Page 90 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage
Briony couldn’t control the exact spots where the lightning hit, but she could confine the storm’s energy to one small area. And with enough time, one of the bolts was bound to hit the commodore’s ship.
The only problem was that she didn’t wish to harm Santiago.Once a bolt strikes the ship, I’ll just release the energy. That way, the ship will be too damaged to take him back, but Santiago will still be safe.
But do I truly wish to release it? When have I ever been this strong before? Why should I let it go? I could finally repay the damage everyone has done to me. How lovely to see the commodore’s pride go up in smoke… And why na turn my attention to the laird’s house after that? ’Tis about time someone knocked him and his wife down to where they belong—
But then she felt a cold hand on her arm, one that seemed to suck the power straight out of her.
“Briony, let go o’ the storm.” Niall’s voice was calm and collected, but sweat was trickling down his forehead.
He fears me. Good.
“Stay out o’ my way!” Briony shrieked and shoved him to the ground. She turned her back on him and tried to regain the energy that had started seeping away.
“BRIONY!” Niall took hold of her again, this time pulling her away from the docks.
“Release the power before it consumes you!” Niall screamed in her face, his hands squeezing her arms so tightly that it hurt.
But the pain was like a wake-up call, and Briony felt a haze leave her mind as the rest of the storm’s energy fell away. It sprinkled the ground around them as tiny raindrops, a poor reflection of the beautiful, destructive power it once had been.
Briony took a deep breath and sank to the ground. She raised her hand to catch the droplets as they fell, trying to come to terms with what she had just done. And almost done.
If it had na been fer Niall… I might have lost myself. Such power… I was nowhere near prepared fer it. That power could have overwhelmed me, maybe even killed me. Did Niall just save my life?
“Yer clearly na ready to do this on yer own.” Niall rubbed the back of his neck and turned away with a sigh. He was silent for a long time as he looked out at the churning waves.
“You have more power than I expected fer na being a pureblood, so part o’ this is my fault. I should have warned you o’ the water’s love fer destruction. Nature always has a balance between help and harm, but when we harness its power fer our own means, we come into contact with both sides.
“Aye, the ocean is full o’ life and beauty, but ’tis also deadly when it wishes to be. If you let it, that hunger fer violence will spill over. And if you hold on to it fer too long, that power could consume you.”
Briony clasped her trembling hands together as she tried not to burst into tears. It had been her first taste of power, her first taste of having agency over her own life.And how did I handle it? By almost losing my mind to the ocean and killing someone…
But then another thought came to her, one she hated to admit.Na all o’ those vengeful thoughts were because o’ the ocean. There’s more bitterness sealed up in my heart than I realized. And if I’m na careful, even without the ocean’s influence, it shall swallow me up until I’m just a shell o’ who I want to be.
A lot o’ good I turned out to be fer Santiago…
The man’s face came to her mind. She imagined what he must be thinking, feeling.I’m sure the commodore is na treating him well—who would when Santiago’s suspected o’ conspiracy to murder? And o’ a king no less!
“So what happens now?” Briony asked.
Niall pursed his lips. “The way I see it, there are two options: you let me take charge o’ this and you can still watch the town burn or we leave now and return when, and if, you can handle doing it on yer own. There’s no way o’ knowing how long that might take though. I’ll leave it up to you.”
Briony stared at him in surprise.He’s letting me make this decision even though vengeance was one o’ his main reasons fer being in Everton in the first place?
But neither o’ those choices gives me what I want. Neither o’ them will save Santiago, and both o’ them mean I have to leave Everton. Forever.
She didn’t say anything at first, and the longer she waited, the bigger Niall’s scowl grew. She turned away so that she didn’t have to look at his face, but she knew she would have to say something soon; otherwise, Niall would decide for her.
A voice whispered in her mind,If you go with Niall, maybe life would na be so bad. Surely you can see how much he cares fer you. He may even love you. Santiago won’ be able to do that once he learns what you are. Even if you save him, what then? He’ll just leave you and you’ll be left with a broken heart.
Briony shook her head.But maybe Santiago won’ reject me. Maybe he can still love me anyway?
That same voice returned.Who are you trying to convince? You don’ believe that. You know yer a monster. At least Niall understands that and accepts you as you are.
Misery settled around Briony’s shoulders like a blanket, but rather than warming her up, it just left her feeling colder than before.
But then she caught sight of a lone fisherman out on the waves, and a third option came to her. It wouldn’t solve all her problems, but it might buy her some time.
She smiled at Niall and added a low musical tone to her voice, “All right, Niall. Let’s do this yer way…”
