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CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ellery

More and more amsirah lifted their hands to block out the white light as they staggered away from me.

The sky was clear, the sun bright—I was brighter.

The circle of women remained as Scarlet worked to undo more of their chains. They cast surreptitious glances my way as they tried to absorb what was happening and who I was.

Some women in the crowd screamed as they ducked their heads and fled in different directions. Others stopped and gaped as their eyes remained downcast.

The power flowing beneath my feet lifted me off the ground, and I finally unleashed a wave of lightning on the parapets. Drawn by my glow, the remaining archers had turned away from their target and were looking at me when I sent my lightning toward them.

Their bows hung loosely in their hands as they stared in my direction. Frozen by shock, they didn’t react before my lightning splintered apart, struck the rods, and tore into the palace.

It ripped out chunks of the wall, sent debris flying, knocked a few archers from the parapets, and struck others so hard it flung them out of view. With the archers out of the way for a minute or two, I shifted my attention to the field as the energy lifted me higher.

Floating above the land, I was a huge target as the riders sliced their way through the crowd to converge on Ryker.

From here, I saw something was also happening to him as an influx of light surrounded him. While he’d told me he’d never experienced what I had before, the energy engulfing him was clearly visible.

It didn’t lift him off the ground but enshrouded him in a glowing ball of power. When our eyes met, sorrow clutched at my heart, but rage clogged my throat when I saw the blood coating him.

The pinched set of his mouth spoke of his suffering as the amsirah near him scrambled to get away.

His lightning increased until it emanated all around him and drove back all those close by.

When two riders bore down on him, I raised my hands, and lightning sizzled from my fingers as it streaked across the sky.

Ryker couldn’t hit the riders without taking the risk of hurting someone else, but I could. The bolts I unleashed flung the riders from their saddles, bounced them across the battlefield, and spun them out of view amongst the crowd.

My lightning drew the attention of the guards. These women, and even Ryker, were useless to them now. I was the one they sought; that much was obvious as some of the riders converging on Ryker turned to come toward me.

Caught in the middle of this battle, a sense of calm descended as I released my remaining restraint and let my power take over.