Imogen was convinced that the explosion in the canteen was another attempt on my life. Kit, who stated emphatically that the fountain was centuries old and had never shown any sign of strain or disrepair, was inclined to agree. They went at once to find Rowan, while I went in search of Brae.

It took me some time to find him; the castle was larger than its Arcan counterpart and I spent some time wandering down corridors more or less aimlessly.

Eventually, as I was walking along a corridor in the west wing, I heard familiar voices up ahead and I turned the corner to see Brae and the Brizan Queen leaving a meeting room together.

I walked towards them, trying to look happier than I felt—I didn't want to voice my concerns in front of Queen Aurelia.

"Hey, Jazz," Brae called happily down the corridor. "What's up?"

"I was looking for you actually, but if you're busy..."

He glanced at the Queen. "It's fine, we had just finished our discussion."

The Queen had been standing quietly watching us, but she stepped forwards now with a poor attempt at a smile. I suddenly realised that this was the first time I had seen her since the opening banquet and that I had never been properly introduced. I had been so caught up in the relief of finding Brae—I must have looked ridiculously rude. "I am very sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty."

"Oh, no. It's fine. We really were finished." Her voice was soft and lyrical.

Brae seemed to remember his decorum too at this point, as he added, "Queen Aurelia, this is my friend Jasmine Dystros. She's the Arcan who orchestrated our escape from the Helian Realm."

"It is lovely to meet you, Jasmine. Our Realm owes you a great debt." She paused, as though debating what she would say next. "I believe that you have been the subject of much interest and speculation during your stay here. You believe that you might be half Brizan?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Half Helian, too."

'But all Arcan," Brae added with a smile.

"I can definitely see the Brizan features," the Queen said, studying me with care.

"We were hoping to learn more about Jasmine's parents during our stay. You said there had been much speculation, does that mean there are rumours as to who they might be?"

The Queen transferred her attention back to Brae. "I am afraid I wouldn't know. I have heard Miss Dystros' name mentioned a few times, but nothing more. I can make some enquiries for you though. But I'm not sure I would get my hopes up. Our relationship with the Helians is stormy and I don't think anyone would confess to... I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound rude. I am sure that your parents would love to come forward, but it wouldn't be easy to do; the revelation would not be well received."

"I understand." Even if I did come across one of my parents, acknowledging me would mean confessing to having a relationship with a Helian, which the Brizans would be unlikely to look kindly on. "Perhaps they would be willing to contact me privately. I wouldn't tell anyone."

"I'm afraid that I really must be going now. I will see you both again soon, I am sure." With that she was off down the corridor and vanishing out of sight.

Brae watched her leave, a slightly bemused look on his face, before linking his arm through mine and turning in the other direction.

"She's been acting strangely all week; she's completely different from the last time I was here."

"Maybe it's the stress of what happened in the Helian Realm, she must have a lot on her plate at the moment."

"Perhaps. It might also be reminding her of the Occupation; that must have been an extremely difficult time for her."

"Who knows? No one saw her for months, remember? She was kept inside the castle, under who knows what conditions. It must have been awful."

We left the castle together, walking out into the crisp sea air. I pulled my cardigan more tightly around my shoulders, but breathed in deeply, enjoying the salty tang on my lips.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Something about this place isn't right. I was in the canteen waiting for Imogen and the fountain just—it just—Achoo!" I broke off to sneeze and felt the tingling sensation in my fingers just a second too late. "Nooo!" I wailed as flames sparked across my fingers.

"Stupid fire." I waved my fingers in a frantic attempt to quell the flames. After a few seconds they vanished again and I sighed with relief.

Brae, who had been watching me, his eyes alight with interest, suddenly frowned. "Maybe we've been focusing a little too much on your Brizan powers. Your Helian ones could do with some work too..."

"You think?" I grinned at him.

"Come on." He grabbed hold of my hand, pulling me away from the castle and towards a cherry tree on the edge of the precipice, looking out over the sea. All thoughts of the attack at the fountain were quickly forgotten as we got to work.

"How exactly do you plan on helping me? I haven't noticed any Helians around here, have you?"

"No, but you do happen to be hanging out with someone who spent a fair amount of time in Helian territory—and managed to pick up a few of their techniques."

"I can't imagine them giving you a tutorial session!"

