Cracked

Twenty attempts later and nothing like a controllable column of fire came into being.

Sarai flooded her essence into each trial, mixing and matching techniques to see if an effective method could be found.

"Try doing that whirlwind thing and then compressing it," Noble suggested.

The woman clad in green obliged.

A hurricane of fire spun around Sarai much like the one that had protected the pair when Noble first discovered her strange second sight.

The whirlwind was incredibly hot and deadly. Noble touched her armor to make sure the [Fire Insurance] was tucked within. 

She took a deep breath and held it, hoping to keep the heat from entering her lungs. 

In the middle of the circle of flames, Sarai was sweating, but it was not from the flames. 

The fiery woman was pouring her essence and concentration into closing the hole around her. Her heart beat wildly in her ears, but she ignored the pressure as she pushed herself to the limit.

The swirling inferno tightened, constrained by some invisible force. 

Slowly, the flames snaked toward their maker, eventually nipping at the hem of her dress.

'Closer, closer...' Noble continued to hold her breath. Fortunately Awakened could do that longer than mundane humans. A normal person would have passed out by now, but the floating woman didn't even think twice about the fact she wasn't breathing. 

All she cared about was the fire in the center of the room. 

The cyclone of heat continued to narrow, brushing up against Sarai's delicate skin as she balled her fists. The bracelets on her hands glowed with an incandescent light. While they masked the true power of the one wearing them, they did not dampen it. 

That was the job of Emira's necklace–at least when it came to her flaw. While it didn't seem to affect Sarai in the same way, the small chain had still been left behind today. 

'Almost there!' Noble gasped. 

The sweltering heat entered her lungs but she did not care. The center of the swirling tornado was gone! 

Fireshing was surrounded by flames as they whipped at her dress, yet the woman was not consumed. She lived among the fire but remained separate from it. 

She looked like a goddess about to render judgment. 

'You can do it!' Noble silently willed it to be true. She dared not utter a sound to break the other woman's concentration. 

Suddenly, the fire tightened into a single beam aiming at the sky. 

Yes!

The victory was short-lived. No sooner had the flames taken on some semblance of Emira's pillar of fire than they sputtered and wavered out of existence. 

Sarai dropped to the ground, panting. 

Using her ability, Noble helped her friend sit up while she hurried to her side. 

"Are you alright?!" 

Noble pulled a cloth from inside her armor to dab at the other woman's brow. It came back soaked, and still liquid streamed down Sarai's face. 

But Sarai stopped her from making another swipe.

"Give me a moment and I'll be fine." 

The water dissipated, as Sarai seemed to absorb it back into her skin.

Noble frowned. 

"I didn't know you could do that." 

The other woman nodded slowly. "I can but I do not usually need to. I mostly only produce fire from my hands so the rest of my body is only loosely exposed to my flames. It made its own barrier of protection. 

"I see." The Queen nodded. "I had no idea." 

Sarai might be immune to her own flames, but the nature of that immunity was in the form of her body sweating to keep it cool. 

"It's fine, and I am fine. My body can reabsorb it so there really is no harm. How did I do?" Sarai's questioning glance brought Noble back from her thoughts. 

"You didn't see?!" Her mouth hung open. 

"I was in it so it was a little hard to tell exactly what happened," the redhead flushed. "Was it that bad?" 

"Bad?! No! It was amazing. You had it for a split second. It took everything in me not to cry out in victory." Noble triumphant smile faded. "But then you fell. I should not have pushed you so hard." 

"You did nothing wrong. I pushed myself. And if I got closer, the effort wasn't in vain. I will try again!" Sarai stood and then stepped to one side. Her gaze was not as focused as it usually was. 

She looked up in confusion. 

"Maybe you should rest a moment before another attempt. You look exhausted." Noble tried to pull her friend aside, but Sarai stepped out of her reach. 

"I was just unsteady for a moment," she argued. "If I was close, I don't want to lose the feeling. Let me try one more thing." 

Reluctantly, the queen stepped aside. "I am staying right here in case you lose your balance again. If you feel even one bit unsteady, stop right away." 

"Yes, mother," Sarai teased, but Noble could feel the gratitude for her care. 

Taking a wide stance, Sarai formed another cyclone of fire. This time it was in front of Fireshing, not around her.

Unlike Emira, her fire was whispy and danced as it spun. It had no substance...yet. 

Closing her eyes, Sarai cupped her hands and called forth the tip of the blazing hurricane to dance on her palm. Twisting her wrist, the funnel turned on its side. Aiming at the far wall with its wide, hungry mouth. 

While not a solid column, it did resemble a ravenous monster ready to devour its prey. 

Sarai concentrated, trying to block out even the sound of the fire as it spun on itself. The wide end narrowed before shooting out from her palm. The entire missile of flame streaked through the chamber and crashed into the spot where the two missing rings on the wall had left their etchings behind.

An explosion rocked the room, shaking debris free from the ceiling. The air became clounded for a moment. As the dust settled, Noble squinted to see the damage that was done. 

"Look!" Sarai's mouth opened in shock.

The place she had selected to hit was by far the strongest spot in the room. Even under the catastrophic hit, it only cracked before beginning to self-heal. Not even the Tyrant would have been able to break through at that spot. 

But the cracks told Sarai all that she needed to know. Her fire not only had heat. She had hit with enough force to explode the missile and damage the wall. That meant her fire had real, solid substance! 

Just like the Queen's. 

"I-I did it?" She blinked. 

Noble laughed. "You did something alright! That isn't anything like Emira's and is fully your own. A new weapon for your arsenal. Congratulations!" 

Sarai smiled palely. "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you." 

"Now I must insist you sit down. I will get you some water and food while Kosi keeps you company." Noble ushered her friend toward the stone bench.

But just as they arrived, Kosi leapt to his feet with a snarl.

"What's wrong? We are your friends!" Noble furrowed her brow. 

A moment later a rumble answered his, only it was the ground. 

The earth knocked Sarai off balance and she reached out her hand to catch herself on the weathered stone. 

But as soon as her palm touched the top of the bench...

The hidden lid gave way.