Page 86 of When Storms Ruin

“When do you think we will leave?” I asked.

Tess got up from the bed across from me and sat at the end of mine with a deep sigh.

“I guess that all depends on you,” she pointed out.

“And Nik,” I added resolutely.

“I overheard Liss and Isaac talking. They said maybe we should go ahead without him, he hasn’t healed enough to travel yet.”

“We can’t leave him here unprotected. He betrayed Donika, she will be searching for him as much as she is searching for me,” I replied, my chest tightening.

“I know, but we might not have a choice. His injuries were…grave. You should be ready to go in a few days…and the longer we wait, the higher chance of her finding us again. Her Nightshade soldiers are crawling all over this city, it’s only amatter of time. We have to get you out of here,” Tess replied, giving my leg a squeeze over the blanket.

“Will they at least let me see him before we leave?” I asked, my voice hopeful despite myself.

I hadn’t been strong enough to leave the infirmary myself, but Nik also hadn’t woken yet. Liss had him heavily sedated to accelerate the healing process.

“I’m not sure,” Tess replied honestly. “You know he hasn’t woken yet and hasn’t spoken to anyone.”

I nodded, swallowing back the emotion that threatened to choke me. Isaac and Liss hadn’t left his bedside, and I knew he was in good hands, but I wanted to see him myself. I couldn’t help the guilt I felt that I had been able to healmyselfbut not him. That I hadn’t listened to them…and burned my magic out in anger over Tyr’s death.

Tess could guess the thoughts behind my eyes, and she met my gaze with a serious expression.

“We have to talk about what happened out there, on the battlefield.”

“I know,” I replied, fidgeting with my fingers in my lap.

I pressed my nail into my thumb hard enough to distract me, to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

“What was that?” she asked, her voice soft. “It was almost like you couldn’t hear us, like you weren’t yourself.”

“I wasn’t,” I admitted, meeting her sympathetic gaze. “It was as if my magic had completely taken over me, I couldn’t think ofanythingbut revenge. I wasmadwith rage.”

“Another wonderful side effect of using too much storm magic? Like the storm turning on you?” she asked.

“I guess so,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders. “We don’t know enough about my magic to be certain. All I know is…I was completely taken over.”

Tess nodded in understanding. “You said Liss will be able to help decipher the key spell?”

“Yes, she said she has seen it before,” I replied hopefully. “Let’s hope she can also find a loophole to the whole bloodline thing.”

“Maybe it only needs a witch’s bloodline, not necessarily the witch being bound,” Tess suggested. “If that’s the case, Nik and Warrick would work. They are blood.”

I nodded, “I hope so. But they are cousins, not technically a direct bloodline.”

“True,” she replied, “but neither you nor I are fluent in Latin, we can’t be sure.”

“Also true,” I laughed, hoping she was right.

“The sooner we figure that spell out and bind your magic, the better. We can’t afford any more incidents.” She glared at me pointedly.

Incidents. As if that’s all it was.

I had struck Shades down where they stood, with a mere thought.

I met her gaze. “The sooner the better, indeed.”

In the end, they didn’t let me see Nik before we traveled to Siraleth. Liss and Isaac insisted that he needed his rest, and promised to stay at his bedside until he was ready to join us. That left Zion, Puck, Warrick, Saanvi, and Kenna to escort us across The Shadow and to our new residence in Siraleth. The portal in Prins was still being watched—we would have to make the journey to Siraleth on foot.

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