Storm Glass

by Maria V. Snyder

  Leaning over, I gently brushed the hair from his eyes. In a blur of motion, he seized my wrist.

  “Where are you going?” Ulrick demanded.

  Surprised by his quickness, I gaped at him.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said. “Even with taking a double dose, Leif’s sleeping potion isn’t working. It tastes like a rusty nail. Did you tell Leif what we needed it for?”

  “Not specifically. Just to help you sleep.”

  “I can’t sleep and I’m freezing. I’m going to fetch a cup of tea.”

  With a playful smile, he yanked me down next to him. “You don’t need one. I’ll warm you up.”

  Definitely more bold.

  * * *

  We returned to the Citadel without incident. It had taken us five days instead of four. Without Leif, neither one of us wanted to brave the plains to cut our trip by a day. Besides, we enjoyed the time together. Ulrick was full of questions, and I marveled at his changed attitude. I should thank his sister for making him realize how withdrawn he had become since discovering his limited magical abilities.

  Mara greeted our arrival with mixed emotions. Glad to see us and disappointed Leif hadn’t also returned. She turned all dreamy after reading his note.

  Later that day, Mara and I worked in the shop. My hands itched for a punty iron with a slug of molten glass. When we had finished, she pulled me aside. “You took my advice, didn’t you?”

  “I’m not admitting to it unless you agree not to gloat about it.”

  “Not gloat? No way.” She smirked. “I can tell by your expression anyway. You’re blushing.”

  “Am not.”

  “Are, too.”

  “Am...” I stopped. It was a no-win argument. “We’re supposed to be taking inventory so I can order more supplies for the shop.”

  She pouted for only a second before helping me. A few students arrived and I was glad to see Piecov. He showed me his new pieces and I made appreciative noises over them. “Look how much you improved.”

  “But I have a long way to go,” Piecov said.

  As he talked about his plans for his next project, I could see the avid gleam in his eyes. He was hooked.

  Unfortunately, Ulrick had lost his passion for glass, and avoided the shop. When I asked him about it the next morning, he mentioned his sister.

  “She’s talented, but look what she has done. My mother put so much pressure on all of us to do great things with glass, since I’ve been away I realized there are other things in life. I need a break. Besides—” he pulled me into a tight embrace “—I’m enjoying being the fetch boy.”

  I wiggled away. “I think you’ve been enjoying it too much. Remember there are other things in life.”

  Ulrick sobered. “I know. In time.”

  * * *

  Time. Enough time had passed and yet Pazia hadn’t regained her magical powers. All she could do was see the glow in my glass, but nothing else. We had been back at the Citadel for a couple of days and she finally recovered enough energy to be discharged from the infirmary.

  I arrived in her room to help her carry all the items she had collected during her stay. She wasn’t happy to see me, but I was determined.

  “I can’t wait to get out of here,” she said. “Then I won’t have to see Healer Hayes or you again.”

  “Don’t count on it.”

  The table beside her bed was heaped with books, and a variety of warped glass vases lined a shelf.

  Pazia stopped near me. “I have many admirers who help at your shop. Too bad they can’t make anything decent.”

  I ignored her harsh tone, and pulled the vases down, carefully wrapping them in towels. “There is a special pride in first efforts.”

  Pazia stared at me in pain. “I want to...” She wrapped her arms around her body. “I need something...” Frustration choked off her words.

  I opened my mouth to apologize again, but she shot me a warning look. Instead, I packed the vases into a carrying basket. My thoughts remained on her as I tried to figure out what she needed.

  “Can you help at the glass shop?” I kept my voice casual. “You have an artistic flair.” I pointed to her ring. The ruby and diamond starburst design was created by her. “And we might still discover a way to reverse what I did and...” I avoided mentioning her magic.

  She bustled about the room, piling books into another basket. We worked for a while in silence.

