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Casja
THE ROOM BURNED...
As I opened my eyes and forgot the nightmare I was having, I couldn’t be sure if I was seeing things or if my room was indeed burning. I was in that place where dreams meet reality, so flames were a jumble of color that did not make sense.
I had to rub my eyes to see.
Sleep stayed with me for a while as I straightened on the bed, which was why I almost thought it funny when I realized that the hearth was the only part of the room that did not burn as far as I could see. Of course, the part of the room I was in was also unharmed, but that would change quickly.
It didn’t make sense that my room was burning.
Despite the smoke hovering before me and consuming the air, I had no trouble breathing. The breaths I took did not feel smoky at all. It was almost as if I was in a field of flowers on a windy day. My lungs did not hurt despite my chest moving up and down casually as if there was no fire.
But there was fire everywhere, hot and red. It circled the door and made it burn brightly amidst everything else.
Anxiety rushed through me. I could feel my hands getting sweaty as I quickly threw the sheet off my body. The heat increased, making my skin tingle and ache.
I didn’t have time to ask questions. The fire was here; the why and the how did not matter.
Getting up felt useless since there was no way out, but I straightened on the bed.
The fire was moving quickly. It was extending outward toward me. In the split second that I paused and watched the fire grow, the tendrils reaching out from the blazing door engulfed the desk and chair, along with all the books I’d brought into my room and my notes.
They burned quickly, but something told me it was not quick enough.
I kept holding my breath. I could hold my breath for longer than anyone else, it was the most straightforward tempestarii trick, and luckily, it was one I could do despite my lack of talent in magic. I did not need the air outside to be able to breathe.
At least for a while...
But my problems did not end there. Surely, not being able to breathe was how most died in fires, but there was also the burning, and my skin was already feeling hot as the fire grew.
I wanted to scream in fear, but I knew that would be stupid, so I pursed my lips and forced myself to think. I did not have the luxury of contemplating my situation like I was used to.
I had to act quickly.
The door was out of the question. It burned so brightly that it was like staring into the sun when I tried to look at it directly. It would burn me, and the wounds would kill me later, even if they did not kill me on the spot.
No. I would not go out that door.
The window that was behind me was locked shut. The iron latch would be hot since the room was sweltering already. I could use a sheet to protect my hand as I opened the latch and lifted the window. Then, perhaps I could jump down to my death or step onto the ledge and try to move to the side to enter Liltra’s room.
Something about that plan was wrong. I knew it before I could even move to act. The fire inside my room was burning brightly, but it was moving very slowly, as though it did not have the fuel it needed to grow and become a blast.
The room did not have any air. The fire had sucked everything in, leaving the air crisp and heated. The flames had made themselves weaker. If I were to open the window now, the fire would grow, and there would be a blast.
I did not know if I could act quickly enough to get out before the growing fire caught up to me.
The window was not an option either.
Deep down, I knew what I should do, but I also knew that I probably would not be able to.
Rain. I needed water, and rain was supposed to be my friend.
Any other tempestarii would not even doubt a second before unleashing their magic on this fire, smothering the flames using what came naturally to them. Rain. I was supposed to have it with me to command it whenever I wanted.
Tempestarii did not need a water source like water elementals did; just like my lungs were filled with air without needing air inside the room, I was supposed to be able to command rain to form itself right here in this room.
But my magic was weak. I had never been able to create rain, not in a room or outside where it felt natural.
