Page 60 of Stormvein (The Veinbound Trilogy #2)

“I never use it.” She looks down at her hands, where silver sparks between her fingers, then back up at me.

“I’ve always gone by Ellie. I don’t think anyone has ever called me Elowen since I was a child.

” Her tongue flicks out again, and my eyes track the path it takes across her bottom lip. “It sounds different when you say it.”

She’s quiet for a long moment. I reach across the space between us, my hand hovering over hers for a second, before I link my fingers with hers.

“I always felt like I didn’t belong. In Chicago, I mean. Like I was waiting for something that never came.”

“Until you arrived here.” My thumb strokes over the inside of her wrist.

“Yes.” Her gaze finds mine again, vulnerable and fierce all at once. “Until I found you in the tower.” Her fingers tighten around mine, and for a moment, that silver light tangles around us both.

“She also mentioned Blackstone Ridge.” The dream is coming back to me in fragments. “She called it a place where truth can no longer be buried.”

“Then that’s another reason why you have to let me be there.”

Before I can say anything else, there’s a knock at the outer chamber door—three quick taps followed by two slower ones.

“That will be Varam. We should get ready to leave.”

I throw back the covers and stand, reaching for my clothes. Once dressed, I turn back to where Ellie is still sitting on the bed. Using one knee for balance on the mattress, I lean closer to cup her face between my palms.

“We’ll talk about this more, Mel’shira, but right now preparations for travel must take priority.”

“I know.” She nods and reaches up to press a kiss against my lips. “The Vareth’el must attend to his duty.” Her smile softens her words.

My thumb strokes over her lip. “Know that the man wishes it didn’t have to be that way.”

Before she can reply, I walk out. Varam is waiting in the outer chamber. He nods when he sees me.

“The escort for Lisandra is ready. We’ve put out the story that she’s traveling to a secondary outpost as part of an expedition to confirm information the Authority captain supplied. Information too important to be left to a simple scouting patrol.”

I nod. “Make sure she’s properly secured, but not visibly restrained. Anyone watching must believe she’s traveling willingly.”

Ellie comes through the door, holding a small pack. “How are we getting you out without the rest of Stonehaven finding out that you’re completely healed?”

“We’re not.”

Her brows lift slightly. “You’re just going to walk through Stonehaven like the second coming?”

“I … don’t know what that means. But yes, it’s time they learned the truth. Rumors are already spreading about whether I’m dead or alive. The uncertainty served me well while we were searching for the traitor. Now I’d rather control the moment, than let it twist in whispers.”

“But everyone at once? Won’t that cause chaos?”

“ Controlled chaos. The Veinwarden leaders have had time to prepare. They’ll manage the reactions while we’re gone.”

Varam clears his throat. “There’s something else. The last patrol returned with reports of increased Authority movement near the northeastern passes. They’ve been repositioning scouts. Light forces. Possibly staging for something larger.”

That doesn’t surprise me. “Sereven is going to assume the worst, and act accordingly. He hasn’t remained in power for this many years through luck alone. It changes nothing about the plan. If anything, it confirms his desperation to ensure I’ve been eliminated.”

Varam nods, but I can see the concern in Ellie’s eyes.

“We leave within the hour.”

Once we’re ready, we step out of my quarters and walk through Stonehaven’s passageways toward the main cavern. I don’t pretend to be injured or weak. I walk with my head held high, shadows occasionally dancing between my fingertips, a living testament to what Sereven failed to destroy.

Word spreads ahead of us like fire through dry grass.

The whispers start, then falter into silence as people see me.

Fighters stop mid-conversation, healers pause in gathering potted-herbs, baskets forgotten.

Families gather in groups, bowing low as I walk past. Their expressions mirror their disbelief, shock giving way to wonder, confusion to cautious joy.

In the main cavern, a crowd has already formed, fighters pressing forward to witness the rumors that preceded our walk.

Some reach out to touch me, to verify I’m real and not some elaborate deception or spirit conjured from grief.

I let them. Others drop to their knees, hands pressed over their hearts, heads bowed in reverence they’d never give to the Authority.

Ellie is tense beside me, uncomfortable with the display and so many eyes on us, yet I stand straighter, absorbing the energy of their hope and fear. This is what Sereven could never understand. Power isn’t what you take, it’s what people are willing to give you.

