“I can’t believe you woke before me, Sid!”
“Well, without fire, it was quite cold, and I thought it best to get moving.”
“I’m sorry,” Adaira said, as if the fire falling to ashes was her fault. “Have you seen Jack?”
Sidra finally granted Adaira her full attention. “No, I’m afraid not.”
Adaira cracked her knuckles. Again that terrible feeling was stealing over her, like a shadow she couldn’t separate herself from.
“Do you need me to fetch you something to eat?” she asked Sidra. “Some tea?”
Sidra’s nose crinkled. “I’m afraid there’s no tea to be had without the fire.”
“Ah, of course,” Adaira said, but she felt a bit shaky and had to reach out to steady herself on the table.
Sidra, of course, noticed. “What’s wrong, Adi?”
“Nothing. I just need to locate Jack. I’m sure he’s nearby. He just . . . woke up without me, and I have no idea where to find him.”
Sidra’s brow furrowed. She suddenly looked pale in the dim light, as if she were thinking about the day Torin went missing. “I wonder if—”
“Where’s the Tamerlaine healer?”
Adaira and Sidra both turned to see two Breccan men carrying a wounded woman between them. She was groaning and holding a blood-soaked plaid to her head. Sidra quickly called them over and cleared a place on the table.
Adaira was rolling up her sleeves to assist when she felt someone take hold of her arm, drawing her away.
“I need your help,” Innes said. “One of the storerooms in the courtyard has collapsed, and the wind is about to carry off all of our winter provisions.”
Adaira glanced at her mother, startled to see blood staining Innes’s tunic. “You’re hurt. Let me take you back to Sidra. She can heal—”
“It’s not my blood,” Innes said, but she sounded weary. “Others have been wounded, mainly in the city where the roofs and walls are not as stable. Your father has gone to help them, but soon it’ll be too dangerous for people to cross the bridge and I’ll have to order the gates to remain closed until this storm passes.”
Adaira drew a sharp breath, but there wasn’t time for her to ask further questions or to dwell on how awkward their conversation had been the night before. She and Innes emerged into the courtyard, where the wind was so strong it nearly knocked them off balance.
Several outbuildings had lost their roofs. The thatch had been torn away by the wind, and as Adaira cautiously stepped into the courtyard, she saw a pile of stones and timber beams, as if a giant had stomped on the buildings. Sacks of grain and crates of preserves had been crushed beneath the rubble. One bag had been torn open and oats spilled from it. The grain was carried high and away, lost to the wind. Amid the chaos and shouts of desperation, Breccans were rushing to salvage whatever they could.
The wind stung Adaira’s eyes as she rushed to assist. It was no longer raining, and every bit of moisture had been whisked away by the northern gale, leaving the air cold and painfully dry. Now clouds hung low overheard, swirling in a terrifying rotation.
Adaira’s fear quickened her blood. It took her a moment to find the strength to direct her hands, to begin gathering up the sacks of grain. She wondered where Jack was, if he had played yet or was about to. If his music would be strong enough to end the storm, or if it would make the tempest worse.
Back and forth she went, working shoulder to shoulder with Innes and the Breccans, carrying whatever they could save into the castle. It felt like hours passed, and yet Adaira had no sense of time. Eventually, Innes forced Adaira back into the hall.
“Drink,” her mother said, putting a cup of wine in her hand.
Adaira didn’t realize how parched she was until she took a sip. There were splinters burrowed beneath her skin and blisters on her heels. And yet she could hardly feel the pain in her body. Her mind was still focused on Jack.
“You said Father was in the city?” Adaira dared to say, passing the empty cup back to Innes.
Her mother was quiet for a beat as she refilled the cup for herself. “Yes.”
“Is there a safe way for me to go there? You said you were thinking about closing the bridge.”
“You want to go after Jack,” Innes said.
“Did you see him leave?”
“Yes. I had to raise the portcullis for him, but only because he promised to bring the storm to an end.” Innes drained the cup of wine and set it aside. “Come, I’ll see you across the bridge.”