Shannon Messenger - Let the Storm Break

I try to think through everything I’ve learned about the Westerlies, hoping there’s some clue that will tell me what they’d want me to do. They’re brave and loyal. Steady and peaceful. And yet, the command that finally allowed our escape from Death Valley was an aggressive word. I never would’ve thought to give that kind of command to a Westerly. But that was what my shield told me to use, like it knew there are times when we have to push beyond what feels comfortable and go with something more extreme.

I take a deep breath, looking at Vane as I say, “I’m willing to weave one spike for every guardian. Only one.”

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 to 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, then 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.

“Excuse me,” Os says, “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, I think this was what he wanted. He never got over losing my mom. Now he doesn’t have to miss her anymore.”

The only thing I can say is what we’re always supposed to say at a moment like this. But this time I force myself to believe it’s true. “Now they’re together in the sky.”

Gus nods and looks away.

I leave him alone, heading toward the door.

“You don’t have to stay with me,” I tell him when he follows.

“Vane will kill me if I let you out of my sight. And it’s probably better if I stay out of Os’s way right now.”

I can feel all the guardians watching us as we make our way to the date grove. It’s strange to see so many of them gathered together. During my training they always worked in small groups. Bases of five or ten at the most, to make sure we never opened ourselves up to too many casualties. And once I was assigned to Vane, I was alone.

If Raiden’s killed forty-one Gales—even if twenty-nine of those were his recent capture—he must’ve taken down most of the nearby bases. And if he wins today he’ll have wiped out the bulk of our Pacific Fleet. I wish we had time to call the other fleets for aid, but I’m sure that’s why Raiden is moving quickly. He doesn’t want us to have a chance to regroup.

My legs feel heavy as we weave through the familiar overgrown trees, but I stuff my exhaustion away. I’m no stranger to sleepless nights.

Still, I wish I had time to steal away to the mountains for fresh air to revive me. Instead I head straight to the sun-bleached walls of my shelter.

Vane was right about the mess, and paired with the heat and the bugs swarming everywhere, it’s hard to imagine that I actually lived here. I never truly thought of this place as my home, but as I cross into the small corner of shade under the few remaining eaves, I realize that, for better or worse, these crumbling walls know the story of my life.

I pull my windslicer from the slit I carved into the floor and check the needles to make sure they’re not bent or tarnished.

“This must’ve been a tough assignment,” Gus says, kicking away a couple of date roaches. “I don’t know how you did it. I mean, living in this piece of crap, having to stay hidden, putting up with Vane—though clearly that last one wasn’t as challenging for you.”