The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

I glance to the left even as my fire sweeps through the enemy line, consuming everything in sight, realizing that even though I'm raining destruction on our foe there's still...so, so much more work to be done. There are just so much of the Atalaxians. And they're starting to respond, to turn on my whirlwind of flames, to fight back.

I watch, curious, as the enemy begins by trying martial force, shooting at my flames with shells and bullets. But that does nothing but make me smirk as I continue to destroy everything before me, the flames reaching out to snag tanks and trucks off the ground, reducing them to ash. And it's not just what's on the ground, either. I see the flash of Cora's lightening in the distance, but some helicopters manage to get into the air, heading for the flame. Eager, the blaze reaches for them with what looks like demonic hands, snagging them out of the sky and smashing them to the ground in flaming arcs that look like meteors falling from the sky.

I breathe deeply as I work, joy humming through me, satisfied, finally, to feel like I'm doing something when I have felt so...so helpless in the past weeks and months. And even as joy pulses through me I feel myself shaking too because it's not nearly as effortless as it was, even if I am hungry for it. "Steady, girl," Jackson murmurs, squeezing my hand, pressing himself close to my side.

I nod and loose a shaky breath, pushing forward.

Eventually the Atalaxians get clever and begin to spray my fires with water, which actually does affect them. My magic is mystical, after all, but the flames are very real - they react as any other flames would. I flinch at the first spray from some kind of emergency fire truck, feeling the spray almost as if against my own skin. And I frowning, wondering what to do.

"Start again," Jacks murmurs with a shrug, glancing down at me. I glance back up at him and nod, realizing that he's right.

So I simply drop the whirlwind, giving up on it. I can barely hear it as a great cheer goes up from the Atalaxian forces, who think they've won.

That is, until I just make their firetruck explode and use it as fuel to build a second whirlwind, which rises higher and stronger than the first.

"Does she get tired?" Roger asks, his voice low.

"I don't know," Rafe murmurs back, worried.

"She's fine," Jackson snaps, glancing over at them.

"I'm fine," I murmur, concentrating.

"To the right, Ari," Jackson says, his focus fully on me and the work we're doing. "Do you see it?"

I flick my eyes to the right, frowning, seeing the swell of Atalaxian forces marshalling, moving towards my fire in some vain attempt to stop it.

"What do you think?" I murmur to my mate. "Split it, or fresh flame?"

"Whatever you think, fire sprite,"

Jackson softly replies, the joy he takes in seeing me work with my magic alight in his voice. I take moment to shift my gaze to him, loving him a great deal, loving his pride in me.

But there's only a moment for that before I refocus on the battle, using two tanks as fodder for two new whirlwinds of flame that I set right n the Atalaxian path as they attempt to send aid to those being attacked by my original fires. The two new blazes sputter shakily to life, climbing unsteadily up into the sky before I move them forward.

Jackson frowns, glancing down at me, sending more power down along our bond.

I glance back up at him. "It's not you," I murmur, shaking my head. "It's the stupid...wind. It was easier before, more responsive."

"Okay," he says, nodding. "Don't worry about it now, we can experiment later. Just concentrate on this. You're doing amazing."

I do as my mate bids, sending the two new whirlwinds out to wreak destruction on the foe.noveldrama

"Got it," Roger snap, nodding once with his hand on his earphone. Then he turns to me. "Ariel, can you... talk while you work?"

"I can," I say, even though I don't

move my eyes to him. I sigh through my nose, frustrated at how much more difficult this is without Luca at my side, wonder, again, just how much help I draw from my mates when they're by my side when they work. I mean, is it just their magic that they lend me? Or something else too? Some kind of...balance.

"Your dad gave me a report," Roger says, working fast. "The Atalaxians were surprised, which is what we wanted, but they're responding now, sending everything they've got. Are you ready? Can you handle more?"

"Yup," I say, nodding once. "Bring it on."

There's a long pause but then Roger nods. "Okay." He turns away, murmuring into his ear piece. "They're trying to distract attention from you, Ariel," Rafe says, stepping close and leaning down to speak to me. "Do you see, over there?"

Rafe points to my right, where the Moon Valley forces are swarming, almost as if they're protecting something at their center. Instantly I realize what they're doing, drawing enemy fire away from me so that I can work.

It works, too - almost as if they were called, Atalaxian tanks appear in formation and begin to roll right for that spot of swarming forces.

I gasp, immediately dismayed - because it's not like those swarming Moon Valley forces are just drones and empty trucks - it's people - my people - and we're using them as bait -