Page 106 of Stormvein

I will become the storm. It doesn’t matter whether I chose that path or not. Whether I am ready or not. It’s already building inside me. Power, purpose, and destiny. And it pulses in time with the shadows that dance around him.

Chapter Twenty-Five

SACHA

What listens in the dark does not always wait to be called.

Writings of the Flamevein Oracles

I havethree days until Lisandra meets Sereven at Blackstone Ridge. Three days to turn what should be the delivery of my body, alive or dead, into the beginning of the end for the Authority. And for the man who orchestrated my imprisonment, my torture, and my intended destruction.

A map lies flat on the table in front of me, its inked lines outlining routes and locations I’ve committed to memory. After decades of imprisonment in the tower, then the days of torture that should have broken me, my path forward has never been clearer. The shadows inside me pulse with anticipation, hungry for what comes next.

Ellie is standing beside me, eyes studying the map. Her fingers trace the route to Blackstone Ridge, lingering on the narrow pass where the meeting will take place. I can almost hear her thinking as she tries to figure out what my intentions are.

“You said you have something in mind.” She breaks the silence. “What is it?”

I study her—the tension in her shoulders, the shadow of exhaustion beneath her eyes, the determined set of her jaw that hasn’t softened since discovering Lisandra’s betrayal. It’s clear the betrayal has cut her deeply, not only because of what it meant for me, but because it has challenged her growing sense of belonging among the Veinwardens.

“Sereven expects Lisandra to bring confirmation that I’m no longer a threat, either my head or my body.” My voice remains steady, controlled. “Instead, the message she delivers will be something entirely different.”

“And that will be?”

“That I’m alive, healed, and coming for him.” I tap the map where Blackstone Ridge stands marked, my fingers brushing against hers. “Lisandra won’t travel alone. I’ll be there every step of the way. Sereven believes he destroyed me. I intend to show him how thoroughly he failed.”

Her eyes widen. “You’re going to face him, after what he did to you?”

“This is the perfect moment to strike.” My fingers move along the path. “The Authority’s High Commander believes me dead, or too broken to pose a threat. He will be focused on Lisandra and whatever proof she’s bringing of my demise. He won’t be expecting me, restored to my full power.”

“And Lisandra? What happens to her in this plan? Won’t he kill her?”

“She made her choice when she sold me to the Authority. Now she will serve my purpose.”

Her head lifts, and her eyes move over my face, a slight frown pulling her brows together. “You sound so detached about it all. After everything she did … what they did to you?—”

“Detachment doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten.” I meet her gaze. “It means I can see clearly now. More clearly than I have in years.”

“And what do you see?”

“Justice.” The word feels right on my tongue. “The Authority has held power through fear and persecution for too long. Sereven has personally overseen the destruction of entire bloodlines. He will do the same to everyone in Stonehaven, simply because they welcomed me back.”

“I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve whatever is coming. I’m …” She bites into her bottom lip, then nods as though she’s come to a decision. “Since finding you in that cage … something feels different.”

“With me?”

“Yes. The way you speak about vengeance, about justice. There’s something more … I don’t know. You seem harder.”

I don’t deny it. There would be no point. Death and rebirth have stripped away all pretense, leaving only essential truths behind. “And that concerns you?”

She considers my question, then shakes her head. “No. What concerns me is how easily I understand it. How readily I accept it.” She takes a deep breath. “Before coming to this world, I’d have been horrified at the thought of using someone as bait. Now I can’t stop thinking about what Lisandra caused, how you suffered because of her choices, and I—” She looks down at her hands, light rippling in chaotic patterns across her knuckles, betraying her inner turmoil.

“And you what?” I prompt softly.

“And I want her to pay for it.” Her voice is quiet, brittle with honesty. “That makes me a bad person, doesn’t it? Is that who I am now?” Her eyes search mine, looking for an answer I’m not certain I can give. The woman who stepped into the tower would never have understood this kind of retribution.

I turn fully to face her, studying the changes in her face. The silver in her eyes has grown more pronounced, no longer flecks but swirls that catch the light.

“You’ve seen the consequences of her decisions. You watched me dying because of what she did.” She flinches at my words. “Understanding the true cost of betrayal doesn’t make you a bad person, Mel’shira. It makes you someone who has learned what survival in this world requires.”