Page 23 of Stormvein

Power gathered in stillness moves with greater consequence.

Reflections on Captivity — Sacha Torran’s Journals

Silver sparks danceacross my fingertips, twisting around them like liquid mercury before dissipating into the air. The power flows easier now, less like wildfire and more like a river finding its path. It’s still dangerous, still foreign, but it’s beginning to respond to my will rather than simply erupting in chaotic bursts. Each time I call it, I feel the ghost of Sacha’s presence. The memory of his shadows intertwining with my light that night in Ashenvale. The emptiness where he should be aches worse than the burning beneath my skin.

“Again,” Telren says from his seat across from me. “But this time, try to hold it there. Shape it.”

A week of these sessions has yielded slow progress. Telren’s methods are based solely on theory, learned from books, scrolls, and meditation techniques. He isn’t any kind of Veinblood or magic user, if there is such a thing, so everything he offers comes from what he’s read about or witnessed. He watches me all thetime, studying my power like it’s an interesting science project rather than something alive and burning through my veins.

I release a slow breath, and concentrate on the energy moving through my body. When I summon it this time, the silver appears more gradually, pooling in my palm before rising in a slender column that shimmers like heat above stone.

“That’s it,” Telren murmurs. “Feel the boundary between control and release. Find that balance point.”

I focus on the column of light, willing it to condense, to hold its shape, and for one brief moment, it responds, becoming more solid, more defined. Then a voice calls from the doorway, and my concentration shatters, turning it back into a puddle of silver in my palm again before disappearing in a flash that blinds me.

“Elder Telren!”

I turn my head, blinking away silver afterimages until the figure in the doorway becomes clear. One of the younger fighters—Kiran, I think—is standing at the threshold, breathless from running.

“What is it?” Telren rises slowly to his feet.

“Commander Varam sent me. They’ve captured an Authority captain. Scouts found him near the western pass not long after sunrise. He was carrying coded orders.”

An Authority officerwithorders?

My heart hits my ribs hard, hope rising before I can stop it. The power I’m holding sends bursts of shock along my nerves, pushing harder against my control. I’ve been existing in this half-life since I argued with Lisandra—training, eating, sleeping while everyone tiptoes around me, afraid to speak his name. As if not saying it makes his absence easier to bear. As ifanythingcould.

They all still believe he’s dead, and keep insisting that my denial is part of the grieving process. Maybe it is. I don’t haveproof that he’s alive. Everything points toward him being dead. But they didn’t feel whatIdid.

If they’ve caught one of the Authority’s men, maybe we can get an answer.

“Where are they holding him?” I’m already on my feet.

Kiran glances at Telren, hesitating. At the older man’s nod, he answers. “The lower chambers. Varam and Lisandra are questioning him.”

“I want to be there.”

“Ellie, this isn’t something you should witness. Varam can be … thorough.” Telren’s voice carries a warning.

His meaning is clear enough, but I don’t care. My fingers curl into fists.

“If he knows anything about what happened at River Crossing, or has any information about Sacha, then I need to hear it myself.” I meet his gaze. “If there’s even the slightest chance—” My voice breaks. I swallow hard, forcing steel back into my tone. “I need to know. I need to hear it for myself.”

Telren sighs. “They’re not going to welcome the interruption, Ellie.”

“I don’t care. If Varam sent for you, then he’s expecting to be interrupted anyway.Andhe knows I’m with you.” The glow builds around me, reflecting across the stone. “If I’m this Stormvein you all think I am, then I have arightto be there.”

I’m not sure I believe Iamthis thing they claim from prophecy, but right now, I’ll use anything I can to get myself in that room and find out if this Authority captain knows anything about Sacha.

The mist stalker rises from its corner, gliding to my side like a silent guardian. Telren’s eyes shift to it, then back to me, resignation settling over his features.

“Very well. But remember, war breeds necessity. Try not to judge Varam and the others on what you’re about to see.”

The walk through Stonehaven’s tunnels to where they have the Authority captain takes forever. Fighters step aside as we pass, their eyes lingering on me, and on the mist stalker beside me. Whispers follow in our wake.

Stormvein.

Varel et’Arvath