"Tell me this," Raiden calls. "Who's tired of living in the shadows of the groundlings-weak, pitiful creatures who cannot even stand in a storm? Who's tired of letting them hold the prime lands while we hide out of sight?"

More murmurs of agreement before everyone repeats their strange salute.

"The winds have turned wild against the groundlings, storming their lands and tearing apart everything they own. The sky has chosen to get rid of them-but it needs our help. They've been too resilient, relying on their technologies and their evacuations and their sheer power in numbers. But not for much longer. This is the day we join the winds' fight to reclaim the earth, and we won't stop until every last one of these useless creatures has been returned to the ground where they belong! Are you with me?"

This time the crowd erupts immediately and the sound makes me shiver under the scorching desert sun. But something else in Raiden's speech was far more chilling-something I want to pretend I didn't hear because then I won't have to decide if it's true.

The way Raiden keeps talking about having "the key" and "the power" he's been "searching for."

It almost sounds like he . . .

But he can't.

I don't believe it.

I press my hand against my chest, trying to feel the burning pull of my bond-but my heart is pounding too fast.

I can't tell.

I can't think.

"Any minute now my long-awaited prisoner will arrive, and then I will show you how we will win this war," Raiden shouts. "Today we will change the future!"

He throws up his hands and the crowd goes wild. Cheering and clapping and chanting, "Bring out the prisoner. Bring out the prisoner!" Feeding off each other's energy.

Each repet.i.tion crushes me more.

There's only one prisoner who could grant Raiden that kind of power.

The key he's been searching for.

The one he's tried and failed to catch before.

Raiden must've finally captured Vane.

CHAPTER 21.VANE.

T.

his can't be happening.

I know the Gales have been preparing me for this moment-but as Gus drags Solana and me across the grove, I can't remember a single thing Fang taught me. I can barely remember my own name.

All I can do is stare at the splotch of blood on Gus's hand, trying not to think about where it came from or who it came from or how much more of it I'm going to see today.

"Stop!" my mom screams as she chases after us. "Where are you taking him? What's going on?"

"We don't have time for this right now," Gus tells her.

"You have time to explain where you're taking my son," my mom insists, grabbing my arm and starting a Vane-tug-of-war.

"Okay, ow!" I jerk away from both of them, wrenching my wrist in the process. "Come on, Gus. You can't drop the 'we're under attack' bomb and not tell us what's going on or what we're supposed to do or where my family's supposed to go or-"

"Honestly? I don't know," Gus admits, staring at the cloudless sky-which seems way too clear and blue for an attack. "Feng sent me a piece of cactus covered in his blood. All the message said was 'ambush.'"

His voice cracks and he looks away.

My mom reaches for my hand, squeezing so hard it cuts off my circulation.

"Has there been an echo?" Solana whispers.

Gus shakes his head.

She places her hand on his shoulder. "Then there's still hope. And we both know there's no better fighter."

Gus stares at her hand, a single tear streaking down his cheek as he nods.

I never realized he and Fang were so close.

Feng, I correct.

"Anyway, that's all I know," Gus adds after a second. "Os took a fleet of Gales up to Joshua Tree, where Feng had been patrolling. The rest of our force is divided between the Borderland Base and the Clear River Base, which also sent us alerts this morning. So Os told me to get you both underground in case Raiden's next move is here."

"That's your big plan-hide him underground?" my mom asks, pulling me back to her side. "Let me take him. I'll drive him anywhere you want. The car has a full tank of gas and-"

"It doesn't work that way, Mom." I cover her hand with mine, hating that I can feel her shaking. "I know you want to help, but if they're really coming for me, I won't be able to outrun them. Especially not in our beat-up old Honda."

I can tell she wants to argue, but all she asks is "Where will you go?"

"Os said you knew a place," Gus tells me. "Somewhere near the desert's center?"

My skin itches just thinking about going back to the Maelstrom-and the last thing I want is to spend a few more hours with Arella. "But what about my parents? Someone needs to stay with them."

"I told you-everyone is gone."

Solana sucks in a breath and my stomach gets all churney. Suddenly, hiding in the Maelstrom seems like a pretty good idea. Except . . .

"I'm not leaving my family unprotected, Gus. If there's no one else, then I'll stay with them."

"That'll only put them in more danger, Vane. You're the one Raiden wants."

"But at least I can defend them."

Gus snorts. "You really think you can take on the Stormers by yourself?"

"I'll be fine," my mom interrupts-though her voice sounds anything but. "Go with Gus. Don't worry about me. I'll just . . . I'll grab your dad from work and we'll head out of town again."

"There may not be time to get far enough away," I tell her.

"Well, then I'll . . ." She doesn't finish the sentence, because there's nothing she can do. This one's on me.

"I have to go with them," I tell Gus, straightening up so he knows I mean it.

