Tell him you don’t need his permission,Tempest said, eyes locked onto Talon.I will fly you wherever you want to go.
“I think you already know that I can go wherever I want at this point,” I told Talon. “But it would be better if we make a plan together.”
Talon looked back at Neo for a moment before nodding reluctantly. “Then we will return, though I can’t imagine anything worse than taking you back to the place that nearly got you killed. You’re right, though; we’ll have to come up with a plan first. We can’t just fly into this blind. The Devourer is almost certainly still alive.”
The color drained from my face. “You don’t think the wind power I unleashed was enough to kill him?”
Talon shot me a sympathetic glance. “He looked me in the eyes just before I grabbed you, and I doubt he would have the decency to die from his wounds.”
“So that…thing…is still alive, and I just left Shazeera there? Alone?” Before, I had been afraid the emperor might do something to Shazeera in retaliation for my leaving the palace. But the idea that the Devourer might leave the west wing and threaten my heart’s sister was enough to steal the breath from my lungs. “Whatever we do, we need to do it fast. I can’t communicate with Shazeera from this far away, so I have no idea what we’re walking into. They could already have hurt her.” My voice broke on the last word, and a knife twisted in my heart. Tempest made a sad sound of sympathy.
“Then we should fly straight for the pasture to rescue her,” Talon said. “If both your eagle—”
“Tempest,” I interrupted with a glance up at the eagle, who was closely following our conversation. “He said his name is Tempest.”
I was wondering when you would finally introduce me,Tempest said, ruffling the feathers of his neck.
I shook my head.You’ll have to excuse my lack of manners.
“Tempest,” Talon repeated. He bowed toward the eagle. “Forgive me for not using your name. I am Commander Talon.”
Tempest inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment.
“Then if both Tempest and Shazeera consent,” Talon continued, “Tempest can carry both of you back to your people.”
Easily,Tempest said.
I’m so thankful to have your help.Out loud to Talon, I said, “I don’t think Shazeera will mind flying again if it means we get to go home.What about you and Neo? Will you come with us?”
He shook his head, and my stomach sank. “Neo and I will fly to Mistral to tell them everything we’ve learned about the Devourer. I will convince them to join forces with your people.”
I nodded slowly, heart pounding. Mistral was far, and its people had every reason to be wary of a Zephyrian. But I trusted Talon. If anyone could convince them, it was him. Still, a quiet fear settled over me. If they didn’t want to ally with my people—if they refused to fight—then who would stand against the Devourer?
Suddenly, the wind changed.
Where it had blown gently across my face before, now it surged, fierce and cold, like I stood atop a mountain peak with nothing to hold me back from the edge. And then, as if summoned by the very mention of Mistral, the wind spirit filled my mind. Where Mistral’s power had threatened to overtake me once before, draining the strength from my body, now Tempest was here—his energy surging through our bond, anchoring me.
Wind caller,Mistral said, his voice curling through my mind like smoke.You found your Tempest.
I never imagined you meant that I would bond with an eagle.I tried to suppress my reaction, but it was hard when I was mentally connected and sending thoughts already.You could have been clearer.
The ways of wind spirits are not your ways,Mistral said.You were destined to find each other at the right moment.
I supposed I couldn’t expect a wind spirit to speak like I did. Still, I had to ask my next question.Will the king of Mistral listen to Talon? Will he be willing to ally with my people?
Whether he listens is not the question,Mistral said,but whether the truth reaches him in time.
I held on to those words, trying to draw comfort from them.But even as they settled in my mind, another fear rose—sharper, more immediate.
What about Shazeera?I asked, panic rising like a wave.Is she in danger?
Time is running short,he said, and my breath caught in my throat.
Then I must go to her immediately,I said, my thoughts spinning into desperation.
I will answer your call,Mistral said, but I barely registered it. My mind reeled, and a terrible desperation held me in a vise.
“Talon,” I said, my voice breaking, and he took a step toward me protectively, “Mistral said Shazeera needs us.”
