The Blood in Our Veins

Chapter Twelve - The Storm

I awoke with a sharp pain pulsing at the base of my skull. My wrists burned for some unknown reason. After a moment of contemplation, I opened my eyes. My wrists were shackled and chained, each to a beam on either side of the covered wagon. My feet hung about forty five centimeters above the wagonbed. I attempted to pull my hand free, and cried out in pain. The flap to the outside was drawn aside and I squinted in the bright light. Farnoff laughed.

"I know it hurts. I myself have been in the very same position you are." He stepped forward. "Who is she? The girl. Lani, isn't it?" I turned my face away from him. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing. I was familiar with his profession. By only a name, he could track a person to the ends of the earth. "Have it your way." my captor said with a shrug. In the blink of an eye, he was at the end of my chain. A sharp yank followed, and I screamed. I swiftly tore my gaze from the ground and to my hand. Ignoring both the fresh and dried blood, I attempted to assess the actual damage. Before I had the chance, there was another pull at his end. I tried to hold back my tears.

Just as he brought his hands up yet again, I caved. "My daughter." I whispered finally. "Lani is my daughter." Farnoff smiled devilishly.

"Good. We're making progress. Who is her father?"  the demon questioned.

"Lord Mason." I admitted.

"Do you have feelings for him?"

"No. It was done when I was drugged and sleeping."

"Family problems.  Yech. Who were the others in the wagon?"

"The woman was Grace. Her husband, Dimitri, drove. Tristan sat in the back with the children, Bryn and Tara. Lani lay crying in his arms." I thought of my daughter's innocence, her helplessness against the things that were happening around her. I released the sorrow in my heart with a sigh.

"Dimitri was right. You are useless." Farnoff commented. My head snapped up to meet his gaze. Seeing my reaction, he continued. "Think about it. The children have the woman to take care of them. Dimitri  is more than capable of handling himself. Lani has Tristan, and he, in turn, has her. You weren't anything to them but extra baggage." I refused to believe it. Dimitri made his views clear last night, but the others loved me. They had to. My fists clenched. If they didn't... no. It was impossible. They couldn't have risked so much for me if they felt nothing. Could they?

"Accept it, Sindri. Your twin looked right at us. He saw you, and you know it. He chose not to say anything, because he doesn't want you. None of them do." He let that thought seep in. It made sense. I shook the thoughts from my mind. He was messing with me. Again. Somewhere inside me, I knew what he said was true. Then I only wanted to kill. Beginning with these men. I felt the dam holding in my fury begin to fall apart. The emotion flooded my mind and body. I tensed my muscles. My eyes automatically closed, face upturned.

I smiled maliciously. Thunder rang in our ears and lightning flashed across the sky. I opened my eyes once more. The tent filled with a strange, white light. I knew it came from me. The light from my eyes was brighter than the lightning itself. Farnoff looked genuinely terrified. I laughed. I turned my palm toward him and let a bolt loose upon his chest. He slid back, almost out of the tent.

Wondering what the light inside of the wagon was, another assassin entered. Seeing the scene, his eyes widened. The man fled in terror. I splayed my fingers and the covering of the wagon flew off. Men fled in terror. Whatever magic held the chains against my skin, I did not know, for they didn't even quiver through all of this. Black, low clouds swirled around the sky, their rain almost drowning all but me.

"Markus!" Farnoff cried. "Drain her! NOW!" I dimly recognized the man from the night before stop. Thunder so loud it shakes the ground rumbles overhead. I growl along with it. I had long ago lost myself in the addicting taste of raw power. I let it flow through me like blood, fill me like hate. I basked in the feeling. The man sprinted forward.

Markus placed his forefinger and middle finger on my temple. I tried to pull away, but found that I couldn't. I let a flash of lightning express my anger and frustration. It struck dangerously close to the man. A warning shot. Then I felt the first of it. My powers were simply falling away. I could feel them flowing into Markus. I clung to the small bit of it I had left, yet even that began to leave me. I tightened my inner hold on the final threads of my storm powers. I watched as sweat dripped down his face from the mental exertion. I refused to give up what I had left. Something slammed into the back of my neck. In that moment, the pain broke my concentration. My power fled from my body like a dream forgotten after awakening. I visibly shuddered as it abandoned me. Just as my brother had. I hung my head in total submission. The time had come to grow up. I was going home.

The storm dissapated just as fast as it had formed. The only evidence of its existence were a few puddles in the road. Everyone had slowly gathered again, but everyone looked at me with fear in their eyes. I almost liked it. In fact, I did. And it completely and entirely horrified me.