Let the Storm Break

CHAPTER 23 VANE

I’ve never been inside a villain’s lair before, but I’m pretty sure Death Valley meets every cliché requirement.

Creepy name—check.

Stuck in the middle of nowhere—check.

Miserable why would anyone want to come here? conditions—oh, definitely check.

And bonus points for the ominous winds swirling around, singing about monsters and devils and mountains where the wind goes to die.

At least I know we’re in the right place, but still. Next time I’m rooting for a mansion on a private island or something.

We stop every few miles so I can check the Westerlies for Feng’s trace, and I search for Audra, too.

Her trace always pulls me in the same direction.

Our connection feels strong, so I’m hoping that means she’s not in any serious danger. But, clearly, whatever trouble Feng found, Audra’s somehow in the middle of it.

Gray clouds appear on the horizon, and the winds turn more frantic as Gus has us land near a lookout point on a mountain pass.

“I can feel Feng’s trace on my own now, so I’m guessing they’re on the other side of this range,” he tells me as he unravels his hair from his braid and removes his guardian jacket. “We should prepare here.”

“Are we getting ready for battle or dancing at Chippendales?” I ask as he takes off his black tank.

“Until we know what we’re facing, it’s safer if I don’t look like a Gale.” He unclasps a blue necklace with a silver feather pendant and tucks it into his boot. “And you might want to remove that.”

He points to the compass bracelet Audra gave me. I never take it off, but he’s right. It probably screams, I am a Westerly.

Then again, we’re carrying crazy blue wind spikes, so I’m betting they’re going to know something’s up.

I unfasten the clasp, hating my hands for shaking as I shove it into my pocket.

I know we’re walking into a war zone and might have a hard fight ahead, but I’m honestly more nervous about what happens after that.

What am I supposed to say to Audra?

The last I heard from her was the vague apology she sent across the sky—and that could very well have been the Windwalker equivalent of a breakup text.

I’m not sure what I’ll do if it was.

Probably grab her ankle and not let go until she agrees to give me another chance. But first I have to make sure she’s safe, and we have to rescue Gus’s dad and get out of this valley alive. Not really things I planned to be facing today when I woke up—but hey, I also wasn’t expecting to have a hot girl in my bed, so it’s been a day of surprises.

I strip off my T-shirt and toss it on the ground.

“You can keep your clothes on. You’re not wearing a Gale uniform.”

“Yeah, but it’s freaking hot out here. So what’s the plan?”

“We fly in, grab my dad, and get the crap out of there. And if anyone comes near us we use these.” He makes a stabbing gesture with his wind spike.

“I like it,” I say, even though my head is spinning and my heart is racing and I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to stab someone with a wind spike.

Or multiple someones . . .

“Ready?” Gus asks, calling the only Easterlies to his side.

I send them away. “I think we should fly with Westerlies. The Stormers won’t be able to feel our trace on them.”

“Good point.” Gus steps closer and wraps his arms around my shoulders.

I’m suddenly wishing I’d left my shirt on.

Gus clears his throat. “Think this would be less awkward if I stood behind you?”

“Uh, I don’t see how it would.”

He repositions so he’s holding my elbows as I call every nearby Westerly and ask them to form a wind bubble around us.

The drafts seem nervous to obey—and I have to ask twice before they do. But they finally float us into the sky, whipping as fast as they can to hide our forms as we fly in the direction the traces are leading me.

“Are we crazy?” Gus asks as the clouds block out the sun.

“Probably. But what else are we supposed to do?”

“I could’ve followed my orders, instead of risking your life to save my father. He wouldn’t have wanted me to do this.”

“I had my own reasons for coming, Gus. And it’s going to be fine. I’ve faced worse.”

I really want to believe that’s true, but the ground below us has a wide rut running down the center that looks a lot like a fresh tornado path. And the closer we get to the valley, the more frantic the Westerlies in our bubble turn. It takes all my focus to keep them under control.

So when Gus shouts, “My father’s trace is gone!” it breaks my concentration and the winds unravel.

The good news is, I manage to convince one of the Westerlies to catch us.

The bad news is, it’s not strong enough to carry us both, and all it really does is slow our fall.

We hit the ground hard—though the landing was probably much softer for Gus since the dude landed on top of me. I groan as he rolls away, trying to be grateful that nothing feels broken.

Gus jumps to his feet and moves to the edge of the cliff.

“What’s going on?” I ask as I stumble to his side.

My jaw drops when I take in the scene.

The valley is filled with at least fifty Stormers—with some blond guy who has to be Raiden standing in the center. But terrifying as that is, it’s nothing compared to the gigantic tornado with a head and arms that’s looming over everything.

I watch in a daze as it picks up a giant boulder and hurls it at the mountain.

Half the rock face crumbles away.

Holy.

Freaking.

Crap.

“What are you doing?” Gus snaps as I grab my wind spike and line up my aim.

“I’m getting rid of that—whatever that is.” I test my swing, feeling dizzy when I realize I’m about to kill something.

But it’s not a person.

It’s . . . well . . . I don’t know what the hell it is, but it’s not human or sylph—that’s for sure.

It’s a force for death and evil and nothing else—and I’m not going to let Raiden use it.

“Wait,” Gus says, grabbing my elbow and stopping me midthrow.

“We don’t have time to wait, Gus. Think of what that thing could do if it gets out of this valley.”

“Yeah, but you can’t give away our location and use up one of our only weapons until we have my father and are ready to get out of here.”

I hate him for being right.

And I have to find Audra, too.

But we have to be quick because I have a feeling Raiden didn’t just bring his new toy for show-and-tell. We have to destroy it before it’s too late.

“You won’t be able to find him,” Gus tells me as I close my eyes and search the air. “Feng’s trace is completely gone.”

Audra’s is too.

All the winds have vanished—and our bond has faded too much for me to follow.

But there has to be a way to find her.

I force myself to focus, begging my instincts to guide me as I stretch out my hands and search with every ounce of concentration I have. My brain feels like it’s going to explode, but the pain is worth it when a warm itch prickles my palm, telling me there’s a Westerly somewhere on the other side of the basin.

I try to call it to me, but the stubborn wind won’t budge, almost like someone else is controlling it.

Could that be Audra?

Sweat drips down my face as I try to lock on to the draft’s location, but all I can tell is that the pull is coming from one of the narrow cracks in the badlands.

“Where are you going?” Gus asks as I make a break for the nearest clump of rocks.

“There’s someone down there in one of those crevices.”

“Do you think it’s my dad?”

I hate myself for forgetting all about Feng. “I don’t know. I can’t even tell which crevice it’s coming from.”

“Well then, let’s check them all—but we better move quick.” We both glance back to the giant storm thing, which is flinging more rocks at the mountains.

Gus draws his wind spike and we race toward the next outcropping. But halfway there I freeze.

I saw something move in one of the crevices, but it was too quick to tell what it was.

I squint into the shadows and it moves again—and this time I catch a glimpse of dark hair and pale skin.

My elation lasts about .0004 of a second. Then Audra steps out onto a narrow ledge in the middle of the mountain, standing in full view of the Stormers as she raises a special wind spike and hurtles it at Raiden’s beastly storm.