“Well, they should be. There are people out there that need our help. We were entrusted with this Gift, and therefore, it is our responsibility,” she said harshly, using Alex’s words, realizing that she believed in them absolutely.
Jason flinched as if she’d slapped him, color draining from his face. He dropped her arm, and for an instant, Allyra caught a glimpse of a memory—nothing solid or tangible, just a powerful feeling of regret and loss. It was a strange response, but there was simply no time to go chasing after it.
She took advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration and turned back to the storm, but before she could step into it, Jason took up a position next to her.
“I’m going with you,” he said tightly. It wasn’t a question, and it allowed no room for argument, but she tried nonetheless.
“You can’t help me out there, all you’ll be is a drain on my resources.”
Jason turned to her, his dark eyes bright with more emotion than she’d ever seen. “No one deserves to walk into that alone, Allyra, let me come with you.”
She hesitated and then nodded. “Stay close.”
As soon as they left the protection of the Atmospheric College, Allyra created her own barrier against the storm. It raged against her, the grains of sand hitting the bubble like a million tiny bullets ready to tear through her flesh. They were instantly engulfed by an oppressive darkness, and though her Gift allowed her to see, Jason called a flame to his hand and lit their way.
She didn’t walk far, just deep enough for the storm to surround them completely. And then she reached for her Gift.
One thread at a time.
The first thread she took hold of fought desperately against her. It squirmed and twisted in a frenzied battle to rejoin the storm. Its ferocity stunned her—never, in her short experience with her Gift had she needed to battle against the Elements. For a second, the thread nearly slipped through her grasp. She pressed her will against it, soothing away the frantic energy and stilling it. Only when it lay still and relaxed under her hold did she move on to the next one.
Allyra battled on, one thread after the next, until she lost count. Her body ached with exhaustion and fever, violent chills shook through her, and yet the storm raged on. If the storm had gentled, or the wind howled a little less, the difference was minimal. She marveled at Alex’s raw strength that allowed him to stop the storm; it was clear that it was beyond her ability to match his effort. The best she could hope for was to calm the storm enough for the search parties to go out.
She pushed on.
With even more threads within her grasp, light had started to filter through the storm—wane and diluted, but still a testament to the impact she was making on the storm. She shivered, her body relentlessly cycling through feverish heat and bone-chilling cold. She coughed and tasted blood on her tongue.
Jason’s hand was gentle on her shoulder. “Let go, Allyra,” he said softly. “You’re going to kill yourself.”
She shook her head. “Have the search parties gone out?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
He shook his head. “It’s still too dangerous,” he said, his words laced with unspoken regret.
Despair washed over her and threatened to sweep the threads from her grasp. She felt wetness on her face but couldn’t tell if it was sweat or tears. As hope slipped away, the storm suddenly calmed. Threads stilled unaccountably.
Another Atmospheric, she realized. A powerful one, High Master Radebe perhaps.
Jason noticed the change. “Hold still, Allyra,” he instructed urgently. “Be careful, two people working on the storm could be dangerous—if he doesn’t know what you’re doing, you could start the storm again, even more violent than before.”
And worse, one of them could die from the effort, she thought, remembering Alex’s words. In any case, she was too exhausted to do little more than hold on. She closed her eyes and held tight, like a drowning man to a life raft.
Time passed, Jason giving her a running commentary.
“The first team is back, they’ve got someone with them.
“Another one, and they’re going back out.
“Here’s another team.”
Just as she began to settle into the relative calm, the wind suddenly picked up, rushing in like air into a vacuum.
“Allyra?” Jason asked frantically.
“Not me,” she gasped.
High Master Radebe faltered, and Allyra made a desperate grab at the threads he’d been holding. She managed to grasp a few, but more slipped through her fingers.
“How many rescue teams are still out?” she choked out.
“Three.”
Too many.
She had to hold on long enough for the search teams to return. Everything she had needed to go into holding still the threads still under her control. The barrier around them was a luxury she could no longer afford.
“Go,” she told Jason. “I can’t keep the protection up any longer.
He shook his head.
“Go,” she begged and dropped the barrier.
The sand gusted in, rushing into her lungs and grating against her skin. Then a jacket was thrown over her, protecting her from the worst of it.
“Two more are back,” Jason shouted, his voice rough as he coughed out a lungful of sand. “Just one left—I see them. Come on, Allyra, we can go back, the last team is in.”
She took a stumbling step, but her vision wavered, and she tried to gasp out a warning that she was losing her grip, but it was too late, and darkness overtook her.
* * *
The air was buzzed with frenetic energy. The sound of controlled chaos filled Allyra’s ears—footsteps bustling back and forth, something metallic cluttering to the ground. Whispered anxieties, soft weeping, and the occasional wail.
Allyra forced her eyes
