All I Am

Chapter 20

Safania's POV

"Focus, Safania."

Callista's usually calm voice had the faintest hint of irritation in it, but I couldn't even blame her. We had been in a room with this candle for the past hour, it flickering at me in seemingly gleeful defiance.

She couldn't blame me for not trying. Callista knew the last thing I wanted was to go back to her endless yoga torture. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't blow out the candle.

I had been able to do it only a few months ago...but now I was finding it impossible. And the longer I was unable to do it, the more frustrated I became. What was the point of having control over four elements if I could only really use two of them with any skill?

"Just feel the air flow in and out of you...focus on your breathing," Callista instructed calmly. "Relax your mind. Be purposeful with your thoughts."

What the hell does that even mean?

"Maybe you could move the candle closer?" I suggested, which prompted a frown from Callista.

"I know you can do this, Safania," she replied.

I wondered where her confidence in my abilities was coming from. I certainly didn't share in the sentiment.

After closing my eyes and breathing in and out a half dozen times, I summoned up my energy, focused on the candle, and—

"Safania?"

Cassius's voice broke through my focus. My eyes shot open to see him standing in the doorway, letting the outside light stream into the room.

Callista had shut all the windows, so the only light in the room had been the candle and a lamp in the corner. Unconventional, considering that our energy came from the sun, but understandable given the fact that I hadn't been able to tap into my energy when it came to air. So there was really no danger of me passing out from overexertion, and cutting off the outside world was a way to remove potential distractions.

"Your majesty?" Callista asked, rising to her feet with the grace one would expect from a master of air.

"I'm terribly sorry," Cassius said. "Did I interrupt something?"

Callista said yes at the same time I said no.

Cassius raised his eyebrows, amused. "Well, don't let me stop you," he said with a smile as he took a seat in the corner of the room.

"It's fine," I said quickly. "We can try again tomorrow. Right Callista?"

"After you fought so hard to be able to train, you're going to give up that easily?" Cassius asked before Callista could answer.

I glared at him in response. He knew I was struggling. He liked watching me struggle.

I loved him so much, yet he could get under my skin like no other person could.

"Fine," I replied defiantly.

"You know, maybe it isn't a great idea," Callista jumped in to say. "Training with air requires intense focus, and having the king here will certainly be a distra—"

"I can do this, Callista," I replied confidently, closing my eyes and breathing in and out again.

I'll show him. Ass.

I opened my eyes and released my energy. I had not even a second of satisfaction seeing the flame flicker, because it almost immediately exploded, rapidly swelling to ten times its normal size and starting the curtains on fire. Callista put it out with a massive gust of wind before I could even react, but her wind gust had the collateral consequence of knocking all the books and nick-nacks in the room off their shelves.