"Well, I did see Roxy—" he broke off. It was the first time he had said her name since we left the Helian Realm and it hung in the air between us like an immovable object.

Roxy. She was the real reason we all got away, not me. Not that Brae knew that. I felt a pang of guilt. What had happened to her when we left? I had promised her that I would tell Brae the truth; she probably thought that we would save her.

Brae looked like something deep inside him had died; his face contorted into something that was neither a fake smile nor frown; more of a grimace. The light in his warm brown eyes dimmed a little. Should I tell him?

My breath caught in my throat. "Brae—" I started. I couldn't go on.

An image flashed through my mind. Bright red hair, whispering softly into Brae's ear before walking away, tears flowing freely down her face.

"It's okay, Jazz," Brae told me softly, taking my hands in his. No it wasn't. It was anything but okay.

Brae continued before my resolve could waiver any further. "We can use it to our advantage, anyway; I can remember what you need to do. Hold your hands out in front of you, like you would when you're producing water, and focus on creating the flames."

"Feel the tingle," I said, closing my eyes.

"Huh, is that what it feels like?" I opened my eyes to see him watching me, his head cocked ever so slightly to the side.

"Yes. If I'm creating water, it's a flow."

"That makes sense." He nodded, as though I was confirming a suspicion.

"How does it feel for you?" I asked, curious for the first time.

"Like a rush, a sudden burst of energy that's desperate to escape." His hands moved as he spoke and I felt the breeze pick up around me, bringing a smile to my face.

I closed my eyes again and focused on the tingling sensation, letting it wind its way down into my fingers gradually, before the flames sprouted at the tips. They were calmer this time and, because I was expecting them, I didn't panic as much. I could still feel my heart racing though. There was something so wrong about seeing my fingers covered in flames; something in my subconscious was telling me that it most definitely wasn't okay and I should be trying to put them out.

I forced myself to breathe. This was normal. This was me. I was just going to have to get used to it.

"Hey, that's pretty good," I heard Brae say.

"They're a lot easier to create than the water. They don't feel anywhere near as natural though," I replied through gritted teeth.

He laughed. "Try to control where they go."

"How?"

He shrugged. "Aim and shoot?"

"Shoot what? The ground? The tree? You? Uncontrollable flames are definitely not a good idea Brae..."

"Good point. Maybe we should have brought a bucket of water with us—or a Brizan who knew how to use their powers!"

"Hey!" I frowned in mock protest. "Well, what can I do that is safe?"

He looked around briefly then grabbed a stick off of the floor. Holding his arm outstretched over the drop, Brae said, "Go on, hit this."

I went to put my hands on my hips, caught sight of the flames still licking at my fingertips and thought better of it. "And accidentally toast you instead? I don't think so Brae. How about you throw it off the edge and I'll burn it while it's in the air."

"You think a moving target will be easier than a static one?"

"No. It will definitely be safer though."

He shrugged. "Fair enough. If you say so." He launched the stick into the air off the edge of the cliff face.

I aimed and shot, missing it by a good few metres.

"Oh, air!" I said, looking over at him. Brae shook his head, smiling.

"Let's try again," he said, picking up another.

I didn't hit it the next time, or the next, or the next. On the fifth go, I missed the stick by inches and we both groaned. "That one was close. You'll get it next time."

And I did. A tiny ball of flames shot out from the masses burning round my hands and hit the stick dead centre. It glowed brightly for a few seconds before dropping out of sight, falling to the ground below as charcoal.

"Yes, Jazz! That was brilliant!" Brae looked over at me, smiling broadly. "I still can't get used to it though."

"To what?"

"The sight of you in flames. I feel like I should be doing something to help you!"

I laughed. "It is incredibly weird. Although I might actually need a hand in a minute—I have no idea how to put them out!"

"Close your eyes and concentrate—feel for the tingling sensation, then try and lessen it, coax it away." Eyes closed, I focused on his words, letting them wash over me, calming me to the core, and the tingling receded, taking the flames with it. The sensation was replaced with something else; cool hands cupping mine, holding them carefully, tenderly.

"Warm?" I asked Brae, opening my eyes slowly to find him standing directly in front of me. His hands were wrapped around mine, the last tiny dwindling flame still flickering inside them.

"Perfect," he whispered. Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.

{So I'm going to go and hide somewhere now from the barrage of hate Roxy fans are about to throw my way... See you next week for a Roxy update!}