Fist of the Furor
my gaze to fall on the potted plants that sat on the side of his room. His lips lowered, stopping just beside my ear. “Control them, Aean Brirg.”
    I felt it then, the power of the forest. It consumed me, filling my mouth with a different taste, with a sweet taste that reminded me of berries. It chased away the metal. I could see the connection between myself and the plants, as if lines of thread had been strung from my body to their leafy figures. The leaves on the plants unfurled, turning so that they faced me, their usual whispering rising in volume, becoming loud and distinct.
    “Ah, little one,” they breathed, “we feel you.”
    They grew, lifting toward the ceiling before crawling to the floor. There was a voraciousness to their movement, as if they were desperate to touch me. It was something I’d never felt before with the trees or foliage. I summoned them, and they answered my call. I nearly forgot Cadeyrn, his hand on mine, his palm in my hair, and his breath next to my ear.
    The foliage approached me, wrapping itself around my bare ankles, and my skin tingled. I made it stop there, their crawling stems and leaves remaining at my feet.
    “Your power feeds off many things, Aean Brirg. Embrace it,” the prince whispered.
    He let go of me then, and the plants released me, slithering back to their clay pots. I stumbled backward, my chest heaving, the sweet taste of berry still heavy on my tongue.
    Leaning against Cadeyrn’s bed, I stared at him. “Does your power speak to you?” I asked him. “Does it actually communicate?”
    He looked at me. “It speaks to me, but not with words, not in the same way yours communicates with you.”
    There was space between us now, and I inhaled, the sound loud in the quiet room. “Did you hear them?” I asked him. “When you were touching me? Did you hear the plants?”
    Cadeyrn’s gaze moved to the fire. “No. It seems only you have that advantage.”
    I exhaled, relieved. It seemed selfish not to want to share that part of my power, but I didn’t want to share it, didn’t want anyone to feel that powerful connection. The forest, the ocean, the sky, the animals … it was all my family. It was what had kept me from falling apart when I’d lost Kye. I was never alone and always loved.
    “Never alone,” the plants echoed.
    I glanced at them before staring once more at Cadeyrn. He was leaning against the hearth, his gaze on the flames. The muscles in his back were tight; his tattoo covered in crawling orange and black shadows. I’d been afraid at first when he’d touched me, afraid he’d been trying to be intimate. It made me wonder if I would have stopped him if he had been. There was something extremely companionable about sharing grief and loneliness with someone else. There was something companionable about being around someone who had a power people feared, who had duties that kept him from truly living his life. We shared that, the prince and me.
    With one final glance, I stepped toward the door, my gaze on the exit. The plants whispered as I moved past them, reaching for me.
    My palm was resting against the wood when Cadeyrn’s hand suddenly covered mine again, his warm chest against my back, his skin hot. We fell into silence, neither one of us saying anything. We just stood there, our hands resting against the wood, our breathing in sync. My heart rate slowed, evening out until I was flooded with calm. In truth, this is what I always came to Cadeyrn’s chamber for, his calmness, and it was what he gave me now before he pulled open the door and stepped aside.
    It was while I was walking down the hall, two guards at my back, that affection flooded me. I had a true friend in Prince Cadeyrn, a Sadeemian man and ruler I could trust. I’d allowed him liberties a woman only allowed a man, but it wasn’t love. It was a deep rooted affection built from circumstance. From loss. Our powers seemed to feed off each other. It was a gift, his calm confidence, and
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