Chapter 22

I was dreaming of a cardinal bird flying in the sky.

Its plumage was a majestic red, and each feather gleamed in the sun.

It had perched itself on top of an old tree and surveyed the forest below, almost as a protector.

Lightning flashed in the atmosphere, and the old tree caught fire. The flames consumed it within seconds, burning the cardinal with it. However, the bird flapped its wings instead of falling to the ground. As the fire scorched its feathers, they grew back, more robust and brighter than before.

Once the cardinal had finished its transformation, the fire disappeared almost as quickly as it started.

The cardinal took to the sky, and a swarm of birds cawing and screeching blackened my vision.

As I flinched in my dream, I also flinched in bed.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. I placed my hand over my chest to calm my fluttering heart. I had not been gifted with the “sight,” or at least Otis, my magic teacher, said so. The training he had made me do had been