“According to you, all I need to do is place my hand into the flames and pull the power into myself.” Rayne glanced at Caelan, who smiled encouragingly and nodded. But it was the look of shock and worry dug deep into Drayce’s face that gave him pause.
If Caelan believed him capable of this, he could do it. That was all that mattered.
Rayne pushed up so that he kneeled on one knee in front of the fire that burned brightly before all of them. At the same time, Drayce jumped to his feet, his hands balled into fists at his sides. Rayne glanced up at him one last time and then pushed Drayce’s anxiety to the back of his mind. He could do this. Tula would protect him, and he’d use her blessing to keep his friends safe. The little ball of warm energy behind his heart shivered and swirled as if responding to his touch. He was ready.
Thrusting his right hand forward, Rayne had just neared the kiss of the flames when Drayce shouted, “Stop!”
Rayne jerked his head up in time to see Drayce flying over the flames to crash into him. He and Drayce landed in a heap in the dirt and rolled away from the fire. His heart was in his throat as he threw Drayce off him. That hadn’t been a joke. He knew Drayce’s jokes. That was an act of terror.
“What the hell?” Eno roared while Rayne was still trying to catch his breath.
Rayne looked up to find Drayce lying on his back, both of his hands covering his face. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Drayce had actually saved him.
“Dude, as much as I love watching Caelan heal people, I think we should give this plan more thought,” Drayce said raggedly behind his hands.
Shoving himself up on one elbow, Rayne frowned at the young man beside him. “What do you mean?”
“Caelan, without trying to make a shield, if you stick your hand in the fire, does it burn you?” Drayce called out.
“No, but I’ve never burned like that,” his friend quickly replied.
“Rayne?” Drayce prodded.
He pushed up and stared at the fire. He burned like all humans well before he was connected to the goddess. And now?
Sitting up, he moved toward the fire and Drayce reached for him again. “No, it’s okay,” Rayne reassured him. He was still holding on to the ball of power from the Goddess of Life, but prior to even reaching the flames, he realized it wasn’t enough. Drayce had saved him from making a huge mistake. Plunging his hand into the flames would have resulted in horrible burns.
He stopped, the tips of his fingers still several inches from the flames, but the heat was already scorching his flesh.
“Rayne?” Eno demanded.
“He’s right,” Rayne replied softly. “I would have been burned. I can’t summon the shield like Caelan can.”
“Or maybe the shield Caelan creates has nothing to do with the flames.” Drayce had dropped onto his back again and was staring up at the broad swath of stars in the velvety midnight sky. “Maybe it just helps him focus the power that’s inside of him. Something you tell a little kid to make sense of all this goddess and magic bullshit.”
“Why doesn’t Caelan burn?” Rayne asked.
Drayce sat up but kept his eyes locked on the fire as he shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe it’s got to do with the fact that he’s been touched by the goddess his entire life.”
“Makes sense to me,” Caelan said easily.
But Rayne couldn’t drag his eyes away from Drayce. What he’d said made complete sense. It was logical. Smart. Then why did it look like Drayce didn’t believe that reason?
Something cold and heavy uncoiled in Rayne’s stomach. He couldn’t make sense of it. Drayce didn’t make sense to him. What was Drayce seeing? What did Drayce know that Rayne didn’t? It was all off, but everything had been feeling off since they’d first set foot in Zastrad.
“So, how does Rayne tap into the goddess’s powers to make the shield?” Eno demanded, tearing Rayne from his current train of thought. Drayce acting strange wasn’t all that unusual, and it wasn’t the most important thing they needed to deal with. The bigger concern was whether he could cast the protection spell. This was more than keeping them safe as they slept. This was about being able to protect them at any time.
“Can you feel her energy inside you?” Caelan inquired.
Rayne nodded. “Warm and centered just behind my heart.”
Caelan grunted as if he felt the same thing with the gods he was harboring inside of his own body. “Focus on it. Pull it forward so that it’s cradled in your hands.”
Rayne shoved to his feet and swayed, trying to get his damn head screwed on straight. After a few calming breaths, he lifted his hands to the level of his waist and placed one on top of the other while leaving space, as if he were cradling a ball. No, a fragile soap bubble. Closing his eyes, he imagined the same energy that hugged his heart and zipped through his veins was pouring into that bubble.