With every heartbeat, my power thrums stronger.
A group of warriors darts behind the platform. Mayah thrusts her hands into the air. Water shoots up around us, freezing into a glittering dome.
Slowly, still swaying, I rise up onto my feet.
My power lights a small fire inside me. I summon a storm.
“I’m ready.”
Mayah’s shoulders sag with relief.
The ice dome melts with a splash.
The sky is dark, thunder rumbling ominously. Mayah doesn’t miss a beat—she freezes the raindrops into sharp needles and sends them hurtling into flesh.
I raise my hand. Lightning answers my call.
Two men fall to the ground, then a third, and a fourth.
But there are too many. And even now, fatigue pulls at my limbs, the well of my power nearly empty again. The warriors close in, their attacks never ceasing.
Mayah’s hands begin to shake.
“Can you electrocute them? Like you did with—”
“No.” I’ve never felt so useless. “Too weak.”
Too weak to protect her.
I summon another bolt of lightning, and it’s my turn for quivering hands. “Get behind me,” I grit out as the warriors advance.
“No,” the stubborn woman says. “Youget behindme.”
When I don’t move, she darts ahead, right before an ice spear nearly impales my chest. She blunts the tip, but the impact sends her crashing into me. My knees nearly give out, but somehow I manage to remain upright, gripping her hips to steady us both.
I scan the warriors on the ground—hateful faces permanently etched into my mind.
The one who carved deep lines across my chest.
The one who forced shards of ice beneath my fingernails.
The one who wrenched my head back and spit down my throat.
And now, their cold eyes are fixed on Mayah.
“Summon a massive wave.” My fingers tighten on her hips. “Flood the entire camp.”
She does.
The water answers her call, flowing close to the ground, snaking between boots. The stream slowly grows larger, both rain and groundwater heeding her command.
I tunnel deep into the well of my power, siphoning every last drop.
I need to make this count.
Static crackles through the air.
I raise my hand.
