Page 28 of Stormvein

“We will hit them here. Glassfall Gap. There are cliffs on both sides, barely wide enough for two horses abreast. The transport will be forced to slow, possibly even go single-file through the narrowest sections.”

“We split into two groups.” Mira points to positions on either side of the gap. “Archers on the high ground here and here. The rest form a blocking position at the southern end of the gap.”

“How many fighters?”

“Who will lead?”

“What are the risks?”

Questions come from all sides.

“Fifteen fighters.” Varam decides after a moment’s thought. “More than that becomes unwieldy in the narrow pass. Fewer, and we risk being overwhelmed.”

He begins naming the most experienced, the most skilled with bow and blade, the best scouts. I hold my breath, waiting for my name, but it doesn’t come.

“And me,” I say when he finishes. It’s not a question.

Varam’s eyes meet mine. “Your ability is still unstable.”

“I’m not staying behind.” I step forward, releasing my grip on the light, allowing it to brighten.

“Your power would give away your position,” Lisandra points out. “We need the element of surprise.”

“I can suppress it.” I close my eyes briefly, breathing deeply, and the light dims again. I’ve made progress over the past week, but complete control still eludes me. She doesn’t need to know that, though. “For long enough to spring the ambush. And when the fighting starts, my power might be exactly what we need.”

I look around the room, meeting every stare in turn. “He wouldn’t ignore anything that could help if any of you were in his place.”

My voice is steadier than I feel. Inside, fear and doubt tangle with desperate hope. I don’t know if my abilities will help or hinder. I don’t know if I’m strong enough for what’s coming. But uncertainty doesn’t matter now. Sacha needs me, and I refuse to fail him.

Lisandra’s lips press together, and she draws in a breath. That’s all it takes.

“If you don’t let me go with them, I’ll follow once they’ve gone.”

Varam sighs. “Okay, but you stay hidden until the attack begins. If we lose the advantage of surprise, we lose everything.”

I nod. I couldn’t bear to be left behind, to wait and wonder whether they’d succeeded, whether Sacha was safe.

“We leave in an hour. Pack light. We need to travel fast. We have less than a day to reach the gap and prepare the ambush. If you’re not ready when we go, you stay behind.”

As the council disperses to prepare, I remain at the table, staring down at the map, at the tiny mark indicating GlassfallGap. That narrow strip of land between mountains is where we’ll make our stand. Where we’ll fight to save Sacha.

If we’re successful, we’ll get him back. The thought is almost too much to comprehend after days of mourning him, of being the only one who believed he might still be alive.

“You were right, Ellie. He survived the crystal.” Mira touches my arm. “Now you have to trust that he’ll survive until we reach him.”

“He better.” My fingers find the ring hidden beneath my tunic. “Or I’ll never forgive him.”

The ghost of a smile touches her lips. “None of us would.”

Back in Sacha’s quarters, I close the door and lean against it, giving myself a moment to process everything. The room still smells faintly of him. That peculiar scent of night air and something indefinable that clings to his clothes, his sheets. I’ve been sleeping here since we returned, surrounded by his things, refusing to believe he was gone.

He’s alive.

After being the only one desperately clinging to hope while everyone else mourned, I have confirmation. The relief is so profound it drives me to my knees. A sound escapes me—half laugh, half sob—and silver light floods outward, bright enough to catch on every surface.

My arms wrap around my waist. He’s alive, but he’s a captive. He’s being transported in chains, powerless, on display like a conquered enemy. The same man who controlled shadows with a gesture, who moved through darkness like it was an extension of himself, reduced to a captive, bound and displayed like a warning.

What will they have done to him to ensure he couldn’t escape? What condition is he going to be in when we find him?