Grounding the Storm ✓

Chapter 15

Late at night, after another day of training—mainly bickering with Renit—a quiet knock sounds on my door. I'm half asleep, barely able to open my eyes, but I hear the person shuffle in anyway and immediately know it's not Renit or Silas or a servant arriving late to prepare my outfit for the next day. Mani isn't that persistent.

Instead, Celestine's gentle hand nudges against my shoulder and I groan. My other shoulder is stuck underneath me, pressed against the wooden floorboards. And I had just started to drift off to sleep for the night, with my aching muscles and drained power. With the titanium band around my wrist, there isn't anything I can do to bring it back, not when the key is in the other room.

I suppose that's for the best, otherwise, my power might attack in the night while I'm sleeping. Besides, Renit never let me cross the threshold from the hallway into his chambers so I know sneaking in there to find the key would result in a fight to the death Renit has a strong chance of winning.

"What do you want?" I grumble.

Celestine rolls me over to face her. I'm met by her dark silhouette, her features brought out by only the moonlight swimming through the long wall of glass windows. Where I had been only an hour before, my nose so far in a book I didn't think I could dig myself back out. I didn't realize the castle had such a wide range of books and for the first time in my life; I was in the mood to read a little romance. Anything after a rough day of dealing with Renit.

Celestine shakes me harder, forcing me to wake and look up at her. In the moonlight, she looks gorgeous. She always has, my sister draws eyes wherever she goes but there's something about the gentleness of her face and the even softer manner that goes with it. My sister wouldn't hurt a fly and I have her power to thank for that.

Again, I ask, "What do you want?"

"I haven't talked to you in two days and that's how you greet me?" She hisses to the night.

I force myself to flash my teeth with my eyes closed. Her hand gently slaps my cheek.

"I wanted to tell you all about the gardens and the...new life I have." She lays down next to me, snatching a pillow, and tugs half the blanket over herself. The fire crackles to my right, warming me from head to toe.

"Go for it, I'm listening." That's not necessarily the case, I can feel myself falling back asleep. My eyes burn with exhaustion.

"It's so wonderful, Roux. I've never had this volume of access to my power and there's so much more I can do with it than I originally thought. The garden servants are the same as me, we share the same power, and they're helping me. Everyone is so kind and—"

Sleep takes me again and when a quiet snore leaves my lips, Celestine groans. She shifts against the pillows and shakes me again. "That's great," I mumble.

Then, my worse fear comes to life. She sniffles—once, twice. The sound is as horrid as I think; she hasn't cried in front of me in years except she's done plenty in the past few days. My eyes fly open and the fire illuminates her face to reveal a single tear rolling down her cheek and pressing to the pillow.

"I wish they were still here," she whispers. "I wish they weren't dead."

The tip of her button nose turns red, and her already swollen eyes are lined with silver. She's done enough crying over these days, we both have. I've found quiet moments myself when the grief takes over. After everything, the swift killing of my parents, the engagement...there is too much to cry over and not enough time to do so.

But in dark alcoves and when I'm alone in my chambers, I've found the time to let that ache push itself front and center so I can relieve it, same as my power. I'm getting better at control but it's difficult when all the power and emotion wants to do is burst at the seams.