Author's Note:This is a short chapter on purpose, mostly because I find the symbolism between the chapter length and chapter content appealing. I also had a tough work week recently, so it felt good to write the last half. Enjoy. This is not a trend. The next chapter will have more content I promise.
Chapter 7: Release
(Late at night, same day)
Alia lay on the floor next to her twin sister, buried under blankets that belonged to one or the other. Tasha had brought a few of her own, and Alia had been sleeping wrapped up in blankets since the Incident, so they combined forces to create a bed-like sleeping arrangement.
As comfortable as it was, Alia still had trouble sleeping. She tossed and turned, groaned and whined softly, waking repeatedly to stare at her black ceiling and think. The day had been so exhausting she should have collapsed into dreams instantly, but it had also been so stressful she couldn't stop thinking about it.
Alia hadn't even asked why Tasha had left her husband, deciding that was better explained at a better rested time. Over the course of her sleepless fits she figured it was likely due to Tasha's discontent towards Miguel's patronizing behavior. There was probably more to it to cause them to separate, but it was all she could think of right now.
And when she wasn't thinking about Tasha, her mind wandered to her older sister, and the manner in which she'd run off. Thanks for the freedom, Alia repeated in her head during one sleepless session. It just didn't sound right, somehow. Something about that statement didn't seem appropriate for Rowan, given the lengths she'd gone to keep herself entombed in her home. And now she's out there, somewhere, murderous and uncontrolled, because of me.
Alia had enough. She just couldn't take it anymore. She had to do something to relieve this stress. If she didn't, she'd never get to sleep and she had to sleep in order to care for Talon.
Alia sighed as she thought of Talon, and how helpless he was without her. If she had been asleep during Rowan's visit, she'd probably have arrived too late to stop her and Talon had been too weak to cast a single spell in his own defense. He was like a child, dependent on his mother for protection from the predators around him.
Alia grabbed a violet robe and pulled it over her head, letting her long brown hair fall free. She was just going out, and didn't need to make herself presentable. Taking one last look at her sister on the floor, Alia walked out to her beach, feeling the cool sand between her toes as she gazed at the stars.
I've fought Malistaire, I've looked into the eye of the Dragon Titan as he woke and threatened to tear apart the earth I stood on, Alia thought, hugging herself. But this, this I can't stand. She shook her head furiously and began to cry, feeling like the world was crumbling around her.
Tasha was Alia's rock, her ever-present support no matter the problem. It had been that way for as long as the twins could remember. Tasha was always patient, perfect, and problem-free. Now, Tasha needed her when Alia needed her sister most. She needed her support, but her support needed her support now too. Without Tasha's structured life to turn to for sanity, the world became chaotic and untamable for Alia. She was thrown into uncharted jungle without a base camp.
Now she had to be the strong one for Tasha, Talon, and Rowan. And she couldn't take the charade any longer. But she couldn't burst here; she had to go somewhere safer to unleash her destructive rage at her helpless situation. Triton Avenue, Alia thought, is the only place it would be considered normal. Blinding sparks filled her vision after the thought.
When the sparks dissipated, Alia looked at the pillars around her. She had teleported onto the small isle of the Kraken of Triton Avenue. It was a popular training spot for new wizards, and perfect for Alia tonight. The Diviner clenched her fists and let out an enraged yell that filled the night and disturbed the air around her, summoning a howling gust of wind.
Alia screamed, pouring all her rage and despair into a powerful tempest spell that drenched her to the bone, her tears mixing with the rain on her face. She brought her arms up, static building across her body and making her hair dance like a thousand serpents, cracking bolts jumping from her body to the pillars around her. She collected lightning in her palms before throwing them outward, sending jolts of energy wherever she desired.
The peel of thunder lessened to a mechanical buzz as Alia fell to her knees and curled, elbows against the dirt. Sparks still shot from her body but their ferocity lessened with each strike. Alia continued to cry, beating the ground once with her fists. The pounding sent a bolt of lightning into the sheer rock face of an overhead cliff, decimating it. As the rubble fell into the river Alia rolled onto her side in the fetal position.
There she remained, letting the rain of her storm lull her into a cold, but deep sleep.