He sweeps back his loose hair, smearing a thin stripe of blood across his forehead. "I have my orders, Vane."

"Yeah, well, this is my family, Gusty."

His eyes flash when I full-name him. Guess he thinks it sounds as stupid as I do.

"And let's not forget that I'm the only one who knows where you're supposed to take me," I remind him. "So . . . you're kinda screwed."

"How about this?" Solana asks, stepping between us as Gus lunges for me. "I'll go with Vane's parents to keep an eye on them, and you can take Vane underground."

"You don't have to do that," my mom tells her, but it's actually a pretty good idea.

Gus doesn't seem to agree, though. "You're not a Gale-"

"I know how to fight," Solana insists.

She does have muscles to go with her curves. I could see her beating the c.r.a.p out of a few people. Though it's hard to imagine her doing it in that dress. Well . . . without something popping out.

Gus still doesn't look convinced though. Not until Solana adds, "I've been without a guardian for two years now. And the only reason I survived that attack-"

Gus holds up his hand and she falls silent.

I can't tell if he looks like he wants to strangle something or curl up in a ball and cry. All he says is "My orders were to take both of you underground."

"Screw your orders."

"I think what Vane means," Solana says, jumping in, "is that sometimes it's better to protect the most people we can. Let me do this. And keep in mind that this is probably the only way you're going to get Vane to cooperate."

I can't help grinning, and when I meet Solana's eyes, I kind of want to hug her. But that would be ten thousand kinds of awkward so I just mouth thank you and leave it at that.

Gus throws up his hands. "Fine! If you want to go with them, go with them. But keep an ear to the winds and don't come back until you hear the all clear."

"I will," Solana promises.

"And call Dad and tell him to come home from work now," I tell my mom.

She nods and smothers me with a hug. "And you be careful. Do you have your phone? Can you text me when you get there safe?"

"I'm pretty sure I won't get cell service where I'm going," I tell her, hugging her tighter.

I don't even carry my phone with me anymore. I don't have anyone who calls me. I've cut off my friends, and the Gales aren't exactly big on technology.

"Are we done wasting time?" Gus asks.

I let my mom go. "For now."

"Good. Then tell me where we're going."

"Why? Aren't you the expert at following me?"

I coil a few Easterlies around me and launch into the sky before he can respond.

Gus catches up a few seconds later and we head east. But every few miles I notice Gus glancing north.

I don't see any sign of the storm. The sky is clear and the clouds are feathery and the winds feel steady and normal. If Gus didn't have Feng's blood on his hand, I never would've thought there was any danger.

"So . . . how do you know Feng?" I ask, remembering Gus's earlier tear.

He's quiet for so long I wonder if he heard me. Then he says, "He's my father."

Whoa-how did I not know that?

"I'm sorry," I mumble, hating how lame it sounds. "I didn't realize."

"That's because I look like my mother. She was the pretty one."

He forces a grin, flashing perfect dimples. I want to smile back, but I can't help noticing that he used the word "was."

"And your mom, she's . . ."

"She was Solana's guardian."

Oh.

Oh.

Well . . . that explains why he reacted so strongly to her mentioning that attack.

"So that's what you meant about your families having a history?"

"Yeah. My mom sorta left us when she took the role as Solana's guardian. Feng had begged her not to. He knew Solana's last guardian had been killed and that it was only a matter of time before the Stormers tracked Solana down again. But that's what my mom wanted. She was angry and she wanted to do something big." He sighs. "I guess it doesn't make much sense unless I give you the whole tragic history. You ready for it?"

I nod-stunned at how little I know about Gus. He seems like such an easygoing guy-but I guess I should've figured he had some darker c.r.a.p. Why else would he be a guardian so young?

"My mom was ambushed by a Stormer when she was eight months pregnant with my sister. He left her alive, but the baby . . ." He clears his throat. "The worst part was, my mom wasn't even a guardian. Feng was, and he'd just won a big fight against Raiden-one of the only victories the Gales have ever had. And apparently, if you make Raiden look weak, he comes after you personally."

He's quiet for a minute and I struggle to figure out something to say. I mean, I thought what happened to my family was tough but . . .

"Anyway," he says, "not surprisingly, my mom never got over it. All she wanted was revenge. She joined the Gales, signed up for every risky a.s.signment she could. She actually volunteered to protect you, but the Gales went with Audra. So a few weeks later, when Solana needed a new guardian, my mom jumped all over it. By then I'd already enlisted in the Gales, so she left me there with Feng, promising us she'd be careful. But she only lasted two years before the Stormers caught up with them." He glances to the north again. "Feng never got over it."

Listening to him talk makes me realize why I never guessed the connection-besides how different they look. "Your dad doesn't mind that you call him Feng?"

"Actually, it was his idea. After what happened to my mom, he wanted to make it as hard as possible for Raiden to know who his family was."

"I guess that makes sense."