To give my magical muscles a break, Oliver insisted we work on hand-to-hand combat, assuring me that if I had better coordination in a physical fight, it would improve my skills in a magical fight as well. He taught me to punch, parry, feint, and deflect blows. He often bested me as we sparred, but that same wild grin returned every time he insisted we go again.
At long last, I raised a hand as labored breaths ripped through my chest. “That’s enough,” I wheezed, doubling over as the exhaustion overwhelmed me. “I need . . . a break.”
Oliver chuckled. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. “You’re getting better.”
I laughed as I bent at the waist and touched my toes. My legs wobbled from the strain. “Don’t lie to me. Nobody can improve in just one training session.”
“Oh, that wasn’t a training session. That was just a warm-up.”
I straightened, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. “Seriously?”
“You think you can beat that troll by sparring? No, that was just to wake up your instincts a bit. We’ve only just begun.”
I groaned. “Oliver, you’ll get yourself killed at this rate. I’m surprised you haven’t lost a limb from all your injuries.”
Oliver flashed his teeth at me in a daring smile that made my stomach churn. “I suppose I’m lucky.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I muttered, bending over again to do downward-facing dog. My fingers pressed into the gravel, and my legs straightened behind me.
Oliver cocked his head at me. Even from upside down, I could easily read the bewilderment on his face. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“It’s a yoga stretch.”
“Yoga?”
“Yeah. It’s soothing. Helps my body feel less restless.” I stood again, inhaling and exhaling evenly. Then I wiggled my fingers, feeling the familiar buzz of my magic. “All right, I’m ready.”
“The trick with trolls is that they’re slow,” Oliver said. “Use your speed to your advantage. My mistake was my hesitation—I was surprised by how my abilities didn’t affect him. We need to work on our reaction time so we can hit him again and again without faltering.”
I nodded, jogging in place. “Okay. Tell me what to do.”
“I’m going to shoot several elements toward you. Deflect them and hit me with your powers without hesitating.”
“Got it.”
Oliver walked backward until he was on the opposite side of the cavern. He raised his palms. “Remember, don’t hesitate!”
I nodded again and raised my own hands, my muscles tensing with anticipation.
A ball of flame flew toward me. I Pushed it to the side as a jet of water splashed into my face. I sputtered and coughed. A gust of wind knocked me back a step. I raised my hands blindly and Pushed. The sound of rocks smashing and crumbling met my ears.
“Focus!” Oliver shouted over the wind. “Use your whole body!”
I took several breaths and searched inward for the flow of magic. It thrummed and hummed within me like electricity. My fingers twitched from the energy. The current flowed faster and faster, the river of magic inside me quickening and intensifying.
I raised my hands and opened my eyes. With careful, calculated movements, I swept my arms from side to side. The wind followed the motion, creating a clear space through which I could see Oliver. I held my left hand out to the side, and the wind followed and stayed put. With my right hand, I Pushed until Oliver fell flat on his bottom.
“Oof,” he said as he thumped backward. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. The wind around us died.
I dropped my hands and burst out laughing at the look of shock on his face.
Oliver shook his head, wiping the surprise off his expression, and grinned at me. His eyes alight with excitement, he jumped to his feet and closed the gap between us in a few long strides.
“Desi, that was fantastic!” he said, spreading his arms wide. “You had perfect control that time.” He grabbed my waist and lifted me a few feet in the air, spinning me around. I shrieked in surprise, clutching his shoulders for support. Oliver set me down and chuckled.
I wavered dizzily and wiggled my arms and legs to ground myself again. Hysterical giggles burst through me, and I bounced on the balls of my feet. My hands had controlled Oliver’s elements. I’d never had control over that kind of magic before. It was thrilling, exhilarating, empowering.
I wanted more.
“Let’s go again,” I urged.
Oliver’s eyebrows lifted. He opened his mouth to respond, but a loud grunt interrupted him.
The cave wall next to us rippled, and the troll reemerged. Its dark, animal-like eyes pierced through both of us, and it scratched its arm with a hand larger than Oliver’s head.
“Fight,” the troll growled.
Oliver and I glanced at each other. The excited grins vanished from our faces. A question shone in his green eyes, and I nodded in response. My fingers twitched, the electricity of my magic igniting within me again.
Oliver clapped his hands in front of him and wiggled his shoulders, spreading his feet apart. His eyes narrowed with determination, his jaw hardening. He spun his hands in wide circles, creating a small funnel cloud that grew bigger and faster.
The wind whipped at my face, and I raised my hands. My eyes closed briefly to regain the clarity from before. Magic thrummed through my body from the tips of my fingers and toes to the top of my scalp.
Oliver flung a ball of fire at the troll, who didn’t even bother dodging it. Its body absorbed the flames as if swallowing them whole. It glared and stomped toward Oliver.
Oliver cut a glance at me before shooting jets of water at the troll. Undeterred, the troll raised a gnarled hand and deflected the water so that it could continue lumbering toward him.
Fear flickered in Oliver’s eyes as the troll drew nearer. When the troll was only a few feet away, I raised my hands. Instead of thrusting
