Chapter 53
Chapter Fifty-Three
My power surges back into me, but Skies, it’s weak. I’m battered inside and out and half-starved. My vision swims, shoulders screaming as my palms brace against the wooden floor of the platform. Violent coughs wrack my body, a mess of congealed blood and bile spewing from my lips.
The sky rumbles, but it’s not me.
Boots thud as warriors surround the platform.
My power flows through my veins, a whisper of its full force.
Mayah stands a foot in front of me, summoning waves of water. I keep my eyes on her, gathering my power, urging my empty reserves to fucking fill faster.
The wood groans as I grab one of the posts and use it to brace my weight. Each breath is labored as I struggle to my feet.
The warriors draw closer, panicked voices growing more urgent.
My power swirls. Still not enough.
“Get the king to safety!” the general’s voice cuts through the chaos.
Shit. Tormik is going to escape.
My breath is shallow. Knees shaking like a skiesdamned newborn deer.
Mayah holds her own, though. Ice shatters in the air, shards falling to the earth like glittering raindrops.
“Zev,” Mayah calls, her voice thin.
I don’t answer, hands braced on my knees.
“Shit!” she says. Panic bleeds into her voice as she sends another wave careening toward the warriors.
My power thrums louder. Stronger. Almost.
“Zev!” she calls again, louder this time.
“I’ve been strung up for a week.” My voice is ragged. “Give me a fucking minute.”
The rhythmic splash of water and scraping of ice rings through the air as Mayah blocks their attacks, buying us time. She’s a fucking force. My vision clears with each blink, even as nausea swirls in my gut.
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. “You get behind me.”
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.
The sky splits open.
A bolt of lightning shoots down, colliding with the water.
Electricity vibrates through the rushing stream, into every warrior on the ground. Their bodies jerk, arms clawing uselessly. The familiar stench of burnt flesh dominates the air.
One by one, the men fall to the ground.
I loose a shaky breath. My vision blurs—I’ve expelled all my power. I couldn’t summon a raindrop if I tried. I take another deep breath to steady myself, blinking rapidly, willing my eyes to focus.
Mayah stands frozen, hands clenched into fists.
Her head swivels slowly as she scans the damage—her fallen people. Her shoulders drop, chest heaving with shallow breaths. I can’t see her face, but I don’t need to. I recognize the guilt bearing down on her shoulders.
Mayah’s breath quickens, hands clenching and unclenching.
She regrets this—killing them all—even though there was no other choice. She likely blames herself. And me.
And she could easily decide to kill me next.
In my weakened state, she’d have no trouble besting me.
My knees protest as I reach toward the ground. The iron cuff that dug into my wrist for days is cold in my grasp.
Something twists in my heart as I study Mayah from behind. She looks defeated, shoulders slumped under the weight of her guilt. I shove down my reluctance along with the bile creeping up my throat.
“We killed them,” she breathes, her soft whisper barely reaching my ears. “I—”
I bring the metal cuff down across the back of her skull with a sickening crack.
I catch her before she hits the ground.