Page 27 of Stormvein
“Ifthe captain is telling the truth,” Lisandra says. She’s trying to stay calm, and logical, but I can see she believes it too.
I told you so. The words sit heavy on my tongue, but I don’t say them. The argument we had hangs between us. How she refused to listen when I insisted Sacha had survived. How she dismissed my belief as grief talking. Now she’s standing here trying to hedge, trying to avoid admitting she was wrong.
“We need to intercept that transport before it reaches Blackvault,” Varam says, already thinking ahead. “Once he’s behind those walls, a rescue will be impossible.”
“They’ll be approaching the southern pass by now.” Lisandra’s voice is steady. But she won’t look at me.
“Glassfall Gap, then.” Varam says after a moment’s thought. “They’ll have no choice but to go through it to get to Blackvault. It’s our best chance.” He looks at me. “Narrow passage, steep cliffs on either side. Perfect for an ambush.”
“Can we reach it in time?” My voice sounds strained, even to my own ears. I think of Sacha—his arrogance, those eyes that see straight through pretense. I think of him captured, weakened, being paraded through settlements as a trophy. Every moment we delay is another moment he suffers. Another moment where he might think we’ve abandoned him to his fate.
The ring hidden beneath my tunic seems to grow warmer against my skin. I’ve been keeping it close since his familiar brought it to me, afraid to hope what it might mean. Now I understand. It isn’t a keepsake. It was a message. He’s alive, and he needs me.
“If we leave today,” Varam says. “It’s risky, but it’s our only option.”
“I’ll call a meeting.” Lisandra is already walking away. “If we stand any chance of getting him back, we’ll need to move quickly.”
She strides down the passageway without a backward glance, her spine stiff. No apology. No acknowledgement that maybe, justmaybe, I was right to keep believing when everyone else had given up.
As I watch her go, Mira steps out of the cell. “What did you mean back there?Watch me?”
I think about the power inside me, about the way the stone cracked under my feet. “I mean we get him back. Whatever it takes.”
“We need a plan, Ellie. Recklessness is more likely to get him and us killed. Remember that.” Varam’s voice holds a quiet warning.
I nod, although I’m not sure I agree. Every plan so far has failed. But I keep that to myself, and follow him and Mira back through the passages to the central part of Stonehaven.
The council chamber is already filling when we arrive. Varam moves to the head of the table, Lisandra and Mira flanking him. As the last Veinwardens file in, he raises his hand for silence.
“The Vareth’el lives.”
The chamber erupts. Questions fly from all sides, skepticism and hope battling in equal measure.
I watch as Lisandra stiffens. She’s standing perfectly still, like a soldier at attention, but I can see the tension in the line of her shoulders. She’d been so sure I was wrong. Now she must face a room full of people learning that the Shadowvein Lord, the man she insisted was dead, that we should not try to find, is alive.
“We have confirmation from an Authority captain,” Varam continues when the initial shock subsides. “Lord Torran survived the encounter at River Crossing. He was captured by Sereven’s forces. And right now, he’s being transported to Blackvault, where they plan to purge him of his power.”
Horror ripples through the room at these words, but it’s quickly replaced by determination.
“When do they reach Blackvault?” Tarn, the stronghold’s head scout, asks.
“No more than two days,” Varam answers. “They’re heading toward the southern mountains. The captain we captured was sent ahead to prepare the prison for Sacha’s arrival.”
“So, we need to intercept them before they reach the prison.”
“Exactly.”
“How many guards?” another fighter asks.
“Twenty of Sereven’s personal guard.” It’s Lisandra who answers.
“What about Sereven himself?” Tarn asks.
“Not traveling with the transport, according to the captain.”
“We need to leave as soon as possible. Every hour matters now.” Mira’s voice is quiet.
Varam unrolls a map across the table, pointing to a narrow passage between two peaks.
