by Amy Braun
Hadrian shifted beside me, holding out his hand and letting his four extended fingers frost over while gripping the sword with his thumb. The water soaking into the sand began to harden, a shimmer of ice layering over it and steadily moving toward Ferno. The ice formed faster, streaking toward him–
That was when Austin stood up, and noticed.
“Ferno!”
The Mistral Guardian whirled around, his eyes dropping. Hadrian clenched his fist. Spikes of ice burst from the sand and plunged through Ferno’s leg. He screamed and clutched his shin, dropping to one knee.
Hadrian jumped from his hiding spot and charged the clearing on the beach. Austin whirled to face him, and I saw just how big he was. Broad-shouldered with a thick middle, he looked like a retired linebacker. His jaw was wide and strong, his nose flat and his eyes small. Streaks of grey combed through his thin, unruly hair. He raised his fists and threw a punch as soon as my Guardian was in range.
Hadrian ducked and spun around him, stopping to launch a kick into Austin’s back. The false Stormkind sprawled face first into the sand.
Ferno tore his leg free of the ice, scowling and withdrawing one of his swords. His other hand slammed into the sand. He yanked it up, tiny particles dripping from his fingers. Particles that soon spiraled together, twisting into a small tornado.
Dark clouds thickened overhead, and soon the rain began to pour. I glanced at the top of the dune to check on Piper. Her beautiful face was a mask of concentration, and I was glad Zephys was there to support her. Vitae stood like an assassin in the dark, her tempest-blade at her side and one hand shoving down the dune.
The wind hit Ferno and sent him sprawling. Hadrian was on him in an instant, pressing the blade to the Mistral’s throat.
“Move, and your blood will be spilled,” Hadrian threatened.
Ferno lay still on the ground, but even from where I was, I could see the smile on his face. I cut a glance to Austin. He was on his knees, his back to me, and his fists clenching again.
“There will be no blood, Hadrian,” taunted Ferno in his awful, rasping voice. “Not when I can bury you.”
Austin reacted instantly, punching his fists into the wet sand around him. The beach heaved and rocketed thirty feet into the air behind him. Wet, clumpy sand rose over Austin and curved toward Hadrian. It fell on him in one massive crush.
I thought I saw white frost fly up in front of my Guardian, but I couldn’t be sure. The sand was too thick for me to see clearly. But I knew that sand ate through ice like acid, and the torrent being dumped on him wasn’t slowing down. It was cycling, churning down onto Hadrian over and over.
If Hadrian spent too much time concentrating on a shield to protect himself, he wouldn’t be able to fight Ferno if he attacked with a sword. And I was willing to bet that was exactly Ferno’s plan.
I was on my feet and running into the clearing even as the horrible scenario crossed my mind. I skidded to a stop at the back of Austin’s sand wall. I focused my breathing, centered myself, and gained energy from the tether. It tightened, a sign that Hadrian must still be using his ice powers as I used mine. I drew up my arms, slowly gathering strength from the tether, then slashed my arms to the side.
The burst of wind struck the side of the sandy wall, shoving it away from Austin. He stood up and whirled around, eyes glowing white even though he was no longer controlling the wall. I glanced past him.
Sure enough, Hadrian had used his abilities to build an ice shield taller than he was. It had been gouged by the dark sand, and he could no longer hold it. Ferno was on his feet, swinging his tempest-blade at Hadrian’s neck.
The strike never connected, and not only because Hadrian leaned back.
Vitae, who’d charged down the hill while the fight began, hooked her arm through the bend in Ferno’s arm and dragged his arm back. He whipped his head around, and she slammed the pommel of her sword into his face.
Motion in front of me captured my attention. Austin, white-eyed and wild, was running straight for me. A moment of panic snared my heart, but I pushed it away. I gathered the rain Piper was dousing over the beach and flipped it in my hands. The rain tilted horizontally and slammed into Austin’s face. He roared and staggered back, momentarily blind. I hesitated, not sure what to do next and knowing I couldn’t fight him physically.
