#ftr2

Tagged by the lovely @citywillow, thanks!!

ecstatic thrilled (Deathdancer - Ailin POV)

“Do people think I’m dead?”

“There hasn’t been an official announcement,” said Ailin, softly. “But yes. They do.”

“I suppose that’s good news,” Dymas groaned, shaking his head slightly. “Can’t say I’m thrilled to hear it.”

exit (Deathdancer - Zaul POV)

“Go to hell,” said Zaul.

He had to move the chair awkwardly aside, and undo the bolt on the door before he could storm out. It seriously undercut the drama of his exit.

spice (Firetide Rising 2 passage from a textbook Kina is Very Frustrated with)

To understand magic, you must first understand the different flavors of focus. Some magic is sweet, some spicy, some may even be overcooked or spoiled. To use magic is to understand these flavors, to learn how to spice your food just so. As in the kitchen you can create all manner of meals, so in magic you can create all manner of flavors.

human (Firetide Rising 1)

What goes around comes around. But, really, what made that happen? Was it just the random will of the world? Kina didn’t see how it could be. Maybe sometimes, the will of the world was what she saw when people took action. Maybe “fate” was just people making choices.

That was all she had done back on that shipwreck, when she'd saved Tai. She'd made a choice. The others seemed to think that was fate. Well, maybe it was, if fate was the consequence of her making the choice to stay and help instead of swimming for the surface like she was supposed to.

But if fate was just a byproduct of human stubbornness, then she didn’t really see how the world had managed not to set itself on fire by this point.

jump (Deathdancer - Zaul POV)

He was cornered. There was only one ladder, and the newcomer blocked it. The only way off the roof was jumping, and even Zaul wasn’t stupid enough to hurl himself into three stories of empty space.

I tag (no pressure!!): @sleepyowlwrites, @akindofmagictoo, @writingonesdreams, @pluttskutt, @asomeoneperson and open tag for anyone who wants it!

Tagged by the fantastic @thegreatobsesso, thanks!!

silver (Deathdancer - Ailin POV)

“Something snapped in you,” Zaul said, softly, “didn’t it? A tipping point?”

Ailin hesitated. Yes.

“Why are you helping me?” she asked, instead of answering him. “Lay it all out.”

Zaul took a deep breath, and shoved his dreadlocs out of his face. The first silver of the moon reflected in his dark eyes, setting them sparkling.

shiver (Deathdancer - Ailin POV)

The side door was locked, and the uncovered windows showed an empty hallway. Ailin picked it quickly, fingers aching with cold in spite of her fingerless gloves, and slipped inside.

It was warmer out of the wind. Ailin shrugged her shoulders a few times, easing out the shivering muscles. She was no closer to having a strategy for faking an assassination, but at least the wind chill was gone.

shard fragment (Deathdancer - Ailin POV)

Behind her, Oracle Mabala said nothing. Ailin glanced at the mirror, checking, but she was still seated comfortably in the far corner. Watching quietly, almost serenely. Her eyes glowed in the reflective glass.

Struggling to ignore her, Ailin turned back to the body, pulling her shirt up to cover her mouth for a moment. He had fallen by the window, soaked in perfume, glass fragments scattered everywhere.

shrink (Firetide Rising 2)

The world opened around her, reality opening endlessly and shrinking into an instant all at once. It still gave Kina a little thrill every time, coming so close to the heart of the world.

Threads appeared, starting as pricks in the abyss and tunneling through to familiar visions. Kina ignored them, nudging her mind towards dragons. The more time she spent here, the more threads she started to see. So far, she hadn’t managed to follow a new one, but she had at least started to be able to sense them.

I tag (no pressure!!): @sleepyowlwrites, @dontjudgemeimawriter, @akindofmagictoo, @the-orangeauthor, @afoolandathief, @asomeoneperson and open tag for anyone who wants it!

Tagged by the lovely @shaheenarnitipsyart, thanks!!

Sky (Deathdancer - Zaul POV)

Zaul missed. The scimitar hissed uselessly past Korchi. Zaul barely registered his smirk before Korchi's sword slammed into his stomach.

No, not into it. Through it.

Zaul didn’t wait to process what it felt like. He snatched at eternity, at the winding time-sense in the peripherals of reality. Torches and sandstone swirled away, fading to a purple-black sky that glittered with multi-colored stars.

Ocean (Firetide Rising 2)

“What’s it like?” Nali asked. “The ocean?”

“It’s-” Kina hesitated.

How could she possibly describe the ocean? It wasn’t really something to be told about. It was something to be experienced.

“It’s big,” she said, lamely.

“And wet, I imagine,” Nali quipped.

“No, actually, it’s very dry. Quite the trick.”

Desert (Deathdancer - Ailin POV)

Night fell fast. Normally Ailin would welcome the shadows, but on nights when she had a job to do, she dreaded the coming darkness.

She left the rooftops as the sun set, bathing the sandstone and adobe in red-gold light. In the distance, heat waves rose off the open sand of the desert of Ma-Havand, familiar mirages glinting in the sunset.

Journey (Firetide Rising 2)

“What’s Nali’s full name?” asked Captain Akanu suddenly, frowning as Kina talked.

