It felt good to walk outside under the open sky. Of course, there was danger as well. Since coming to the house, David had been attacked by astral beetles and a mana worm, neither of which he had even heard of prior to leaving Samuel’s side. Today, though, the risk seemed seemed worth it, just to be outside, to reconnect with the world.

Samuel had sent him away to learn, but so far his magic had proven useless. Everyone else had contributed in some way. Jason had even sacrificed his life. David had failed to protect Julia, the one thing he had been asked to do. Staying inside was not likely to change the feeling that he wasn’t making any progress, so a trip outside felt like a step toward something, at least.

He had set out with no destination in mind, and now found himself wandering through a quiet residential neighborhood. The yards were big and the houses were set back a ways from the street. A couple of children were playing outside near one of the houses, but otherwise there was no one around.

As he reached the end of the block, he heard someone yelling. A woman stood outside a house around the corner. She was looking into the house while crying and screaming. Smoke had begun to drift out of the open front door. David didn’t stop to consider the situation; he simply ran up to the woman. Samuel had taught him that magic was for helping people, and it was a lesson he had learned well.

“Is anyone inside?” He stood right in front of the woman so she would realize he was talking to her.

Between sobs, she managed to say, “ . . . my son . . . upstairs . . .”

David turned to run into the house. Through the doorway, he could see that much of the first floor was already engulfed in flame. Elemental creation was the easiest form of magic for him. Control was trickier, but he had worked hard to master it. Elemental destruction was the hardest. His inclination was toward bringing new things into being, not eliminating what was already there. Putting out the fire would be difficult, and unless he understood it well enough, the unintended consequences could be worse than the fire itself.

A couple of spells created safe passage through the fire and reduced the overall heat as much as he dared. Once those spells had taken hold, he created a swirl of air centered on him, so that he wouldn’t be overcome by the smoke. Then he entered the house.

After several seconds that felt much longer, he found the stairs. Taking two with every stride, he reached the top quickly. The flames still hadn’t made it this far, but smoke obscured everything. Behind the second door he opened was a young boy sprawled unconscious on the floor. David quickly picked up the child and extended the pocket of air to encompass both of them.

With the boy successfully retrieved, he began to retrace his steps. Halfway down the stairs, they collapsed under the weight. The fire must have weakened them. David fell through to the basement and lost consciousness.

When he came to, his spells had collapsed. Luckily, the basement was relatively cooler than upstairs, and only a little smoke had invaded. With the exception of some scratches and bruises, he appeared to have survived the fall unscathed. Even though he was still unconscious, the boy, too, seemed free of serious injury. The real problem now was how to get out of the basement.

Looking around, he noticed a couple of small windows at ground level. Standing on a crate put him close to the ceiling, and he could feel the heat of the fire above. He was able to get the window open, though. Yelling got someone’s attention, probably a neighbor. With the other person’s help, he managed to get the boy outside.

“The window is too small for me. Get the boy to a paramedic!”

“Okay. Stay here. I’ll send someone over to help get you out.”

David nodded. If he only had himself to worry about, he could rely on his magic to keep himself safe.

Just as he began weaving a new spell, a portal opened up in the basement. Julia stood on the other side.

“Quite a predicament you seem to be in.”

“How did you find me?”

“I keep track of everyone in the house. Now come on back. Rebecca is in trouble, and we need you.”

The corner of his mouth twitched up. He had helped someone. His house needed him. Maybe he could learn some things here after all.