Heat rolled up the hall before the first spark showed.
Zubair lifted his hand and the darkness around them turned red along the baseboards, a thin line at first, then a rushing wall.
Fire opened its eyes in the cracks of the paint and in the dust along the floor, took a breath, and then ran with it.
While to most, it would have seemed like it had its own mind, its own spirit, that wasn't the case at all. It went where he pointed. It stopped when he closed his fist. It curved around Sera and the men like it knew their names.
If there was ever a doubt as to the control that Zubair had over his power, it was completely erased at this point.
"Left wing," Elias called out, already moving in that direction.
"Basement vents," Alexei answered, palm raised to feel the draft. "We'll choke them there."
