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Even I wouldn't want her face burned off. But her hair…ah, yes. We'd see how pretty she was
without that raven-black mane.
She and Christian practiced a while longer. He improved as time went by, though he clearly had
a ways to go before he had Tasha's skill. My interest grew and grew as they went on, and I
found myself pondering all the possibilities this kind of magic could offer.
They wrapped up their lesson when Tasha said she had to go. Christian sighed, clearly
frustrated that he hadn't been able to master the spell in an hour. His competitive nature was
almost as strong as mine.
"I still think it'd be easier to just burn them entirely," he argued.
Tasha smiled as she brushed her hair into a tighter ponytail. Yeah. She could definitely do
without that hair, particularly since I knew how much Dimitri liked long hair.
"Easier because it involves less focus. It's sloppy. Your magic'll be stronger in the long run if
you can learn this. And, like I said, it has its uses."
I didn't want to agree with her, but I couldn't help it.
"It could be really useful if you were fighting with a guardian," I said excitedly. "Especially if
completely burning a Strigoi takes so much energy. This way, you use just a quick burst of your
strength to distract the Strigoi. And it will distract one since they hate fire so much. Then that's
all the time a guardian would need to stake them. You could take down a whole bunch of
Strigoi that way."
Tasha grinned at me. Some Moroi—like Lissa and Adrian— smiled without showing their
teeth. Tasha always showed hers, including the fangs.
"Exactly. You and I'll have to go Strigoi hunting someday," she teased.
"I don't think so," I replied.
The words in and of themselves weren't that bad, but the tone I used to deliver them certainly
was. Cold. Unfriendly. Tasha looked momentarily surprised at my abrupt change in attitude but
shrugged it off. Shock from Lissa traveled to me through the bond.