And they are giving me everything. Their belief is almost a physical force in the room.

I stop when we reach the center of the cavern, Ellie at my side, and let everyone look their fill. The silence is absolute while they wait for me to speak.

“The Authority believes me dead or dying.” The shadows at my command carry my voice to every corner of the space.

“Sereven believes his torture destroyed me. That his crystal unmade what I am.” I let darkness spill from my hands, coalescing first into my raven, and then into smaller versions that fly through the chamber, swooping over heads, perching on tables, making people gasp and stare. “He was wrong.”

Whispers ripple through the crowd. Someone near the back chants verses of the Veinblood Prophecy. Others join in, hesitant at first, then with growing strength until the sound fills the cavern, echoing off the walls.

“ Where shadows lengthen and dawn falters, the Vein will flow once more …”

I raise my hand. Silence falls immediately.

“This is not prophecy. This is not divine intervention or fate’s design. This is resistance . Our resistance. This is flesh and blood and will. This is what happens when we refuse to surrender. When we fight back against those who would destroy us. When we remember who we truly are.”

My gaze sweeps across the gathered faces.

“Spread the word. Vareth’el et’Varin Sacha Torran lives.

And I am no longer willing just to fight for survival.

” I raise my arms and release the mental grip I hold on my appearance.

I don’t need to see my reflection to know my features have sharpened, eyes turning black, shadows rising to the surface of my skin following the lines of my veins.

“It’s time to end the Authority’s reign permanently. ”

The response to my words is deafening. Cheers. Shouts. Weapons striking shields. The sound builds until it seems like the very mountain might shake from its force.

Through it all, I stay composed, focused, and aware of the risk I’m taking. This public revelation will reach Sereven within days, possibly before we reach Blackstone Ridge. People talk, and rumors spread. And I’ll use it as part of my strategy.

Let him know I’ve survived. Let him feel the first tremors of fear. And when night falls, and darkness claims the world, let him wonder if I will step out of them, bringing his death with me.

At my signal, Varam moves ahead of me, clearing a path through the crowd toward the exit.

Near the tunnel’s mouth, Lisandra passes in front of me, being escorted by two fighters.

Her eyes meet mine, and she gives one slow nod, before turning her back on me, and moving forward toward Stonehaven’s hidden entrance.

Daylight spills through when Varam moves to open the door, momentarily blinding after the soft amber glow of the lightstones. Outside, twenty fighters stand, holding horses.

“Have you ridden before?” I turn to Ellie.

“When we came to Glassfall Gap.” Her smile is small. “It was an experience.”

“If you need to stop, speak up. It’s two days hard ride to Blackstone Ridge.” I stand next to a chestnut mare, running my palm over its neck, then swing myself up into the saddle.

Ellie mounts the grey mare beside me. “I expected you to ride a big black stallion.”

“I prefer a mount that I won’t have a constant battle of wills with.” I pat the horse’s neck gently. “Irisol mares are intelligent, patient, and bred for endurance in the mountains.” My heels touch the mare’s flanks, and I move to the head of the group, leading them away from Stonehaven.

Once we’re out of view of the fortress, I send out my raven to scout ahead.

Its form bursts out from my hand, and launches into the sky.

The connection between us stays strong as it soars over the landscape, its vision becoming mine.

Through its eyes, I scan the surrounding area, looking for possible ambush points and checking for signs of Authority scouts.

“Do you see through its eyes, or is it something else?” Ellie asks. “Your eyes turn completely black. Can you see what’s in front of you?”

“I can see both. It can be disconcerting at first, but once you get used to it, it’s easy to separate.”

“Is that what I did at Glassfall Gap? When the mist stalker ran through the convoy? I could see everything it was seeing.”

“Yes. All Veinbloods have the capability of shared sight, with a familiar, sometimes it’s achieved through different mediums.”

“I don’t know how I did it. How would I go about learning to control that?”

“When we stop to rest, I’ll show you. It requires a particular kind of focus, especially at first. Trying for the first time while you’re on the back of a horse would not be recommended.”

She falls silent, and I continue my monitoring of the area.

“Authority patrol. Seven soldiers moving along the western ridge. They shouldn’t cross our path, but be aware.”

Varam turns his head toward the ridge in question, but it’s too far away for ordinary vision to detect any movement.

“Will they see us?”