Elara's POV
"Choose!" Aldric's voice echoed in the lighthouse. "Break the bond or she dies!"
Time slowed down. Maren's terrified eyes met mine. Blood dripped from where the knife pressed into her throat.
Zephyrion's power exploded outward like a bomb.
The storm-callers flew backward, slamming into walls. Aldric's knife clattered to the floor. Before he could grab it, Zephyrion was there—his hand wrapped around Aldric's throat, lifting him off the ground.
"You threaten what's mine?" Lightning danced across Zephyrion's skin. "Mistake."
"Wait!" I grabbed his arm. Through the bond, I felt his rage—hot and terrible and ready to kill. "Don't. Not like this."
"He tried to kill your friend."
"And if you kill him, every storm-caller in the city will hunt us." I pulled harder. "Please. Trust me."
Zephyrion's eyes burned silver-white. For a heartbeat, I thought he'd refuse. Then he dropped Aldric, who collapsed gasping.
"Run," Zephyrion said quietly. Too quietly. "Before I change my mind."
Aldric scrambled up, pointing at me with shaking hands. "You'll regret this, Elara. The High Storm Caller already knows about you. There's nowhere you can hide!"
He and his storm-callers fled into the night.
Maren collapsed, and I caught her. "You're okay. You're safe now."
"Safe?" She laughed, but it sounded broken. "Elara, they know where we are. They'll bring an army next time."
"Then we leave." Zephyrion moved to the window. "Now. Before they regroup."
"Leave to where?" I demanded.
"The deep Hollows. Where even storm-callers fear to go." He turned to Maren. "You said there's a rebellion. Where?"
Maren wiped blood from her neck with shaking hands. "Three miles east. Underground tunnels beneath the old factory district. But the path is dangerous. Gangs control that territory."
"Gangs." Zephyrion's expression was cold. "I've faced gods. I think I can handle some mortals with knives."
We left through the lighthouse's back exit, staying in shadows. My legs shook with exhaustion, but I forced myself to keep moving.
The Hollows at night were terrifying. Dark alleys that smelled like rot. Buildings that leaned like they might collapse any second. People huddled in doorways, watching us with hungry eyes.
"Stay close," Zephyrion murmured. "And don't make eye contact."
"Why not?"
"Because you look like you have something worth stealing."
I pulled my torn ball gown tighter around me. He was right. Even ruined, the fabric screamed expensive. Noble. Target.
A man stepped out of the shadows ahead. Then another. Then five more. They formed a circle around us, all holding weapons.
"Well, well." The leader grinned, showing missing teeth. "Look what wandered into our territory. A pretty bird in fancy feathers."
"We don't want trouble," Maren said quickly.
"Too bad. Trouble found you." He pointed his knife at me. "That dress alone could feed my family for a year. Hand it over."
"No," Zephyrion said flatly.
The leader laughed. "You think you can fight all of us, pretty boy?"
"I don't think. I know." Lightning crackled around Zephyrion's hand. Not a lot—just enough to make them see. "Walk away. Last warning."
The gang members exchanged nervous glances. Then the leader spat. "Storm-caller trash. You're all the same. Using magic to push us around."
"I'm not a storm-caller." Zephyrion's voice dropped. "I'm something much worse."
The leader charged. Stupid move.
Zephyrion caught his wrist, twisted, and sent him flying without even trying. The other gang members attacked together. It was over in seconds. Zephyrion moved like lightning itself—too fast to follow, impossible to touch. When it was done, all seven men lay groaning on the ground.
"Next time," Zephyrion said calmly, "listen to the warning."
We kept walking. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might explode.
"You didn't kill them," I said quietly.
"You asked me to trust you. I'm trying." But through the bond, I felt his frustration. Killing was easier. Simpler. Eight hundred years of being a weapon didn't just disappear.
We finally reached the old factory district. Maren led us to a building that looked abandoned—broken windows, crumbling walls, nothing special.
She knocked three times on a metal door. Pause. Two more knocks.
The door opened a crack. Eyes peered out. "Password?"
"The storm breaks for no one," Maren said.
The door swung wide, revealing a young man with scars on his face. "Maren. Thank the gods. We heard rumors about House Thornwick—" He stopped, staring at me. "Is that—"
"Elara Thornwick," Maren confirmed. "And her bonded Guardian."
The man's eyes went huge. "A true bond? But that's—come in! Quickly!"
We descended into tunnels that went deep underground. Torches lit the way. The walls were covered in strange symbols I didn't recognize.
"Guardian wards," Zephyrion said, touching one. "Old magic. Whoever made these knew what they were doing."
The tunnels opened into a massive chamber. My breath caught.
