A Lightning Storm of Spark and Flame

Chapter 3

Hi above in the once blue sky, Phoebe screams in terror. The sound is immediately swallowed by the howling wind, rendering it completely ineffectual. Wrapped in funnel clouds of raging storm, she can't find the strength to wrestle them into submission. She's so tired. Looking down at the ground far below, she wonders how long her power will continue to keep her aloft without any manipulation from her whatsoever. "Grandmother!" she cries out, already knowing it's a lost cause. "Grandmother, help!" But the storm rages on, unchanged. Phoebe can already hear exactly what the older woman would say if she were right beside her. "This is part of your training, child. This is how you learn." Gritting her teeth, she forces herself not to acknowledge the huge, empty space between her body and the unforgiving ground. She closes her eyes again as yet another bolt of lightning rips through the air and gives her just enough energy to call out one more time. Without realizing it, she extends her arms to either side of herself, her fingers curling into claws as though she can physically grip the clouds around her and slow them down. Remarkably, her power answers. She can feel it everywhere now, cushioning her, protecting her from the worst of the enraged storm. Her fear drives her forward and gives her the strength she had been missing earlier. All at once, the howling winds start to sound a little quieter. The icy rain doesn't feel like needles striking her skin anymore. She can still hear the rumbling thunder, but it sounds softer somehow, less threatening. Phoebe does her best to channel her power, Willing The tempest to calm. She doesn't realize that her feet have returned to the ground until she sways forward and collapses. Her power dissipates, no longer needed. The last thing she sees is a completely cloudless blue sky, the sun shining down on a world Glittering like diamonds from the fresh rain before she loses consciousness. An unknown amount of time later, she awakens in her bed. She sits up, rubbing her eyes and looking out the window at the early afternoon sunlight in confusion. Why is she in bed at this time of day? How did she get here? She's just about to get up when Grandmother enters the room. Her cane thumps against the wooden floor with every step she takes, approaching the bed with a tray held carefully balanced on her free arm. "Ah, so you have awakened." she says. "Good. I have brought you some tea and fresh bread." Taking the offering, Phoebe smiles sleepily as Grandmother sits down at the foot of her mattress. "Thank you." she says, and the older woman nods. "Grandmother, what happened?" There's no question if she had been watching. Phoebe knows better than to assume she had not. "You succeeded in vanquishing the storm, but you did so while being carried by it. Subsequently, you fell." Shaking her head, Phoebe tries to remember. "Did you slow my fall? I'm not injured." She breathes a sigh of relief at Grandmother's affirmative nod and turns to her afternoon snack. "Hopefully I'll have better luck when I try again tomorrow." she muses aloud. "You have actually performed extraordinarily well, my dear. Especially for your first time." Grandmother disagrees. "Fully harnessing your power will still take a great deal of time, but you have far surpassed what I could have ever accomplished at your age. If I were you, I would be proud of that." Absorbed in taking a bite of the sugary sweet banana bread which is still warm from the oven, the girl is utterly unaware of the flat, almost emotionless stare that she is being watched with. Unnoticed by Phoebe, Grandmother grips her cane tightly as she watches her. Such unchecked power, the elderly woman thinks. Such potential. Even she, one of the most powerful and formidable sorceresses to have ever lived, did not succeed the first time she had attempted to harness a storm. In fact, it had resulted in several broken bones and the almost complete draining of her power. But those days are long gone. She is vastly stronger now. But she is beginning to fear that her granddaughter might be even stronger. So it is a very good thing that the girl does not realize it. Unlike what she'd led the younger woman to believe, it had not been herself who had slowed Phoebe's undoubtedly disastrous fall earlier this afternoon. In fact, Grandmother had been almost certain that the child would likely not survive. However, mere feet above the ground, she had slowed greatly, impossibly landing upright and unharmed. If she is this strong already, how much more could her magic grow? "Drink your tea while it is still warm, Phoebe Grace." she encourages gently. She had made it by hand today, wanting to ensure that the power that lay mostly dormant inside of her granddaughter would be suppressed. Grandmother is determined to figure out how the girl is so strong at only 20 summers old. And until she does, Phoebe's potential will have to remain Restrained. Because as soon as she learns what is causing this excess in power, Grandmother intends to possess it for herself. She may have blessed the child when she was young, but now it's time to do what she's always done best. Take it back.