Potent

Chapter 13

Sweat trickles down my face as I concentrate on expanding the fireball in my palm, which is currently the size of a football.

“That’s it, Safara! You’re doing it!” Aquarius encourages.

Frustrated, I push all my anger into it and it blows up like a balloon until it’s the size of a beach ball. Satisfied, I fire it at the tree before me and it burst into flames. Charring the bark, the tree turns jet black as night.

“Well done! Well done!” Aquarius congratulates, as he puts out the fire. “Now create a wall of fire.”

“What! How?”

“Easy, just first start a little fire, then urge it to grow taller and taller,” he explains.

“Easier said than done,” I mumble.

Following his instructions, I control the fire I’d created and slowly through my will, the fire rose into the air until it forms a barrier-protecting me.

“Awesome!” I exclaim and then stop my flow of power. Although the wall then collapses, the fire I’d made starts to spread. I watch in horror as the fire is wild, killing everything it touches with its ferocious blaze. I try to use my powers again to make it stop, but it’s no use. Again, I have to rely on Aquarius to stop my ‘gift’ from destroying everything. I can’t control it.

“You’ve got to learn how to withdraw your power at some point else, you’ll end up causing more damage than you intend to!” Aquarius yells.

“Well, I’m sorry! Nobody’s taught me how to!” I yell back.

“That’s why you’ll be having a lesson with your father tomorrow.”

“No, I don’t want to do anything with him-not after what he’s done.”

“But you have to Safara, else you’ll be a danger to everyone!” He argues.

“You can’t dictate to me what I can and can’t do! After all I am the heir to the throne, as you failed to mention.”

Aquarius’ face contorts slightly. “I’m sorry. I was going to tell you…”

“WHEN Aquarius? Why am I always the last one to know?” I scream and run away from him as fast as I can. I only stop when I reach the bottom of an unfamiliar rocky hill. Slumping down on a nearby rock, I hold my head in my hands as I feel the pain of our separation tear at my heart. Hearing someone sit down next to me, I look up and see yet another unfamiliar, male face.

I sigh. “Yet another person I don’t know.”

“My name’s Thaddeus and I’m a Defender of the Light Potents,” Thaddeus introduces. I study him carefully; he has straight, auburn hair that reaches his shoulders and falls across his eyes. Along his jawline is a faint stubble and his deep, dark eyes bore into mine. He, like all the others, is very good looking and wears unusual clothing- a kind of close fitting pastel orange tunic decorated with strange symbols.

“Why are you here?” I ask.

“Why are you here?” He repeats.

“I don’t like it when people answer a question with a question.”

“I don’t like it when people keep asking questions,” he confesses.

“Touché,” I reply.

After a moments silence, I ask yet another question.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Who doesn’t? You’re practically a celebrity.”

“Can’t argue with that, although I don’t particularly want to be.”

“Do you miss them?” I look up at him, looking at me. We share a look and I know who he is talking about.

“Yes,” I say simply.

“I do too. I’m like you; my mother is human as well.” He gazes off into the distance.

“Where does your mother live?”

“In the human realm, in a place called America.” He answers.

“Lucky, mine lives in England, what state?”

He smiles. “In, quote, ‘the city that never sleeps’.”

“Ahhh,” I say knowingly, “It sucks to have half of your family living in a completely different world.” In response, he nods. Then taking my hand, he leads me carefully up the rocky, steep hill until we reach the top. The view is breath taking. Along the horizon is a beautiful, glowing sunset, over a dense, dark green forest.

“It’s beautiful,” I gasp.

“I know.” I turn to him and we are just a foot away from each other. Leaning down, our foreheads meet and he tries to press his mouth to mine but my body repels him and recoils as he runs his hand across the side of my face. Sighing, he wraps his arms around me and whispers in my ear. “You must already be bonded.”

“Unfortunately,” I mutter. As he releases me, he looks over my shoulder into the distance. As his quick eyes lock onto something, his posture grows rigid.

“I better go now, someone’s coming for you.”

“Will I ever see you again?” I ask as he retreats.

“Meet me here again tomorrow, same time.”

“Okay, see you then,” and with that he is gone. Just a moment later, Aeolius comes flying overhead, touching down beside me with a frown etched across his face.