Free Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger

me?”
His lips curl into a smile, but it’s the coldest smile I’ve ever seen.
“We both know I enjoy your company. And if you ever try to leave,
I’ll kill you.”
    CHAPTER 13
    VANE
A
    rella’s lying.
She has to be. There’s no way Os would . . .
The thought stops cold as I remember what Os told me
    about hungry winds. And as I watch Arella rub her pale, sickly arms, I realize there’s a thin dust sweeping off her skin that I hadn’t noticed. It floats toward the walls like a sheer mist and disappears into the swirling sand.
    “Relax,” Arella tells me as I run for the metal curtain blocking my exit and try to pry it open.
Stupid thing won’t budge. And when I pound on it, it swallows the sound.
I can’t breathe.
“Calm down!” Arella shouts as I wobble on my feet. “The Maelstrom only affects me. I’m the one it was built for. Do you really think Os would bring his king here otherwise?”
I guess that wouldn’t make sense.
I may be driving the Gales crazy, but they definitely need me alive.
But still, if it’s affecting Arella, then she’s . . .
I drop to the ground and put my head between my knees, trying to keep myself together.
“So you’re . . .”
“Dying?” Arella asks when I can’t finish.
I force myself to nod.
She holds out her hands, staring at her fingers. They’re practically skin and bone, so it shouldn’t surprise me when she says, “Yes.” But I still have to fight off another dizzy fit.
Arella is dying .
Audra’s mom is dying.
“How long do you have?” I whisper.
“It’s hard to say. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. But if I had to guess, I’d say probably a few more weeks.”
“ Weeks? ”That’s a lot less time than I was expecting. I don’t know what to say except, “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
No . . . I guess she’s right.
I have to remember—Arella’s not just a murderer. She’s a serial killer . Even humans have the death penalty for crimes like that. Why should sylphs be any different?
But I hate it.
I hate knowing about it, and I hate that I’m wondering if I have the power to stop it, and I especially hate that I’m sort of responsible for it.
If I hadn’t turned her in and made sure the Gales knew what she’d done, she’d . . .
Still be crazy and killing people.
This is her fault—not mine.
She stays quiet after that, and I close my eyes, trying to make this awful night worth it. If I don’t get some sleep, Os might make me stay here again, and I’m pretty sure I will lose it if that happens.
But every passing minute makes the ground harder and the air thicker and my skin itchier. So I’m ready to cry with relief when the mesh curtain to my cell finally opens and Os walks in.
He frowns as he looks at me. “You don’t look rested.”
“This isn’t exactly the most relaxing place.”
“No. But I’d hoped you’d find a way.”
“I can think of one,” Arella offers.
Os glares at her until she backs away from the chains. “Are you up for the journey back?” he asks me.
I’m wiped, and the freeway part’s going to suck , but I am so ready to get out of here.
“Vane,” Arella calls as I make my way to the exit. “I know I have no right to ask this, but I’m hoping you’ll tell Audra to come see me. It’d be nice to say goodbye.”
The plea in her eyes is hard to ignore. It looks too much like a last request. “When she comes home, I’ll try.”
Arella straightens. “Audra’s gone?”
“Yes,” Os grumbles, and I want to kick myself for being so stupid. “She’s been gone for weeks. Searching for the mysterious third Stormer.”
Arella glances at me and I shake my head, begging her to drop it.
I’ve never been a very good liar, and when the Gales demanded to know where Audra was, the best story I could come up with was that she was out hunting down the Stormer I’d knocked out of the sky when I escaped. It seemed like a believable enough excuse. Until they found his body. Then Fang cornered me