Page 20 of Stormvein

“He wasn’t always the quiet strategist you met. Before the tower, strategy bored him. He led from the front, always. Thought if he struck fast enough, no one else would need to bleed.”

The words echo what Mira told me, another piece of the man I never truly knew. “The tower changed him a lot, didn’t it?”

“Twenty-seven years of isolation would change anyone. If I’d known he was there, that he wasn’t dead, I would never have left him trapped.” Anger flashes in his eyes. “I’d have found a way to free him.”

He studies me for a moment. “Lisandra has called another meeting. That’s where I’m going now. You should attend.”

This surprises me. “Why? She made it clear yesterday that my opinion wasn’t welcome.”

“Because like it or not, you’re part of this now. And Sacha would not have wished for you to be alienated and not heard.” His voice carries a quiet authority. “He would want you there.”

Chapter Five

ELLIE

Fury sharpens what grief cannot carry.

Writings of the Flamevein Oracles

“Ellie.”Lisandra’s voice gives nothing away when I walk into the council chamber with Varam, but her eyes narrow slightly, the only indication of her surprise. Her hands remain perfectly still on the table before her. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Varam thought I should attend.” I slide into the empty seat beside Varam, hyper aware of every stare. Curiosity mingles with suspicion, wariness with something disturbingly close to worship. Their gazes strip me bare, reducing me to a symbol rather than a person. I’m not Ellie here. I’m the outsider who freed the Shadowvein Lord. The anomaly who might be Stormvein. I’m no longer just ...human.

“Very well.” She pauses for a second longer, then returns to the discussion they must have been having before I arrived, dismissal clear in her tone. “As I was saying, our scouts are reporting increased Authority movements in the eastern areas. Their patrols have doubled near Ravencross. Caravans are beingsearched twice, sometimes three times, before they’re allowed through.”

A map spread across the table shows markers in red and black where Authority forces are, and I assume, places where Veinwarden knots are located. My eyes immediately search for River Crossing, and I find it marked with a small black cross. The meaning is clear. A death marker for where Sacha fell.

My fingers curl around the base of my seat, stopping me from jumping to my feet. They’ve already written him off as dead and moved on to whatever comes next without any hesitation at all. The casual finality of it makes me sick.

The meeting continues, focused on reports and strategies that feel meaningless to me when they all assume Sacha is gone. I’m questioning why Varam suggested I be present, and am considering leaving, when someone mentions my name.

“What about Ellie’s power?” one of the Veinwardens asks. “If it continues to develop?—”

“She will continue to train with Telren.” Lisandra’s voice is firm. It’s obvious to me that she doesn’t want to talk about it. "That’s all that matters for now."

All that matters for now. As if I’m a resource to be managed, not a person grieving for?—

“And after?” I can’t stay silent any longer. “What then?”

“Then we assess what role you might play in defending what remains of the Veinwardens.” Her tone cools by several degrees. “Lord Torran’s death doesn’t change our purpose. We’ve survived losses before, and we will do so again.”

The way she dismisses Sacha’s death as something that changes nothing burns low and sharp behind my ribs. It spreads upward, a slow ignition, climbing my throat, singing under my skin, impossible to ignore.

“And what if he isn’t dead?” Around the table, breaths catch and silence falls. “What if he survived?”

Lisandra’s expression hardens, lips pressing together and fine lines appearing at the corners of her mouth. “Ellie.” Her tone is exasperated. “We’ve been through this.”

“No, wehaven’t.” I lean forward, forcing her to meet my gaze. The pressure inside doesn’t fade. It builds, hot and bright. A faint charge prickles across my arms, dangerously close to spilling out. I can see it reflected in her eyes. "I told you, there was no body. No definitive proof of death.”

“Mira and Varam were there. I also spoke to Mishak and Rasha about their accounts. They saw what happened.” Lisandra’s voice is sharp.

“So did I.” My voice rises despite my efforts to remain calm. “And I’m the only one who seems to care that we have no certainty.”

“Tell me then. What didyousee that was different from everyone else, Ellie?” She turns toward me, straightening to her full height. “Describe to me exactly what happened to Lord Torran, inyouropinion.”

Her directness catches me off guard. “I saw …” I’ve repeated this so many times already today, but it still hurts. I take a deep breath. “I saw Sereven use that crystal. I saw Sacha’s shadows being torn apart. But then everything changed. The darkness collapsed. Just pulled back into nothing.”

“Changed how?” Varam asks, his voice soft.