Zephys was barreling down the hill with Piper close behind. Instead of running to Ferno, they ran for me.
Austin didn’t notice them yet. He swung his hands up across his chest. Sand pitched up from my left side and shot toward me. I twisted and used the tether to get some energy, pushing out my hands and freezing the water in the sand. It slowed the oncoming wall, but didn’t halt it. At least I was able to stagger back and escape being pummeled.
By sand, anyway.
Austin slammed into me like a truck. We hit the sand, his heavy weight pushing all the air from my lungs. I scrambled and slapped at him, but his hand quickly found my throat and squeezed. The white glow from his eyes and the snarl on his lips made him look like a man possessed by a demon. Terror ripped through me at his strength. If he squeezed any harder, he could break my neck.
But he never got the chance. Ice thudded around his neck and enclosed it. Austin was viciously torn from my body. I coughed and clutched my throat. Everything seemed to be in place. I rolled off the drenched sand and looked across the beach.
Hadrian held out his frosted hand, his illuminated blue eyes meeting mine. The look only lasted a moment before he dropped his hand and went back to fighting Ferno, who was not making it easy for the Precips to capture him.
The Mistral tossed sand left and right, hurling it into Vitae and Hadrian’s bodies to disorient them. When their vision was clouded, he used his swords to try and stab them. He would have succeeded, if Zephys hadn’t gathered lightning and slashed it at him. Ferno would avoid the worst strikes, stepping to the side or backing away. He was frighteningly quick.
Piper continued to make her way toward me, grabbing my arm and helping me to my feet. We both glanced at Austin. The icy noose around his neck wasn’t killing him, but it had enraged him. He roared and flipped onto his back, gripping the sand next to him. The dune on our right exploded, thick chunks of soaked sand flying outward like it was being vacuumed away from the island.
Piper yelped and I held out my hands, pushing a cool breeze into it to keep it from shredding into me. Even as I kept the worst of it back, I could feel hard flakes of grit stinging my face and fingers. It tangled in my hair and swept past me in a blur, threatening my vision. Piper stood behind me and shouted in my ear.
“What do I do?!”
I glanced at her. “See if you can absorb his power!”
She hesitated, and I didn’t blame her. After seeing how I reacted after touching her and taking her gift, it didn’t exactly seem like a thrilling prospect. But we needed to know if it was possible.
Piper nodded and ran to Austin’s side. The ice around his neck kept him in place, but the sand was melting it at a rapid pace. She had to hurry.
I turned my head, glancing through the thick, sandstorm sweeping over the beach. Ferno was using the storm to his advantage, seeming to be unaffected. He swung one of his tempest-blades at Vitae’s throat. She jumped back from it and snapped a kick into Ferno’s face. He staggered back as Hadrian pounced, shooting a blast of ice at his chest. Ice collided with sand, the grit fighting against the chill that battled to freeze it.
Hadrian lunged with his sword. Ferno saw him coming and blocked the strike. I watched the rage seep over him, spreading like a cancer about to claim its victim.
Ferno snapped his elbow back, catching Vitae in the head. He ducked under Hadrian’s punch, slamming a fist into his stomach. He swung his hand, commanding the sand beneath him to rise and hurl the wet granules into his eyes. Hadrian grimaced and staggered back, Ferno lunging for him with the sword outstretched while Vitae and Zephys tried to stop him.
“I can’t do it!”
Pi
per’s scream tore me from the awful sight ahead. I cut my eyes to her, telling myself that Hadrian would live. I couldn’t believe anything else.
Piper’s hands were pressed to Austin’s chest, her thumbs holding down his neck. She was straddling him, using her self-defense training to adjust her weight so he couldn’t move. He snarled and swung his fists at her, the blows grazing her chin and stomach.
Dread realization filled me. Piper couldn’t absorb Austin’s gift.
But I could.
My stomach tightened and rolled, like a rag being wrung out. I didn’t want to take Austin’s powers. Of all the sensations that tore through me when Mortis tortured me, dust had been one of the worst.
But we were out of options. Ferno was on a rampage, and if I didn’t do something soon, he could hurt one of the Guardians.
