There was so much more I needed to know, but my mind felt muddled. This whole experience had me awestruck, and I didn’t want to lose my connection to Mistral.That creature. What do I do?
Ride the tempest, tame the wind.
Tempest—like a storm?I thought back, at a total loss.
You can channel my power, but only for brief periods. It drains your energy too fast, and without proper training, you could burn yourself out like a dying star.
I struggled to make sense of what the wind spirit was telling me, but I couldn’t hold on to any one thought for long.
The connection is draining you too much even now. I must leave you.
“Please don’t leave,” I mumbled.
I’m never far.
The moment the wind spirit left my mind, my tensed muscles gave out, and I dropped to my knees. I stayed there, dragging in breath after breath, too drained to move. Eventually, I forced myself to bed.
I didn’t have the strength to be afraid of the shadows anymore, but I still slept with one hand wrapped around my dagger.
26
Zara
The next morning, Raven still hadn’t returned. I watched the other handmaiden with a lump in my throat. I knew she had been sacrificed to that creature—maybe even in my place. The thought made my eyes burn as a heavy weight settled on my shoulders, pulling me down. I prayed I was wrong.
After the horrible things I had seen and overheard last night, I was desperate to talk to Shazeera. I refused breakfast and dressed quickly. When I opened the door, I found my night guard had been replaced by Talon. I nearly groaned with relief. Surely after everything he had told me about his concerns about the Devourer, he would be sympathetic when I told him what I overheard.
“First Daughter,” he said with a bow. And then he must have gotten a good look at my face, because he took a step toward me protectively. “Is something wrong?”
I nearly broke down then. Nearly pulled him into my room and unburdened myself of all the terrible things I had witnessed last night. But I stopped myself. Instead, I glanced down the hallway, toward Altair’s rooms. “I need to see Shazeera,” I said, trying but failing to keep the desperation out of my voice.
His dark eyebrows furrowed, but he didn’t say anything. He stayed by my side as we walked, close enough that I could feel the warmth from his body. Still, I cast nervous glances toward the shadowy places in the hallway. We wouldn’t be safe to speak until we were in the fresh air of the pasture.
After a tense walk through the palace, we finally emerged into bright sunshine and clear blue skies. Shazeera galloped over to me immediately.
I could feel how upset you were once you got close enough—even behind the stone walls,she thought to me with a snort.I had just asked Kestrel to send word to check on you.
Her words distracted me for a moment.What do you mean you asked Kestrel?
My guards have come up with a simple communication system—things like pawing the ground or nodding—to convey my needs.
That’s genius,I said, surprised and touched that they cared enough about Shazeera to let her communicate what she needed.
Yes, but never mind that,Shazeera said.What happened to you?
I wrapped my arms around her neck and just rested my forehead on her mane, the stress of the past few days hitting me hard. Shazeera dipped her head, hugging me back as the wind blew gently around us. Kestrel guarded her today, and he came and joined Talon. They stood quietly near us, not interrupting our reunion. After a few moments, I took a shuddering breath and filled her in on the horror show that was my night.
She whinnied in distress when I came to the part about Altair barely resisting Lord Heron wanting to sacrifice me to Ozul.
You cannot possibly marry the emperor now,she said.We must escape. There has to be some way off this mountain.She looked at Talon.Surely he will help us. If anything, he wouldn’t want that creature feeding on your power.
I’m not so sure we should immediately try and leave,I thought, and then I showed her how I was able to connect with Mistral, the spirit of the wind.
Tempest?Shazeera repeated, her tone confused.What does that mean?
I don’t know. I could barely maintain the connection with Mistral—it was taking everything out of me, so I couldn’t push for an explanation. But I thought maybe it means I’ll have to face down a storm—learn to tame the wind?
She shook her head.Ama may know more, and maybe she’ll finally tell you the truth about your sire. You are in real danger here—this proves it. The treaty will be useless anyway if you’re killed.
