Chapter 32

By the time Renit and I make it to the training room, Piper is already there and taking out her impatience on a guard who was unlucky enough to pass by while boredom consumed her. She moves in fluid motions, blocking attacks with her sword before delivering her own. She doesn't have to use her power to her advantage; fighting based on her own skill.

Piper's strength doesn't surprise me. She's coursed with used muscle and the upkeep for that is more training I'll have in my entire lifetime. But Piper; if the king were to send her out today, she'd be ready for the battlefields. She fights with loathing for her enemy and doesn't back down when the challenge of death threatens her being.

Renit clears his throat as she wipes the sweat from her brow. The guard thanks us with a silent bow of dismissal. Had he gone on any longer, he might leave with more injuries than what training is worth.

"Took you long enough," Piper pants. She sheaths her sword at her hip and pulls out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her hands and the droplets coming dangerously close to her eyes.

"Someone decided it would be smart to start a brawl in the kitchens with Darius." Renit gives me a pointed look but I won't back down from his withering gaze. I stand up straighter when Piper grins.

"I knew there was some fire in you. It was only a matter of time before someone put him in his place. What did you do to him?" She questions.

Renit tenses at my side and I force myself to rein in that excitement so I don't make either of us look like fools. Be professional, but don't fear to have a little fun. My mother's words when she explained my role of Arego passing through lineage. Likely never, with her immortal lifespan but also in her words: if anything happens. I can't bear thinking about those words now. I'm left without my parents and Arego, they've both slipped through my fingertips before I could fully grasp them.

"I hit him in the face with one of the metal trays," I mutter, rocking back and forth on my heels. Even Renit can't hold back a smile; he wasn't there to see it happen. The explanation from Silas was enough—and the laughter shared afterward. He came to Renit's chambers while I was cleaning the blood from the prince's face and offered to explain his side of the story. To my benefit, of course.

Piper tips her head back and laughs. "I'm guessing that's where you got the collar of bruises?" She points towards my neck, not at all fazed.

"And also where Renit got his bloody knuckles from." I bring up the prince's hand to reveal the evidence and Piper presses her lips together, impressed.

"Nothing but mischief, you two." She claps her hand together. "Besides that, although I would love to hear more, it's time to get started. Today we are going outside and Renit will let his power take control. Roux, your job will be to get him out of it."

We both nod, obeying, and she leads us outside. Many stare, whispering about the altercation this morning in the kitchens, but they keep their distance. The same can't be said for Dalis, who was already feared by castle residents, per Renit's words. She has always been dangerous and has stopped every single altercation over the past one hundred years—long before I was born. No one picks a fight with her and Darius learned long ago to never step into those kitchens unless he desires a major dousing.

The sun beats down on our necks in the familiar clearing. Is it common knowledge to train here or did Renit suggest it to Piper? I don't bother asking, the answer won't please or disappoint me.

We stop in the middle, ready for our orders.

Piper fishes two necklaces out of her pocket and hands one over to both of us. In my hand, the nuummite carved into the shape of a smooth oval is hefty. The gold casing edges the stone and sharp points jut out around the entire surface, like a protective shield against attackers.

"A little gift from yours truly. The perfect blend of your powers," Piper says. Renit slips the chain over his head and rests the stone against his chest, over the thin leather armor adorning his abdomen. Training armor, apparently. The mystic gold flecks bring out the silver of his eyes and when the corner of his mouth tugs up in a grin, a sense of pride lingers. It snuffs out before I can capture the memory.

Pairing another necklace with my mother's seems wrong. But I slip the gold chain over my head and realize the two necklaces complement each other, the silver against the gold. Same as Renit's eyes. While my mother's necklace presses against my chest, the nuummite hangs between my breasts and far enough out of reach to not draw any distractions. Pulsing against my heart is our two powers. Something about that feels right.

"Thank you," I tell her, looking down at the stone in my hand. "It's beautiful."

She grins wildly and Renit sighs. "Let's get on with it. I have reports to fill out." He reaches for my wrist, common knowledge now, and unlocks the titanium band. I'm at the point where warming up my power isn't necessary but I do, anyway. The ground rumbles underneath our feet in answer. I take a scoop of dirt and rock from the ground and lift, only to set it back down and snuff out that part of my power. Piper watches in awe.

I'm still amazed at the progress I've made.

"Renit, you need to let yourself go," Piper instructs. "Let the power take over."

"Do you have titanium bands?" Renit asks. Plural. More than one. Is one band not enough to snuff out his power?

