Page 63 of Stormvein (The Veinbound Trilogy #2)

I wake several times, heart racing, silver light trying to break free in response to phantom fears. I curl my fingers into my palms, nails digging into my skin until I get control of it.

Each time I open my eyes, Lisandra is awake, sitting with her back against a tree. Our gazes lock, and I roll over, pretending I didn’t notice.

Pulling the thin blanket up to my chin, I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to force my mind to stillness. It doesn’t work. The ground is too cold, and my body aches too much. My pack is the worst kind of pillow.

I roll over again, remember Lisandra, and twist onto my opposite side, so my back is facing her.

And then something changes …

It takes a second for me to realize what I’m feeling. The cold ground isn’t quite so hard against my side. The bedroll turns softer, a gentle warmth emanating from beneath me.

I move my hand without opening my eyes, feeling around until I find the edge of the bedroll.

I reach further and find the ground isn’t quite as close as it should be.

Opening my eyes, I discover I’m lying on a thick layer of shadow, similar to the beds he’s woven before.

The darkness ripples beneath my fingers when I touch it.

He must have noticed my restlessness from across the camp, and made sure I’d be more comfortable.

Such a simple gesture.

Such a complicated man.

And just like that, my body relaxes, my eyes close, and a dreamless sleep overtakes me.

When I wake, it’s to chaos.

Shouts pierce the pre-dawn darkness. I bolt upright, and roll to my feet before I’m truly awake, heart hammering, half-expecting to see Authority soldiers surrounding us.

“She’s gone,” someone calls from across the camp. “Lisandra has gone.”

It takes a moment for the words to make sense.

Lisandra? What? How?

“Search the area. She can’t have gone far.”

I spin to find Sacha standing behind me. His eyes meet mine briefly before he lifts his palm and calls his familiar. The raven forms from darkness itself, wings spreading wide before launching skyward.

“How did she get free?” My voice is thin, shocked.

“She managed to cut her bonds on the tree bark.” One of the fighters crouches beside where Lisandra had been sitting, examining the frayed wraps that had been used to bind her hands. “She must have worked on them all night.”

“Why would she wait until now to escape? Why not while we were closer to Stonehaven, where she might have found support?”

“We’re closer to Blackstone Ridge than Stonehaven.” A muscle ticks in Sacha’s jaw.

“You think she’s going to warn him?”

“I don’t know. But we should find her before that becomes a reality.”

As the group of men hurry around removing evidence of the camp, I feel the first real flickering of fear.

Our plans for Blackstone Ridge depend on the element of surprise.

On Lisandra delivering Sacha’s message under our control.

With her free and likely heading straight to the High Commander, that advantage is lost.

I’m checking the straps on my horse when I notice something tucked into the saddle. A folded piece of paper that wasn’t there the night before. I pull it free and unfold it. There’s a message scribbled on it.

He’s sending everyone to their deaths at Blackstone Ridge. The way he looks at you. It’s the only reason you might survive. Get away while you can. This isn’t your war, and your death will not serve any purpose.

Lisandra must have left this for me to find. Is it a final attempt to sow discord, to separate me from Sacha? To isolate him?

“Are you ready to go?” Sacha’s voice, close behind me, makes me jump.

This isn’t your war …

I spin around and hold out the note for him to see. If she expected me to keep it from him, she seriously misjudged me. “Lisandra left this.”

He takes it, eyes scanning the message. His expression doesn’t change, but he crumples the paper in his fist.

“A predictable tactic. She hopes to divide us.”

“Is it true?” I don’t believe it, but I need to hear him say it.

His eyes meet mine. “No. I have never sacrificed people to save myself.”

His answer should reassure me, yet something in his tone lifts the hairs on the back of my neck. I don’t think he’s lying about the safety of our little group, but about his own. He might not be planning to sacrifice his people, but is he planning to sacrifice himself?

“We need to leave. Blackstone Ridge is still a day’s ride, and unless we find Lisandra, there’s every chance we will lose the element of surprise.”

Mounting my horse, my eyes rise to the sky darkening above us. Dark clouds are forming, likely in response to my mood. I focus on controlling them, on preventing the storm from manifesting fully.

“Ellie.” Sacha’s voice snaps my attention back to my surroundings just in time to duck before a tree branch hits my face. “Pay attention.”