Kina hesitated for an instant, trying to remember exactly what Nali had said.

“Na’aliani Nakalana,” she said, enunciating carefully. “Why, did you know her?”

“I knew a Na’alianu,” he said, slowly. “But he - she, now, I suppose? - was quite young when I left. Most of my interaction with the royal family was Haku, and he was only just starting his political journey then. Do you believe who she says she is?”

I tag (no pressure!!): @winterandwords, @the-orangeauthor, @sleepyowlwrites, @viskafrer, @akindofmagictoo and open tag for anyone who wants it!

I've been tagged by the incredible @akindofmagictoo, thanks!!

Damage (Deathdancer)

“This fight holds no yield,” said Lalit, looking down at them. “It will conclude when the winner concludes it.”

That was on Ailin, to wrap it this nicely without doing permanent damage. It was more dangerous for her, but at least she wasn’t supposed to cause any real harm tonight.

Drain (Firetide Rising 2)

“Someone tried to kill me,” Kina muttered. “There was a burning building nearby, I drained the fire for energy to get away.”

“And it didn’t kill you?” said Lito, with the same calm curiosity as a sailor asking what knot was your favorite to tie.

“Nope,” Kina shrugged. “Although I’m told it could have.”

Danger (Deathdancer)

Ailin's voice sounded like a strangers. She hated it when that happened, when everything went so numb that her mind locked itself in a glass box and the world went flat.

It was easy to be impersonal when emotions never bubbled to the surface, and that was dangerous. If you were going to do terrible things, you needed to understand the consequences.

Dare (Firetide Rising 1)

“How dare you use my own words against me,” said Tai, the corners of his mouth twitching in a failed attempt to hide his smile.

“I only use the good ones,” Kina assured him. “That’s why it only happens occasionally.”

I tag (no pressure!!): @ink-fireplace-coffee, @writingonesdreams, @pepperdee, @theres-bees-in-my-head, and open tag for anyone who wants it!

Hiya @sleepyowlwrites thanks for the tag!

Shirt (Deathdancer - Ailin POV)

The night was properly cold now, chill air creeping through her old clothes. Her shirt and pants were worn through at the elbows and knees, and her robes weren’t much better. Her arena uniforms were in far better shape than the scavenged remnants she wore on the streets.

It was tricky sometimes, keeping her body the right temperature. Hot and cold would sweep her with sensations from the future. Tonight, a deep cold was already setting into her bones, even before the dark desert could turn frigid. And she was in Aramzind, where the Oasis kept night temperatures from plummeting nearly as far as the open sands of the Ma-Havand.

Sleeve

Sunlight streamed over them, slanting in deep rays as the day began stretching towards evening. Sand hung in the air, glittering gold, swirling like firelight. It was warmer up here, even as the wind rustled through Ailin’s sleeves, buffeting her hair around her ears.

“Quite the view,” commented the young man, eyes sweeping across the skyline. They were high enough to get a good look at the sprawling city, the roadways and architecture laid out like a map sprung to life before them.

“I learned the city from up here,” Ailin admitted. “It’s easier to keep your place when you know the layout like a vulture.”

Skin

“Nice to meet you, Ailin.” Zaul smiled, soft and easy, and held out a hand. No hesitation. No fear. No memory of her arms around his neck, of his life shuddering in her numb grip.

He shouldn’t look at her like that, shouldn’t give her such an opening against him. But either he didn’t realize it, or he didn’t care.

Slowly, nerves buzzing, every sense alive and ready for violence, Ailin took his hand. His skin was soft against her callouses, like silk left in the sun.

“You know,” he said, mildly, “You’ve awfully tense for someone who could kill me before I finish this sentence.”

Ailin hesitated, staring at his chest, watching his face in her peripheral vision.

Scar (Firetide Rising 2) how I don't have this word in Deathdancer is beyond me

“I wasn’t pushing any limits,” said Kina, although she immediately knew that wasn’t entirely true. “Well, I wasn’t trying to.”

“Kina, that’s dangerous,” said Nali, exasperated. “At least do it around me, if you won’t go to Tino.”

Kina didn’t answer her. Reluti and Lito headed past them, now arguing in Senuin. They did that sometimes, apparently to “clarify the semantics.” Kina still wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but apparently it was important.

“I’m serious,” said Nali, grabbing Kina’s arm and pulling her around to face her. “You’ve already got magical scars. Imagine what happens if the next ones aren’t your tendons, but your mind.”

“That can happen?”

“Of course it can happen."

Sinew

Skeleton Bone (Deathdancer - Ailin POV)

The whole building rumbled with shouts, as the assassin made a stab at Ailin’s face. Pain bloomed behind her left eye, and she turned her head to avoid it.

The knife caught her.

Ailin screamed, she couldn’t help it. Heat flared, blood gushing across her cheek, metal grating across bone. She’d managed to avoid taking a blade to the eyeball, but it had been close.

Whoever this was, they weren’t just fast.

They were anticipating.

They were using her time-sense against her.

