20
The idea of Baelen Rath as a Storm Prince… Why does that feel so right to me? Why am I not shrieking and ranting right now? Maybe it’s the shock of my realization keeping me numb. Maybe it’s knowing that if everything goes wrong for me, if I die, then the storm’s power will at least be in hands that I trust. Baelen’s hands. The Elven Command won’t be able to make Baelen use it in any dishonorable or evil way like they could try with someone else.
I lean against the panel, my breath frosting against the cold darkness inside the Vault. “I thought someone wanted to unleash the storm, but it’s not about that at all. It’s about taking control of it.”
Elise hovers beside me. “That would explain why the curse was created now. You’re the first Princess who can transfer her power to another elf. You’re also the first to use the storm as a weapon, which means it’s a deadly power to control.”
“I could decimate a battle field.” I study my fingers pressed up against the panels. “Given what I can do with a single steel knife, cover me in steel armor and the results could be devastating.”
“No other Princess has done what you have. Even Mai was a passive vessel.”
“Are you sure? I saw her slow time.”
“I did my research,” she says. “After I saw what you did when Commander Rath was here, I had a very frank discussion with Mai’s advisor. Mai was able to harness the remnant power of thunder and she could water her garden from her fingertips for a few hours after each visit to the Storm Vault, but she couldn’t weaponize the storm like you can.”
“I guess I hoped I wasn’t completely alone in this.”
“I’m sorry, Princess. What you can do has never happened before.”
I run my hand through my hair, wringing out the water from my braid. “What I find unbelievable is the idea that all I have to do is touch another male to pass my power on to him. What if I accidentally bump into someone walking through the square one day?”
What if the gargoyle I met on the mountain had leaned just a little closer?And why didn’t anything happen when he picked me up inside his wings to deposit me inside the cave? Or… maybe something did happen and now there’s a super-charged-storm-controlling-gargoyle raging around Scepter peak?
I almost laugh, but it’s shallow and quickly dies in my throat. “Elise, I have a lot of questions, but what I really need to know is whether the Elven Command actually knows about the curse or worse… if they created it to take control of the Storm. They’ve been talking about launching an attack on the gargoyles. The Storm would be the perfect way to do that.”
She chews her lip. “I don’t want to believe they’d create the curse. They’ve always been proud, arrogant…”
“Control-freaks?”
Her eyebrows lift as if punctuating her response. “Yes, but they’ve never been deliberately reckless or cruel before. My guess is that they found out about it and thought they’d use it to their advantage.” She shakes her head. “Maybe the question we should be asking is how was the curse created? Deep magic can only be manipulated through life itself.”
I nod. “When I flew with the Phoenix, it told me that the storm was created when a female gargoyle gave her life for revenge.”
“Which means that this curse was created from death.” Elise’s gaze flashes across the Vault. “I need to look into recent deaths. That should lead us to whoever is doing this.”
“Thank you, Elise. I know you won’t let me down.”
“Well… at least now I have a place to start.” She squares her shoulders as she leads the way out of the ante-room.
When we reach my quarters, I find Jordan already dressed and half of the Storm Command fussing over her hair and the other half making a bouquet of white lilies for her. Her dress drapes across the chair she’s sitting on, her elegant appearance only ruined by the puffy eyes she reveals when she looks up.
“This is my last time in this room,” she says as I draw near, my storm boots squelching. “I won’t be allowed in this place again.”
“True. But one glance from Sebastian and this moment of sadness will be forgotten forever. Remember,other reasons.”
She breaks into a gorgeous smile and I leave her with the Storm Command while I retreat to my bedroom with a minimal guard. I stare into the abyss that is my closet. My wardrobe isn’t exactly stocked with weddings in mind. Come to think of it, it’s not even stocked with my own wedding in mind. I own multiple storm suits, several gray body suits for exercising, and a few casual dresses. I have the cloak I wore to the Heartstone Ceremony, and I have my armor. And… that’s it.
One of my ladies appears in the doorway. She’s as tall as Jordan, but the opposite in appearance: blonde, blue-eyed, and stealthy as a shadow panther. She’s just as deadly as Jordan with a bow and arrow and, well, every other kind of weapon. But most importantly, she’s calm, quietly intelligent, and always thinks before she acts. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to request that she takes over from Jordan.
“Yes, Reisha?”
“If I may, Princess. This gift was left for you.” She places a large, white box on my bed. “Elise checked it over for spells and I’ve assessed it for threats. It’s safe for you to open.”
I run my hand over the top. “Who is it from?”
“I believe Commander Rath’s advisor brought it to the door, Princess.” She bows and retreats to the side of the room where two other ladies wait, giving me as much privacy as they can, while still watching over me.
I chew my lip with uncertainty as I open the box. The lid is light and lifts off easily. Inside the box, a note rests on top of the contents, which are wrapped in material. I recognize Baelen’s scrawl, written in the same graphite that he used to draw with.
