Star Gods, стр. 35

“I know.” She squeezes her hands together and shakes out her arms. “What do you want me to do first?”

“Nothing.” I feel her disappointment and relief mixed together. “We were interrupted last time and you have to get used to how abilities feel in the air around you so you can recognize it when they’re being used, and before they’re being used.”

“You already know I can do that, Zeke.”

“There’s more to it than just your skin crawling,” Ashe responds. “We each had to be taught this in order to use our abilities safely. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.”

“But, I’ve already used Zeke’s.”

“Relax, Sage, and pay attention.” I draw a portion of my barrier into my palm, while Tyce and Ashe spread out with a ward in each of their hands.

“Ah,” Sage expresses, her uneasiness spiking. “You’re going to use abilities against each other?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Tyce smirks. “And you too, eventually.” He tosses his ward, which elongates into a line and I pop up a barrier to send it back to him.

Tyce absorbs his ward and pools it again.

“Get used to how the atmosphere changes,” Ashe instructs, tossing his ward at me and I send it back. “There’s a noticeable change and you need to recognize and feel it.”

Sage rubs her arms. “I already got that down, Ashe. What else am I supposed to be feeling?”

Ashe steps back by Sage. “You also need to be able to tell which direction they’re coming from, and from whom.”

I feel as she shoves back her fear and replaces it with determination. “Oh, okay, I get it now.”

“If you feel something surface in yourself, let us know before you use it,” I call out.

“Why?”

“Because we’ll need to figure out what it is so you can use it without hurting any of us,” Ashe explains.

“You mean we’re not immune to each other’s abilities?” she questions.

As an answer, I throw my barrier low and it nails Tyce in the leg.

“Nope,” Tyce hisses. “It only hurts for a second. You’ll get used to it.”

She blows out a nervous breath. “Okay, good to know.”

Tyce throws his ward in curve ball fashion, his specialty. It streaks out with a long tail. I follow it but I don’t get my barrier in place soon enough to block it and it hits me in the arm. I suck in a breath and toss a barrier from each hand.

Tyce nearly misses one. His brows jut upward when it connects, and he bends at the knees bringing his arms out in front of him like a catcher. “Wanna play dirty? Bring it on little bro.”

I smile, drawing my ability with more voltage.

“Ahh,” Tyce chuckles. “You want to take it up a notch, all right, I got ya.”

“What’re you two doing?” Sage questions.

Ashe snickers. “You might want to back up a little.”

“Oh, Lord,” Claire expresses, moving back against the wards.

Abby keeps her hands out at her sides, one glowing more silver than violet, looking ready for anything.

“I feel that, Abby, do I need to watch you too?” Sage says.

She’s learning fast.

“No. We have a human amongst us. I’m just getting ready if something comes this way.”

Tyce pools a ward, keeping it at his side. I know it’s there, does Sage?

“That’s more voltage than Zeke’s,” Sage calls out.

“Thanks for tattling, sis.” Tyce throws it like a fastball.

I pop up my barrier but instead of it going back to Tyce it veers to Sage and I cringe when it connects.

“Ouch!” she yells, checking her hip. “Hey!”

“Sorry,” I cringe. “You okay?”

Tyce takes advantage of my preoccupation and throws two more. They each hit me simultaneously. I hiss and shake off the sting.

He throws another and Sage travels into its path, lifting her hand. It stops midflight and my twin grins.

“Extractor,” she comments, pulling it back and making it stretch. Tyce’s eyes elongate as she lets it go and it flings toward him.

He catches it, winces, shakes out his hand, and chews on the inside of his cheek.

I laugh. “I think Sage is figuring this out!”

She moves closer to me. “Want me to take over for a bit?”

“Not a chance.”

“I get Ashe,” Tyce states, and they both start circling in different directions.

“Watch Ashe, Sage,” I warn, my eyes trained on Tyce.

“Yup.”

“Maybe I should’ve stayed home,” Claire expresses.

“You’re good, Babe,” Tyce reassures. “I got your back.”

“I hope so,” she answers. “I think you got your hands full.”

“Nah,” he says. “I got this.”

Tyce and Ashe both throw at the same time, I block and Sage extracts. I can feel Sage’s excitement, her fear completely gone.

“I think I am getting the hang of this,” she says.

Tyce winks, and before I can divert it, a ward zooms and strikes Sage mid-back.

“Youch!” Her back arches as she turns. “You’re a sneaky bastard, aren’t you?”

Tyce stops and narrows his eyes at her. “You did not just call me a bastard.”

Sage grins. “And what’re you going to do about it?”

Our brother smirks, nodding in amusement.

“C’mon, big bro,” she taunts. “Show me what you got.”

“All right, let’s dance.” Tyce puts a spring in his step.

“Sage, take it slow,” I say.

She snorts.

“Tyce, downgrade it,” Ashe warns.

“Why? She’s asking for it.”

I feel as Sage pulls on my barrier, more than she should. The air ripples as she extracts too much without pooling it, and I feel something else surface. “Hold it, Sage!”

She misinterprets my warning. I try to snag a portion of it but she pulls it back like a bungee on a string and lets it go.

The air cracks with power.

Shit. “Everybody get down!” I throw a barrier in hopes of blocking it, and miss, as Sage loses the thread she has, turning panicked eyes in my direction.

Tyce drops to the ground, and Ashe dives in front of him popping a ward strong with silver. What Sage threw, strikes Ashe’s ward. The air compresses, the ground shakes, and all our protection bursts unable to withstand the power.

Unfortunately, the danger isn’t over yet. It has to rebound, and there’s no way Sage can absorb