“I don’t think it’s going to be up to you to decide.”
He tries to button the jacket, but the fabric won’t reach. He’s far more muscular than the Stormer.
“Well . . . hopefully if anyone sees us, it will only be from behind,” I say.
“Or maybe they’ll think I got hurt in the battle,” he says. “I guess my pants might give me away, though.”
We both eye the Stormer’s pants on the ground, and I feel myself blush. “If you need help . . .”
Gus shakes his head. “It’ll take too long. Besides, I doubt they’ll fit. You ready?” he asks, strapping the windslicer around his waist. “We should get moving.”
He heads for the stairs, sucking in a pained breath as he climbs the first step.
I pull his arm over my shoulders and support him as we climb. “Maybe you should absorb my Westerly again. It seemed to make you stronger.”
“You need it more than I do.”
“Don’t be absurd.”
“I’m not. Come on, Audra—let’s be real here. You’ve got people out there risking their lives to save you—”
“To save us,” I correct.
“Eh—mostly to save you. We both know that.”
I let out a sigh. “Vane is . . .”
I don’t know how to finish the sentence.
Now that my Westerly instincts are back, I feel a bit more of a stirring at his name.
But not what it was.
“Breaking your bond messed with your head,” Gus whispers. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t get it back. He came after you, Audra. You two need each other.”
I shrug, not sure what to say.
The gesture tilts Gus off balance, and I have to scramble to keep him from falling.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. This is proving my point. If I slow you down too much, I want you to leave me.”
“That’s not happening.” I stop and wait for him to look at me. “It’s not, Gus. I mean it. And I need you to promise that you won’t give up—no matter what.”
Gus sighs, not looking at me as he mumbles, “I’ll do my best.”
It’s not the most convincing delivery, but I have to take it.
“So where to?” he asks, as we get back to climbing the stairs.
With Vane and my mother still outside fighting, I can only think of one option.
“We need to find our way to the Shredder.”
CHAPTER 19
VANE
I have no idea where we’re going.
There are plenty of fires and explosions going on in the distance—but those are supposed to be leading the Stormers away from where we’re headed.
Meanwhile we’re flying through the dark, over trees and snow and shadows that all look exactly the same. Fortunately, Solana has no problem bossing me around, and it seems like she actually knows what she’s doing.
Soon enough, I spot the outline of train tracks peeking out of the ice. A couple of minutes after that, the weathered water tower appears.
“I don’t see any Stormers; do you?” I ask as we circle the curved tracks.
Solana unsheathes her windslicer. “No way it’ll be that easy. Dip a little lower to drop me off, then hide somewhere in the trees.”
“Uh, you’re not going down there alone.”
“I’m better alone—and it’ll be easier if I don’t have to worry about keeping you safe.”
My Dude Instincts tell me I should feel insulted by that—and that I need to insist that I be the one to protect her.
“You’re sure you can handle it?” I ask instead.
“I’ll call for you if I need help.”
She gives my hand a quick squeeze, and her warmth is still buzzing in my fingers as she jumps out of the wind bubble and lands in the snow with a somersault.
I fly to the top of the tallest tree and crouch on a sturdy branch, ready to swoop down at the first sign of serious trouble—and it comes fast. Solana’s barely taken ten steps when two Stormers burst out of the highest snowdrift. Between their thick shoulders and burly arms, they add up to about four of her.
“I’m fine!” she shouts, which is apparently my cue to stay put.
I grip my dagger and lean down for a better view of the action, balancing on the balls of my feet. I agreed to let her handle this—but if she needs me, I’m ready.
“We’ll get to you in a minute,” the smaller Stormer shouts at me.
The other Stormer snarls a broken command, sending ruined winds tangling around Solana—but she sucks the drafts up and stores them under her skin.
“Looks like we’ll need to do this the old-fashioned way,” the bigger Stormer tells her, unsheathing two windslicers, one for each of his hands.
The other Stormer does the same, juggling the swords back and forth like a freaking circus performer.
Solana positions herself between them. It seems like the worst place to be—until she does this crazy spin-flip move and somehow manages to attack both Stormers at the same time.