21
The next morning, there are no messages from the Elven Command about the final battle. I was expecting something already but Elise makes reassuring noises at me. “They’re bound to send word soon. In the meantime, we need to talk.”
She drops us into a sound bubble at the breakfast table. She hasn’t touched her food and neither have I. Anxiety builds inside me with every passing minute that we don’t hear from the Command.
I try not to look at the door for the thousandth time expecting a messenger to arrive. “What have you found out?”
Her forehead crinkles. “There have only been five deaths in the past month. It’s actually the least in terms of averages. Of those, four were elderly and their passing was expected. The fifth was a female who had been ill for some time; also expected.”
“None of the deaths were untimely?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Well…” I grasp at straws. “What about disappearances? Deaths that might have been covered up?”
“I looked into those as well. There was one disappearance but the female was found safe and well.”
“Then we’re no closer to figuring out the origins of the curse.” This is not the news that I need right now. I glance at the door again. I need to know about the final battle and I need to know who’s behind the curse. By the look of things, I’m not going to get either of those pieces of information any time soon.
Elise prods at her plate. She’s been slowly turning her eggs into mush as we talked. “The only thing I can think is... no… it’s not likely…”
“What Elise? I’ll take any information right now, even something unlikely.”
She drops her fork. It clatters against the side of her plate but she’s too distracted to notice. “What if the death hasn’t happened yet?”
“But… the final battle’s supposed to be tomorrow. That would mean someone has to die today.” I’m going to leap out of my skin now. If what she said is true then any minute now the curse could be completed and I have no way of knowing who is going to die so that I can stop it from happening. “The victim could be anyone.”
She chews her lip, momentarily silent, her gaze flashing around the room. My Storm Command is used to Elise and I having private conversations—and they’d expect us to have even more in the lead up to the fight—so they don’t pay us any attention. “Actually… I can’t be sure but… I think such a terrible curse would have to stem from a connection with the storm.”
“Then… someone in my Storm Command?” I stare at her, fear rising fast inside me. “Jordan? You?”
Her voice drops to a whisper. “I don’t know, but we need to remain vigilant. I’ll send word to Jordan to keep a look out for anything suspicious and to be on her guard. I think you need a Storm Commander sooner rather than later. Did you have anyone in mind?”
“Reisha Gild,” I say without hesitation.
“Okay then, I’ll make that happen. In the meantime, stay calm. This is all just maybes. We don’t know any of this for certain.” She’s back to her usual calm self and I’m incredibly grateful for the way she balances me out. My emotions are going haywire. The threat of losing Baelen is already tearing me apart. I can’t lose anyone else close to me. Even ‘maybe’ is too much possibility for me.
I spend the rest of the morning secretly watching over my Storm Command instead of them watching over me, keeping track of where each of them is at all times and whether any of them seems ill or different in any way. By the time we finish lunch, there’s still no word from the Elven Command and I’m way past edgy. The battle is supposed to be tomorrow. They didn’t take this long with any of the other trials.
When it’s time to subdue the storm, I take off at a run to the Storm Vault, my ladies shooting concerned glances at me, but keeping pace around me. Even Elise rushes beside me, not speaking. She knows I can’t make conversation right now.
Even without touching steel, I’m crackling at the edges. The lightning inside of me is being fed by my anxiety and it needs to find a way out or I’m going to explode.
When we get there, I race through the inner rooms, but I pause before entering the Vault itself. “Elise, I need you to go back out there. You need to watch over my Command and make sure nothing happens to them.”
“But, Princess… you need me here.”
“I’m fine. I’m not in danger, but they are. I need to know they’re safe and you’re the only one who knows there’s a threat. Go. Please.”
It’s clear she doesn’t want to leave me. Her entire life is built around protecting me, especially while I’m in the Storm Vault—she’s never left me while I’ve been subduing the storm. I say, “Please. I know you don’t want to leave me, but I need you to protect them.”
She bows her head. “Yes, Princess. I’ll make sure nothing happens.”
“Okay, I’ll be out as soon as I can.” I wait for her to leave and then I step into the Vault without another moment’s hesitation.
Lightning leaps straight to me, giant threads of it twisting around my torso and legs, hugging me close. There’s a hurricane brewing in the center of the room, the biggest I’ve ever seen. I step into it willingly and for the first time ever the wind can’t pick me up. The whirlwind blows from the right so I push back at it, both hands up at my side. It beats at me, whipping my hair across my face, but I don’t lose my footing, leaning into the wind. In fact, the pressure against my body soothes my frayed nerves as I push through, one step after the other, grateful for the release of energy inside me. Finally, I make it to the quiet center, but I pause before stepping out of the hurricane, not ready to face the silence yet.
Thunder booms overhead so loud it makes my bones rattle. I turn my back to the pounding wind and tilt my palms up, allowing lightning to trickle upward, wispy like smoke. The wind quickly rips it away. I listen carefully to the storm, hoping to hear it speak. It had tried so hard to say something to me yesterday.