I tag (no pressure!!): @akindofmagictoo, @ashen-crest, @the-orangeauthor, @uraniumwriting, @thegreatobsesso and open tag for anyone who wants it!

ungrateful (Firetide Rising 3)

Kina grabbed the rope, and climbed after Aiko, walking her feet along the side of the ship and grateful for the fingerless dive gloves protecting her palms. She’d lost the strongest parts of her callouses in Korita.

uncomfortable (Deathdancer - Ailin POV)

The other woman walked up to her, uncomfortably close. Ailin met her gaze, unblinking, every piece of attention on the rhythmic flow of her breath. The air was slightly dusty from sand blown into the back rooms in the aftermath of their fight.

A prickle caught her, phantom fingers gripping her chin.

Breath in. Breath out.

Ailin ignored the sensation, still tracing each breath, each second, each brush of air.

The woman reached out, and grabbed Ailin’s jaw, leaning in until their noses all but touched. Ailin resisted the urge to snatch her wrist and flip her aside.

unpleasant (Deathdancer - Zaul POV, after he pulls some Time NonsenseTM)

Zaul landed in the dark alleyway, head spinning. He caught the wall, breathing hard through his nose, echoes of pain vibrating in his ribs and the base of his skull.

Something siphoned through him, threading unpleasantly through every little nook in his mind, every tiny space of his body.

A familiar thrum settled around him, stilling the world back into reality.

unintelligible (Firetide Rising 2)

“Are you okay?” asked Nali.

“I’m fine.”

Nali frowned, clearly about to push Kina for a better answer. Kina hastily stuffed the shrimp into her mouth. It was bigger than she’d expected, she had to shove most of it into her cheeks to keep from chocking.

“You look like a puffer fish,” Nali deadpanned.

“I do inflate when threatened,” said Kina, although she was pretty sure it was basically unintelligible through her giant mouthful of shrimp. Nali chuckled though, so she must have understood enough to get the point.

unasked (Firetide Rising 3)

Kina let her magical mask slip. A sharp wave of nausea swept over her, as her mind recalibrate from the throbbing pain of focus to the sudden release. Kina pressed her face into her knees, breathing slowly, giving herself a moment to recover.

BONUS: unopened (Firetide Rising 3)

“At least I’m not a dick,” shrugged Nali, tucking the unopened envelope into her bag.

“You have one, though.”

Nali considered him for a moment, shoulders set with a terrible, deadly calm. All the magic in the room flashed, rushing around Nali in the space of a blink. Water condensed in the air, forming a ball of liquid the size of Kina’s torso over Haku’s head. He blinked up at it, and Nali released it with a splash, drenching him from head to toe.

If it were anyone else, it would have been hilarious. Instead, Kina’s heart froze.

“Get out,” said Nali, simply. “Right now. I’m not asking again.”

unseen (Deathdancer - Zaul POV)

“I’m heading out,” said Dymas, bitterly. “How do I do it unseen?”

Zaul gaped at him.

“You’ve never gone anywhere unseen in your life.”

“I have, and I will,” snapped Dymas. “And that includes you, this never happened.”

I tag (no pressure!!): @citywillow, @the-orangeauthor, @afoolandathief, @ashen-crest, @akindofmagictoo and open tag for anyone who wants it!

Snatching an open tag from @littleredhatwriting, thanks for that!!

Rules: You are given four words. Find them (or a close approximation) in your WIP manuscript and share the sentences. Then, tag fellow writers and give them four words of your choice.

Moon (Firetide Rising 3)

“Be careful,” breathed Nali, stopping Kina at the railing.

“You, too.”

Their eyes met, beginnings of moonlight reflected in Nali's dark irises. For an instant, everything else stilled, the air between them vibrating with something not quite magic, but not quite mundane.

Love (Firetide Rising 3)

“Are you all right?” asked Tai, his voice suddenly soft.

“At this point, I have no idea,” she admitted. “My parents never really loved me, and I honestly don’t care.”

“I love you.”

He said it immediately. No hesitation, no qualifiers, no explanations or justifications. Just a statement of fact.

Kina took a deep breath, forcing down tears. It wasn’t even the first time he’d said it. Why did it make her want to cry?

“Congratulations you’re officially my father,” she chocked out, eventually. “But I already knew that.”

“Never hurts to make it official,” he said easily, looping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her in for a hug.

Secret (Firetide Rising 3)

Tino just nodded, leaving her with her thoughts for a moment. Kina wished he would keep talking. She didn’t like her thoughts anymore.

“It would have been so easy,” she whispered. “To just…ruin them. My heart was racing. I had so much magic.”

Tino looked at her, his face the very picture of unreadable. Kina wasn’t sure why she was admitting it. Maybe she was just too tired to keep secrets anymore. Even from herself.

Royal (Firetide Rising 2)

“You know about Oko,” Kina realized. “You said your family went to meetings there, when you were younger.”

Your royal family. Your brother who tried to kill me.

“I don’t know much about it,” Nali admitted, frowning in concentration.

I tag (with no pressure!!): @solipsism-lemonade, @screnwriter, @thegreatobsesso, @winterandwords, @shaheenarnitipsyart, @finch-goes-write, and open tag for anyone who wants!