Embyr (BWWM)

III. The Scorch

Reporting within twenty minutes was a big ask considering the distance we had to cover, but then, Pibswitch wasn't known for his sense of fairness. Students feared Mrs. Critchet, but they loathed Murdle Pibswitch like nothing else. The man seemed to revel in the hatred of the student body, spending his free time dreaming up new punishments for those who had the misfortune to end up in his correctional care.

And since it took us the better part of forty-five minutes to reach the base of the aqueducts, Pibswitch had plenty of time to get creative.

"Tardy as usual, I see!" he said, not bothering to hide the eager grin poking through his bushy red beard. "Perhaps an evening of hard labor will straighten you two out!"

Johan and I stifled groans, knowing any noise other than "yes, sir" would earn us another week of whatever torture Pibswitch could concoct. Students who got sent to him were lucky to serve less than a month under his heel.

Pibswitch spread an arm towards the lake that flowed beneath Mistmoon's raised aqueduct, and for a moment, I failed to see the problem. Then a black shape splashed out of the water, and I squeezed my eyes shut in annoyance.

"Them Murkwater leeches are back. I want every last one gone before sundown tonight. We have a dignitary coming tomorrow, and it won't do to have a leech-infested lake!" Pibswitch bellowed, thrusting a net full of dripping bait into Johan's arms. "These'll bring 'em in, just don't use it all at once or they'll swarm. Have fun."

He gave a crooked grin with these last words, hobbling off as he cackled to himself. Johan gingerly set the net down, wiping his hoodie off as best he could.

"Is it just me, or is he less vindictive than usual today?" he said.

"Now that you mention it, he didn't spit on us this time." I noted.

Johan cracked a smile, and I suppressed a grin of my own as he pulled off his soaked hoodie and shirt. Null or not, he was packing more muscle than any one man had a right to, and it took all my willpower to stop at a quick glance.

"Same plan as last time?" Johan asked.

"Huh?" I said, snapping back to reality. "Oh yeah, sure."

Ridding Mistmere Lake of leeches had seemed an insurmountable task the first time we'd been presented with it. The lake went on for miles, and murkwater leeches were highly poisonous in addition to their ravenous blood-sucking properties. But they were also highly attracted to heat sources, and Mistmere's ice-cold waters ensured my powers went up like a flare to them no matter how deep they slept.

"So what am I doing while you blow them up?" Johan asked.

"Same as the last four times. You're moral support."

Johan shook his head with a smirk, wringing out his clothes as I took several deep breaths. Even my powers had limits, and killing the leeches in one fell swoop would leave me severely drained. But it was better than wasting the entire day on them.

My hair scrunched and frizzed as the air around me grew thick, and soon my furiously beating heart eclipsed all sound in my ears. The sand at my feet turned to glass as Johan edged away from the growing heat, holding his clothes aloft to dry them as he did. My limbs shook as I raised them above my head, and I splayed my fingers as the pressure built in my chest. Build and release, that was all I knew.

Catching fire was all I knew how to do.

Scarlet flames erupted from my body, spiraling upward as I channeled them into a growing mass above my head. My heart seemed to tear with every beat, and my arms felt like they'd give out from the strain. I bowed my head as the pain became unbearable, drawing rattling gasps until the very last ember rested in the sphere.