Nova squeezed her eyes shut tighter, suddenly nervous to reveal this part of herself to another person.

“Warm. Buzzy. Like there’s a swarm of bees inside the cage of my ribs.”

“Magic wants to move,” Jinx said. “It is probably restless from being locked away.”

Nova jerked a little, and Jinx’s hands tightened about hers. “I don’t want it to move. Then I will not be able to keep it inside.”

“It is not meant to be still. Think of it like another working piece of your body. It should circulate the way air does when you breathe. The way blood moves through your body, so should your magic move through you. Rather than focusing on keeping it in one place to stop it from breaching your guards, instead let it move, make it move. It has to become an integrated part of you, rather than a separate piece.”

Nova thought about the idea, and tried to put it into practice. She started small, only letting the magic move about in her midsection, like her own swirling firestorm inside. When that seemed doable, and did in fact ease some of the overwhelming energy that always bombarded her when her magic was close to the surface, she pushed it farther. First into her legs, all the way down to her toes and back up again. She made that loop several times, and when all seemed well, she braved the final circuit—letting the fire flow into her arms, passing through her connected palms again and again in an endless circle.

She got lost in the practice, following her flame to every corner of her person, exploring herself in a way she had not ever imagined possible. The fire burned away the soreness of her muscles and any lingering fatigue; it energized her with each sweep, and she felt better than she could ever remember feeling. She felt … brand new.

She had no idea how long she had been circulating the flames by the time something heavy came in contact with her knee. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked down.

A yawning Jinx waved her off. “Keep going. I could not sit up any longer. But it is good for you. I can feel it. Your whole energy has changed. Wake me if you need anything.” Then the witch closed her eyes and fell asleep against the lump of Nova’s knee beneath the blanket.