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chased.
    Crouching lower into the wind, I let my skis propel me faster. The snow beneath me was hard and icy, and it was almost impossible to keep myself from slipping in every direction. I veered wildly back and forth, certain with every passing second that he was going to catch up. I didn’t know what would happen when he did, but my whole body shook with fear at the thought.
    The figure in white was gaining on me. He was remarkably controlled, every movement precise, like he was merely running on the ground. He laughed, and I could have recognized that voice anywhere.
    “Well, hey there, Skye,” it called out to me.
    It wasn’t a he at all.
    It was Raven, the stunning, deadly Guardian who’d first told me just how far my powers could reach. That I was blurring my own destiny and the destiny of those around me. That Devin was changing because of me. Raven, who’d cut the brakes on Cassie’s car when Devin had told her I’d come close to revealing my secret. Raven, who had told the Order just how big a threat my powers were to them. Because of Raven, Devin had tried to kill me. And yet I’d almost forgotten about her.
    “The last time I saw you,” she called, “you were about to die.” Even yelling over the wind, her voice was sickly sweet and dripping venom.
    Now we were neck and neck, flying down the slopes.
    Flying , I realized with a start, as my feet left the ground. Her great white wings expanded behind her, sparkling like icicles in the harsh sunlight. I was suspended in the air, my own set of wings flung wide behind me. I couldn’t see them, but my heart lurched at the shadow they cast. What color were they? Pure, feathery white—or blackest black?
    “You think about him still, don’t you, Skye?” she yelled, gaining on me.
    The freezing air whipped at my face, which was numb from the blowing ice and snow.
    “I don’t!” I yelled back. And then, “What do you want from me?”
    “Come.” Her voice carried on the wind, sharp as a razor’s edge.
    “I’m not following you anywhere!”
    She moved closer. I could feel her just behind me now.
    “I can protect you,” she said, more urgently, the tone of her voice changing slightly. It wasn’t a threat. It was more . . . a plea. “You know as well as I do that the Rebellion doesn’t care about your safety. They’re just going to use you as a weapon against us, anyway. I can get you home, and I can get you there safely.”
    Home. I ached for it. I missed Aunt Jo, missed my friends, wanted desperately to have my old life back. Was she really trying to help me? Could I trust her?
    “No!” I yelled back, trying to make my voice as steely as possible.
    “Fine, suit yourself. But I have to warn you.”
    Warn you. I have to warn you. My blood pounded in my ears, and I braced myself for whatever was coming next.
    “You should know. He’s in River Springs, waiting for you. They all are. Tons of them. If you’re going back there, you should know what you’re getting yourself into.”
    “Why are you telling me this?” I asked. What ulterior motive could she possibly have?
    “I may be a Guardian,” Raven said, “but there are laws that I’ll never understand.” She pulled up alongside me. “Don’t get yourself killed,” she added. “If it’s going to happen, I want to be the one to do it, ’kay?”
    I continued for a moment in silence, breathing hard.
    “Careful there, Skye!” Raven shouted as she veered, suddenly, left. Her voice was shrill and mocking. “Don’t fall now!”
    And then as if her words were a direction I had no choice but to follow, I fell, tumbling forward through a gaping hole in the side of the mountain and into what looked eerily like the snow cave that Asher and I had fallen into during the avalanche, the first time he’d shown me how to create fire. A figure in a black snowsuit stood hunched in the corner, his back to me.
    I was flooded with relief.
    “Asher!” I tried to catch my breath. The figure turned