Page 74 of Renegade Kings
“Congratulations,” Fizzle said, sounding impressed. “The beta has finally unlocked his magic. The rest of you are still at the level of pre-adolescent children.”
Again… holy fucking shit.
There was no way that had been me.
I looked at Alyssa in confusion, and she beamed up at me. The rest of the guys jogged over and there were pats on the back and words of congratulations.
We were all sweaty and tired from a day of trying to do the impossible. As much as I wanted to brag about being better than the rest of them, I had no idea if I could actually do it again.
“Alyssa,” Fizzle barked. “Now that we have an idea of what they can do, it’s time to show them the potential of what they hold inside. Prepare yourself.”
She nodded firmly, striding into the ring that Dean and I had been occupying. As he passed her to give them room to train, Dean’s fingers trailed across her hand, and Alyssa smiled nervously back at him.
She doubted herself, but I knew she could do this. We’d seen her access the magic she needed when we were in danger. Alyssa was strong. Now that I’d felt the potential of what I had inside, I knew she was capable of so much more, and that one of the biggest problems she was facing was herself. She needed to stop doubting herself. Get out of her way and just do it. That was what she’d done before, and I didn’t understand why she didn’t see that herself.
I hadn’t realised that we’d drawn a crowd until I heard the shuffling behind us. Several of Rhidian’s men who had helped us with training yesterday were moving into the shadows at the edge of the courtyard, waiting to see what Alyssa could do.
This was either going to help, or completely break, her focus. She had nothing to prove to these people.
Except she did.
Alyssa was not only their queen, but the answer to their problems, even if she didn’t want to be. If we were going to face the impossible odds that currently stood against us and survive this whole thing, she needed these people to have the confidence in her to do it.
I watched quietly as Alyssa gritted her teeth in determination. From our position, we had the perfect side view of the two of them, and I watched as she nervously clenched her fists before shaking out her arms.
Fizzle stood patiently waiting for her fidgeting to stop. At least he wasn’t rushing forward to prove she wasn’t ready. Hopefully, he realised just how much was riding on this display.
I could hear the muttered whispers behind us as more people seemed to find their way to the training rings and blocked them out. I wanted to concentrate on how she did it, how it felt when she touched the magic, so I concentrated on the bond as I watched every move she made.
Alyssa’s feet ground into the sand as she braced herself, and then she nodded at Fizzle that she was ready to go. The magic buzzed in anticipation in our bond and I felt a tug inside me. I didn’t resist the sensation, and I allowed what magic I had to flow towards her like it seemed to want to do.
“Did you all feel that?” Maddox asked quietly, so only we’d be able to hear.
“Hmmm, just let it go. If this strengthens her, then that can only be a good thing,” Dean muttered back.
He was right. It had already been mentioned that Alyssa’s bonds were there to help with her control, so opening up could only be a good thing, right?
“We start with spring and autumn,” Fizzle called out. “I want you to combine the energy and use them together.”
Alyssa looked panicked at first as a wind gathered in the training ring, picking up the sand as it blasted Alyssa a step to the side. I knew it was coming from Fizzle because he seemed completely unaffected. For a moment, it was as if Alyssa wouldn’t react. I could feel her concern through the bond, but then she seemed to shrug and all that magic that buzzed inside of her was released in one single tidal wave of power.
She raised her hands, and the wind immediately stopped. Then, dancing forward, she darted to the side and appeared to reach out for something, only for vines to explode through one of the rooftops nearby and snake through the air. Throwing her hands out in front of her, the wind now under her control stormed across the courtyard, picking Fizzle up from the ground and pulling him into a twisting tornado that formed in the centre.
The vines snapped in the air, reaching into the wind funnel as they twisted and writhed, trying to capture the little owl gryphon as he struggled to keep himself under control.
The sheer amount of power flooding the courtyard had us all stumbling back a step. Even if we had wanted to move closer, the wind wouldn’t have allowed us, but the building pressure in the ring seemed to herald a catastrophe that had our spectators worried if the gasps and rushing feet were any indication.
Every window that lined the courtyard shattered, the glass whipped through the air to join the deadly tornado at the centre.
Could Fizzle actually survive this?
“Enough!” Tank barked.
And as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The wind dissipated to nothing and all the debris fell to the ground, missing every single person who was still present.
I felt the last of Alyssa’s magic moving through the air as the vines receded, the jagged hole in the roof and the empty windows the only evidence of the power she’d wielded.
No one spoke. Fizzle landed back on the sidelines, looked distinctly ruffled, and the silence around us felt ominous. We’d seen Alyssa’s magic before the bond, and it had been nothing like this. How was she walking around containing that amount of power inside of her?