and climbs. I can’t see what’s in the nest, but I’m mostly there for the songs. Her voice makes me forget that I’m supposed to be afraid.
I close my eyes, trying to remember more, but my past is still too jumbled up.
Audra’s a part of it, though.
And she’s still a part of me—even if the ache I’m clinging to is growing fainter every hour.
“Are you okay?” Solana whispers, resting her too-warm hand on my shoulder. “Isn’t this where your family . . .”
I nod.
Arella clears her throat. “Actually, we’re a little to the north. But it does look the same.”
I study the field we’re standing in—rolling waves of grass and wildflowers as far as the eye can see.
It’s pretty, I guess.
But it makes me uneasy.
There’s too much sky. Too much wind. Too few places to hide.
It feels like the last place on earth for a family of sylphs to be when they’re trying to hide from Raiden—which was probably why Arella chose it.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she tells me, scratching at her arms. “If I could undo it, I would.”
“Oh please.” I kick a clump of wildflowers, sending their yellow petals scattering. “All you regret is that your husband sacrificed himself to save me.”
She doesn’t deny it.
“Well then,” Aston says, “this seems like a fitting time for my afternoon fix.”
He tangles Arella in ruined drafts, soaking up her pain as she sinks to her knees. Solana covers her ears—but I memorize each one of Arella’s screams.
“Look at you,” Aston says. “I must say, this is the darkest side I’ve ever seen in a Westerly. You’re almost smiling.”
“She deserves it.”
“Ah, yes. Pain for pain. Does that make it all better?”
It doesn’t. Just like whatever he’s doing to Arella doesn’t make his holes disappear.
But it helps .
Aston smiles. “You definitely got some of your girl’s fire when you bonded, didn’t you? Might keep you alive—if we learn to use it. So why don’t you make one of those fancy wind spike things and we’ll see what you’ve got?”
“We don’t have time to play around,” I argue.
Aston points to where Arella lies curled up in the long grass. “She won’t be up to traveling for a bit. And I’m not getting you anywhere near Brezengarde until I know you can defend yourself. So be a good boy and make a wind spike.”
He claps his hands like I’m some puppy he’s teaching a new trick.
I hate myself for obeying.
As soon as I form the spike, Aston snatches it away—but I shout, “Come,” in Westerly and the spike snaps back to my hand.
“I bet you think that gives you an advantage, don’t you?” Aston asks.
Before I can respond, he grabs my spike and gags me with one of his ruined winds.
“ Now try to call your weapon back.” He points the wind spike at my heart. “Oh wait, you’re dead. Pity.”
For a second I wonder if he’s really going to impale me. Solana must be worried too, because she drags Aston back.
“Oh, relax, Princess. If I wanted him dead, he would be. I’m merely trying to show him how pointless his little tricks are against Raiden’s methods.”
He hisses another command and my gag unravels.
“Let’s assume for a moment that you manage to hold on to your weapon and get close enough to actually have a clear shot at one of the Stormers.” He hands me back my wind spike. “Could you kill them?”
“Is it necessary?” I ask.
“It’s always necessary. They’re the enemy. ”
“Right, but are they actually, like, threatening me?”
“Fine, let’s make this easier and say they have their weapon pointed at your true love—and they’ve been murdering kittens all day. Now could you destroy them?”
“Of course.”
The squeak in my voice says otherwise.
“Stop thinking like a Westerly! You need to channel some of that inherited darkness.” He grabs my wrist and drags me closer to Arella. “There she is—the woman who murdered your parents and betrayed your
I close my eyes, trying to remember more, but my past is still too jumbled up.
Audra’s a part of it, though.
And she’s still a part of me—even if the ache I’m clinging to is growing fainter every hour.
“Are you okay?” Solana whispers, resting her too-warm hand on my shoulder. “Isn’t this where your family . . .”
I nod.
Arella clears her throat. “Actually, we’re a little to the north. But it does look the same.”
I study the field we’re standing in—rolling waves of grass and wildflowers as far as the eye can see.
It’s pretty, I guess.
But it makes me uneasy.
There’s too much sky. Too much wind. Too few places to hide.
It feels like the last place on earth for a family of sylphs to be when they’re trying to hide from Raiden—which was probably why Arella chose it.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she tells me, scratching at her arms. “If I could undo it, I would.”
“Oh please.” I kick a clump of wildflowers, sending their yellow petals scattering. “All you regret is that your husband sacrificed himself to save me.”
She doesn’t deny it.
“Well then,” Aston says, “this seems like a fitting time for my afternoon fix.”
He tangles Arella in ruined drafts, soaking up her pain as she sinks to her knees. Solana covers her ears—but I memorize each one of Arella’s screams.
“Look at you,” Aston says. “I must say, this is the darkest side I’ve ever seen in a Westerly. You’re almost smiling.”
“She deserves it.”
“Ah, yes. Pain for pain. Does that make it all better?”
It doesn’t. Just like whatever he’s doing to Arella doesn’t make his holes disappear.
But it helps .
Aston smiles. “You definitely got some of your girl’s fire when you bonded, didn’t you? Might keep you alive—if we learn to use it. So why don’t you make one of those fancy wind spike things and we’ll see what you’ve got?”
“We don’t have time to play around,” I argue.
Aston points to where Arella lies curled up in the long grass. “She won’t be up to traveling for a bit. And I’m not getting you anywhere near Brezengarde until I know you can defend yourself. So be a good boy and make a wind spike.”
He claps his hands like I’m some puppy he’s teaching a new trick.
I hate myself for obeying.
As soon as I form the spike, Aston snatches it away—but I shout, “Come,” in Westerly and the spike snaps back to my hand.
“I bet you think that gives you an advantage, don’t you?” Aston asks.
Before I can respond, he grabs my spike and gags me with one of his ruined winds.
“ Now try to call your weapon back.” He points the wind spike at my heart. “Oh wait, you’re dead. Pity.”
For a second I wonder if he’s really going to impale me. Solana must be worried too, because she drags Aston back.
“Oh, relax, Princess. If I wanted him dead, he would be. I’m merely trying to show him how pointless his little tricks are against Raiden’s methods.”
He hisses another command and my gag unravels.
“Let’s assume for a moment that you manage to hold on to your weapon and get close enough to actually have a clear shot at one of the Stormers.” He hands me back my wind spike. “Could you kill them?”
“Is it necessary?” I ask.
“It’s always necessary. They’re the enemy. ”
“Right, but are they actually, like, threatening me?”
“Fine, let’s make this easier and say they have their weapon pointed at your true love—and they’ve been murdering kittens all day. Now could you destroy them?”
“Of course.”
The squeak in my voice says otherwise.
“Stop thinking like a Westerly! You need to channel some of that inherited darkness.” He grabs my wrist and drags me closer to Arella. “There she is—the woman who murdered your parents and betrayed your
Similar Books
