Rinna: “I don’t want sparkles on my hand! Get them away!”

Everyone was shouting all at the same time, overlapping, with each of them getting louder and louder, trying to be heard. Mina inched closer to Pixit, and he kept his wings folded around her, like a shield. She wished his wings could block out the noise.

In a gap when everyone took a breath, Mina quietly quoted the old journal: “‘It seems the more we try to fix the world, the more we break it.’ The first storm guardians knew it. And the prime minister fears it. If you’ll just think about it, you’ll see it makes sense. As Gaton said, the sky’s all connected.”

Papa crossed the room but stopped just short of her. He didn’t reach out to her—​Pixit was still spraying sparks. “Mina, sweetie, these ideas, these thoughts . . . Even if there’s some truth to them, I’m sure it’s exaggerated. If it were true that ‘lots’ of people were being killed, we’d know, and we’d do something about it.”

Mother nodded, worry in her eyes. “Pursuing these accusations is only going to get you in trouble. You’ve already been suspended once.”

Now Papa put his arm around Mina’s shoulders, sparks and all. “Mina wouldn’t ever cause trouble. She’s a good girl. She’s not going to do anything foolish. She made a mistake, and she’s sorry, and whatever happened with the prime minister is done now.”

Mina felt herself deflate. What if they’re right? What if I’m overreacting and the storms aren’t so bad? After all, she only had the word of three outsiders.

«And the prime minister’s reaction.»

That was true.

«And what you read in Professor Dano’s books. It couldn’t have been an accident that he told you to read them.»

Also true.

When did you get so wise?

«I grew.»

But if she couldn’t make her own family do anything to stop it . . .

«I believe you, Mina. And I believe in you.»

His words made her feel like a warm fire was inside her rib cage. Still, though, we’re back to the same problem we had when we got here. If I start telling the world that the rumors are true and the festival needs to stop, I’ll be expelled, and then what do I do? One expelled student can’t stop an entire festival full of storm guardians—​

An idea began to form in her mind, as beautiful as lightning.

One student couldn’t stop the festival. One voice shouting was easy to dismiss. But if all the lightning students at Mytris were to speak up at once . . .

That many voices have to be heard!

Beside her, Pixit sparked brighter than he ever had.