Page 117 of The Last Storm
I looked down to see leaves scattered all around my feet. Zeroing in on one, I focused on the minute amount of energy holding it together, listening to its hum.
I latched onto it and tugged. It responded immediately, lifting from the ground.
An excited gasp escaped me.
That was it.
I had spent all morning focusing on the leaf, but that’s not what I had control over.
It was the energy.
My eyes darted around before closing to focus on the feel of everything. I could feel the soft hum all around me, just as I always did, but this time, I called to it.
“Ara,” Alden whispered.
My eyes opened. It had listened.
Every leaf on the island hovered, floating and swirling about in the breeze. I dropped them with a relieved laugh and they drifted down like leaves in autumn.
“That was incredible,” he said, grinning ear to ear. “How did you manage that?”
“I just listened.”
I returned his smile, feeling a small flutter of hope.
* * *
The sun was setting by the time we stepped back onto the boat to return to the castle.
“Any chance you’ll let me sleep longer than sunrise tomorrow?”
“Nope, not even a little one,” Alden replied as he steered out to sea.
“Didn’t think so,” I laughed.
The sky lit the sea on fire, reflecting the deep oranges and reds. Just as the last bit of light disappeared behind the horizon, something snatched me from the boat, tearing a scream from my throat.
Not something.
Someone.
“Rogue!” I swatted at his arm.
Alden shouted as Rogue shot to the sky. “Next time, give a warning, will you? I’m too old to be this close to a heart attack.”
“Next time,” he hollered down, grinning. “Miss me?”
“Not at all,” I said, wrapping an arm around his neck, and his smile widened.
We continued upwards until I could see the horizon in every direction, which was beautiful, but the sudden awareness of how high we were had me tightening my grip on him.
“Scared of heights, huh?”
“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever been high enough to think about it, but um, I might be.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“Where are we going, anyway? Why did you grab me? I could’ve just met you back at the castle.”
