“Kelpies do not linger long above water. That Feeorin stayed as long as he did is a sign of the esteem he has for you.” Aine practically glowed. “He recognized you as an undine, which means I was right; your Fae side is definitely stronger than your demon side.”
I did not ask her what would have happened if the kelpie hadn’t recognized me as Fae.
“Now it is time for you to learn to control water.” I must have made a face because she laughed. “Do not fret; we will start with something easy. I will show you how I make the air move, and then you can try it with the water.”
She went to stand beneath the trees, facing me. Then she raised a hand and moved it in a small circular motion. On the ground, leaves and twigs began to flutter and dance, forming a column that stretched upward toward her hand. “To do this you do not need to release your magic like you did to summon the water creatures. Water is your element so you simply draw on its power and then command it to do your bidding.”
Oh, is that all? “How do I do that?”
“Everything in nature has a life force, an energy that flows through it, and it is the same power you have inside you. If you look for that power outside instead of within yourself, you will find it.”
I did as she instructed and felt around outside my body for a power like mine. I knew what I was looking for and what it should feel like, but either I was doing it wrong or I could not draw on the power like she could. After a few minutes, I looked at her in defeat. “It’s not working.”
Aine pursed her lips and thought for a moment before her green eyes lit up. “You need more contact with the water. Sit in the lake and try again.”
“Sit in it? This water is freaking cold!”
“It is the only way,” she said, brushing aside my objections. “Once you do it a few times, you will need only to use a finger, but for now more of your body must touch the water.”
I just had to be a water elemental. I pulled off my hoodie and threw it on dry land – not that a dry hoodie was going to help much when my bottom half was soaked. Grimacing, I lowered my body until I was sitting in the cold lake with water lapping at my stomach. “C-can an undine g-get hypothermia?” I asked through chattering teeth.
Aine let out one of her musical laughs. “No, and the sooner you learn to draw on the water magic, the sooner it will warm you.”
That was all the motivation I needed. I laid my hands on my thighs beneath the water and began feeling for magic around me. It was hard not to reach for my own power, and to ignore the cold seeping into my bones. I pictured glowing energy infused with each water molecule, and then I imagined pulling all that warm energy toward me. I concentrated on only that, and after a few minutes, my imaginings grew so vivid that I no longer felt the cold.
“Look, sister!”
I didn’t realize I had closed my eyes until Aine spoke, and when I opened them, my gaze was drawn immediately to the soft glow outlining my body beneath the surface. My first thought was that I had accidently released my power – until I saw what had to be thousands of golden sparkles drifting through the water toward me like tiny underwater fireflies. Mesmerized, I watched the particles join the ones clinging to me and the golden aura around me grow brighter. I waved my right hand slowly through the water and saw with delight that the magic followed it. I also noticed that the water offered little resistance, and my hand might as well have been moving through the air. Mimicking Aine’s actions, I started moving my hand in a circular motion, and a dazzling spiral of magic formed in the water. I picked up speed until I had made a mini whirlpool, and then I lifted my hand from the water, still moving it in a circle. My eyes widened and I sucked in a sharp breath as a spinning column of water formed between my hand and the surface of the lake. I’m dreaming. I can’t really be doing this.
Clapping broke my concentration, and the tiny waterspout collapsed with a small splash. I looked over my shoulder at Aine, grinning so wide that my cheeks hurt. “Did I really do that?”
“Yes.” She walked to the water’s edge where I could see her better, and her face glowed with pride. “You are indeed Sahine’s progeny, and she would be so proud of you.”
“That was awesome! Can I do it again?”
“You may do it as many times as you wish” – her eyes gleamed with mischief – “if you are not too cold to continue.”
“Nope, I’m nice and toasty.” It was true. The water around me felt as warm as bathwater now, and I could sit in it all day.
Aine settled down on the shore and spread her skirts around her. “I’ll be here as long as you want to do this.”