I grip the sides of the boat. ‘Where are you taking me?’
‘A place far more meaningful than the Court of Waves, where I believe you may find the Eye of the Soul. Though admittedly not your brother.’
‘Where?’
Fox lowers his voice theatrically, as if this is all some big game. ‘Somewhere very few have dared to tread.’
My head is still a little clouded. What is he talking about?
‘You’ve just learned that you’re a Demari,’ he continues. ‘That the blood running through your veins is not only Etheri but Magi too. But what if you ignored the tangled branches of your family tree and asked yourself which part of your ancestry you resonate with most? Who’ve you always been, since the day you were born?’
I frown. Since the day I was born? Is he referring to the storm? And me, the Storm Weaver? Except that was a name given to me – one I only learned to accept after unleashing my power and winning the Aquatori crown.
I blink.Aquatori.Is that what he means? To categorize myself by the element I wield? I am to be the Aquatori Queen, after all. And I do consider myself a Fish, even if one of my gifts will forever set me apart.
Then I freeze as realization trickles through the sedative-induced haze, which slowly begins to evaporate like morning mist.
What makes me Aquatori is the same thing that makes me the Storm Weaver. Because what I am –whoI am – first and foremost, is …
‘A Rain Singer,’ I breathe.
Fox clicks his tongue. ‘Precisely.’
‘So where …’ My mouth tips open as the final piece of the puzzle slots into place. I shake my head. ‘No. You haven’t.’
‘Yes. I have.’
‘You’ve brought us toBrava?’
Fox nods, pleased with himself.
I’ve thought about this place so often. I’ve pictured it a thousand times – but as itwas, back when the Singers ruled this backwater province like a kingdom of their own. Not as it is now: uninhabited, forsaken, its vast emptiness heavy with their absence.
For a moment I’m torn between wonder, grief and rage. Rage triumphs.
‘Youidiot,’ I snap. ‘This means we’re miles from the Lagoon. I might never have been to the Waterlands before, but I can read a map. You’ve wasteddayson this fool’s errand. What were you thinking? Are youinsane?’
‘That’s not very polite.’
I launch myself to my feet, ice crystallizing at my fingertips. ‘How could you?’ I snarl. ‘You lied to me. You drugged me. You brought me here against my will.’
‘I did it to help you.’
‘Bullshit.’
‘Believe it or not, Blaze, most of what I’ve done these past few weeks has been to help you,’ Fox shoots back. ‘Now quit sulking and listen to me.’
I curl my hands into fists, squeezing so hard the nails bite into my palms. I can’t believe I ever kissed this boy. I can’t believe I felt –
Well, it doesn’t matter what I felt. I won’t allow myself to feel it again.
‘I hate you,’ I mutter.
‘No, you don’t.’
I almost choke on my exasperation. ‘Ido.’
‘No, you don’t,’ Fox says again. ‘You hate the uncertainty. You hate the lack of control. You hate that you can’t figure me out, and you hate that you try to.’
