Page 21 of Stormvein

“Like it was …” I struggle to find the right words. “Not destroyed.Gone. His raven came to me afterward. If he was truly dead, why would it do that?”

“Because you were the only person left standing with any hint of Veinblood power running through you.” Lisandra shakes her head. “Because you were the closest?—”

“Because Iknowhe’s alive!” The conviction in my voice surprises even me.

Around the table, faces register various degrees of discomfort and annoyance. All except Mira and Varam, who both watch with unreadable eyes and blank expressions.

“Youdon’tknow anything!” Lisandra’s voice turns cold. “You have been in this world for what? A few weeks? You may have freed him from the tower, but that doesn’t make you an expert on his powerorthe Authority.”

“I saw what no one else did. I felt it when his familiar?—”

“You feltgrief!Shock. Trauma. All of which can make the mind see what it wants to see rather than what is.”

“So now you’re saying I’m delusional?” The pressure spikes again. Heat pulses up my spine. Several Veinwardens shift uncomfortably in their seats.

“I’m saying you’re indenial. Which is understandable, but we can’t base strategy on false hope. Mira and Mishak were beside you and saw what happened. Varam was with him when they were ambushed. He knew how unlikely it was for Lord Torran to survive. Rasha saw Varam when he arrived at the meeting point …alone. Sereven’s crystal attacked Lord Torran, and his power was disrupted. Darkness surrounded him, and when it faded, there wasnothingleft. No trace. No body, as you said. Because there wasnothingleft to find.”

“That’s exactly my point,” I snap. “No body. No proof. Justyourassumption that?—”

“Myassumption?” Her voice rises. “I’ve been leading the Veinwardens of Stonehaven foryears. I know the reality of war, of loss,little girl. I’ve buried friends, mentored orphans, and made impossible choices to keep Stonehaven breathing. I know what it means when someone disappears like that in battle.Youdon’t.”

The condescension in her voice stokes my anger.Little girl. As though everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve seen,meansnothingbecause I haven’t been fighting their war for as long as she has.

The room crackles with tension. A faint shimmer rises at the edge of my vision. Chairs creak. Breaths stall. Someone scoots their chair backward, away from me.

“This isn’t about experience or leadership,” I counter, while everyone around me watches our argument with wide eyes and growing concern. “This is about you refusing to even consider?—”

“Enough!” Her hand slams down onto the table. “We aredonehere. We have real threats to address, not fantasies to chase.”

She gathers her things with sharp, angry movements. The other Veinwardens scramble to follow, clearly uncomfortable with witnessing this confrontation. Most file out quickly, but I catch a few exchanging glances as they leave. Varam rises to his feet slowly. When I look at him, he gives me a slow nod, then looks at Mira. Something passes between them, and she retakes her seat, studying me with a thoughtful expression.

“You’re not making any allies,” she says softly, when the door closes.

“I’m not trying to.” I shove to my feet, anger still burning through my veins. “They can argue strategy all day long. I want to find Sacha.”

She stares at me for a long second, then nods as though she’s come to some decision. “Come with me.”

Without waiting for my response, she walks out of the room. After a moment’s hesitation, I follow her. She leads me through Stonehaven’s passages, climbing narrow stairs that wind upward through the mountain. The path steepens, the air growing cooler as we ascend.

My legs are shaky, the adrenaline from the confrontation still coursing through me. My hands tremble slightly, and my skin vibrates in irregular bursts. Each step feels like an effort, asthough I’m climbing through water instead of air, but I keep up with her.

We walk in silence for several minutes, my anger from the council chamber gradually fading into exhaustion. The argument replays on a loop in my mind. Lisandra’s dismissal, the neutrality of everyone else, and the way they all looked at me like I was either a child or a threat.

“Where are we going?” I finally break the silence.

“Somewhere we can talk without anyone overhearing.” She doesn’t look back.

The passage narrows, forcing us to move in single file. Torches give way to natural light filtering through gaps in the rock. My chest burns from the climb and the altitude, but Mira’s pace never slows.

“You handled that poorly.”

“I don’t care!”

“But you should.” She glances over her shoulder. “Lisandra isn’t your enemy, Ellie. She’s trying to hold together what’s left of the Veinwardens while mourning a man we’ve lost for the second time.”

“By giving up on him.”

“By facing reality.” She stops and turns to face me. “Do you know how many losses we’ve endured over the years? How many times we’ve had to choose between hope and survival?” Before I can respond, she turns and continues climbing.