I nodded, taking a moment to digest that before I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes, centering myself before opening them again. I began to move my hands, practicing the motions Val had just shown me a few times before applying the lesson. I thought of warmth. A fuzzy sweater. A cozy blanket. My hand felt a little warmer, maybe, but nothing happened. I wasn’t even sure if I felt warmer because of magic or just the memory of being bundled up.
I frowned.
Maybe I need to think of something more fiery…
I took another breath and thought of a spicy bowl of noodles and how hot that felt. I thought of a crackling campfire on the beach. I thought of how good it felt to stand in the sun and let it warm my entire body—
Blue flames leaped up from my hand, dancing wildly. I yelped, surprised by