My thoughts keep returning to Lisandra’s note as we ride.

This isn’t your war .

But it is my war now, whether I chose it or not. It became my war the moment I entered that tower, the second I helped Sacha escape, the days when I watched him nearly die from torture. The moment I discovered the storm power inside me, and felt his shadows merge with my light.

Whatever awaits us at Blackstone Ridge, I’m committed now. To the Veinwardens. To defeating the Authority. To this world that has somehow become mine despite everything. And more importantly, to Sacha .

Sacha’s raven finds Lisandra sometime in the afternoon.

“She’s moving fast,” he says. “Heading directly for Blackstone Ridge. She’ll reach it before nightfall.”

“And us?”

“Dawn tomorrow, at our current pace. Which gives Sereven ample time to prepare for our arrival.”

“Is there no way we can catch up to her?”

He considers this, then nods. “There is a way. A ravine two hours ahead that provides a shortcut to the ridge. We might be able to catch her before she reaches Sereven if we use it, and if she sticks to her current route. But it’s not an easy path.

Even before I was imprisoned, it was avoided if possible.

It could be even more dangerous now.” He looks around for Varam, and signals for him to come closer. “How bad is Scar Valley?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve used it, but I haven’t heard any reports of rock falls or the pass being blocked.”

“Then that’s the route we’ll take.” He taps his heels to his horse’s flanks. “Let’s pick up speed. We need to get through the worst of it before night falls.”

The ravine is worse than I could have imagined.

A narrow slash through mountain rock, its floor littered with fallen stones, which makes riding treacherous.

We’re forced to dismount and lead our horses through the worst sections, picking our way carefully across the shifting scree and around huge boulders.

Shadows lengthen as the sun begins its descent, throwing the pass into premature darkness. The walls rise so steeply on either side that daylight struggles to reach us, creating a claustrophobic passage where sound echoes strangely.

“Stay close,” Sacha warns as we navigate a section barely wide enough for the horses to pass. “The exit is ahead.”

I keep one hand on my horse’s reins as I follow behind him.

The ravine eventually widens, opening into a small clearing surrounded by towering rock faces. Ahead, the passage narrows again before finally opening onto a broader landscape.

“Wait.” Sacha holds up a hand, signaling an immediate halt.

“What is it?” I whisper.

“Someone is at the exit.”

The men behind us tense, hands moving to their weapons. Sacha lifts a finger to his lips, as he edges forward, drawing shadows around him in such a way that he blends into the scenery.

I follow him. He glances back when I step on a branch, snapping it, but doesn’t tell me to go back.

Instead, he extends his shadows to include me.

We reach a position where we can get a clear view of the ravine’s exit.

A figure stands just beyond the narrow opening, back to us, seemingly studying the path ahead.

Even in the fading light, the silhouette is unmistakable.

Lisandra .

She appears to be alone. There’s no sign of Authority soldiers or Sereven. But her stance suggests she’s waiting for something, or someone . Her head turns occasionally as she scans her surroundings.

Sacha signals to the fighters behind us, instructing them to hold position.

Then something strange happens … something I’ve never seen before.

He changes. His solid form seems to dissolve into pure shadow.

The darkness flows along the ravine wall toward the exit, moving against the natural direction of the light.

I watch in fascination as he moves, barely a ripple in the natural shadows, undetectable to anyone not specifically looking for movement.

Even knowing what to look for, I can barely track his progress.

There’s just the faintest disturbance in the darkness, like ink spreading through black water.

This must be his power in its purest form.

Not the violent manifestations I’ve witnessed, but subtle manipulation of darkness itself.

Beautiful in its way, and terrifying in what it means he could do if he chose.

When he’s positioned directly behind Lisandra, the shadows recede. Before she even knows he’s there, his hand clamps over her mouth, his other arm wrapping around her, securing her hands against her body.

I reach the exit just as he drags her back into the ravine’s concealment.

“Did you really think you could escape me?” His voice is chilling in its calmness.

Lisandra doesn’t bother denying it. “I knew you’d follow me. You’re predictable in some ways.”

“As are you.” He doesn’t release her. “What was the plan? Run straight to Sereven, and hope he’ll spare your life in return for warning him I’m coming?”

“Not exactly.” Her expression shifts, a subtle change that sets off alarm bells in my head.

She wanted to be caught. This was her plan all along.

“Sacha—”