Page 1 of A Tempest of Intrigue (Tempest of Shadows #4)
CHAPTER ONE
Ellery
My lightning splintered apart to hit three guards in the back. Beside me, Ianto cried out and threw himself away from the lightning crackling around me. He skidded a few feet down the roof before stopping himself from sliding off completely.
The guards screamed when my bolts hit them before falling to the ground and going silent. Their impact threw dirt and debris up around them as their bodies burrowed into the ground.
The holes my lightning had carved through their hearts smoked. The spiraling dance of that smoke made my stomach churn.
I did that to them.
The guilt trying to rise inside me had no place here, but the guards’ screams would haunt my memory. These guards had flayed the skin from the prisoners Ryker and the others were trying to save; this was a fitting end for them, but who was I to decide that?
However, they weren’t the only ones dying as the battle continued below, and if I didn’t get it together, amsirah I cared about would be next. Ryker was down there, buried in the mass of bodies and fighting for survival.
I couldn’t let him down.
My skin crackled as sparks flew around me. Those sparks snapped at the air in a fiery dance that matched my emotions.
On the battlefield below, blood sprayed as swords clashed, fists flew, and the echoing cries of pain rebounded around me. I hated killing, but I’d do whatever it took to save Ryker and my friends… including revealing one of my biggest secrets.
Now, they would all know that, for the first time in history, a female lightning bearer existed in Tempest. I couldn’t hide it anymore.
From below, some of the guards and Tucker’s men, who weren’t too busy keeping themselves alive, turned to look where I stood on the roof. I’d made sure they couldn’t miss me as I stood at the front of the building with my breasts exposed and lightning all around me.
They would find it difficult to believe what they saw, but it would be impossible to ignore.
In the glow of the torches surrounding them, the fighters gazed up at me. The guards had surprise written all over their faces. I couldn’t see the faces of the rebels due to the hoods they wore, but I was sure they were as flabbergasted as the guards, and though I was on their side, they were probably just as frightened. Most feared what they didn’t know; I hoped they trusted me enough to see them through this.
I didn’t give them time to recover before I unleashed more of my wrath. Now that I’d drawn it to me, lightning flowed easily around me, and I didn’t have to pull it from the sky.
It encompassed me in a blazing ball of white light that illuminated the night and the townsfolk creeping from the alleys to hide in the shadows. They didn’t come any closer, but I felt their eyes on me.
When I lowered my raised hand, lightning zipped around my fingers before I threw more of it at the guards below. Like before, it splintered apart, spreading to take out more guards.
Thunder rolled and crashed with a deafening bang that shook the buildings, rattled the windows, and caused the earth to quake. If most of the town wasn’t awake already, they were now.
The ground didn’t break apart like it did sometimes when Ryker wielded his lightning; I hadn’t gained that much control of my thunder. It wouldn’t be useful in this situation anyway, as it might swallow some of those on our side.
With their shock wearing off, some of the guards screamed before dodging out of the way. Others tried to run, but my lightning wrapped around them, ripped them off their feet, and smashed them into the ground.
The guards convulsed as electricity pummeled their bodies. Their heels left dents in the earth before they went still.
As I unleashed more of my power, the lightning continued to surge around me. The whirlwind of energy stirred the hair beneath my hood but didn’t pull it from its confines.
Rising inside me like a tidal wave, the lightning swiftly became an unstoppable force seeking to decimate its enemies. It was too much power, and I craved it, as well as the amazing feeling of being alive it brought, but it also scared me.
Do I still control it, or does the lightning control me now that I’ve finally unleashed so much of it?
The possibility of losing control of my power petrified me, but I couldn’t harness it while those I loved were in jeopardy. I’d do everything I could to save them.
More lightning flew from my fingertips and pulsated around me until its crackle drowned out most other noise. Ianto’s shout of surprise broke through the cacophony around me, drawing my attention to the fact my electricity had lifted me off the roof. I rode its currents like a wave as I levitated in the air.
Focused on the battle, I couldn’t look at Ianto to make sure he was safe, as lit by the flashes, more of the guards ran while others succumbed to my lightning. When some of the crowd broke away and ran, I finally spotted Ryker amidst the chaos.
Even with the hood covering his face and eyes, and the padding he’d added to his clothing, I knew it was him. I would know him anywhere.
I felt his gaze on me before he turned to face the guard charging at him with his sword raised.