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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ellery

Archers ducked behind what remained of the wall as my lightning slammed into the parapet. More chunks of stone gave way and plummeted to the ground, but thankfully, all the prisoners, who were once near the palace, had succeeded in getting far enough away to avoid the debris.

Ryker sprinted through the crowd that parted to let him pass. The energy encompassing him told me, and anyone seeking to hurt him, exactly where he was.

Many who had ridden into the crowd had dismounted when I started taking them out. Though some of them were visible, either because they were shoving their way forward or women were pointing at them, I couldn’t get a clear enough shot to kill them without injuring someone else.

I buried the brief flare of guilt that rose. If I intended to keep myself and my loved ones safe, then they had to die, but I wished it didn’t have to be like this.

Wishing for anything is useless.

That was so true, but it didn’t change my feelings or that the lightning had become a living, breathing creature seeking to tear its way free. It had no qualms about killing anyone and sought to prove it by unleashing its wrath on the land.

The problem was, I didn’t think it would mind killing anyone who got in its way. Keep it together. Keep it together.

Gritting my teeth, I struggled to control the lightning as it snapped at the air like an angry dragon guarding its nest. I felt it burning out of my eyes and knew they’d turned the white that Ryker had told me about.

I kept my gaze on Ryker to ensure no guards got too close to him, but also noticed some of the archers reappeared. They were either really brave or completely petrified about what would happen to them if they failed to protect the palace.

I suspected it was the latter. It was better to die with some honor than to be skinned alive by an irate duke. Ivan may be dead, but they knew something far worse awaited them now.

The second they started to rise, I shot more lightning at them. The archers ducked away again, but not before a few fired off more arrows.

I looked away from the crowd as screams filled the air. I didn’t like killing, but these women were dying because of me. They were here because of me .

Yet they didn’t hate me as they eyed me curiously while coming forward to let Ruby unchain them. Once freed, many of them sprinted away, but some remained to join those who had created a barrier around me.

Ivan had brought them all here to uncover my identity, but they didn’t blame me. Instead, they were determined to protect me.

Warmth spread through my chest, and so did pride and a sense of belonging. Ivan and the aristocrats had tried to take everything from us, but they couldn’t steal our self-respect and resilience.

They couldn’t steal who we were, deep inside, where it mattered.

The presence of the women and the knowledge they relied on me to get them through this helped me wrangle back some control over my power. Like pulling a fishing hook through lily pads, it resisted along the way, but I eventually secured it again.

The light continued to surround me. I remained hovering above the earth, yet I didn’t feel out of control.

It no longer ruled me; I ruled it .

No, that wasn’t right. We weren’t separate entities; the lightning was a deep-rooted, core part of me .

To keep myself hidden from those who’d seek to control me, I’d bottled it up for so long that I’d worried about what it could do when I started using it. I didn’t have to fear that anymore because I was the one who controlled it.

It was powerful and lethal. It. Was. Me.

The women gathered in an ever-growing circle as they wielded rocks and stole weapons from the fallen guards who came too close to us. Shifting air currents told me some of them had created a wall of wind to protect us.

I almost yelled at them to run and save themselves, but I was fighting with Ryker to bring a sense of hope to our broken land, and that hope was why they stayed. Ivan had brought them here because of me, and I was the one who could help set them free from all the tyranny.

I was also pretty sure they’d put the pieces of Ryker and me together. He wouldn’t have killed the king for nothing, and I wouldn’t have exposed myself. Some may have heard the rumors of our relationship, and others would assume.

They’d fight for love and hope. They’d really fight for two lightning bearers who stood with them. We’d wanted a rebellion and were recruiting members.