She nods and ushers him along with an impatient wave of her hand. Involuntarily, I take a step back and watch as he closes his eyes. For a man of three hundred years, trained to kill with power and his bare hands, he still has to go through this process. And I thought it was foolish to begin in the soul, connecting with the power one on one.

Shadows cast over his face as he channels that storm. His brows knit together in concentration and his fingers twitch. This is a side of him I haven't seen yet, one that means his power is reaching its full extent. The only time I've seen that is the night Arego was taken down and left behind as nothing more than dust. Remnants are all that Arego will ever be, a sickening reminder for if I ever see that place again. The streets I walked down and the people I smile at will be ghosts in the wind.

It doesn't take long for shadows to cast over our heads and I look up to see dark clouds forming in the sky, taking shape as he wills them. They pull together, twisting and brushing together in a haunting shade of grey. The force to do this is incredible, to pull from nothing in the sky and create an entire storm. Renit is not just a witch of storm; he can control lightning, thunder, rain—whenever he wills it. To set his power exposed, he can control over one. And that's unheard of unless he's a witch with Silas's abilities.

Witches deal not only with what they're born with. Each power is different, one that every single witch has to figure out for their own. For healers, they have only one power to worry about and that is to stop pain from forming or continuing. Renit has a deadly mix of much more.

Thunder rumbles and booms in those dark clouds and as the storm takes form so does Renit. He slips into another version of himself and in his mind, we're not there. Both of us remain still so we don't startle the process. It's hard to let go for a witch that has kept everything under control for so long. Outbursts are bound to happen, even to the best of witches. Often, cruel witches enslave their Grounding and force them to live in cells until their power becomes useful. In a twisted way, I'm lucky to be in a castle and not locked away. A hint of life is what they have given me; the king has not been so generous with others.

White lightning crackles at his fingertips and in response, the clouds light up. Everything seems fine, so far, as Renit forces the wind from the deepest part of his body. The trees in the clearing twist their branches in the oncoming tornado. My hair whips against my face as Renit allows his power to slip off the leash.

A leash he kept tight for so long.

I've never heard thunder so loud in my life. Thick rumbles bang in my chest, rocking me to the core, and Renit squeezes his eyes shut to hold on to that last shred of control. Let go, I want to tell him. Let yourself fall off the edge and I will catch you.

Lightning blasts down from those dark clouds and slams against the surrounding surface. I ready my power in case a shield is necessary but even that might not help what's coming. The fat raindrops from the clouds follow that white lightning, soaking into the grass and the roots deep below the surface. My fingertips turn cold as I channel my power, feeling what is underneath. Wet dirt.

"Any second now!" Piper shouts over the raging winds and booming thunder. When no one comes running to check the commotion, I know it's because they're used to this. The prince carries a storm wherever he goes.

I prepare myself. We never went over how I would snuff out that part of his storm but we appear to be moving as the situation wills it. Renit lets out a groan and clenches his hands into fists. "I can't stop it!" He yells. "Get out of the clearing!"

The storm rages on and I usher Piper to stand under the safety of the trees. Two of us remain, standing in that raging storm. The wind tears at me and my teeth chatter from the chill but I don't stop my advance towards him. He opens his eyes wide, his breathing ragged, his chest rising and falling in wild swells.

Like the ocean I jumped into the night he tried to kill me. Better I die instead of living here. That had been his mercy—letting me die instead of ever bringing me here. I'm glad I didn't die, only so I could see this through to the end. A bright spot in the dark is this castle; Celestine alive, and Renit's challenges. If I can't make the best of what I have left then what is the point?

There's something different in his eyes as that power takes over. It bites at his being—not just at his magic reserve but at his soul. The power will take over completely. Renit cannot control what he does, and if the power wants to, it will take out the entire castle and everyone on the inside. Including my sister and his brother, the crown prince.

Lightning strikes a little too close for comfort and the ground shakes in response to the blast. The smell of smoke lingers in the air, quickly quieted by the pouring rain. That downpour will not end until I put a stop to it.

Renit's eyes turn cold and he tries to blink away the evil threatening to take over the power, but the strain brings him to his knees. He claws at his hair, at the side of his head and I move with him. I throw my arm over my head and the ground shifts, creating a dome shield over our kneeling bodies. He groans and tips his head to the dirt, still clawing at what is inside his brain. Outside the shield, the storm continues to rage.

"Don't let it take over," I tell him. The only light in the dark enclosure is his silver eyes and the glow of gold specks from the nuummite; now hanging from both our necks. The physical embodiment of our two powers, the only one that will ever be. I have to remember our bond in the moments to come—I am his Grounding and his power will yield to me and only me.

