The Rise of Fortune and Fury (Chronicles of the Stone Veil #5) - Sawyer Bennett Page 0,37

I whisper.

“Amell wanted me to be able to fly, so every time they pushed magic into me and twisted it dark, he taught me how to harness some of it and hold it tight in a place all to myself. From there, it grew and grew over time. He had wanted me to have something when it was all over that I could use to bring me joy, and probably to help protect myself to some extent.”

“He gave you the ability to fly?” I say in amazement, and then I’m completely thunderstruck. “It’s why you and I have matching feathers on our legs. Why they appeared when Kymaris left stasis and entered the changeling. I thought there was some sort of angel connection but that doesn’t really make sense. It has to do with your wings and love of flying. I bet when she left to come to Earth, and you held tight to the power you’d been hiding, somehow our twin bond breached the veil too and we became tethered. The feather must just be a symbol born of your love of flying.”

Zora shrugs, clearly not caring too much about the significance.

My mind starts racing as I move back to my chair. I wonder if I can give myself wings to fly? I also wonder how deep Zora’s powers go and if they are completely dark, or if she held onto anything light when Pyke first juiced her up?

I would find those things out, but I ask her something that’s actually more pressing. “There’s going to be a battle with Kymaris. Will you fight with us?”

Zora’s eyes come to mine, and the sparkle that had been there talking about wings and flight dies. “It’s not my battle.”

“No, but it’s mine,” I say, hoping she’s accepted a bit of the sisterly bond on some level. “And I’m asking you to help. You have powers, and we need every bit we can muster.”

Zora drops her half-eaten croissant on her plate, then wipes her hands with a napkin. “Finley… I don’t know what my powers are. I don’t know much of what I can do other than fly and apparently communicate with you telepathically.”

“How is that possible you don’t know how to use your powers?” I ask.

“There wasn’t a lot of time to practice anything. Amell didn’t teach me much other than flying and some protection stuff. But I can feel I have something strong inside of me. I just don’t know if it would ever help.”

“But would you help if you could?” I ask. “Because Kymaris is your enemy, too, no matter how much you might not think you have a dog in this fight.”

“Dog in this fight?” she asks in confusion.

“A stake in the outcome,” I clarify, and she nods in understanding.

“I’ll consider your request,” she says, and I can tell that’s all she’s willing to commit to at this point. But that’s okay. We still have a little over two weeks for me to work on her, and I’m going to make it a priority that we figure out her powers.

“Zora,” I say softly, needing to know something else that could be a bit delicate. “Where does Amell really stand? Is he evil? Will he truly fight beside Kymaris? And if he had to make a choice between you and Kymaris, what would that choice be?”

“I don’t know,” Her tone says Amell is a puzzle that she’s never really tried to figure out. “It’s never been important to know where he stands with Kymaris as she’s been in stasis and then gone.”

“It’s important now,” I point out.

“It’s also moot, as I’m here and he’s in the Underworld. But make no mistake… he’s as dark as they come. He’s an original Fallen. He’s second in command under Kymaris, so I have to believe his loyalty is strictly with her. He’s known her thousands upon thousands of years. He’s known me for only twenty-eight.”

“But he clearly cares for you.” I need her to focus on the good in him.

“Care and loyalty are two very different things,” Zora says, and yes… that succinctly describes the dilemma with Amell. I make a mental note that when this all goes down, we probably need to keep Zora away from him. I’m not sure I could bear to witness her pain if he turned on her, because while she keeps emotions cool where he’s concerned, I have to believe that there’s more to how she feels about him than what I’m seeing simply because she’s