The storm’s intensity grew as Ellery funneled more of her power into it.I shifted my attention from the storm to where she stood only a few feet away.
Lightning crackled as it snapped around her arms and face; her braid danced around her.Her power prickled my skin as it called to my lightning, but I kept it bottled.
We were working to strengthen her abilities; combining my power with hers could be too much for her to handle… for both of us.I fisted my hands to resist my impulse to connect with her.
“Unleash more of yourself,” I encouraged her.“You can control it.”
We’d been unleashing more of her powers every day to see how much she could push them and what she could do.So far, her ability seemed limitless as she pushed it further.
The lightning increased until I couldn’t look directly at her anymore.I cast my gaze away as she rose from the ground; electricity sizzled from her palms and feet.
From the corner of my eye, I watched as she rose five feet above the ground while white light encased her.She was so beautiful it stole my breath.
I cast my voice higher to be heard over the wind and hum of electricity as thunder boomed.“Rein it in.”
So far, she’d done well with this, but she’d never unleashed this much of herself.Closing her fingers and eyes, the muscles in her forearms bulged as she reined in the power.
The wind died down, the hail stopped thudding off the ground, and her lightning retracted into her as she drifted down to the earth.When her toes touched the ground, the lightning retracted enough that I could look at her again.
And she was even more beautiful as her skin glowed with vitality and her braid fell down her back again.The white faded from her eyes, and they twinkled when they met mine.
No one spoke as the weathers she’d drawn forth retreated.A hush remained over the woods, but eventually, the birds returned to the trees, and something scurried through the underbrush.
CHAPTERSEVENTY-ONE
Ryker
Across the way,a ghost floated through one of the still-smoking targets.The woman never acknowledged us as she crossed the clearing, sometimes dipping low enough that her boots faded into the earth before rising again to resume their shape.
“You’re getting better and better,” Ianto said, his voice filled with awe as he gazed at Ellery.
She smoothed down the front of her shirt and pulled her braid over her shoulder to fiddle with the end of it.“It’s getting easier to draw the lightning back in.”
“Good.”I rested my hands on her shoulders as she beamed at me.“That’s why we’re here.”
She smiled before rising on her toes to kiss me.
“I’d love to see what you could do in a battle,” Tucker said to Ellery.
“I wouldn’t,” I growled.
I knew it was only a matter of time before she saw a battlefield again.This time, she’d be far more lethal than when we were fleeing after I killed Ivan, but I didn’t want her on the battlefield.
Ellery had seen a lot of death over the past few months, but a lot worse was soon to come.What she’d witnessed would haunt her for the rest of her days; many of the things I’d seen still haunted me.
She deserved better than observing thedeath to come, but fate had chosen a different path when it blessed her… or cursed her… with her gifts.
And no matter how much she hated the destruction, she wouldn’t back down.The amsirah loved her and would follow her, but not only that, she’d refuse to walk away from the fight.
She would fight for this realm until her dying breath, and I would make sure that never happened.I would do everything I could to shelter her from as much brutality as possible.
“We should head back to the camp,” Ellery said.“I promised the children I’d work with them on their archery skills.They’re probably waiting for me.”
“I still can’t get over watching all five weathers come together like that,” Callan murmured.“I never would have believed it possible.”
Ellery didn’t say anything while the musician stared at her in awe.When she frowned, I stepped in front of her; my movement drew Callan’s attention, and his eyes widened before he backed away a little.
“Let’s head back,” Tucker said.
