Page 66 of Storm of Blood and Shadow

My body shudders as the last bit of the Mordvorren disappears down my throat like wisps of black smoke. My jaws shut, and I remain stone-still, locked to the peak of the mountain.

A few clouds remain overhead, but they are small, natural ones, carrying a light spring rain whose drops sparkle in the sun. The slant of golden beams through the rain creates an arch of glorious color across the sky.

Deep in my body I can feel the void, and the Mordvorren inside it. The entity is silent for the time being. Once it has acclimated to its new prison, it may become dangerous again, so I must use what little time I have to the best advantage.

I don’t immediately return to my cave. It’s dangerous to do so when I still feel ravenously hungry. Instead I fly down to the nearest beach, landing upon sand littered with storm debris. When I send a bolt of lightning into the water, I’m shocked to find that my lightning comes out in shades of both purple and crimson. It’s a disturbing sign of what I’ve done, the changes I’ve made to myself.

Within moments, the bodies of several fish float to the surface. I swallow a few dozen immediately, feasting until the roaring hunger in my belly abates. Then I gather several more of the fattest fish in my claws and fly back toward my cave.

I usually avoid fishing in this way. Using my lightning feels unfair to the fish, and wasteful, since I could end up killingfar more creatures than I intend to. Yet in the case of near-starvation, the use of magic seems warranted.

Jessiva is standing in the mouth of my cave when I return. The breeze tosses her long red hair and whips the ends of the blanket she has wrapped around her shoulders.

She sees me coming and backs up so I have space to land. Her eyes are pink and swollen from crying, and her gaze darts to the fish grasped in my front claws, the desperation of hunger tightening her features. But she forces her attention back to my face.

“You’re alive,” she says hoarsely. “What did you do?”

I drop the fish in a pile by the wall of the cave and blow on one of the dyre-stones to heat it. When we still had food, she used one of the dyre-stones to cook some of the vegetables. I assume she can do the same with fish, if she does not wish to devour them raw.

“Varex,” she says. “Answer me.”

I turn to face her. “I told you, I have void magic. I have always felt as if my body contained a hollow space, a dimensional void far larger than my true size. So I made use of it.”

Her face is stark white, both from deprivation and fear. “How?”

“I got rid of the storm.”

“I can see that.” She advances, fists clenched. “Howdid you get rid of it?”

“If there had been any other way for you to survive—”

“Did you create a void orb big enough to contain the storm and destroy it?”

“That wasn’t possible. There was only one option.”

Jessiva closes her eyes. “Tell me you didn’t take it into yourself.”

“As I said, it was the only way—”

“You idiot!” she gasps. “You swallowed it? What does this even mean? What is going to happen to you?”

“I don’t know.” I arch my neck and stretch my wings a little. “I don’t feel much different yet. Fuller, in a strange way… not in the physical sense, but a metaphysical fullness, I suppose. I can feel the storm inside me, but its voice is muffled. I think it might get louder over time.”

Jessiva launches herself at me, pounding her tiny fists against the armored scales of my chest. “How could you do this to yourself? To us?”

She’s screaming, weeping, sobbing. I let her attack me. She has every right to be furious and frightened. As for myself, I’m too stunned to be terrified, though I’m sure the fear will come.

“I do not feel the mating frenzy as strongly now,” I say absently, while she continues to pummel me. “That is a good thing. Safer for you.”

“None of this isgood,” she retorts.

“Everyone who has been trapped in caves will now be able to come out into the sun,” I remind her. “Some of them were likely on the brink of starvation as well. I saved their lives. I savedyours.”

Jessiva pauses her assault, her hands dropping to her sides. “I’m grateful, truly. But I’m scared. After you hurt yourself, I realized… I finally understood that I—”

A black shadow falls across the entrance to my cave, and Kyreagan enters, folding his wings. He looks at me first, horror and anger flashing across his face, and I realize that although my neck wound is no longer bleeding, it must look raw and dangerous to him.

I don’t have time to explain that it’s not a life-threatening cut. He’s already roaring, already darting toward Jessiva, intent on the kill.

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