  “Have you ever decorated glass with jewels?” Pazia asked as she finished folding her clothes. “I can imagine a tall and skinny white vase with a ring of sapphires around the middle. You know, where it narrows before flaring out?” She demonstrated with her hands.

  It was her way of accepting the invitation. “Sounds exquisite, but very expensive.”

  She shrugged. “My father’s friends would snap them up. People love to display jewels and you can only wear so many rings and necklaces.”

  A handful of students arrived to help carry the baskets to her room in the apprentice wing. I recognized Piecov and a few others from the glass shop. They fawned and fretted over her. She basked in their attention.

  They trooped out with Pazia in the lead, leaving me behind. Healer Hayes poked his head into the room.

  “That was fast,” he said.

  “I think she was anxious to go.”

  “An understatement.” He moved back, but I called his name. “Yes?” He hovered in the doorway.

  “I’m...” I suddenly felt silly. “I’ve been having...nightmares. Bad ones and the potion Leif gave me isn’t working. Do you...?”

  Stepping into the room, he said, “I’m not surprised Leif’s potion isn’t working. Those jungle recipes are effective, but lose their potency fast.” He pressed his cool hands on my forehead.

  “My dear child, you’re near exhaustion. I’ll get you a sleeping draft. Unless you want me to admit you to the infirmary?”

  “Admit me? I don’t feel that bad.”

  “You’re not. It’s just if you’re here, you won’t be bothered by teachers or friends and can rest.”

  I suppressed a smile. Ulrick would probably demand to stay in the infirmary with me. “I only need a couple of peaceful nights.”

  Nights without the snowy images plaguing my sleep. The dreams had become more specific, but I hadn’t told anyone. I dreamed of wooden buildings leaning together as if bracing against a strong wind. A sign hung above a doorway, the letters burned into the splintered wood, dancing in my mind. I struggled to read them. Icefaren Station. Nearby, a deep pit gaped.

  A Warper called to me from a vast northern distance. Imprisoned in glass on the Ixian ice sheet, he pleaded and promised. But I couldn’t find him. He could be anywhere on the ice sheet. It covered miles and miles of territory. And if the cold season’s blizzards didn’t kill me, the snow cats would.

  Healer Hayes returned with a vial full of liquid. “Two swallows before bed. If it doesn’t work, take three, but no more.”

  Before bed that evening, I braced myself and swigged the potion.

  Ulrick studied me. “How bad?”

  “Tastes like sweet lemons. Much better than Leif’s. His potion must have spoiled.” I gulped another mouthful.

  He didn’t comment. Soon a heaviness flowed through my limbs as if my blood thickened inside my veins. The night was free of horrors and I woke feeling refreshed.

  * * *

  “That Stormdancer is here,” Ulrick said when he entered the glass shop.

  His scowl was back and I realized I hadn’t missed it at all.

  “He’s waiting in Zitora’s office and wants to talk to you.”

  “Are you coming?” I asked.

  “I’m not invited.”

  The reason for the scowl, or so I thought
until he said, “Just don’t run off with him.”

  “Ulrick, don’t be silly. Why would I do that?”

  “He’s a Stormdancer. He’s powerful.”

  “He’s my friend and too busy tracking down the men who killed Indra and Nodin. An important effort that we should support.” Another thing I hadn’t missed, any signs of Sir, Tricky or Devlen.

  I hurried to Zitora’s office. It had been a week since I’d seen Kade and I promised myself I would stick to business and remain distant. Knocking on her door, I pushed it open.

  “...can’t find the Councillor’s sister or Gressa and rumors are circulating about an army forming in the foothills of the Emerald Mountains,” Kade said.

  He perched in a chair in front of Zitora’s desk, and, despite the promise to myself, I felt a tug deep down. His lean build, wind-tossed hair and gold-flecked eyes melted my resolve.

