Page 169 of Stormvein

“You’re asking me to stand aside while you walk into something that could be your death again.” Varam’s voice carries an edge I haven’t heard before.

“I’m asking you to do what needs to be done here.”

“What needs to be done is making sure you don’t get yourself killed after we’ve got you back.” The words come out harsh. “Do you have any idea what it was like for us, thinking you were dead? Thinking that we failed you when you needed us most?”

Sacha goes still. When he speaks, his voice is quiet. “And do you have any idea what it was like, being trapped while everyone I was supposed to protect died because I couldn’t reach them?”

The silence stretches between them, then Varam spins and slams one fist down onto the table.

“This is madness! Sneaking into Thornspire with a handful of fighters? Sereven will have guards, weapons … that crystal?—”

“Which is precisely why a large force would fail. This requires stealth, not numbers.”

“We saw what the crystal did to you at River Crossing.” Mira finally speaks. “And then at Blackstone Ridge. This is a suicide mission.”

Sacha turns to her. “Not if we strike fast, before he can use it.”

“And if he’s expecting that? He’ll be prepared for retaliation.”

“You need someone you can trust at your back,” Varam adds.

“I do, which is why you have to stay here. There is no one else I can trust to make sure everyone gets to safety.”

“Sacha—” The fact that Varam has resorted to his given name says everything.

“I need fighters. Four of the best among those who can move silently, fight when needed, and will follow my orders without question.”

Varam glares at him.

“If you don’t choose them, I will.”

There’s a moment of silence, then Varam blows out a heavy breath. “Fine. But you’ll take Mira as well.”

Sacha nods. “Agreed.”

I glance at Mira. Her face gives nothing away, but her stance shifts slightly, almost as though she’s already preparing for the mission ahead.

“Tarn and Jaret, for certain.” There’s resignation in Varam’s voice. “Arem and Kiran. They were all at Glassfall Gap.”

“They’ve proved they can work well together under pressure,” Mira says.

“The plan for evacuating Stonehaven is in progress. Whiterock is still standing, and hasn’t been taken over by the Authority.” Varam still sounds angry.

“What about Lockgap?”

Varam makes a sound between frustration and acknowledgement. “It’s at least a day’s walk from here, with children. We’d be moving slowly, an easy target if any Authority patrols see us.”

“Whiterock won’t hold everyone. You’ll need to split them into two groups. Send some to Whiterock, the rest to Lockgap.”

“The question is how we divide them without leaving either group vulnerable.”

“Each group will need experienced fighters. You’ll also need to separate the Veinwardens between them.”

“And if one group gets caught? We lose half our remaining strength.”

Sacha is quiet for a moment. When he next speaks, his voice is soft but firm. “Losing half is better than losing everyone if Stonehaven falls.”

The bluntness of his words makes my chest tighten. I haven’t been a part of Stonehaven for long, weeks at most, but the thought of it falling to the Authority feels like a personal loss. For the first time, I truly understand what we’re risking. Not just our lives in this desperate gambit, but the last true sanctuary for those who refuse to surrender to the Authority’s rule.