Page 3 of I Am the Storm

Before I can answer, we're interrupted by the arrival of someone intent on saying hello to Sebastian. The newcomer is short, with the upper body of a man—and a very hairy one at that, given that he isn't wearing a shirt and I can still see the thick mat covering his chest and back—and the lower body of a goat. Thankfully, his lower half is covered by a pair of bright purple pants. Sebastian reluctantly engages in conversation with him, and I'm left a bit dumbstruck at the thought that I've just met my first faun.

I say a brief hello and introduce myself, then turn my attention to the party. I search each person, looking for Adam's face in theirs. Looking for my twin. But I know he's gone. The real question is, will he come back?

I'm distracted from thoughts of my brother when someone catches my eye, a beautiful man gliding through the crowd, dressed entirely in black to match his hair. When he looks my way, I suck in my breath, but I can't turn away. His eyes are dark as night, void of any color. The blackest eyes I've ever seen. And I feel a compulsion I can't explain. I want to be closer to him. To never stop looking at him. To touch him.

He stops to stand in front of a bonfire like a shadow in the flames, mesmerizing. His eyes don't leave mine and his expression is curious. He smiles and I melt inside.

I'm about to stand and walk towards him. Power beyond myself compels me to do so, but then the clock tower clangs loudly, pulling my gaze from his for just a moment. When I look back, the man is gone, and I feel a bitter disappointment.

But his image is seared in my mind, and I kick myself for not bringing my sketchbook tonight. My fingers are itching to draw him. To capture every nuance of his look and expression on paper.

The clock tower continues to chime, and as it does, an overwhelming sense of wrongness takes hold within me. A flash grips me and I stand and follow its pull towards the woods. If I don't move, if I don't obey the compulsion, I will be too sick to function. It has happened before.

Sebastian realizes I'm leaving and grabs my hand. "Are you well?"

But when he sees my face, he frowns and walks away from his conversation with the faun "What's happening?" he asks urgently.

"Something's wrong," I whisper, but it's hard to speak. Hard to form words. I just have to…move. "We have to get out of here."

I pull him with me farther away from the crowd.

The chime ends.

The clock tower explodes.

The force rocks the world beneath my feet, and it's only Sebastian’s hold on me that keeps me from collapsing.

From the corner of my eye I see a familiar form surrounded by mist, her eyes sad, her mouth forming my name.

"Eve."

I hear it on the wind. The woman with skin dark as midnight and long silver braids that flow down her back. A silver horn protrudes from her forehead and her large silver eyes watch me with curiosity.

I scream as another flash seizes me and clutch my head as my brain feels as if it's squeezed into a vice. I struggle to focus, my head pounding, bile rising in my throat. And then I smell it. Smoke. Ash. Fire. The rising dust of falling debris. And then I hear the screams.

I turn to look at the town square and I see the flames, the panic, the people struggling to flee the courtyard, a brave few trying to put out the blaze with buckets of water. Smoke billowing everywhere, choking the oxygen out of my lungs. People clearing away rubble. Part of the courthouse has collapsed. The part holding the clock. The source of the explosion. And then I remember.

I look around for Lily. The other Night brothers. I don't see them. I don't see any of them. Panic seizes me. "We need to find your brothers," I yell.

Sebastian's eyes widen. "Let's go," he says, grabbing my hand.

We run towards the direction of the explosion.

I ditch my cloak that's slowing me down, and I try to pull out whatever power is in me. Can I put out the flames? Help in some way?

Enforcers dressed in black leather organize a group to help put out the fire. It spreads beyond the courthouse, taking down other buildings and many stalls and booths. The Ifrits run in and out of the blaze, pulling people out from under the fallen structures, the flames dripping off them like oil. One of the gargoyles flies large buckets of water from a nearby stream, but it's not enough.

I have to find a way to help.

Anxiety clutches me and I struggle to breathe, to calm my mind. Where are the others? My mind spins with all my deepest fears of losing those I love. If they were near the blast, they could be dead, and I can't handle losing more of my family. Tears burn my eyes and the world feels like it's closing in on me.

Sebastian pauses and glances at me. "Eve?"

But I can't answer him. I'm hyperventilating and I feel dizzy and scared. Like my heart is going to explode.

Sebastian turns to me, putting his hands gently on my face, and I feel a pulse of his earth power flow into me. It's strong, steady, stable, safe.

"Breathe with me," he says, slowing his own breath and encouraging me to do the same.

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