Or worse.
I risked a glance at the battle across from me. The Precips were still alive, but Ferno was locked in frenzy. He was a wild animal pushed into a corner. He sliced the air with his swords, keeping the Precips back. When he had the distance he wanted, he punched down at the earth and used his tether to unleash chaos on them.
The sand collapsed under Vitae’s feet, becoming quicksand that pulled her deeper into the earth. Zephys ran to help her when the ground bucked under him and threw him into the dune. Some of the sand had sloughed off the hidden debris, revealing broken trees. Zephys slammed into them, landing in a heap on his side. Hadrian rushed forward and sliced his sword across Ferno’s ribs. The Mistral roared and slashed back. Hadrian ducked and stayed close, smashing his knee into Ferno’s stomach. He bellowed again, drawing on his tether to command the sand. It wrapped around Hadrian’s back like thick, muddy tentacles and dragged him back onto the earth. My Guardian kicked and fought, but the sand constricted around his chest and limbs and held him on the ground. Hadrian released his grip on the tempest-blades to better control his ice gift, but the sand crawled up his neck and covered his face.
Smothering him.
Ferno grinned and spun the sword in his hand.
I dropped down beside Austin and looked at Piper. She was about to lose her hold on the false Stormkind.
“Keep the rain going,” I said, “and run.”
My best friend hesitated, then nodded. She launched off of Austin and sprinted away from me. Austin lurched up with a savage howl. The sound was so barbaric that Ferno stopped his final approach to Hadrian and looked at me. The whiteness still consumed his vision. Austin’s eyes locked on me and he lunged for my neck. Ferno screamed for him to stop and Vitae yelled my name, but neither call made a difference.
Austin’s hands clamped around my throat and pushed me into the thick sand. Tendrils of it curved over my cheeks and crawled toward my mouth. Grit stuck between my teeth and clumped on my tongue. I clapped my hands on Austin’s face–
And felt every particle in my body evaporate.
Rain poured onto my face, but it didn’t absorb into my skin. Blood turned to ash in my veins, clogging my arteries and forcing my heart to beat at a rapid pace. My lungs burned as I drew breath from my ragged throat. My eyes burned and my skin prickled as it lost all moisture.
I blinked as the man in front of me wailed and collapsed off of me. I flipped onto my hands and knees, pain dashing through my skull and slicing into my stomach. I grimaced and gripped the thick sand between my fingers. I could feel the moisture, knew it was there, but I couldn’t get it.
But I could get the life force in the man’s body. That would be good enough.
His eyes widened when he looked at me. I don’t know what he saw. I didn’t care. I snarled and rushed him. He yelled and slammed his boot into my shoulder. Pain spiked through my chest, but I didn’t stop moving. I pounced on him like an animal, digging my nails into his face and pinning his head to the ground.
I stared at his mouth, feeling that warm, sweet energy whispering across my face like a promise. I had never tasted that kind of power before. This would be my first time. Not ideal conditions, but what did I care? He was nothing to me.
I crunched forward, diving at his mouth for a venomous kiss. My lips pressed over his mouth, and the first taste of that light flicked against my tongue, a soft, melting sweetness that tasted like milk and honey–
Something heavy smashed into my skull, knocking me away from the man’s lips. I groaned, white spots dancing in my vision.
“Worthless,” a man rasped.
I blinked and shook my head, gazing up and meeting the dusty stare of Ferno.
My limbs froze. I glanced away to see where Piper and my friends were. Behind Ferno was a massive wall of sand, blocking them from me, likely drawn up by him while I was busy trying to devour Austin. The horror of what I’d nearly done hit me like a sledgehammer. Austin stared at me like he didn’t know what I was.
Like I wasn’t a human, but a monster.
“You were a waste of our time,” Ferno grated out. He gripped his sword tight in his hand, and I knew this was it. This was the moment I died.
Shudders wracked my body and tears burned my dried eyes.
I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to–
Ferno lunged with the sword. It plunged through flesh.
Flesh that wasn’t mine.
