather Shaping Studio and ascended the steps, leaving me time for only one more question. “Did Mother have a Pair once? I know magical children can only come from a paired union, with each Pair yielding half their powers to create a magical being.” Though I’d often wondered whether I was half-Mortal, with the way the laws of magic worked, I still had a difficult time believing it possible.
Blaze and Trinity paused outside the door and exchanged long, wary looks before Trinity turned to me. “We can’t discuss where you came from, Eden. You must hear it from Ebony.”
I frowned. With how secretive she was, I doubted Mother would tell me about my background and full parentage. It seemed I’d have to wait longer for answers.
But my curiosity was quickly forgotten as we entered the Weather Shaping Studio and I became distracted by the array of sights and sounds that greeted me.
Inside was a swirl of activity as Weather Creators bustled around various stations preparing the weather for Earth. Blaze waved his hand dramatically over the scene. “Here is where all weather is created. Impressive, isn’t it?”
I nodded in awe. One set of eyes wasn’t enough to soak in all the sights, sounds, and bustle of activity; there was just too much to hear and see. Good thing Stormy had chosen not to accompany me; he’d have been terrified.
I followed Blaze in a daze as he began our guided tour. “Nightmares are in charge of all forms of weather, with the exception of the dull, sunny days. We create rain, hail, snow, fog, scorching heat, frigid cold, tornados...my personal favorite is my speciality: thunder and lightning storms.”
We wove around a set of Nightmares perched on stools in front of huge blocks of ice, where they carved out balls of hail of various sizes and dropped them in buckets at their feet. In a station next to them, other Nightmares used a set of sketches to carefully carve out snowflakes, which another set of Nightmares shrunk using tiny drops of a pale-blue potion.
“Dreamer Angel used to sketch snowflake designs,” I said, the reminder as prickling as always.
“Dreamers and Nightmares work together on some aspects of weather creation,” Blaze explained. “Snowflake designs are created by Nature Artists, and we use them to create snow and blizzards to send down to Earth.”
“What other forms of weather do Dreamers and Nightmares collaborate on?”
“I’ll show you.” Blaze led us to a corner section that was blazing hot; I recoiled from the intense heat. “Dreamers create sunlight, but Nightmares use it to create blistering hot days and sunburns.” Thankfully we didn’t linger in this section for long before Blaze guided us to another with a proud grin. “This is my station: the studio of storms.”
I looked around this one with particular interest. One section consisted of Nightmares composing the sounds of thunder at various volumes on a unique instrument resembling both a drum and a piano which I’d never seen before; they wrote the music out before playing it to create the ripply, booming effect of thunder. Another area had Nightmares gathering swaths of storm clouds of various shades, mixing them to create the perfect overcast for the sky. Blaze led us to a table full of shiny bolts and carving tools.
“I specialize in carving lightning bolts before taking them down to Earth during storms to release them in the precise jagged patterns that flash across the sky. It requires impeccable timing and mathematical precision.”
He perched on a stool and began to carve one in demonstration, his brow furrowed as he made careful strokes with his tools to shape the lightning bolt while Trinity watched with keen interest. When he finished he proudly showcased it.
“Amazing,” I murmured.
He managed another smile, the second one I’d seen from him. “I greatly enjoy my profession.”
He picked up another bolt to carve. I watched for several moments more before glancing around the rest of the studio, eager to explore further. Blaze and Trinity noticed and actually gave me a rather friendly look, as if our recent conversation about Pairs had endeared me to them somehow.
“You can look around if you want. We’ll leave when you’ve finished. Have fun.”
