Stormfire
Page 33
He fought the embarrassing urge to clasp her hands. “You can always come back, Eridene. Any time you want. I’ll be right here.”
A coy smile settled on her lips. “Well, now that you are King—”
“I’m not the King—”
“You can always visit me in Glaidde. Say, perhaps I could even invite you to the Royal Court. I do believe if we had another Sage, we would win the war against Kaippon.”
Jaime pushed the grapes away. “You saw what war did to Jaypes.”
“I know, but I’ve also seen what you can do—”
“I’m not involving Jaypes in another war. No matter what.” He rose to his feet. “And if you knew any better, you’d tell your Kings to stop your war before disasters tear up your Kingdoms—”
She stood, too. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He kept his back turned.
“All I’m saying is that your help would mean a lot to Glaidde.” Pause. “And me.”
Jaime stared up at awning, fluttering wildly in the seawinds.
“Would it really?”
She put a hand on his shoulder. He turned around. She met his eyes calmly. But her fingers were shaking.
Why are they shaking?
Neither of them brought up their kiss in the Colosseum. And now that they were beneath open skylight, suddenly, he was irrationally afraid to do it again. He hadn’t been thinking straight that night.
But there was a pull between them.
Wasn’t there?
It was like she was the arbor, and he was the grapevine, their avai begging for a fusion that would rock the world into the biggest shockwave yet. They would be at the center, only they would exist, the eye of a marvelous storm.
Jaime felt every thud of his heart. His ears were hot. His throat stretched thin. He didn’t trust himself to talk, so he slowly leaned forward.
If he was misreading everything, this could damage—or even end—their friendship.
Eridene leaned in, too.
The morning she left, peace evaded him.
The hollow in Jaime’s belly grew. He couldn’t explain it—he first felt it during his parting with Arrys, and then again watching his best friends ride out of Aeropolis’s gates.
His mission in Jaypes was over, but the winds whispered to him that this was just the beginning. And the second Eridene had mentioned adventures, he knew where his next one would start: finding out the truth about his father’s suicide.
Suddenly, he remembered the key Julias gave him two days ago. Jaime reached under his pillow. It had to be for a strongbox in his room.
You will know when you see it, his uncle said.
Jaime began fitting it into every chest he could find. Nothing worked until he found one under the window and pulled it out. It had a small keyhole about the size of the key he held in his hand.
Jaime fitted it in.
It clicked open.
A silver windchime sat in its polished bronze belly. Etched underneath was a forgotten lullaby.
Below him, the chimes of the city sang in unison, carried by the wind, becoming a melody that was so familiar to him.
And then, he remembered its words:
Thick rains flood over blades of grass
Over the sky, low thunder brews
Birthing life to a dark morass
But let the winds lead you
Perhaps it was his imagination, but the breezes brought in two voices from the past. One was deep and hearty. The other was softer than silk. Both sang to him with the winds.
A storm is beginning to rise
Forever it seems to ensue
Sweet, wipe your tears now, do not cry
Let the winds lead you
Jaime rose to his feet and hung the windchime over his windowsill. It shimmered and joined together with the greater melody of Aeropolis.
He opened his mouth and sang, too.
Quietly at first, but his own voice grew stronger, birthing life into the air currents like his father before him.
Like the night, it will come to pass
And when the dawn returns at last
Hear the whispers in the breeze
Let them lead you, step past the trees . . .
As the currents caressed his cheeks, a half-sphere rose over the Skyrros Ocean, blazing over a new Kingdom.
My child, you are home.
Dear Valued Reader,
Thank you so much for reading through! Like Jaime, I believe you have an inner legend inside you. I hope you find ways to tap into it every day. Don’t let traditional education and the world tell you who you can and can’t be. RISE and fight for the call in your heart. The world needs YOU.
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Cheers to becoming the legend of your own story,
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JASMINE YOUNG
After Jasmine obtained her MA at Columbia University, her world was upturned. Two semesters of teaching led her to realize the education system wasn’t showing young adults how to grow to their highest potential. At twenty-two years old, she decided to venture out on her own hero’s journey, beginning with her childhood dream of becoming a published author. Since then, she has been using stories to call young people out onto their own heroes’ journeys. Jasmine currently resides in snowy New York (with longing eyes on Florida). Despite the conventional messages we are taught in school to seek security and conform, she believes anyone anywhere has an inner legend waiting to be called!