Legacy of Fire (The Blaze Trilogy - Book #1)

Chapter 23

My first teacher isn’t Hale. Apparently earth was determined to be the least similar element to fire - I need a teacher who can master something that’s fluid yet tangible. Something like water. 

So my first teacher, unfortunately, is Adrian. 

A massive rucksack is slung across his broad back, and Robin trudges along beside him, carrying a handful of wooden staves, both looking very unhappy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of them intend to bludgeon me to death. 

Adrian doesn’t say a word to me. He just heads over to the training field, leaving Robin to stop short in front of me with her arms crossed. “Okay, because you’re all gifted or whatever, Adrian’s being forced to train you. I tried to refuse helping, on the account of the fact that you’re Southern filth, but apparently I have no choice in the matter. So I want you to be aware that I was forced to come along.”

I hold back a groan. “Well, this’ll be fun.”

Robin twirls one of the staffs around in her hand. “I hope you’re ready to get your ass kicked.”

Adrian opens the rucksack and it’s filled with weapons. But they’re all so obscure that I’ve never seen them before - here or in Aeon. Then he pulls out a large, flat disk, haphazardly held together by wires and smelted metal.

“What the heck is that?”

“Some kind of flame mechanism prototype that Tech Spec whipped up for you,” Adrian tells me. “You’re going to need some source of fire to control.” 

Robin lays the device out in front of me. But before she turns it on, she straightens herself upright. “Okay, we’re going to go over basics - the Laws of Drifting.” She holds up a finger. “Number one: don’t use your powers to be a jerk. Number two: don’t incinerate anyone with your uncontrollable fire. And number three: don’t think that just because you’re status as Fireborne makes you a supposed living legend, everyone will forgive you for being a total liar.” 

“Why do you feel like you made those up on the spot?”

“Fine, we’re rename them the Laws of Being Ava,” she smirks. “Now as for Drifting: I lied. There are no Laws.’

Adrian hastily takes over. “What Robin means is that each gift is too different an element to encompass a whole set of rules about using it. For example, Windborne use Arcs and Glides to aid their speed and movement when their in the air, along with a variety of other things, which are skills none of the other Drifters have. But don’t try and pigeonhole Drifter methods - you try and learn to fight a Windborne by learning all their ‘moves’? They’ll manipulate air a different way, and you’ll still lose.” He raises his eyebrows. “The key is not predicting what you’re opponent is going to do, but reacting fast enough to counter it.” 

“Why are you telling me how to fight Drifters? When would the Terran ever battle each other?”

He smiles slightly. “I actually asked the exact same thing when I started training. The reason is that your fellow Drifters are the most unpredictable opponents you will ever come across - you learn to beat them, you learn to beat Aeon's Defense.” 

“Adrian, hurry up this up,” Robin growls from afar. 

“If you would help me, this might go a little faster,” he retorts. Then he turns back to me, his expression determined. “Okay, I want you to reach into yourself, see if there’s any sort of… pulsing or rhythm. For me, it was smooth and steady - almost like a secondary heart beat. Something I knew I could never be without.”

I close my eyes and breathe out. Then I search inside myself, trying to find that supposed, steady beat of power. But I can’t find it - I feel hollowed out and cold.