  Zitora gestured for me to come in. “Moon Clan troubles. The Sitian Council is still debating whether to intervene. Coups are part of life, and if the Moon citizens want a new Councillor and the current one won’t step down we shouldn’t interfere in the takeover. But if she’s using illegal means and methods, then we should. Problem is, we have no proof.” She drummed her knuckles on her desk. “Thanks for the update, Kade. Did you have any luck with the suppliers?”

  “No. One of the reasons I stopped here, I need a list of sand merchants for the western and southern clans from Opal.”

  “Of course.” I wrote down the names and locations of the suppliers I knew. “There may be more, you’ll want to ask the merchants themselves. And I received a message from my father. No one has ordered that particular combination of sand.”

  Kade examined the list.

  “There is another matter I need to talk to you about,” I said. When he glanced up, the tug jerked. The streaks of gold and red in his hair shone in the sunlight. A desire to touch him flared to life. So distracted by the feeling, I missed his question, but sensed the gist of it. “It’s a private matter.”

  He followed me from the office and through the campus to my rooms. The orb’s joyful song pierced the silence, yet Kade seemed in no hurry to broach the subject.

  “Where’s your watchdog?” he asked, looking around the room.

  “At the glass shop, helping Mara.”

  “Impressive. He’s learned to trust you.”

  But he shouldn’t. The unexpected thought popped in my head.

  I retrieved the orb from under my bed before I could say anything I would regret. Unwrapped, the orb’s song vibrated through the room as the energy tingled up my arms.

  “I’m not done searching for Varun,” he said when I carried it out.

  “Have you talked with Yelena since our expedition to the cave?”

  “No. I talked with Master Jewelrose before coming here. Why?” His demeanor seemed guarded as if I was going to accuse him of a misdeed.

  I couldn’t formulate a way to soften the information, so I didn’t. “Kaya’s soul is trapped inside the orb.”

  “How do you...oh, the Soulfinder.” He sank down onto the couch. A brief struggle of emotions creased his brow. “I don’t possess the power to capture souls. Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” Hard to forget having a conversation with Kaya and Yelena inside the orb. “Her essence must have been in the storm long enough for you to harvest it.” I stepped closer to him, holding the orb out. “You need to free her so she can find peace in the sky.”

  When he touched the orb, pure fire raced along my skin, sucking the breath from me. My thoughts and emotions mixed with his and Kaya’s as the storm’s energy sizzled and popped. Through them I could harness the energy and redirect it, controlling the wind and water and lightning. I felt Kade’s torment and Kaya’s longing.

  The sensation stopped with such abruptness, I fell to my hands and knees as tremors ran rampant through my body. I gasped for breath.

  Once I regained my composure I sat on the floor and looked at Kade. The orb rested in his lap with his head bowed over it.

  He didn’t move. “I can’t. She’s all I have left.”

  “What about Raiden and the other Stormdancers?”

  No answer.

  “Friends?”

  “Not the same. We had a special bond. You wouldn’t understand.”

  Frustration boiled. “You’re as thick as a fog bank. I do understand. Tula wasn’t my twin, but we did everything together, shared everything. I fought her demons with her after she had been attacked by Ferde. And I was so mad at her for dying when I needed her the most. Two weeks I suffered for her and she didn’t wait for me. I returned and there was no one I could talk to, confide in, cry with.” The words flew from my mouth. Unexpected. Unintentional. But there all the same.

  Kade stared at me as if I had grown antennae. And perhaps I had. I felt like a different person.

  “Then you understand why I don’t want to get close to another again. What happens when she dies, too? I couldn’t bear it.”

  “Then you miss out on life.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll be alone, trusting no one because of fear. I know. I have four years of experience of pushing people away, missing out on life. Four years spent by myself, living in my glass cage. Four years of self-doubt, worries, fears.”

  “And now?” he asked. His voice rough with emotion.

  “I still have my fears, doubts and worries, but I also have Mara, Leif, Zitora and Ulrick.”

  “The watchdog?”

