Let the Storm Break (18 page)

My burning eyes are too blurry to tell me if anything is real, but I see red and black—blood and shadow—mixed with Audra’s desperate cries.
And wind. So much wind.
A tempest of dark drafts, raging and roaring and swallowing everything they touch until there’s nothing left but storm and chaos, ripping at my skin, trying to drag me under. I fight to hold on as haunting laughter drowns out the winds, worming into my brain and making my head throb with every sharp beat.
The storm unravels, growing a head and arms and wild shadowy hair—a Living Storm of Audra that joins an army of others, howling and laughing as they rampage into my valley, tearing apart roads, houses, cars, people—anything that gets in their way.
The Gales rally against them, standing in the line of the Storms as Gus races forward, raising Raiden’s windslicer to slash and shred—but the winds toss him into the sky and tear him apart piece by piece. His agonized screams mix with the thunder of the storm as he crumbles to dust and is lost on the breeze. The rest of the guardians turn and run but the winds swallow them whole, splattering the ground with red as their bodies are twisted into new Storms—an army that keeps growing stronger, feeding off anyone who dares to stand against it. Heading straight to me.
My parents try to run—try to scream—but the Storms are too fast, too merciless as they scoop them up like paper dolls and spit them to the ground in crumpled heaps. Leaving only me, standing in a circle of dead trees as the Storms unravel and Raiden marches forward with an almost gleeful smile.
“I know how to break you,” he tells me, and I want to run somewhere safe.
But everything’s gone.
There’s nowhere left.
He laughs, tossing back his head as he says, “Now you die.”
Searing pain rages through my head, and I feel my body thrash but I can’t pull away, can’t pull my mind back from the horror as Raiden binds me in his wicked winds. Not until a warm breeze whisks inside me and melts away the thick fog.
I tear open my eyes and jump out of bed—so relieved to be in my undestroyed bedroom that my brain barely registers that it was Solana leaning over me instead of Audra.
I collapse to the floor, shaking my head to shove away the dream or nightmare or whatever it was. But as the images replay in my mind I realize it wasn’t any of those things.
It wasn’t even a warning.
It was a
promise.

CHAPTER 30

AUDRA
V
ane wouldn’t wake up for me.

I tried screaming his name. Tried shocking him with the heat of our connection, like I’ve done in the past. Nothing helped. Not even a kiss.
Then Solana heard my panicked screams and rushed in, shoved

