Part 28 (1/2)
”Yes, sir.”
”And yet, it made your ankle heal properly, didn't it? Otherwise you wouldn't be able to walk now, right?”
”Yes, but”-Gus s.h.i.+fts his weight-”that's not the same as what you're saying.”
”But it is, Gus. Sometimes pain is necessary to fix a problem that cannot otherwise be corrected. It's unpleasant and unfortunate, but then it's over and everything is set right.”
”Do you hear yourself?” I shout. ”I bet that's the kind of c.r.a.p Raiden spews out to his Stormers to try and justify the evil things he does.”
Os stalks toward me. ”Raiden cares only for his own selfish needs. I am thinking about the good of our people. Trying to bring together the shattered pieces of our world.”
”And who put you in charge?”
”n.o.body.” He steps back, clutching his blue guardian pendant. ”This matter will be brought to the full force of the Gales, and they will decide. I'll simply be one vote. However, they're a very reasonable group of soldiers. I have no doubt they'll decide what will benefit everyone.”
”Everyone except me and Audra.'”
”With time you'll see that isn't the case. You two were not meant to be.”
”Can I say something?” Solana asks, her voice shaking as much as her legs as she steps forward. ”I don't want to bond with someone who's being forced to do it. If Vane loved me”-she clears her throat-”or if there were a way to keep my family's heritage without us having to be together, well . . . that would be different. But if Vane really needs to be the king and I'm not who he wants to be with, then . . . I guess that's how it has to be.”
Her eyes dart to mine, so sad and broken that a part of me can't help wis.h.i.+ng I could love her.
But I just can't feel that way. Not when I know what real love feels like.
”Another young person thinking they have a choice in all this,” Os says through a sigh. ”Though I notice you're being awfully quiet, Audra. Feeling guilty now that you're seeing the consequences of your selfish actions?”
”Actually, I'm trying to figure out how you know about the power of pain. Aston gave me the impression it was one of Raiden's tricks, and not something the Gales knew anything about.”
Os steps closer, pointing to the scar under his eye. ”It's no secret that I know Raiden better than others. Back when we were friends, he used to share some of his theories with me-it was partly how I knew to distance myself from him. And when he started attacking us with shattered winds, I knew it meant he'd proven at least one of his theories correct.”
”And now you want to use it-knowing it's one of his tricks?” Audra asks, standing up to face him. ”Don't you realize how it will affect you?”
”Affect me?”
She steps closer. ”Aston told me the power corrupts anyone who uses it. It becomes an addiction you can't cure, can't fight, can't satisfy except to break and destroy more-and after seeing how he behaved, I believe him.”
”Sounds like someone with a guilty conscience trying to blame his wickedness on another.”
”Or perhaps you're just tempted by a greater power than you understand.”
”Watch yourself,” Os says, his scar twisting with his scowl so it looks more like an X. ”Given your recent crimes, you would do well to be as polite and obedient as possible.”
”Why?” I ask, stepping between them. ”You already threatened to break our bond-what's next? Lock us underground in your Maelstrom?”
The word makes Os freeze, and for a second his mouth just hangs there, begging for a fly to zip in.
I'm just as stunned when I realize the mess I've walked into.
I turn to Audra, feeling my heart sink when I see the horror in her eyes.
”Do you mean the Maelstrom in Death Valley?” she asks me.
”No,” I say slowly, trying to choose my answer carefully. ”Os built one in Desert Center.”
I don't mention who he's keeping there, hoping she won't guess. But her whole body starts shaking.
”You built a Maelstrom?” she asks Os, leaning on me to stay standing.
”I had no choice!”
”Wait, when you say Maelstrom . . .” Gus starts, but his voice trails off when I nod. ”Whoa.”
”Yeah.” I pull Audra closer, silently begging everyone to drop this. Now is not the time to give Audra anything else to worry about.
But Audra isn't letting it go.
”How could you?” she yells at Os. ”How could you do that to the wind? To innocent people?”
”Who said anything about innocent?” he snaps. ”The only person trapped in my Maelstrom is a violent murderer who used her gift to nearly escape-twice-from our regular prison.”
Audra sucks in a breath, and I tighten my arms around her, wanting to hold her steady as she puts the pieces together.
She pulls away from me, stumbling to my window and staring blankly outside.
I should've found a way to tell her before this.
She should've heard it from me.
But even now, I have no idea how to say it.
”What prisoner is he talking about?” Solana asks when no one says anything.
I open my mouth, trying to force out the words. But I can see in Audra's eyes that she already knows.
She reaches out her hand, letting a small mockingbird land on her finger as she whispers, ”My mother.”
CHAPTER 32.AUDRA.
M.
y mother is in a Maelstrom.
I . . . don't know what to feel.
I stare at the tiny bird roosting on my finger-drawn to me because of the gift my mother and I share-and try not to imagine her gray-blue, withered body dangling from the ceiling on a chain, her limbs twisted and tangled, her face contorted with agony.
I knew her punishment would be severe. But I never imagined . . .
”How long does she have left?” I whisper, wondering if I really want to know the answer.