Page 101 of A Whisper of Cinders

“Okay, just keep breathing.”

I slowly let the air flow in and out, counting down from twenty to one. I’m about to scream that I need help right now, when I feel a sharp, ice cold sting where Ami’s hands still lay. Cold starts to run through my veins, chasing away the lava that was spreading there.

After a couple of seconds, the steam is gone and Ami’s hands stop glowing.

“Better?”

I nod.

She squeezes my calf again. “It’s a little tricky to do, I don’t want to damage your veins, and technically I’ve never done something like this before. But,” she continues as my worried gaze meets hers. “I was about ninety-five percent certain it would work. Now, tell me, what’s got you freaking out like that?”

I quickly look around, again meeting too many eyes. “Everyone’s staring.”

“And that is a bad thing?” she asks.

“Ami…”

“What? Besides, they are not staring, they are admiring you.”

I raise my brows. “It’s not like that at all.”

“Oh, but it is. I’ve told you so many times before, you are drop dead gorgeous. When will you be able to see that too?”

I cover my cheeks with my hands, trying to cool down the burning skin there. “You’re exaggerating.”

“Am I? Biased, that I might be. But those two over there can’t keep their eyes off of you, and that means something.”

I lower my hands and quickly look at her brother and Conláed, their gazes finding me every now and then. And it is not disgust I read in their eyes, it’s more like I’m the sun after years of darkness.

“You know, I can always call them over. I’m sure my brother would love to share his thoughts, don’t you think?” She turns away. “Ara —”

I quickly cover her mouth, nearly falling into the water. “Please don’t. I believe you.”

I feel her laugh against my palm and let my hand fall in my lap. But it never lands, as Ami grabs my wrist and pulls me into the water.

The cool water closes above my head and I quickly break through the surface, spitting out the water I nearly choked on. “What was that good for?”

Ami laughs, drawing the attention of some admirers. “You were taking too long. I just wanted to help you.”

I send a wave towards her, which only makes her laugh more. “How thoughtful of you!”

“Come on you, let’s go to the others.”

The others being Siri and Neoma, who are lounging on some naturally created rock chairs, their soft voices reaching my ears. “…will win?”

“Win what?” Ami asks as she holds the rock Neo is sitting on.

“Their little sports game of course, you know how competitive males can get. They’ll do anything to prove how strong, athletic and manly they are.”

A loud whistle sounds and our attention is drawn to the opposite side of the lake, where a sand and stone platform rises out of the water. In the middle of the platform stands a net and stone benches appear around it in a staircase kind of formation.

“Right on time,” Ami says as she lets go of the rock she was leaning on. “Come on, or there won’t be any good spots left.”

We follow her lead, walk on the slope once we reach it and take our seats. We have a perfect view on the playfield, although I’m still not sure what we’re about to watch. I turn to Siri who sits next to me. “What sport is this?” I whisper.

She turns to me, lowering her voice as well. “It’s called volleyball, specifically beach volleyball due to the sand.” I had figured that one out, but it’s sweet of her to clarify it, so I smile and nod. “It’s a two versus two game, where the players have to send the ball across the net. They can only touch the ball three times before they have to send it back over.”

It doesn’t sound too hard, but since it is in the sand, finding balance might make it tricky. “Who’s playing?”