Page 47 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

“Business outside of the kingdom will require me to be gone in a few days, and I’ll be away for a week.

I want to make sure that you have a strong enough ward before I go.

Nobody knows you’re an Empath yet, so this ward will help you keep your emotions in check and stop you from pulling them from others unconsciously. ”

Panic rose up my throat at the thought of him being gone for an entire week. My emotions must have been written across my face, because Declan laid a hand across my knee.

“I promise no harm will come to you when I’m gone, Lena. I’ve spoken with Nayla, Liam and Killian. Each of them will take turns watching over you, as well as continuing your training.” He removed his warm hand from my knee, and I already missed its heat. “Close your eyes, Elena.”

Sighing, I closed my eyes, preparing for what was to come.

“Let’s see if you can read the emotions I send to you.”

Instantly, I was hit by a blast of wind, carrying the warmest feeling I’d ever felt.

Its silky caress floated over my skin like sunlight.

It reminded me of the night that I had dinner with the king and Alastor.

I remembered anger had surged within me when they had repeatedly called me insignificant.

Before I could unleash my fury upon them, this warm feeling had spread across me, calming me enough to refocus and say what I needed to say in a more eloquent manner.

Stillness captured my body as the answer struck me. My eyes flashed open to find Declan’s intense eyes already set on me.

“You are an Empath too, aren’t you?” I whispered.

He smiled and held a finger up over his lips.

I lowered my voice to a whisper. “So, the entire journey, dinner with your father, last night…you could read everything I was feeling?” The words floated through my lips as I adjusted to the shock.

He nodded.

Dear gods.

Declan cleared his throat. “Now you understand the importance of learning how to build your ward.” He chuckled.

“Absolutely,” I squeaked, palming my face with my hand. “Why didn’t you just tell me that day when you found out that I was also an Empath?” Curiosity was beginning to arise within me, so many questions flooding to the surface.

“I still wasn’t entirely sure you were an Empath. I know only a little about the dynamis of the Light Phoenix. Being an Empath is wonderful; however, it is also extremely dangerous in this kingdom, as I’ve learned.”

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed and leaned deeper into his chair. “Before I explain it all, it is important that this stays between you and I.”

I nodded silently.

“The only others who know of my Empath abilities are those closest to me. It’s a small circle that includes my three captains, Clara, and Eloise.”

“You can trust me.”

“I know. It all started when I was young. Being an Empath herself, my mother noticed my unique awareness of the people around me. In a room full of people, I could always read everyone. I knew when to be compassionate, when to be bold, and when to show restraint. Most children with these abilities show signs of anxiety, even before they are blessed by the gods with the dynamis. We’re hypersensitive because we feel the heaviness of the world around us. ”

My hand fell over my chest, rubbing it to soothe the ache that had crawled its way in.

“When I was young, she learned to shield me from my father and Alastor, but as soon as I came of age and received my dynamis, she began to instruct me on the true meaning of our magic.”

Why would his mother shield his dynamis? It was true, the Empath power was a rarity, but it was considered a lesser dynamis in our kingdom. I scrunched my nose as my eyebrows furrowed.

“Elena, you’ve been taught all your life that our dynamis is derived from the elements of this kingdom.

My mother, brother and I had been researching dynamis for years.

Mother was always curious about how Empaths’ and Healers’ dynamis fit into the elemental magic.

She was always bewildered by the fact that there were so few of us inside the realm.

Together, we discovered that our dynamis does not derive from the elements at all.

Instead, it originates from something far deeper. ”

I curled my fingers around the sides of my chair, anticipation pulling me to the edge of my seat.

“Emotions.”

M y mouth gaped wide open as I hung onto the chair for dear life. “What does that mean, Declan? I don’t understand what that has to do with being an Empath.”

“Emotions control the power within us. When we ascend, our dynamis is gifted into our entire being, bonding to the blood that flows within us. We can use our emotions to bend our dynamis at will, shaping it to fit our needs. Our emotions can transform our dynamis into any element we desire.”

I gasped.

“For example, those who are Flames, their strongest emotions could be anger, sadness, ambition, fear, and sometimes extreme passion. Those with dynamis that involve the element of water, like Liam, who’s a Frost, are often full of compassion and optimism.

They are cool-tempered and solve problems easily.

Our Healers, like Clara, have similar emotions.

Those with earth or air elemental powers, like your father, Nayla and Killian, and the men in my family, are often the most grounded individuals.

They demonstrate confidence, strength, and trust. Also, they love fiercely and deeply. ”

“And Empaths?”

“Empaths feel it all, Elena.”

The enormity of his words caused me to pause while my mind processed the meaning. Declan waited patiently. My head rested on my hands in deep thought as I tried desperately to figure out what Declan was telling me.

Emotions. If our dynamis was attached to our emotions, what would that mean for an Empath?

Wheels in my brain began to turn rapidly.

As Empaths, we could sense all emotions.

We felt everything deeper, allowing us to have a stronger connection to the world around us.

Someone who knew emotions inside and out could potentially control multiple forms of dynamis.

Was this why Declan and I both exhibited multiple dynamis?

“I think I’m finally beginning to see why being an Empath could be dangerous in this kingdom.

” I chewed on my lip. Knots began to form inside my stomach.

If I was right, that meant that I had access to all the dynamis, and not only me—everyone could potentially access other powers as well once they fully understood all their emotions as well as us Empaths did.

The thought of what that knowledge could do to an already broken kingdom sent a shiver down my spine.

I prayed to the gods that if we all truly had access to all that dynamis we would choose to use it for good, not evil.

However, where great power grew, so did great evil.

Access to unlimited dynamis could be disastrous in the hands of those whose souls were full of darkness.

My body trembled, fingers fidgeting in my lap.

“You’re fearful if your father and Alastor knew the truth, they would use that knowledge to enhance their dynamis and create more harm throughout the Kingdom, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

A chill ran across my body. The skin on my arms pebbled. Declan placed his hands over mine. “Now that you know the truth, let’s work on learning how to use your emotions to access and protect yourself. Are you ready?”

“Absolutely.”

Declan smiled and brought my hands to his lips, brushing them with a featherlight kiss.

“There’s my Wildfire.”