Windburn

The Enders leapt as a unit, and I braced for the impact. But it came from a direction I did not expect. A wickedly cold wind snapped down off the remaining peaks and slammed into all of us. The Enders were tossed through the air and Cactus, Peta, and I were hammered into the ground. My cheek hit so hard the skin split and the warmth of my blood shocked the icy cold of my skin. I clung to the rocks as the temperature dropped and my breath misted around my face. Peta somehow managed to get beside me, scraping along the rocks until her fur tickled my face. Her eyes were squinted shut against the blasting wind. I wrapped a hand over her back and buried my face into her thick coat.

Minutes ticked by. I know, I counted each one. If I didn’t do something, I was going to freeze in spite of Peta’s efforts to keep me warm. Which meant Cactus was in even more trouble.

I rolled with difficulty so I could see behind me. Samara stood with her head thrown back, her short hair rippling in the wind. The lines of power wrapped around her arms, legs and torso, more than I’d ever seen before on another elemental.

Cactus was only a foot away from me. I held my hand out to him, pulling him close. The only person we were missing was my father. Peta picked up on my thoughts, yelling into the wind to me. “He’s by the old queen.”

As far as I knew, there was only one thing I could do. No one else seemed inclined to try and talk sense into Samara. Angling myself, I faced Samara while still lying on my back. I took a breath and stood, letting the wind catch me and throw me toward her. The speed of the wind slammed me into her so hard we went tumbling through the air three times ass over head before we hit the ground and the wind fell.

Her eyes were glazed and her lips were blue. “Destroyer.”

“Yes.” I slid off her and sat up in a crouch. “Sorry about that.”

She blinked a few times before she put a hand to her head. “I can’t let you go without doing something. They will think me weak.”

“Do what you must,” I said, pushing myself to my feet. “Only let me get my father home.”

The Sylphs rushed forward, all of them this time. But there was no malice in them. Apparently her show of force was enough to convince them. They fell at Samara’s feet on their knees, their hands raised above their heads and their eyes closed. I pushed through the crowd carefully until I was beside Aria and my father.

His eyes met mine first, and there was a tiny bit of clarity there, a hint of the man he’d been before Cassava had manipulated his mind. Before hope could truly spring forward, his green eyes narrowed and distrust replaced any emotion I might have seen there. Beside him lay the emerald stone, as if it had dropped from the heavens. Yet it had been in Cassava’s hand when last I’d seen it. I scooped it up as I crouched down, tucking it into my vest.

“How did you find me?” my father asked.

“I used a Tracker.” Exhaustion made my words soft.

His eyes narrowed farther, and his words were heavy with disappointment. “Using a supernatural? We will discuss this when we get back to the Rim.”

He shook his head, but unlike the shame I normally felt, there was nothing but fatigue. Ignoring him, I went to my knees beside Aria. Her eyes met mine and she smiled. “Give her the stone. She will need it.”

I glanced over my shoulder to where Samara walked through her people, touching them gently on the heads and shoulders. Connecting with them. “She kicked ass without help from anyone else.”

“She is the strongest of us. I’ve always known it. But wild, ah, she is wild like I was when I first took the throne.” Aria slipped the smoky diamond from her neck and handed it to me. The stone shook from the trembling in her hand and I folded my fingers over it.

Boreas, the only Ender who hadn’t charged Samara, went to his knees beside his queen. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he took her free hand and held it to his chest. “Mother, do not leave us.”

“Ah, my boy. How I love you. Protect her. She needs your strength and loyalty. And maybe even your love.”

He dropped his head to her chest, his shoulders shaking. His defense of her, his fierce loyalty, it made even more sense. Though her daughters did not love her the way they should have, her son obviously made up for them. To see their bond made the lack of bond with my own remaining parent that much more painful.

I buried my hands into the rocks. One last thing before we left. My mother’s spear . . . I wasn’t leaving it behind. Using the power of the earth, I searched through the rubble, seeking the weapon and pulling it toward me. The ground bulged and spit up my spear, right into my hand. Peta rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t be able to do that either.”

I pushed to my feet and stepped back, unable to stay any longer.

“Larkspur, you have an armband?” my father said, stopping me.

“No.”

“You can use one of ours. I want you gone.” Samara’s voice cut through anything I might have said. She pointed at one of the Enders. He handed her an armband made of pale smoky quartz that mimicked the diamond I held in my hand.

There was no globe to use, though, no way to point ourselves home.

“We need to leave. Now.” My father’s grip was tight on my forearm, and his fingers dug into me.

“In a minute—”

“You would defy me?” He seemed truly confused.

I shook his hand off. “I need to speak with Samara before we go.”

Samara wore no crown; she still wore her Enders leathers . . . yet she was the queen. I could see it in the way she held herself, the tip of her chin. Even the blood splatter on her leathers that spoke of the fight for the throne. I’d made the right choice. Even if the mother goddess didn’t like it.