me aside, and crawled on top of him. She sent a Southerly into his mind, whispered a command I’d never heard and . . .
Vane woke up.
His dad cheered and his mom cried and all I could do was stand in the corner like an outsider, wondering why he wouldn’t wake up for me.
“Are the Gales back?” Vane gasps, rubbing the sides of his head as he pulls himself up off the floor and leans back against his bed.
“I heard Gus arrive in the grove about an hour ago,” Solana answers, and Vane whips his head toward her.
“Oh,” he mumbles, “I thought you’d left earlier.”
“No. I started to, but . . . I had nowhere else to go.”
Even
I
can’t help feeling sorry for her. Though my sympathy turns to unease when Vane asks, “You brought me out of the nightmare, didn’t you?”
She blushes as she nods. “Your mind put up more of a fight this time, but I found a way to entice you back.”
“Thank goodness,” Vane’s mom whispers, her voice thick.
“Yeah, we owe you,” his dad adds.
Solana practically glows from the praise—or maybe it’s just the tears I feel burning my eyes. But all Vane says is “We need to tell Gus to call everyone.”
The pain in his tone snaps me out of my wallowing and I move to his side, feeling everyone watch me as I try to figure out what to do.Touching him almost seems wrong now, but when I reach out my hand, he grabs it and clings to me like I’m the only thing tethering him to the earth.
I drop to my knees on the scratchy gray rug and wrap my arms around him, surprised to feel that he’s trembling. I catch Solana watching us before she runs to the front door to call for Gus—but I’m too shaken to feel triumphant.
Why did he wake up for
her
?
I know we’re bonded
—
but that only means he
shouldn’t
care about someone else. Not that he
can’t
.
And they clearly have some sort of connection.
And when I first came back in the room last night, I heard them whispering about him talking to the Gales—seeing if anything could be done. . . .
“What’s wrong?” Vane asks, pulling me into his lap.
I shift my weight, struggling to keep the too-short shirt I’m wearing adjusted. “I’m just worried about you. You . . . wouldn’t wake up.”
I manage to stop myself from adding “for me.”
He reaches up, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I do that sometimes, remember?”
I force myself to return his smile, but the words only make my chest heavier.
I used to be the one he needed.
He leans his forehead against mine and I can feel the hum of our bond rushing through me like a jet stream. I soak in the warmth, promising myself that I will not be one of those silly girls, worrying about a boy. Especially a boy holding me on the floor of his messy room, looking only at me.
“What’s going on?” Gus asks, making Vane and me jump as he runs into the room, slightly out of breath from his sprint across the lawn. “Another nightmare?”
“This time it felt more like Raiden was talking straight to me. . . .” Vane’s voice trails off and he pulls me closer. “He’s coming.”
Gus grips the hilt of his windslicer. “When?”
“I don’t know. But I doubt he’ll wait long.”
His mom covers her mouth and leans against her husband.
“But . . . that doesn’t make sense,” Solana says after a second. “Why would he warn us? Why give us time to prepare?” “The same reason a cat plays with his prey,” Gus grumbles, looking like he wants to punch something.
“Fear is one of the most powerful weapons,” I add quietly. “Though I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a trick, too.”
“Probably,” Gus agrees. “What exactly did he show you, Vane?”
“Just your basic
I’m going to destroy everything you care about with my army of Living Storms
nightmare.”
I try to fight back my shiver, but it rocks my shoulders anyway.
Raiden talked about building an army, but in order to do that he’d need . . .
“Os said the Stormers captured twenty-nine Gales yesterday,” Gus tells us, like he knows what I’m thinking.
“Holy crap,” Vane whispers.
“How did they get that many?” I’ve never heard of such a crushing defeat.
“I guess they thought they were only chasing two Stormers, but when they entered a canyon, a third Stormer ambushed them and gave some command that chased off all the winds they were flying with. Some of the Gales crashed to the dunes, but most were able to call a draft to stop their fall, and apparently the drafts seeped into their minds and lulled them all to sleep. Then the Stormers shouted something and the drafts turned red and blasted everyone away before the others could do anything to stop it.”
“Raiden wanted to make sure he caught the strongest,” I mumble. Though I’m surprised Os wasn’t among them.
“Twenty-nine Living Storms,” Vane says, and the quiver in his voice mirrors the one in my stomach.
“What are they?” Solana asks quietly.
“Trust me, you don’t want to know.” Gus fidgets with the sleeves of his uniform before he looks at me. “When he turned Feng into . . . how long did it take?”
The moment was such a blur it’s hard to say for certain. But I know it wasn’t long. “Only a handful of minutes.”
Vane straightens. “So . . . he could already be on his way?”
Gus leans out the window, turning his face to the stuffy breezes sweeping through the soft dawn light. “I feel no warning yet.”
“But we all know how quickly the winds can shift,” I remind him.
“What does that mean?” Vane’s mom asks, and we all fall silent. She turns to Vane. “Do we need to leave again?”
“Probably,” he admits.
I’ve never seen her look so tired as she nods and says, “And I’m assuming you can’t come with us?”
“No, they’ll need me here.” He pulls me closer so he can whisper in my ear. “But I want you to go with them.”
“I’m staying with you.”
“You could keep them safe for me—and then I wouldn’t have to worry about you.”
“I’m
not
leaving you.”
“I’ll go with them,” Solana offers. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
I don’t know which I hate more, how grateful Vane looks or how bad I feel for not being the one who made him look that way.
But Gus steps forward before Vane can agree. “If we’re taking on twenty-nine Living Storms, we’re going to need every soldier we can get. I know you want to protect your parents, Vane. Believe me, I
understand.
But I don’t think we can afford to spare anyone this time.”
“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Vane’s dad jumps in. “I’m getting good at outrunning storms. Haven’t gotten a speeding ticket yet!”
Vane looks torn as he turns to his mom, who’s twisting her hands so tightly her fingers are turning white “Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”
“I’m not worried about
us
, Vane.” She glances at me. “You’ll take care of him for me?”
The question feels like a calming breeze.
She could’ve made that request to anyone in the room. But she asked
me.
“I’ve been protecting him for ten years,” I tell her. “Nothing’s going to happen.”
Vane tightens his hold on me.
Solana looks away.
“I guess I should go make some coffee for the drive, then,”Vane’s mom says quietly, taking one last look at her son before she rushes out of the room.
Vane’s dad forces a smile. “At least I like road trips. Maybe we’ll do the Grand Canyon this time.”
