Chapter 724

"Ari," Jesse whispers, equally awed, starting to take his fingers away.

“No,” I growl, leaning back, wanting to maintain contact. “Look."

I lift my chin upwards to the sky, where through the rising smoke we can see more helicopters coming. Four of them.

Rafe glances at me and then touches the radio at his ear, relaying back to our father at the base the events of the attack. I keep my eyes on the approaching Atalaxian forces as a Cadet runs over to Rafe, glancing anxiously at me as he reports casualties amongst the Cadets and requests medics. Rafe orders him to call for aid and then turns to me as the Cadet runs away.

"How are you?" he barks out, his eyes sweeping over me, assessing.

"I'm fine," I snarl, keeping my eyes on the sky, a cold thrill running through me as I see that these helicopters are likewise heading right for us. Rafe grabs my chin, trying to force me to look at him, but I just pull it away, keeping my eyes on the sky.

He barks my name again and I glance at him once. "They're coming Rafe," I growl.

"Can you do that again, Ari?" he snaps, all business.

I nod. "That and more."

"And you three?" Rafe asks, clearly addressing Luca, Jackson, and Jesse now. "We're good?"

They all murmur in the affirmative.

"All right, then," Rafe murmurs, stepping back in front of the group and turning towards our classmates - all of whom are terribly confused about how the hell we knocked down two Atalaxian war choppers without landing a single shot from the guns. "Hold fire!" Rafe shouts out at the Cadets. "I want these guns quiet! We're going to play possum for a bit, lure them in."

The Cadets hesitate only for a moment before barking out the affirmative.

Rafe steps back close to me. "All right, trouble," he murmurs. "When they get close enough, you take them down."

"Oh, I don't think so," I murmur, staring unblinking into the skies.

And then, without my brother's permission, I send my fire out to meet the enemy.

I pull further on Jackson's gift,

letting the fire rage and feeling a

strong pulse of joy and pride coming from him to see me work. Jessenoveldrama

sends more shadows for sen

likewise pulling on Jackson's power through me to fuel them.

When it's enough, I increase Luca's wind, splitting the dark inferno before us into two whirlwinds that I send out into the night, heading right for the enemy.

And as my magic plows forward into the darkness, hungry for the taste of metal, for something to burn, I'm shocked at how...

God, how easy it is.

The fire responds to me as if it's more than some creature at my beck and call - as if it's me. And I can feel feel the taste of the air

as the fire and the wind rushes through it, feel the hum of the

helicopter as my power races for them.

et

"Can you...can you see it?" Rafe murmurs, leaning forward, peering into the dark. "The magic, the fire?"

"No," Jackson murmurs, casually handing him the binoculars from his neck. "I can feel it, though. I know where it is through her." "Same,” Jesse murmurs. Luca nods, and Rafe glances at us like we're all insane.

My chest heaves a little as I keep the tornados out there turning, read for whatever is next - not because it's hard or because I'm tired, but because I want more.

I want to - I want to hurt them.

I'm well aware that I'm killing people - that these are not just anonymous drones being sent by Atalaxian forces, but instead manned by real people with homes and families. But somehow, right now, I just - I can't care.