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But she’s too far above me She doesn’t even know I’m there The winds erase my screams before they reach her I don’t kno to help her

I wishthat would save her A si

The winds shift I stuher, until she’s barely a speck in the dark sky Her screa my stomach twist and clench

The draft drops her like a stone

"Fly," I scream

She falls faster

Some instinct deep inside me takes control My hands stretch out--but I don’t re the hiss

I have no idea what I said But the wind understands

A gust wraps around Audra and grabs on It isn’t strong enough to catch her, but it slows her fall She hits the ground hard enough to hurt Not hard enough to kill

A h the wall of wind, and I start to run Then I realize it’s Audra’s father He crouches over her, checking her before he lifts her over his shoulder

I stuainst the icy wind

"Thank you," he says "You saved hter’s life"

I jolt awake

The sky is dark--but not nightti in the air and I stare at theh in the desert to see et it overhands The valley is eerily silent Every windmill still

The calm before the storm

"They could be here any minute," Arella announces

I juh--watching people sleep is beyond creepy," I grumble

A half smile curls her lips "I cahtmare"

More like a memory "Where’s Audra?"

"Why? What do you need?"

She flashes a smile that’s probably supposed to make me trust her--but I’ht "I need to talk to Audra"

She sighs and points to the opposite end of the hill, where I spot Audra pacing a the windmills I set off toward her

Arella followsas chaperone"

"Uh, I have s to do than try to hter"

"That’s not what I hear"

I don’t have tiht behind ures--and it’s hard not to stare at her ainst mine

I shake the flashback away "I need to talk to you"

"There’s not o They’ll be co to stop shivering "Fine I just thought you’d want to know that I reasps and I glare at her "I wasn’t talking to you"

"What do you mean you ‘spoke Westerly’?" Audra asks

"Yes, Vane--what do youmy back to her mom "It wasn’t your father who saved you in the storm--at least, not the first tiht you"

"ButI distinctly reues

"He did After I called a Westerly to slow your fall Don’t you re before that?"

She frowns "I thought my father sent that draft"

"Nope, it was me"

"But--"

"If your father had sent the draft, don’t you think it would’ve cushioned your fall ht? Because I didn’t have enough control"

Arella grabs my shoulders and spins h?"

Her eyes are bright Too bright Desperate

I jerk away "I can’t remember what I said to call the wind I’m not sure if I even knew back then It was more like my instincts took over somehow"

Her hands clench into fists as she turns away "So close"

Tell ered those instincts," Audra says

"Yeah I didn’t want you to die"

Her gaze softens at that, and I have to stopmy voice so only she’ll hear "I wanted to save you I still do"

Pink tinges her cheeks as she stares into my eyes

She still cares

Arella clears her throat, ruining theto be tackled

"I wasn’t try--"

"So if I threatened Audra’s life right now," she asks, cutting ain?"

"Uhprobably not--because I’d like to believe you wouldn’t actually kill your daughter just to trigger h"