Taming Her Flames: Part 2

The flames peaked licking my cheeks and hair, my control was slipping I was letting them take over.

"Relax Circe I got you," Albert said from behind me his breath fanning my neck, then I noticed several water droplets hanging suspended in the air, he was subduing the flames before they went astray. Some water droplets landing on my skin cooling down my body.

He still stood in close proximity his breath still fanning my neck, I swear was about to lose control for a whole different reason.

I pulled away from him creating distance between us.

"I think that is enough for today don't you think??" I said

"Yeah, I could barely subdue your flames," he said, his voice sounding as breathy as mine.

Then we started meeting every night, when everyone went to sleep we would sneak out to the meadow, I admit I almost burned the place at least 5 times that week but since Albert was there even though it was heavy-duty since my magic far surpassed his even at a controlled state he was still able to put out the flames before they could go amok. Slowly but surely we were making progress.

"Are you and Albert an item?" Emily asked one of the days at dinner, making me snort food through my nose whereas Albert continued eating nonchalantly.

"I saw you two sneaking out to somewhere last night" she continued. At that point, I was choking on my food, and my face flustered, Albert finally looked at me and passed me a glass of water.

"I am training her, to control her flames nothing more," he said his voice straight to the point and curt.

Nothing more?? I could have sworn this man was trying to seduce me each time we went out to training or was it all in my head? I don't know why his answer bothered me the way it did or what I had been expecting.

"Any progress?" the old man asked

"You knew about this?" I asked in between coughs as I choked on the water that was handed to me.

"Yes, I figured he'd be the best person to do it" he answered.

"As I told you before she can conjure her flames without a trigger but she is still learning how to manipulate them into intended shapes I am sure she'll have it down by the end of this week" Albert spoke while chunking down food.

The following weeks passed seamlessly, my training was going quite well and Albert was never really worrying about me starting a fire so there was no reason for him to stand behind me, with his groin pressed against my back. My face flushed at the thought. What the fuck was wrong with me I said internally, giving myself a mental slap.

But there was one thing bothering me, during the day ever since I arrived here the old man and the girls took turns to disappear somewhere during the day and on some days they all left leaving me alone with Albert. Then Albert joined in too, on some days he'd go with the old man leaving me with Emily and Sarah, and on other days he'd leave with the girls. When I finally built up the courage to ask Sarah where they were going because I was sure starting to feel like I was being left out of something.

"It's nothing you should concern yourself with at the moment just focus on your training," she said brushing me off swiftly, as we were hanging washed clothes out that day and the old man, Emily, and Albert were nowhere in the vicinity. Were they plotting my death? I had to get to the bottom of this.

That night I pestered Albert about it, and he also brushed me off telling me that if it was all so important for me to know then they would have told me, so I should not stick my nose in things that didn't concern me at the moment. "At the moment" Sarah had said that too earlier was there the perfect time when I would be let in on what they were brewing? Well, I didn't care, I was itching to know about it and if they weren't going to tell me about it then I'd find out myself.

The next morning I watched everyone like a hawk not letting either one of them out of my line of vision while I casually took care of the morning errands. What I knew was that they usually left after breakfast. I noticed Sarah starting to pack up the food they usually took with them, what I also needed to figure out was who was leaving today, from what I had noticed there was no pattern so it would be at random. Just after breakfast I dismissed myself telling everyone I was going to pick up on training by the river, Albert insisted he would go with me but I adamantly refused.

"When are you going to start trusting me with my magic?? If you don't let me figure things out on my own then I will never grow" praying to the supreme beings that ruled this earth that none of them picked up that I was up to some bullshit.

I hopped skipped my way down to the meadow as Albert stared at me probably making sure that was where I was headed, once I was out of his line of view I took a sharp left running towards the dirt road that I always saw them take. For training, I wore trousers that I had borrowed from Emily who for some reason owned a few pairs. Not that we ever did any physical training just yet but it was more comfortable and more relevant today.

I kept my distance from the dusty road and hid behind the tall canopy trees that were several meters away. Digging into my mind was how I was going to keep following them because the meadow was the only coverage existing for me for a short distance since there was a little river that flowed a few meters from it, then the land was barren. I cut off the flow of magic just as Albert had taught me now I was undetectable.

Then as I was still pondering on what my next move would be, I heard chattering then they came into view, all four of them. All four?? My eye twitched, they had planned to leave me behind on my own, oh were they in for a surprise. I took a deep breath to calm myself down otherwise the flow of magic would have been triggered.

I moved swiftly my keeping footsteps lulled, leaping from tree to tree. I made sure there was as much distance between us so detecting me would be impossible. I was running out of coverage fast, at this rate, I would be left out in the open, just then right before the vegetation ended they turned right toward Eos peak, what I knew was that the road came to a dead-end by the mountain, so logically that's where they were heading.

I waited patiently for them as they turned towards the mountain that was just behind the old man's place then the old man stepped forward drawing closer to the mountain to what seemed like a boulder that covered an entrance?? The boulder towered over him, he then stretched out his hands, fire extended from his hands forming claws grabbing the boulder and moving it aside, my mouth fell wide open, not that I didn't know the old man was a fire user just he had ever done trivial and basic things, I would have never guessed that in his frail withering body dwelled this much power. Then one by one they entered the entrance then sealing it right back.

"Oh great just great, how am I supposed to enter now?" I cursed as I walked up to the peak weighing my options. I could try and do what the old man just did, but I knew very well that overshooting my magic was probable. That was the part of the training I have been stuck on for the past week, Albert had me practice picking up metal spoons without turning them into liquid ore and we had run out of spoons and forks back at the old man's place. I knew very well that if I tried to move it now I would only reduce the stone to a heap of gravel. So I turned back and went home as much as I wanted to know what they were conniving behind that rock, I wasn't going to be a nuisance and ruin their hideout.

The next week I practiced tirelessly, I asked the old man to buy me 50 steel rods, which day in and out I practiced picking them up trying my best not to increase the intensity of my flames but still putting enough strength behind them to pick up the spoon it took me days to find the balance and tame my flames after the week elapsed of which during that time they were still going to their secret hideout. I put my plan back into motion, this time gearing for success.