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"Close your eyes," she whispers when I start to shake again

I don’t argue I squeeze ainst my ears But I still feel the winds Audra calls to wrap around the body and float it far, far away

Somewhere out there is the other Storh the sky has cleared and the heat’s beating down in full force

I hope we never find him

I can accept what I’ve done--sort of But I know it’ll haunt ain

Which leaves the bigger question

I force my eyes open and take Audra’s hands "Nohat?"

"I have no idea I need to speak with lad She e

I haven’t forgotten what the Storht Sheshe’d planned to back us up all along And then she ran She has to be the most selfish, pathetic coward I’ve--

"I’d better use the ehts "That should tell her where we are It’ll alert the Gales, too"

"Whoa--hang on There’s an eency call?"

She won’t look at e of my nose "So all this time you could’ve just made a call to the Gales and asked for help?"

"It isn’t that siency call broadcasts our precise location for all to see As long as Raiden didn’t know exactly where ere, it would’ve been too dangerous to use it But he knoe’re here now, after all the turbulence we’ve caused"

She stands and whispers the call for an Easterly, a Northerly, and a Southerly and twists theh I’ve never seen her do it before Maybe that has so to do with our bond

She cups her hands around her mouth and blows into the mini cyclone, then whispers, "Launch"

The funnel narrows until it looks like a piece of rope It streaks into the sky so high I can’t see where it ends

She sits back beside me and I take her hand "Noait"

I can think of a fee can pass the ti her ure out what I’ll say when she does

My blood runs cold when I hear a rush of wind behind us

"Mother," Audra says, ju Audra’s hand to keep her at my side

Arella rushes toward us "I’ve been so worried"

"Really?" I hold outtoo close "Then where have you been this whole tiht a my way back here The Stormers bound me in their stripped winds and launched ed to stop my fall, which is the only reason I survived And they shot es to es," I repeat "You couldn’t just fly back?"

"Vane, what’s wrong?" Audra asks

"One of the Storht Ran aith her tail between her legs and left us to fend for ourselves"

"Well, obviously he lied," Arella insists without so --she’s a hter But she’s still full of crap

"Really? ’Cause you don’t look like so into the middle of the desert You don’t have a scratch on you"

Arella tries to hold aze, but breaks eye contact first

Guilty

"I landed in a soft sand dune," she finally explains

I snort "Seriously? That’s the best you’ve got?"

She doesn’t have a speck of sand on her

"You left us?" Audra asks her ry "When did you leave?"

"I didn’t--"

I cut Arella off before she can tell another lie "The Stormer said she ran off as soon as they found where ere hiding--which was thanks to your stupid bird, by the way I told you he was evil"

"Gavin’s not evil," Audra says quietly, staring into the distance The winds pick up around her and she closes her eyes