"I...I can't," he groans. "You have to leave." He attempts to push me away and I sidestep his grip.

I shove my hands underneath where his palms grip onto the sides of his head and apply pressure to his temples. Before the Grounding process took place, nothing would have happened. Now, a door opens to Renit's vulnerable power and mine shoves into him, searching, and attacks the storm brewing within. After this month of training and waiting, I finally know what it's like to take out the power of another living witch. And it drains me.

My power is weak to combat his but I keep pushing as he groans and twitches. His body is giving up; he lost control too quickly. I press harder onto his temples and let my power work to combat the ancient strength and slowly but surely, along with my concentration, it eats away at his storm with efficiency. Like me, my power is understanding what lengths to go to be useful—other than at my hand. We're learning how to be a Grounding for someone who needs it, a weapon who was told to find peace.

In me. The world told him to find peace in me.

I press my forehead against his as he hisses through clenched teeth. "Stay with me," I whisper. My arms shake with the force of the power rocking through both of our bodies. Part of his storm escapes into me like a snake and my power has to fight that too. My nose bleeds but I ignore it and the reoccurring pain in my neck from the bruises Darius gave me earlier this morning. I taste the blood on my lips, traveling down my throat like a warm drink. "We'll get out of this together. You and I." He nods against my forehead, skin moving against skin. Slowly, his power settles. It's a relief as I can take a deep breath and allow myself to feel around inside his power and all that entails.

Thunder twists around my insides and the clouds, like smoke, threaten to take my air but when I look down to find Renit gripping onto my shirt with white knuckles, I know I can't let the power take either of us.

My mind flashes with memories, old and new, and I think back to one of my mother's favorite books—a story she shared about a woman attempting to save the man she loves. Everyone hates him—he's evil for all the wrong reasons but the things he did, he had to do. She's the only one who can see that.

"Who are you?" I ask him, my voice barely more than a whisper.

"I am your prince, your heart," he whispers back. My body stills. He had the answer at the ready. At the snap of my fingers, those words left his lips. Has he read the book too? A cherished tale is the only thing we share beyond this Grounding.

My mother's words are a distant flicker against the chaos inside but I remember the flame flickering on her face, a delicate hand gesturing about as she explained the love story blossoming on the pages of someone's imagination. In the book, the woman told him how she felt about him. I remember those words to this day like a prayer. "You are demon to some. Angel to others. And you are my angel."

His eyes fly open, clouded with lightning, and he blasts me back. I slam against the stone shield and my head cracks against the surface. Stars fill my vision as I crash to the ground below and let that shield fall. It's the last thing I can do as Renit, lost inside his body, sends those thick clouds down my throat and blocks off my air source.

I try to take a breath but nothing comes. Not even a wheeze. "Renit." His name is barely a whisper if a sound at all. But I can hear it, a plea on my bloody lips.

He stuffs more of his power inside me and black swirls my vision, clouding out the rest of that storm. Piper is screaming at him to stop but even she's at the mercy of his power as he attempts to blast her off her feet. The lightning singes into a nearby tree and the trunk catches flame. I crumble on my hands and knees, clawing at my throat and the trapped airways. Not much longer now and I'll be dead. After all this time, after everything, and we couldn't make it work.

The titanium band will do nothing now as neither of us can get close enough to put one on his wrist. It wouldn't matter anyway, he's too far gone. My head pounds and my eyes roll back into my skull, the rest of my body toppling to the grass. Nothing is left of me as that power continues to push down and rain batters my body. Wind rips at the fabric of my clothes. Whatever I did, whatever I said—

A thud sounds near Renit and I take a deep gulp of air as the power suddenly stops. I think he's quelled by the titanium band but in my blurred vision, Silas is standing there. He watches his limp brother fall to the grass. Piper moves quick, clamping the band around his wrist before he can wake again.

The crown prince breathes heavy and the clouds part. The lightning and thunder finally clear the way and I can think again without the rumbling of Renit's storm. He knocked Renit out with the pommel of his sword, which was our only hope and our last resort as the power took over.

"What happened?" Piper asks, winded. She braces her hands on her knees.

"I don't know, his power just...attacked. With Renit gone, his storm had a mind of its own," I explain shakily. That death in his eyes mixed with shock, likely at what I said. Before they can ask me questions, I run my fingers over the bump on the back of his head. "Let's get him back up to his chambers before he wakes."

Silas nods and sheaths his sword. All of our strength mixed with two more guards is what it takes to get Renit up to his chambers but eventually, he rests in his bed with the titanium band clamped around his wrist. And I wait, sitting in the chaise. What a turn of events, now I'm the one with the key.


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