Page 79 of When Storms Ruin

I wanted to fall to my knees and wretch at the thought of those I had murdered, but the storm and its magic held me rooted in place. It hadn’t been only Nightshade guards that had fallen when my lightning struck—it had been resistance members, too. Lightning struck again, dangerously close to where I stood. I didn’t own this storm…not anymore.

Nobody did.

It would strikemedown as easily as it had my enemies.

“Please, Diana.” Tess’ voice rang through my ears again.

I closed my eyes, focusing on separating my mind from that of the storm. I grit my teeth against the pain. It felt as if I waspulling a part of myself outas I tried to separate the two.

But the storm and I were one. Despite not owning this storm any longer, despite it being out of my control, it felt as if it intrinsically belonged to me, and I belonged to it.

If the storm died,I would die.

I fell to my knees again, the rocks biting into my skin as I ground my teeth together.

The storm didn’t want to let me go.

I tried and tried to pull the energy in, but it bucked against me, striking out wildly. Isaac joined me, kneeling before me and tentatively reaching out to grab my hand.

“Youcan,Diana. You are the strongest Stormshade I have ever known.”

My eyes met his, and a tear fell down my cheek, mixing with the rain sticking to my skin. I could sense Isaac’s magic here, now. It pulled with mine, breaking the storm in two. My other hand buried into the dirt as I curled my fingers, trying not to think about the pain as we cleaved the storm in half with our magic.

I knew the moment Isaac was able to break off a piece of the storm and absorb it, as if a physical weight lifted off my shoulders. With the storm severed, I was able to wrangle its energy, absorbing it back into myself.

The last drop of rain fell against my cheek as the storm dissipated, the thunder rumbling off into the distance. The sky was still black with fog and smoke from the flames, but the storm was gone.

Bone deep exhaustion consumed me and I fell forwards, Isaac catching me in his arms. I had never drawn on that much magic, not even when the storm had turned on me in the training field.

My well of magic felt…empty.

Ifelt empty.

I reached into my core to touch my magic, but there wasnothing.

A sob escaped my throat as Tess found me, her arms encompassing me.

“Isaac, behind you!” Nik called out.

Isaac turned in time to parry an attack from a Nightshade soldier who had seen our opportunity of weakness and decided to strike.

The battle raged on around us, far from being over, despite Fletcher and many of his men lying dead a few feet from us. I held tightly onto Tess, my nails digging into her shoulder.

“I’ve got you, Diana. I’ve got you.” Her hand found the back of my head as she pulled me closer. “I’ve got you.”

Nik knelt before us, sliding Stormslayer back into my grip.

“I can’t,” I sobbed, meeting his eyes through the well of tears. I didn’t want to feel the hilt of the blade in my grip again. Didn’t deserve to.

“I’m afraid we don’t have a choice.”

His expression was grim. How many had we lost in this battle? Enough to set us back…years? How many of those lives was I responsible for with that erratic lightning strike?

We would never be able to storm The Stone Palace now…not with our numbers practically halved.

“Can you fight?” Tess asked, her soft eyes meeting mine but her expression firm.

I wanted to tell her that’s all I have been doing.Fighting.

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