Grounding the Storm ✓

Chapter 26

The training room is underneath the fourth tower, on the ground floor. Behind a set of durable double doors, intricately carved with the royal emblem, is a large room filled with obstacles and targets for one to practice their power on.

A mezzanine borders the entire room, cascading to the high ceilings littered with chandeliers. Braziers anchored to the stone walls cast a flame against the glass windows, flickering in reflection. My sturdy leather boots echo when I enter the hollow space and look towards the back wall—stocked with weapons of any and every source.

Swords, bows, mace, shields, knives. It's all there, glistening metal and leather handles for gripping. I've never seen so much destruction in one place and with all those weapons, I wonder how many meet their end here—accidentally and on purpose. Each blade is cleaned to perfection but the use of these weapons stretches much farther than display pieces.

From what I've heard, the training room is normally filled with the turmoil of fighting and practicing. This time, it's just me, Renit, and our trainer—a woman with wide, dark curls around her head, framing around full lips and a white smile. No one in my life has ever been so ecstatic to see me arrive but the difference comes with this woman, tall and toned to perfection.

Renit is across the room, throwing knives into a target while he waits. Every few seconds, another knife slams against the wooden surface with perfect precision. I glance at the target; he's aiming the knives to form a perfect circle around the center dot. How many years of practice does that take?

"Piper Adalynn," the trainer introduces. Her russet eyes flash with excitement as she extends a brown hand in my direction.

"I'm Roux." We shake, her grip firm, and she takes a step back to survey Renit.

"He should be done any second. You know how he is, impatient." She's not as tall as Renit but I have to look up at her face to witness the narrow features, the sharp cheekbones, and the piercing jawline. The village considered me of average height, now I'm one of the shortest around these monsters of witches.

My mouth twitches into a smile. "Sadly, I am learning firsthand he is more than one kind of impatient."

Renit throws the last knife, forehead gleaming with sweat, and strolls over to where we stand. He eyes the two of us carefully and Piper leans in close to me, "Don't worry, I'll knock him into shape for you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Piper," Renit snaps as he gets closer.

Piper snorts. When they stand face to face, she is more than ready to take him in a fight and somehow, with her wide stance and clenched fists, she looks to be the winner—before the bloodshed has begun. "Watch your tongue, boy, or I'll rip it out."

Instead of attacking her or screaming at her as he would do with me, Renit smirks, white teeth flashing. Mercy is knowing he doesn't share the sharpened fangs with his father. All the enjoyment disappears when he looks at me and frowns like I'm just a random girl in the way of their conversation. I'll always be that girl to him, I'll be the one that doesn't truly matter in the ways of this castle and his life.

"Shall we get started?" Piper looks between the two of us, noting the tension.

I nod silently and Renit gestures for her to continue with a hand.

"The first thing you must do is awaken your powers. Use a small burst of that magic so it's alive and steaming and then we'll get started on Roux becoming your official Grounding," she explains to Renit. For once, he's not the one directing orders and is more than happy to take them.

"Shouldn't I be outside for this?" I ask. My power focuses around the outside, in that clearing, where I can't hurt anyone or take this castle apart piece by piece. Part of me shrinks back into that familiar fear against my power, then I remember I've been training for weeks now and have a much better understanding of what flows within. Still, after years of being told to force it down so I don't have to face the backlash of my actions, the power of ground is wary to escape beyond the natural means. I would disappoint ancient witches; they'd hate to see their offspring so weak. They wanted our kind to be strong for battle, to fight against the humans that once owned this land. The witches had done that, they had won, and they rule.