“No—go south,” Vane tells him. “Last we knew, Raiden was in Death Valley.”
His dad’s smile fades. “Okay. Well, then—Mexico it is. A margarita sounds pretty good right now, actually. Extra heavy on the tequila.”
Vane sighs. “Sorry this keeps happening.”
“Hey, we knew adopting a son was going to be an adventure. I didn’t expect wind warriors, but . . .” He runs a hand over his shiny head. “You’ll really be okay? That bruise . . .”
“I’ll be fine.”
Vane probably sounds less confident than his dad would like, but his dad leaves it at that, turning instead toward me.
Then away.
Then back again.
He finally steps forward, offering his hand. “I guess I should, um . . . offer my congratulations.”
“Ugh, you guys are so embarrassing,” Vane whines as my cheeks burn.
Part of me wishes I could bury my face against Vane’s chest and hide. But I force myself to lean forward and shake his dad’s hand. “Thank you.”
He nods, his eyes slightly glassy as he clears his throat again and says he’s going to go pack.
“I take it this means you told them?” Gus asks when he’s gone.
“Yeah, it sorta came up.” Vane glances at Solana, then away. “I’ll tell Os when this is over.”
“Tell me what?” Os asks, making everyone jump as he stalks into the room.
I’ve seen the captain of the Gales only once, standing outside my mother’s house as I swore my oath as a guardian. At the time he’d looked equal parts proud and nervous—the way they all did as they put their most important assignment in the hands of a thirteenyear-old.
Now the scar under his eye is twisted with anger as I try to scramble out of Vane’s lap.
Vane holds me in place, whispering, “He’s already seen.”
“What madness is
this
?” Os demands. “What are you—”
“Raiden’s coming,” Vane interrupts.
Os’s eyes widen and he turn toward the window, staring at the calm sky. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
He mutters a curse under his breath and pulls his hands through the loose hair around his braid. “So what are we facing?”
“Did Gus update you on everything that happened yesterday?” Vane asks him.
“
Almost
everything. He failed to mention that our deserting guardian had returned—I take it you weren’t able to track down the third Stormer?” he asks me.
“Really, that’s what you want to focus on?” Vane snaps before I can ask what that means. “Raiden’s coming to destroy us and you want to talk about Audra?”
“The biggest mistake any leader can make is keeping a traitor in his midst.”
Vane slides me to the side and stands. “You’re seriously calling her a
traitor
?”
I know I should stand too—say something in my defense—but my heart is pounding too hard and my head is spinning too fast and all I can do is stare at the floor and tuck my stupid bare legs underneath me.
Os stalks closer. “Did she or did she not abandon her duties as a guardian—break her oath—”
“Audra didn’t abandon anything,” Vane interrupts. “She took a few weeks to clear her head—and after everything she’s done for us and everything she’d been through, she deserved it.”
“Yes, well, the families of the guardians who lost their lives while caring for
her
responsibilities might disagree.”
He turns to Gus, but Gus shakes his head. “My father was honored to serve his king.”
I can tell that Gus means every word. Still, the weight of his father’s loss feels like a stone in my heart.
“His
king
,” Os repeats, turning back to me. “And am I safe in assuming that
this
is who you intend to make your queen?”
“Well, we haven’t really talked that far into the future—”
“But you
have
bonded?” Os interrupts.
I wish we could wait until Vane’s not shirtless and I’m not pantsless with unbraided hair and it’s not so incredibly humiliating. But it’s already too late.
“Yeah,” Vane says, reaching for my hand. “We have.”
Os groans, muttering something about foolish teenagers.
I pull myself to my feet, trying to look more confident than I feel as Os takes in the full effect of my ridiculous outfit.
He rolls his eyes and turns to Vane. “So this is the kind of king you’re going to be? One who blatantly disregards our wishes and does whatever you please?”
“When it comes to my personal life,
yeah
.”
“You don’t have a
personal
life—that’s what being king means! Your life is about serving others, not yourself. Otherwise you’re no different from Raiden.”
“Uh, I don’t murder innocent people, so I’m pretty sure that gives me a big one-up on him. And how does who I date have
anything
to do with ‘serving others’?”
“Because your people are searching for safety and stability and you’ve bonded yourself to the daughter of a murderer!”
I’m too numb to feel Vane’s warmth as he drapes his arm around me. But I notice he doesn’t say anything.
There’s nothing to say.
Os turns and starts pacing. He’s crossed the room three times before he says, “We arranged for you to marry the daughter of our fallen king and queen—two heroes not only known for their strength and kindness but who sacrificed themselves so the royal line could have a chance to live on. That future is something our people have been waiting for, hoping for. Fighting for the day they’d see the royal symbol once again adorn the gates of Brezengarde with a member of the Southwell family on the throne. And now you want me to tell them that instead, they need to embrace a queen who stole the king from his betrothed when she was supposed to be guarding him—who then abandoned her post, only to return weeks later and ruin everything we’d been planning for years? And the only notable claim she has for her pedigree is that her mother is one of the most infamous criminals our world has known—second only to Raiden?”
He pauses and I realize this is where I’m supposed to argue, prove that I’m worthy of Vane and all the responsibility that comes with him.
But every word that Os has said is true.
“You’re right,” Vane says quietly.
They’re two small words, but they hurt more than anything Os has said. I turn to look at Vane, but he’s looking at Solana and it feels like something inside me withers as he says, “Solana
should
be queen.”
I close my eyes, choking back my tears and reminding myself that I knew this could—should—happen all along.
But as I’m waiting for Os to bind me and drag me away, Vane pulls me closer and says, “I just shouldn’t be king. I wish I could fall in love with the princess and make everyone’s life easier. But I love Audra. So if I have to choose between being with her or being king, I will happily hand back the throne.”
I open my eyes, seeing nothing but the beautiful smile on the beautiful boy I will never deserve but want so much it makes me ache.
Os laughs—a sharp sound that spears my few seconds of happiness. “You think it’s that easy?”
“It can if you want it to be,” Vane tells him.
Os shakes his head and goes back to pacing. “Our world is broken, Vane—and when we’re finally free of Raiden and struggling to rise from the dust, we’re going to need strength to bring our people back together. We need our new leader to be the warrior who harnessed the power of four and destroyed the villain. Not the pretty girl who stood on the sidelines during the battle.”