“More…will come,” he gasps. “He will…”
I straighten and hold the blade to his neck. My eyes connect with his as they beg me for air.
“Let him try,” I say, drawing the blade across his throat.
With a shuddering breath, I turn and walk back a few paces until I spot the ring, nestled among the bloodstained grass where I dropped it. I kneel and pick it up, the moonlight shining across the smallgoiteíacarved on its inner surface. The ones that kept mytheïkóshidden for so long.
The wind keens—a broken sound—and whips the loose hair around my face.
I ignore it, slipping the ring back on my finger.
My eyes close as relief washes over me, the world softening around the edges. The power still hums beneath my skin, a restless storm waiting to be unleashed. Even with the ring back on my finger, I can feel it, like a caged beast clawing at the bars. I press a trembling hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing, but the soldier’s face lingers in my mind—his wide, terrified eyes, the life draining from them.
Another image rises unbidden: a face framed by dark, cascading curls, cheeks kissed by sunlight, and a playful, teasing smile. My breath catches, my heart tightening painfully. Hali. The memory is still too raw, her loss a wound that refuses to heal. My childhood friend, too soft for the Aviary.
Too good for someone like me.
I exhale a shaky breath as the charmed ring forces the memory back into the depths of my mind where it belongs. But the weight of it lingers, pressing down on my chest like a stone. I open my eyes, and my breath catches again—this time for an entirely different reason.
Myna stands before me, her face unreadable, but her gaze cuts through me like a blade.
I hold it without blinking, even though I’m screaming on the inside.
There is no doubt she saw.
I glance past her, scanning for the other members of the Flight. Each of them, however, is absorbed in their own task—either putting an end to their battles or searching the fallen soldiers for any signs of life.
“Myna.” Her name comes out choked. I have no idea what I’m goingto say. Panicked thoughts clamor in my mind, each fighting to take precedence. I clear my throat and start again. “Myna, what you saw—”
“I saw nothing.” Her words are firm, but her eyes betray her. There’s something there—something I can’t quite name. Fear? Pity? Understanding? I want to ask her why she’s protecting me, why she’s willing to keep my secret, but the words catch in my throat. Instead, I nod, swallowing the lump in my chest. Myna turns away, her shoulders stiff, and I can’t help but wonder if I’ve just made an enemy—or an ally.
“Thank you.” The words travel from my lips on a sigh. A lifetime of keeping this secret, and my efforts almost crumbled away in the blink of an eye. It’s not that it would have been strange for me to havetheïkós,I just shouldn’t be able to harness the power of the wind. To many, the idea would be sacrilegious.
My panic may have made me vulnerable, but my fury left me exposed. I can’t let it happen again. I need to regain control, to tame the maelstrom that rages within me.
“Aella!”
Nyssa runs at me, throwing her arms around my neck. Over her shoulder, Myna frowns. The air stutters out of my lungs when her lips firm, but she shakes her head and turns away.
I pull back from Nyssa, cupping her face as I examine every inch of her. The tension in my shoulders shifts a fraction when I see she’s mostly free of blood.
“Are you okay?” I ask anyway, needing to hear the words from her lips.
“Yes. And you?”
“I’m fine.” I lean in closer, until my nose brushes the arch of her ear, and whisper, “Don’t forget to call me Starling.”
Her eyes widen as she jerks back, and she nods.
Raven approaches us, the others in tow. They’re all painted in gore from head to toe. Lark moves to Nyssa’s side, draping an arm across her shoulders and drawing her in. Uncaring or oblivious to the filth that covers him, she nestles in closer.
The remaining tension drains from my body as my eyes track overRaven. Even though blood drips from his skin, none of it appears to be his own. His gaze is cold as it wanders my body, but when his eyes meet mine, the iciness retreats, relief returning some of their usual warmth.
My heart clenches with the need to go to him, to touch him and talk to him and reassure myself that he is okay. But my muscles lock up, my feet growing roots and making me immobile.
He must see a hint of my internal struggle written on my face, because a small frown creases between his brows before he turns to Lory. “How the fuck did they catch us unaware? If it weren’t for Starling waking us, we would all be dead right now.”
Lory winces, showing no trace of the typical jokester I’ve come to know. “I was checking on the weapon to make sure it was still secure. I’m sorry, Commander. They must have been too far out at that point—I didn’t hear them approaching.”
