Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs

middle of the ring that knocked us both back about twenty feet and then slammed past the boundaries of Hailana’s grounds and into the city behind us.
    The power of it shook buildings, flattened nearby merpeople and sea creatures alike. Had even more people ducking their heads out of doorways and windows to see what was happening. Some went back about their business, but others came down to the ring to watch us spar. Which was so not what I wanted.
    As I pushed myself off the ground, I regretted that I still had my tail. I wished I had shifted back to human legs for this battle—even after months as a mermaid, I was still more confident in the response of my body in human form, not to mention more powerful. Eight months didn’t trump nearly seventeen years of reactions and experiences, after all.
    But since that wasn’t to be—and it was too late to shift now even if I could—I put my wishes out of my head and prepared for Sabyn’s next strike. He looked as shell-shocked by that last explosion as I was, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try to strike while we were both off balance.
    Sure enough, a huge blast of power came flying straight at me. But this one was different; I could sense it. Instead of the wide, sweeping blasts he’d been sending my way, this was focused, an arrow of pure power headed right at the center of my body.
    I pulled up my own energy—more as a shield than a weapon—but it wasn’t good enough. His power flew right through mine, and though I was able to slow it down quite a bit, it still hurt when it hit. Enough so that I stumbled backward, then fell.
    There was a burning across my midsection, and when I put a hand to it, my fingers came away bloody. Damn it. I ducked my head, checked out the damage. It didn’t seem too extensive, just a half-dollar-size circle in the center of my stomach where the blow had struck, along with thin, ribbonlike slices that crossed my torso on both sides of it.
    Still, it completely pissed me off. I was getting sick of being used as a punching bag for the entire ocean.
    Ignoring the blood and the pain, I sprang back up. And went at Sabyn with everything I had. I sent wave after wave of energy crashing into him until I was exhausted, but it wasn’t enough. His shield was about a million times more effective. No matter what I threw at him, I couldn’t get past it. Blast after blast, wave after wave, with nothing to show for it. Nothing, that is, except Sabyn standing there, laughing his ass off in front of everyone who cared to watch.
    Frustrated, furious, I pulled back. Concentrated. Tried to focus my power the way Sabyn had, so that I could push it right through his shield. But no matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried to condense my energy into a powerful, unbendable weapon, I couldn’t do it. The knowledge grated.
    Around us, the water grew choppy with my agitation, until the whole area was literally pulsing. I could feel the storm brewing inside of me, feel the lightning begging to be unleashed. I held firm against it, knowing that the only people who would be hurt by my temper tantrum were those on the surface, or those down below who couldn’t defend themselves. Sabyn, the jerk, probably wouldn’t even be touched.
    Come on, Tempest! he called mockingly. Is this seriously the best you’ve got?
    I gritted my teeth, tried to ignore the taunts as I struggled for control.
    I came down here because my aunt said you had real talent. Told me you were our best shot againt Tiamat. Now I’m not sure what she meant. Best shot at getting our butts kicked, maybe?
    I clenched my jaw, tried to ignore his words. Either they were true, which was shocking since Hailana never missed a chance to insult me, or he was trying to feed my ego, which was just as dangerous as believing Hailana might actually think I wasn’t a waste of space.
    Either way, though, Sabyn needed to go down. The lightning was right there, but I remembered the first time I’d