Austin gaped at the tempest-blade in his chest, as though he couldn’t understand why it was there. He understood what happened when I screamed. The tether in my chest snapped taut, and I thought I heard Hadrian’s voice in my head.
Ferno pulled the blade free and looked at me with shadowed eyes. He drew the second tempest-blade over his back and set it overtop of the bloody one.
“You live because you are not yet complete,” he told me. “Once you are, you will not escape your purpose.”
Light blinded me as he drew on his storm-sight. He became an illuminated pillar, and then he was gone.
White stars swirled through my vision. Darkness closed in, and kept closing until I passed out on the sand.
Chapter 14
“We cannot continue this.”
Hadrian sounded like he was on the edge of homicidal fury. I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the receiving end of it. I was perfectly content to lie on the infirmary bed. It was a sad sign that I had been here so many times I could recognize it by touch without even opening my eyes.
“Ferno killed his charge,” Vitae’s voice carried through the room. I figured she would be the one Hadrian was fighting with. “He left Ava alive when he could have taken her. We must find out why.”
“If that mistake on Cayo Costa taught us anything, it’s that she cannot contain her abilities like this. She is human, and every gift she absorbs is killing her.”
My heart plummeted. I was dying? I didn’t feel dead. Weak, yeah, definitely. I couldn’t even open my eyes yet. But dying? That couldn’t be right.
Until I remembered Hadrian telling me that I had bled from my nose and ears when I Enervated, exerting too much power and took it from another false Stormkind. Bleeds like that meant there was cranial damage. A warning that said if I pushed myself too far, a part of my brain could burst and instantly kill me.
My hands tightened on the bed sheets. I didn’t want to die.
A smooth, warm hand slipped over mine. Piper. She knew I was awake, and she was here for me.
I wished it were enough.
“I do not wish any harm to come to Ava either, Hadrian,” Vitae continued with restrained calm. “But we must look at the larger issue. Ferno had the opportunity to capture Ava, yet he did not. Are you not curious about why that is?”
“No. Not anymore.”
Hadrian didn’t even hesitate with his answer. He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. I knew the truth wasn’t quite so black and white.
Vitae pressed on. “Unless we discover what the Mistrals intend to do with Ava, we must continue to lure them out.”
“We are not using her as bait,” he snapped.
“We have no choice–”
“I have already put her in too much danger,” Hadrian bellowed. The sudden silence clashed with his seething breath. It was a long, quiet minute before he calmed down enough to speak again. When he did, his voice was solemn and gravely serious.
“She is my charge, and I have failed her over and over again. Now that I can see clearly, you want me to put her in the path of those who would break everything she is. I will not allow you to do that. I will protect her the way she deserves to be protected, from anyone who means her harm.”
This time I opened my eyes. There was no mistaking the implication in that threat. I turned my head to see Hadrian standing in the infirmary, towering over Vitae, his leader and friend of his father. I’d never seen anyone so enraged. His knuckles were white, his eyes wide and burning, his shoulders rigid with tension. He was one word away from punching something. Or someone.
Which is probably why Zephys was standing so close to Vitae, ready to fight his friend if he attacked their leader.
“The only other option we have is the one we discussed, and you refused even more vehemently–”
“Because Ava is not a tool for us to use,” Hadrian fumed. “She is a human girl who should never have been given these powers. She does not want them. If we had any care for disrupting Mortis’s plans, we would be looking for a way to free her and the other false Stormkind from them.”
“You are the last person to speak of what Ava needs, considering you were going to use her for the same thing.”
Vitae could not have picked a worse thing to say.
Hadrian lunged at Vitae, but Zephys grabbed him, shoving him back before he could touch her.
But Hadrian didn’t snap out of it. He rushed again, hands curled into fists.
I bolted upright. “Hadrian!”
My voice sounded horrible, like sandpaper dragged over concrete. Felt about as pleasant, too. Still, it was enough to halt Hadrian in his tracks. His head snapped in my direction, eyes churning like whirlpools. He relaxed when he saw me, the anger fading like shadows burned under daylight.