Storm Born by Amy Braun Page A

quickly spreading into a thick blue shield about the size of his body. He grabbed me again and turned his back to the shield. The door slammed into the shield and shattered both. Pieces of ice and wood splinters showered around us.   
    Hadrian never missed a stride. He found my hand and pulled me back into the windstorm. I heard Turve and Ferno shouting behind us, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.  
    Hadrian slid his second sword onto the scabbard across his back and lifted me onto the pile and settled me into a hollowed out area in the rubble. Once I was tightly squeezed in the space, he crawled over the opening and braced his hands on the brick. Frost drifted from his fingertips and webbed out behind him, forming another thick shield that covered most of the exit. Hadrian wedged it into the opening, then hovered only inches above me, staring straight down but not at me.  
    “What’s going on?” I asked shakily.  
    Hadrian lifted his eyes slightly, but didn’t meet my gaze. “They are trying to get him under control.”  
    “How? What’s wrong with him? Why can he do what he did? Why are his eyes–”  
    Hadrian finally looked at me. “Ava, it is taking considerable energy to keep this shield up. Save your questions for later.”  
    I was torn between arguing and screaming until he gave in, but I decided staying safe and alive was the best option right now.  
    Outside, the wind howled. Our shelter shivered. My heart kicked my ribcage, beating in time with the throbbing from my bruised ribs. I squeezed my eyes shut, breathed as steadily as I could, but calm refused to come. I was shaking as bad as the rubble around me.  
    Even when I saw Hadrian’s shoulders relax, I still trembled. Lightning quick, he lowered himself enough to turn around. He touched the ice shield and let the frost break apart and creep backward into his arm. When his hands returned to their normal color, Hadrian peered out of the crevice. Rain and hail kept pouring from the sky.  
    “Stay here,” Hadrian abruptly ordered without looking at me. He withdrew one of his swords and was climbing out of the hole before I could tell him there was no way I was hiding in here alone.  
    Grimacing at the stitching pain in my side, I scurried up after him, slowing only when I reached the top. I poked my head out, looking for a safe spot to take cover. Hadrian hadn’t crawled far, so I found him first. He glared at me, then shook his head. I took that as a sign it was safe enough for me to come out, so I carefully made my way over to his side.  
    I had just nestled beside him when I heard the screams.  
    “No! Get away from me!”  
    Declan’s voice echoed through the street, his rage echoing through the empty street. The commotion had probably scared anyone outside back indoors, so I didn’t think we’d be seen yet. I hoped no one had been hurt.  
    Focusing on the scene up ahead, I pulled my head up and watched him shove both Ferno and Turve. Neither warrior had their blades drawn anymore, and they approached Declan like he was a feral lion. The creepy light remained in his eyes, scraps of broken homes swirling around him, pushed by the wild wind.  
    “It is too soon,” Turve soothed, walking closer. Trying to cage him in, like Declan was an animal and not a human being. “You are not ready yet. You must be further trained–”  
    He stepped too close. Declan suddenly roared and shoved the warrior’s shoulders. The wind carried his momentum, throwing Turve thirty feet back.  
    Hadrian grunted scornfully. “Amateurs,” I heard him mutter.  
    Another uncontrollable shudder wracked through me.  
    Ferno sprang, jumping on Declan’s back and tackling him to the ground. Ruined houses pitched up in a cresting wave before dropping straight back down. The two men thrashed and rolled on the ground, trying to throw each other off. I didn’t know who had the upper hand until Ferno pinned Declan onto his stomach and