I think it checks before you cast it, thats why I tried it with a single target, and it allowed me to cast with 7 emberbits, then I had 1 remaining, but it wouldn't allow me to cast with 6.
Either way, it deactivates automatically when you hit below 10, so I'm pretty sure the 7 emberbit cost is a bug of some kind.
EDIT: Apparently, the latest hotfix fixed this.