  “No. A person to confide in and share with. A person willing to take a risk and be with me despite my track record.”

  “And if he dies?”

  “I’ll have Mara, Leif and Zitora.”

  “So the more people you invite in, the easier it is to lose one?”

  “No. I’ll still feel as if my heart is being torn into strips, but I’ll have support and love to hold the fragments together until they heal.”

  “Then you’re braver than I am.” Kade stood. He dropped the orb into my lap. “Keep it safe. Please.”

  I stared at the swirling colors on the surface of the orb. Muted, sad colors. No song. The door clicked shut. Kade was gone.

  * * *

  Routine. Routine felt safe and warm. Routine was waking in the morning next to Ulrick and spending a day in the glass shop with my sister. Routine was riding Quartz through figure eights and jumping her over fences. Routine was discussing politics with Zitora and making plans for the midseason festival. Routine was weapons training and letting Pazia take her frustrations out on me.

  Just when I settled into a routine, Ulrick informed me about another mission.

  “Illegal diamonds were discovered hidden in a merchant’s wagon. He was stopped and searched after he crossed the border from Ixia,” he said.

  We were in the Keep’s dining hall, decorating for the midseason dance. Each of the glass helpers had made a centerpiece for the tables. Pazia’s was the best, but I would never say so out loud. Ulrick refused to make one, but he seemed content to assist the others.

  “Zitora wants us to go to Mica, where you can test the diamonds to see if they’re the same as Mr. Lune’s.” Ulrick positioned a vase with a sunflower made of pale yellow glass.

  “Now?” I had been anticipating the dance for the last week. Leif had even returned from the Moon lands just to attend.

  Ulrick’s expression was hard to read. He acted as if the trip was bad news. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning. Tonight is for dancing and fun only. No business talk. Promise?”

  “That’s an easy promise to make.”

  It was an easy promise to keep. Everyone dressed in their finest clothes. I wore a simple and elegant gown made with purple silk. Fisk had found the material on sale, and introduced me t
o a little-known dressmaker who had designed the formfitting gown for me.

  Ulrick’s openmouthed gape said it all.

  The dining hall had been transformed into a ballroom. The music enticed us onto the dance floor. The divine smell of roasting meat and sweet pastries pulled us to the buffet table. Mara and Leif looked splendid together. Ulrick charmed. Conversation remained on light and frothy topics. A perfect evening.

  * * *

  I wrapped the memories of the evening around myself as I lugged my saddlebags through the cold air and to the stable the next morning. Humming a tune from the dance, I saddled Quartz and helped Ulrick with Moonlight.

  The trip to Mica would take three days. We traveled on main roads and stayed overnight at inns. Late on the second night, I woke feeling uneasy. I stared into the darkness and listened for a moment. Nothing. A wedge of light reflected off the window and I slid out of bed to investigate the source. It emanated from my saddlebags beneath the flap.

  Apprehension churned as I moved the flap. Kaya’s orb glowed. I brushed the orb with my fingertips. An intense wave of energy shot through my hand. My sight blurred as Kaya’s voice filled my head.

  Kade’s in trouble, she said with urgency.

  A vision of Sir, Tal and Tricky wrestling with the Stormdancer formed in my mind. Snow-laced wind swirled around the fighters. They wore heavy cloaks. I watched him, powerless to help. Debris flew around the men and for a moment it appeared as if Kade had the upper hand.

  Tricky reached behind a wagon and threw a net over Kade. The scene disappeared in an instant.

  What happened? I asked Kaya.

  The net...has a null shield intertwined with the ropes.

  A null shield blocks magic. The Sandseeds used it and Leif could create one, but I’ve never heard of it being tied into a net. It didn’t matter how. All I cared about was Kade. Would they kill him?

  Kaya interrupted my growing panic. Help him, she said.

  How?

  You’re smart, Opal. You’ll figure it out.

  Where is he?

  Northern Ixia. Kaya severed our connection.