42. Power Inside
42
POWER INSIDE
*Raven*
There’s a loud knock on my front door, and I’m so exhausted I have to actually take a moment to remember where I am. Thankfully, my eyes have gotten very used to the dark, and I manage to make it to the door without turning on any of the lights. Mother is on the other side with a steaming mug of tea and a smile on her face.
“Morning, sunshine,” she says cheerfully as she pushes the mug into my hands. “I hope you’ve enjoyed the last two days of reprieve because that’s the last you’ll have for a while.”
I stare at her blankly, but she’s still watching me cheerfully. When I make no motion to move, she claps her hands loudly, causing me to jump.
“Let’s not waste the daylight. We’ve got to work on your training!”
She hurries me to get dressed, and I quickly down the tea she’s provided and make some toast to eat. She tells me I’ll need my strength, which is a bit worrisome. I’m not exactly sure what my “training” will entail.
A few moments later, she leads me through the winding tunnels until we’re ascending to an open field.
“We’re in the middle of the old kingdom,” she tells me. “We don’t often see any travelers come through these parts because it’s so far into the kingdom. Plus, we’re quite a distance from the forest. It’ll be a good test to see how far your powers extend.”
“What am I supposed to do, exactly?” I ask hesitantly.
I was never allowed to participate in any of the tactical training my siblings went through. Fake siblings, I remind myself. Though it’s been easy to accept that Kieran isn’t my brother and King Gavin and Queen Rowena aren’t my parents, it’s been harder to reconcile that the other three aren’t my siblings. Especially Candace, who was finally showing me kindness right before I left.
“We’ll start off easy,” Mother encourages me. “All you have to do is call some birds to us.”
The words have hardly left her mouth when I look up to see a murder of crows approaching us from the forest. She turns and sees them too, nodding and smiling her approval. They arrive and circle over head, before she tells me to send them back home. Immediately, they are taking off again in the direction they came.
“Very impressive,” she compliments me, and I can’t help but blush a bit. It’s been a rarity to receive praise from anyone. “Now, I want you to call squirrels here. When they arrive, I want you to direct them to go back to the forest and collect acorns for you. Let’s see how well you can handle multiple tasks.”
Again, the words have barely left her mouth when I look toward the forest and see an animal approaching. It’s scurrying toward us, so tiny in the distance. A few more join it, and a dozen or so squirrels all hurry toward us until they’ve all assembled in front of us, waiting for instructions. They’re so cute, I can’t help but bend down and scratch their little heads. They crawl toward me, each desperate for my affection.
Mother clears her throat, and I’m reminded of my task. I think of what I need, envisioning them going back into the forest to collect acorns to bring me. The squirrels incline their heads toward me as if they’re listening, and then take off back toward the forest.
With the travel time, it does take them several minutes, but soon there is a small pile of acorns assembled at my feet, and the squirrels are all looking up at me. I’d almost swear they’re smiling, so pleased with themselves for a job well done. I look over to my mother, who rolls her eyes and nods.
“You may pet them now,” she laughs, as she bends down to give a squirrel one of the acorns it’s just brought us. “It’s important to show them your gratitude,” she tells me. “This ability is a rare gift, and we do not take it for granted. When the animals help us, we want them to know that they are appreciated.”
When all the squirrels have received an acorn and an ear scratch, I direct them back to their homes. Slowly, they all leave, and I smile contentedly. What I thought once was a fluke is actually a very important skill that I can control. I’ve never felt so accomplished in my life.
We spend nearly an hour in the sun, calling different animals to the field and seeing how well I can control them. I get a herd of deer to run around us in a tight circle, defending us from anyone who might be watching. I call two large black bears down from the mountains, and we watch as they gently feed seeds to a flock of ducks who’ve come from a nearby pond.
It’s all a bit overwhelming, knowing that I’ve done this, yet the pride swells in my chest nonetheless. When the animals have all dispersed, Mother smiles brightly at me and pulls me into a long embrace.
“You’ve done so well, my love,” she whispers into my ear. She pulls back slightly and I see a misty look in her eye. “You are every bit the natural your father was . . . is, ” she quickly corrects, wiping at her eyes. “Goodness, it’s still strange getting used to the fact that he’s alive.”
“And he’ll be back soon,” I assure her, squeezing her arms.
“Luna Queen Delaney,” someone calls from behind us.
We turn to see a young woman approaching. She leaves me to speak to the woman, then walks back to me with an apologetic look.
“I’ll be right back, darling,” she promises, patting me softly on my cheek. “The job of a queen is never done!”
“Is everything okay?” I ask, concerned.
“Nothing for you to worry about,” she says wearily. “Just a silly horse who doesn’t like to stay locked up. I’ll be right back.”
As she leaves, I sit on the warm ground and lean back on my elbows, turning my face to the sun. I’ve nearly dozed off when I hear footsteps approach and I open my eyes expecting to see my mother, but instead Sybil is standing there, her arms folded.
“You must be feeling so proud of yourself,” she jabs, her snarky tone such a sharp contrast to her words. “I’ve been able to control animals since I was five. You aren’t special.”
“Good for you,” I mutter, closing my eyes and trying to ignore her.
“It’s such a shame you couldn’t go back to your kingdom with your mate,” she practically growls. “Nobody wants you here.”
“Tell that to my mother who’s been waiting twenty-one years for me to return,” I shoot back, not even bothering to look at her. She wants to get a rise out of me, but I can’t let her.
“And what a disappointment that you came without our king,” she goes on. “You’re too useless to even get that much right.”
She’s clearly not taking the hint, so I open my eyes and sit up to face her. Clouds have started to gather, and the sun is barely visible now through the darkness.
“Is there a point to all this?” I ask, my voice coming out colder than I intend. “You can dislike me all you want, but it’s not going to change the fact that I am back, and I am the rightful heiress to the throne.”
“You’ll be a horrible leader,” she spits just inches from where I’m sitting. I quickly move to avoid it, and stand to face her as she continues. “What do you even know about us? What do you know about leading the people of Escuro? We’d be better off if King Gavin came back and killed us all.”
Thunder rolls somewhere in the distance, and the wind starts to pick up. Her hair whips around her face as she leers at me, her disgust evident in her eyes.
“Now who doesn’t know what they’re talking about?” I can’t help the anger that’s rising in me. “You have no idea how cruel that man is. If you did, you wouldn’t wish him on your worst enemy, and you certainly would never wish that on these beautiful people.”
In my mind, I’m not even speaking to Sybil. Instead, I’m directing all my anger at Queen Rowena, at my siblings, at Nessa, at King Gavin himself. She’s a combination of every person who’s ever hurt me, her words a cocktail of every insult and abuse ever thrown at me.
The wind is really blowing now, and fat drops of rain start to fall from the heavens. Sybil shields her eyes to look up at the sky as the droplets start coming faster. A bolt of lightning flashes in the distance, and the ground shakes ominously.
“Girls, get back inside,” I hear and look to see my mother running toward us, ushering us toward the tunnel entrance. We rush in, and she slams the hatch behind us as another peel of thunder shakes the earth.