Hundreds of people filled the space. Not just people—I saw the glow of magic around some of them. Sealed Callers, like me. Others had the mark of Guardians on their skin. And in the center, standing on a platform, was a man who made everyone stop and stare.
He was tall, maybe in his thirties, with dark hair and storm-grey eyes. Power radiated from him—not stolen power, but real storm magic. When he saw Zephyrion, his whole face transformed.
"It's really you," he whispered. "After all this time. You're free."
Zephyrion stood frozen. Through the bond, I felt shock so strong it made me dizzy.
"Kael?" His voice cracked on the name. "How—"
"Bloodline memory." Kael jumped down from the platform and walked closer, tears in his eyes. "My ancestor was your friend. Your brother. When you sacrificed yourself to become a Guardian, he swore his bloodline would never forget. That we'd wait for you. Help you when you finally escaped."
"You're not him," Zephyrion said, but his hands were shaking. "He died eight hundred years ago. I watched him grow old while I stood frozen in the Veil."
"His blood runs in my veins. His memories live in my dreams." Kael smiled. "I know how you take your ale. I know you hate mornings. I know you once stole a horse just to impress a girl. I know you, Zephyrion. Even if you don't remember me."
Something inside Zephyrion cracked. I felt it through the bond—grief and joy and desperate hope all tangled together.
"He really waited," Zephyrion whispered. "You really waited."
"Always." Kael's expression hardened. "And now it's time to fight back. The Storm Court has enslaved Guardians for three hundred years. They've sealed Callers, murdered children, built an empire on stolen power. But you—" he looked at me, "—you're the first true bonded pair in generations. With your help, we can free the imprisoned Guardians. Break the Court's power. End this."
"How many?" I asked. "How many Guardians are enslaved?"
"Six that we know of. Held beneath the Sky Citadel, drained every day to fuel the elite's magic." Kael's jaw tightened. "We've tried to reach them before. Every team we sent was slaughtered."
"Because they didn't have a Guardian-Caller," Maren said quietly. "But now we do."
Everyone in the chamber was looking at me. Hundreds of eyes filled with hope. With desperation.
I wasn't ready for this. I didn't even know how to use my power properly.
But then I thought about Father. About Aldric. About Cassian. About everyone who'd looked through me like I was nothing.
"Train me," I said to Zephyrion. "Teach me everything. Make me strong enough to face them."
"Elara—"
"Please." I grabbed his hand, and the bond blazed between us. "You said I'm powerful. Prove it. Make me into someone they'll fear."
Zephyrion stared at me for a long moment. Then he nodded once. "Every day. No mercy. No excuses. If you want to be a weapon, I'll forge you into one."
"Good." I turned to Kael. "How long do we have?"
"The High Storm Caller is holding a council meeting in three weeks. Every elite storm-caller will be at the Sky Citadel." Kael's eyes glinted. "If we're going to strike, that's our chance. While they're all in one place."
"Three weeks," I breathed. "That's not enough time—"
"It has to be." Maren's face was pale but determined. "After tonight, Aldric knows you're alive. He'll tell the Council. They'll hunt you with everything they have. We move now or we lose our chance forever."
Three weeks to learn eight hundred years of Guardian magic. Three weeks to become strong enough to face the most powerful storm-callers alive.
It was insane. Impossible.
But what choice did I have?
"Then we start training tomorrow at dawn," I said.
Kael smiled. "Welcome to the rebellion, Elara Thornwick."
The crowd erupted in cheers. People I'd never met chanting my name like I was their savior.
But I wasn't a savior. I was a broken girl who got struck by lightning and accidentally bonded with an ancient god.
Through the bond, Zephyrion's voice whispered in my mind: You're more than that. You just don't see it yet.
What if I fail? I thought back.
Then we all die. His mental voice was calm. Matter-of-fact. So don't fail.
As people celebrated around us, Kael pulled me aside. His expression was serious now.
"There's something you need to know about the Sky Citadel assault," he said quietly. "Something I haven't told the others."
"What?"
"The imprisoned Guardians aren't just chained. They're corrupted. The Storm Court has been poisoning them for decades, turning them into weapons without will or choice. When we free them—" he paused, "—they might not recognize friend from foe. They might kill everyone in sight."
My blood went cold. "You're saying we could unleash six corrupted Guardians on the world?"
"Yes." Kael's grey eyes were haunted. "But if we don't try, they'll stay enslaved forever. Suffering. Being drained. Slowly dying. What would you choose?"
I looked at Zephyrion across the chamber. At this being who'd survived eight hundred years of imprisonment. Who'd been made into a weapon against his will.
"We free them," I said. "Whatever it takes."
Kael nodded slowly. "Then pray you're strong enough to control what we're about to unleash. Because if you're not—" his voice dropped to a whisper, "—the corrupted Guardians won't just destroy the Storm Court. They'll destroy everything."