Vane hesitates for a second, then nods.
Os does too, though he looks less than satisfied. “How long will
it take?”
“How many guardians are coming?”
“Nineteen, including myself and Gus. Twenty if you count
Solana.”
The numbers feel heavy in my head.
Twenty-nine Living Storms—plus who knows how many
Stormers—against so small a band of Gales . . .
Os must read the worry on my face because he tells me, “You
could teach us your commands.”
“I can’t.”
“Really? And what if Raiden captures you? Have you thought
of that?” he asks Vane. “You realize she could hand him the power of
four now, don’t you?”
“Uh, have you met Audra? If anyone’s stubborn enough to resist Raiden, it’s her.” He flashes a small, sad smile at me, but that isn’t
what makes my breath catch. It’s the absolute trust in his eyes. Not since my father has anyone shown so much faith in me. “But I’ll never let that happen,” Vane adds, his voice darkening.
“Raiden won’t get anywhere near her.”
“If you really want to make sure of that,” Os snaps, “you’d give
more of us the power to protect you two.”
“The wind spike was all I needed,” Gus reminds him. “And if
Audra’s going to make them for us, she should get started—now.
While we still have enough winds.”
We all turn to the window. The sky is a clear, perfect blue, but
the trees in the grove are mostly still. The morning breezes that usually stir their leaves are whisking away. Spooked by the change in the
air.
Vane slips on his shoes. “Will you be okay without me for a few
minutes?”
He’s talking to me, but Os is the one who answers. “Your responsibility is here, Vane.”
“Actually, I thought my responsibility was with every innocent
person in this valley.”
“And you think you’re helping them by wasting time warning
one groundling?”
“He’s my friend.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“For me, it is.”
“Maybe you should let him go, sir,” Gus interrupts. “You know
he’s going to do it anyway.”
Os doesn’t agree—but his silence is enough.
Vane pulls me in for the briefest of kisses—so light I’m not
sure if our lips even touch—before whispering for me to stay close
to Gus and making his way to the window. I can’t help smiling as
he jumps outside and I hear the thornbushes crunch, followed by a
high-pitched yelp.
“So smug in your betrayal,” Os grumbles as soon as Vane’s flown
away. “You swore an oath—have you forgotten that?”
The words sting more than I want them to, and it takes me a second to find the right reply. “I’ve never stopped serving the Gales—
but my loyalty lies with my king. As I thought it was supposed to be
for all of us, now that he’s stepped into his role.”
“Has he now?” Os laughs without humor. “Do you know how
many guardians we’ve lost since Vane stepped into his role? Forty-one.”
He kicks one of Vane’s shoes across the room and it slams into the
wall hard enough to leave a black scuff. “Forty-one loyal, dedicated
soldiers who kept up the fight after you abandoned your duties. All
while we have a leader who harnesses an ultimate power he refuses
to share with anyone—except you. A leader who we thought had
at least been trained for this moment by our most dedicated child
prodigy. And yet Feng told me Vane knew almost nothing when he
took over. Did you do anything besides seduce him?”
My eyes sting with shame, but I fight back the tears. What Os is saying might be true—but I have to believe that
Vane shared his heritage with me for a reason, and that with the
Westerlies’ help we’ll be able to win the coming battle.
Voices outside break the uncomfortable silence.
Os sighs. “Excuse me. I need to go lift the morale of my soldiers
before the fight—not that there’s much I can say. Without the power
of four, we all know someone’s going to die today. We just don’t know
who, or how many.”
He stalks out of the room, followed by Solana. She doesn’t look
at me, but I can see her judgment in the straight line of her shoulders
and the sway of her hips.
Gus sighs. “Well, that went well.”
“I’m sorry you have to deal with all this—and thank you for not
correcting me.”
He nods, staring at the floor before he steps closer and whispers,
“You have had the fourth breakthrough, right?”
I study his face, making sure I can trust him. “Yes.”
He releases the breath he’d been holding. “Then maybe we have
a chance. Vane’s a terrible fighter.”
“I know. I tried to—”
“Relax, I didn’t mean that against you. My dad didn’t get very
far either—and he’s one of the greatest fighters in the Gales. Was,”
he corrects.
Guilt surges inside me, hot and sharp. “I’m so sorry—” “Please don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. And in a weird way,