Let the Sky Fall (Sky Fall #1)(91)

“Gavin’s not evil,” Audra says quietly, staring into the distance. The winds pick up around her and she closes her eyes.

It’s an Easterly, singing of unwanted change.

Audra’s eyes snap open. “Why was Gavin there?”

When no one answers, she turns to her mother. “You told me you’d send him home—and Gavin would never disobey a direct command. So why was he still at the wind farm?”

“How should I know?”

The edge to Arella’s voice doesn’t match the cool, indifferent stare she’s giving us. Neither does the way she’s rubbing nervously at the golden bracelet on her wrist.

She’s hiding something.

Audra must realize it too, because she pulls her hand away from me, backing up a few steps. “Gavin never would’ve stayed if you’d sent him home. And he never would’ve flown to me under those kind of dangerous conditions, not unless . . .”

All the color drains from her face. When she speaks again, her voice is barely louder than the whipping winds. “Did you send him to me?”

“Honestly, Audra—I don’t know what you’re—”

“Please, Mother!” Audra takes several deep breaths before she speaks again. “You’ve never forgiven me for what happened to Dad. Admit it!”

Anger flashes in Arella’s eyes, but whether she’s mad that Audra would think that or furious that Audra figured it out is anyone’s guess. “Audra—”

“The whole ‘making peace’ thing you said last night was just an excuse, wasn’t it?” Audra interrupts. “You planned this. You wanted to use Gavin to betray me today—the same way I betrayed you. You wanted me to die, didn’t you? Admit it!”

Before I can think of something to say to any of that, Arella starts laughing. It’s a cold, mocking sound, and I can’t decide if I want to tackle her or get Audra the hell away from the crazy woman.

“That’s your theory?” Arella shouts. “Then you’ve officially lost it, Audra. You want to know the truth? Fine—I’ll give you the truth. I did what you were too weak to do. I forced Vane’s breakthrough. I knew it would never happen unless you were in mortal danger. So I did what had to be done. And it worked—didn’t it? You speak Westerly now, don’t you?”

“So you gave away our location to the Stormers—without even warning us?” It takes all my willpower not to rip the smug smile off her face. “We almost died. And you did it for my breakthrough?”

“For the key to defeating the greatest enemy our world’s ever known? You bet I did. I’m a guardian, Vane. I did my job—since my daughter didn’t have the courage or skill to do it.”

“Guardian?” I spit the word. “You’re damn lucky I had the breakthrough, because if I hadn’t, Audra would be dead now and I’d be Raiden’s prisoner. A real guardian would’ve protected us. You ran because you’re weak!”

“You think I’m weak?”

She waves her arms, and the winds stir around us without her uttering any commands.

Audra tries to back away, but I hold our ground. I call one of each of the four winds and tangle them around my hand.

Arella gasps.

Yeah—that’s right. Let’s not forget who’s the last freaking Westerly here.

“You may know a few tricks, but I’m the most powerful guardian in the Gales,” she hisses like a coiled snake ready to strike.

“If you’re so powerful, why couldn’t you save us during the fight today? And why couldn’t you save my family ten years ago?”

Arella laughs again, the sound so harsh it makes both Audra and me jump. “You want to blame someone for your parents’ death? Then you’d better blame my daughter. Ask her what happened that day.”

Audra makes a strangled sound, like she’s just been kicked in the gut.

I pull her against my side, supporting her. “She already told me what happened.”

Arella steps forward, a glint in her eyes. “Really? So she told you she called the wind to save Gavin after a Southerly knocked him out of the sky? That she branded the draft with her trace and didn’t even have the decency to tell us so we could prepare? That she killed her father and your parents? You know all of that?”

Audra starts to shake.

“It wasn’t your fault,” I remind her. “It wasn’t.”

“I know,” she says, surprising me with the conviction in her voice.

She pulls away from me, rounding on Arella. “I never told anyone it was a gust of wind that knocked Gavin out of the sky. And I never knew what type of draft it was. The only way you could know it was a Southerly is if you were there. And if you were there, then you knew the Stormer was coming—and you didn’t warn Dad. Almost like . . .”

She stares at the sky, like she’s watching her words hover over us, not sure what to do with any of them.

That makes two of us.

“You wanted the Stormer to find us, didn’t you?” she finally whispers.

Arella hesitates before she answers.

But she knows she’s trapped. So she raises a defiant eyebrow at Audra. “Yes.”





CHAPTER 56


AUDRA