A Touch Of Lightning (COMPLETED!)

Chapter 79 The Empaths Touch

Chapter 79 The Empaths Touch

"You think this...this girl can steer the wards?" The man pacing before Raina and Ahleena moved with agitated, abrupt motions, his hands flicking towards Raina in contempt.

Raina bared her teeth at the man, not caring that he was some type of nobility here. She didn't care for his tone, found herself contemplating reaching inside the man and twanging her power across the deep, soul-eating fear he worked so valiantly to hide. With a raw emotion that powerful, coiled about inside of him like that, she could put him on his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Her empath ability would find it both easy, and satisfying.

Ahleena narrowed her eyes at her, telling her with just a glance, exactly how bad an idea that would be. Raina sighed.

"You never let me have any fun." She grumbled under her breath.

They were standing in the center hall to this incomprehensibly massive construction she could only think of as a palace. From what she had seen and learned so far, this building would easily be able to house twenty thousand people. Ahleena had brought her here, somehow using her powers to shield Raina from further witnessing the strange, terrifying flow of raw power, enabling her to walk with a clear head into this room, into this meeting. Into this meeting Ahleena had been trying to act nonchalant about, but still failing before the ultra-keen eyes of an alpha level empath.

"Draeken needs a display. Show him how your power ties into the...life energy of this land." Ahleena said, not taking her eyes off Draeken, who had now stopped his animalistic pacing and was facing Raina, his arms folded tightly over his chest and his strange, tawny yellow eyes flashing.

Raina looked up at him, tall and whip-thin, probably used to his craggy face and flashing yellow eyes intimidating young girls into doing whatever he wished. She felt a twinge of excitement as his alien gaze settled firmly on her, his eyes looking her up and down boldly, and cursed herself for even reacting.

"Ok, he's sexy in a rough way, but still... who does he think he is, looking at me like a piece of meat?!" She thought in dark anger, straightening her spine and meeting his intense eyes squarely.

"You want to see what I can do? Ok. Did you know that everything about this place has power flowing through it? It's woven into everything like strands of cloth, strengthening the structures, warming rooms and water, casting light, carrying water and fresh air, all manner of tasks. And I hold it all. I can weave and unweave that power as I see fit. Like so." Raina said, finishing with a fluid twist of her hand, calling the trickle of glowing energy hovering above every torch in the great hall to her hand.

The pale, glowing orbs darted across the room, hundreds of them, and floated around her, weaving and bobbing, as she smiled at Draeken's shocked expression. Then, she twisted her hands about, a rapid fluttering move, and the orbs dissolved, forming a single, hair-thin line that wound around her from head to toe. An instant later, that single strand moved out in front of her and, faster than the eye could follow, darted around and back unto itself. And then, there was a pale, glowing replica of Draeken standing there. A truly perfect replica, in every way possible, except in color. It glowed with that same pale light as the orbs, just one single color.

Draeken's mouth was hanging open, making Raina smile in triumph. Draeken regained his composure in a flash, his eyes beginning to glow with anger as he saw her smile.

"You think you can impress me with foolish tricks, girl?!" He growled, waving dismissively at the image of himself standing in front of him.

Raina scowled and reached out with her powers. And the softly glowing image of Draeken changed colors. A flash of light, and it was now a truly perfect replica in all aspects. Draeken stared at the image of himself, blinking in surprise when it blinked back at him.