Kill.
Isn't that what Uthis had said? That battle, and killing, would drain the excess energy? But ... here Suni was, on her knees in the training yard, her face twisted in agony … and there was fire searing through her veins. Threads of blood trickled from both nostrils and she was drenched in sweat, her hair plastered around her neck and face.
A yard behind her, a practice dummy smoldered, billowing a column of thick, dark smoke into the early morning sky. The ground around its base still glowed with hot ash and embers, and a wide swath of soot cut up along the wall of the SI:7 headquarters. Even the roof had caught fire, but thankfully that had triggered the protection wards and they'd extinguished any truly harmful flames.
Struggling to contain the heat roiling through her, Suni collapsed fully upon the gravel. She couldn't call out for help. Not that it would have mattered much, anyhow. Except for the few riding animals milling nervously about the stock yard, the training grounds were still empty.
She felt the push back of Sath's suppression gem and it brought her some semblance of relief. She drew her knees up to her chest and balled a hand against her mouth to keep from crying out. All she had to do was ride this vicious tide and pray it didn't crush her in its wake. She fought to focus on her breathing, and then she waited for the fire to slowly abate.
What had she been thinking?
She'd taken Uthis's challenge to heart. Recklessly. It wasn't that he'd goaded her into it, either. No. Somehow he'd managed to make her forget the danger – had instilled confidence in her and sparked her curiosity. Both had left her giddy; She'd toyed with it for days afterward, and had even shown him the flaming arch she'd practiced all that week.
And, he'd been pleased, which – in turn – had left her pleased.
She lost the rhythm of her breath and whimpered softly as she shifted on the ground. She was forced to recall why she'd told Uthis fire was chaotic. It couldn't be controlled. At least, she couldn't control it. How readily he'd side-stepped her caution, too, with his frankness and that quick, easy smile. When he said, “Anyone can sculpt with ice, Suni. You really should try fire,” she found herself wanting to … not just because he said to, but to see herself as capable in someone else's eyes.
So she dismissed her fears, convincing herself she was being silly, and went for it. It wasn't so bad at first. A few pea-sized fireballs here and there until she was able to keep them afloat, just above her palms without setting her hands on fire. She'd done well. Had even begun to believe maybe her fears had been unfounded. Yet, the arch had taken its toll. In the days ensuing, her nose began to bleed with every offensive spell she cast. Her body temperature rose gradually until she'd become a walking inferno and the heat tried to force its way out, through her hands. She'd barely made it here to the training grounds; had barely flung the spell at the dummy … otherwise, half of Stormwind might now be ablaze.
The sun was rising. Suni knew she had to collect herself, had to get off the ground, clean herself up, and start another day. Her hands hurt and she could still feel the heat pushing up through her skin, but she managed to get on her feet. It took several minutes and many deep breaths before she could move forward, but she did so one step at a time. She straightened her hair, adjusted her skirts, and wiped the blood from her face. She cast a weary glance around, praying no one would see her looking this disheveled as she made her way back across the city to the ship in the harbor. Once she was clean again, no one would know. They wouldn't see. They rarely did.
She'd grown accustomed to hiding it well.
