Free Shift - 02 by M. R. Merrick Page B

wasn’t sure I wanted to be working with any kind of magic right now.
    “Let's start with a simple warm up and call your elements,” Rayna said.
    “I’m not sure this is a good idea today.”
    “Training and practice are the only way things are going to get better.”
    “Rayna, I really don’t…” I stopped. Unhappy glare aside–she was right. I couldn’t let any of this stop me. I’d been ignoring my training for long enough. “I’m ready.”
    Rayna nodded. “Let’s work with fire first.”
    I walked toward the center of the room and took my position. I spread my legs shoulder-width apart and closed my eyes. The blue exercise mats beneath my feet were cold, squishing against my skin as my weight settled into them. I put both hands out, palms up, and called to my element.
    “Pull your magic to the surface and push it to your hands.”
    I fed off her calm demeanor and drew the fire upwards. It warmed me as it coursed through my body, the heat bubbling beneath my skin. The magic spilled into my palm, and the flames shifting seamlessly in both of my hands.
    “Keep your breathing steady and pull the power away from your left hand, but keep it burning in your right.”  
    The dual flames flickered in my palms as my hands trembled. I tried to pull the magic back, while maintaining focus. The left flame flickered as it began to dwindle, shrinking to a small spark before fading from sight. Excitement danced along my skin as the flame responded to my command, but my focus began to drift.  
    I tried to stay focused. But Riley was alive, and here. He’d told me his ultimate goal was to invoke the power of the demon god, Ithreal, but I still didn’t know how he planned on doing that, or why. He said it was to bring power back to the hunters, but I wasn’t convinced. There was something more going on. I just hadn’t figured it out yet.
    “Chase, be careful…” Rayna said.
    I snapped out of my daze, and the remaining flame in my right hand was growing.
    I tried to pull back, but the element kept flowing. The flame reached higher into the air and my pulse sped. Beads of sweat ran down my face as I tried to rein in the power. I could feel the burning sensation growing in my palm. The blue flame began to lose color, fading to white and biting at my skin.
    “Don’t panic. Take control of the moment.”
    “I’m trying,” I said through a clenched jaw, and I tried to cut the magic off, but it wouldn’t waver. There was a flow moving through me now that I couldn't stop. The white flame burned and my palm grew raw.
    Rayna stepped forward and her element trickled through the room. When she pushed her magic, my pulse slowed. The world stilled, and for a brief moment, all I could hear were my own breaths and the beating of my heart.
    As the world came rushing back, the training room was bright with the white flame. The walls blurred in the blazing heat, and a vision washed over me as Rayna’s element coursed through my body.
    The life of a forest blessed my ears: the rustling of wet leaves, the padding of wildlife that walked the forest floor. A bird’s melody was faint in the distance, and the scent of fresh rain on bark trickled over me.
    My panicked breaths paced themselves and the pain in my hand ceased. I was standing in the middle of a forest, my own magic gone, and Rayna’s swirling around me.
    “Think of something positive. Something that makes you happy and calm.” Rayna’s voice came from everywhere, carrying softly in the air, moving up from the ground, and echoing off the trees.
    I closed my eyes and thought of the only thing that made me happy. I pictured my mom’s youthful face in all its beauty. Her warm hazel eyes gazed at me, and did what they always did: they made everything okay.
    I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, using that calm to focus on my element. I pulled the magic back, redirecting the excess power into my soul. The flame didn’t shrink, but I stopped it from getting