The barrage of sensation and souls was immediate, but the advice from Sly did help. It was not another barrier, per se, but it held her apart just enough to keep her from getting lost in the chaos.

Then it was time to find a soul. Aurora could have picked any of them, could have forced the bonding of soul and storm, but she thought there was a better way.

Focusing, she tried to pinpoint exactly the way it had felt when she had been trapped in Pavan with no options, no future but the one decided for her. She remembered the claustrophobia of it, the way she would open every window in her rooms to let in the breeze so that she might pretend that her world was not so closed off. Once she had that feeling, once she had shaped every nuance of helpless frustration in her mind, she sent it out into the wilds, searching for a soul that knew that same ache.

It did not take long for one to rise up from the pool of water nearby; it came at her gasping, as if it had been drowning for eternity and she was the only rope that had ever been offered. She took hold, offering comfort and assurance.

I know, I know, she crooned. I felt the same.

The soul sent her fragments of a life—not enough to piece together any true identity, but enough to know it was a woman whose soul she held. Her husband had worked at the dockyard. And he had not been a good man. His wife had feared him a great deal.

Aurora was bombarded then with flashes of a young boy, of the Pavan gates, and a panoramic view of the wildlands, storms flashing dramatically in the distance.

You felt trapped.

She was still trapped, by the memories, perhaps by the son she had left behind.

I would like to give you a taste of freedom, if you would trust me.

“Aurora?” Kiran’s voice sliced through her concentration, breaking the bond, and she barely managed to hold the woman’s spirit in place. She held up a finger in frustration, and focused back on the woman.

I promise, I mean you no harm. Will you trust me?

Aurora laid her soul bare for the spirit, trying to show she had no malice. Finally, the spirit accepted, submitting completely to Aurora’s control.

Carefully, Aurora did as she had only a few times before, drawing the soul through the stone she bore in her palm. This time, there was no gust like there had been with the soldier soul in the palace. A light breeze lifted the hair off Aurora’s neck to start, then swept through the trees, rustling the leaves. Aurora felt a prickle of excitement in the air as a stronger gust turned and blew over the river, causing a few waves on the previously still surface.