Eventually, I lay down, drifting off to sleep. A muted click woke me. The door swung open, revealing a wedge of firelight and the outline of a man before shutting without a sound. I drew in a breath and prepared to scream if it was one of Namir’s men looking for fun. My eyes strained in the darkness, but I lost sight of the silent intruder.
A hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my outcry.
“Shhhh. It’s me, Yannis…er…Janco,” he whispered in my ear.
I quit struggling and he removed his hand.
“I don’t have much time. Even though it’s the middle of the night, Devlen watches us closely. The man doesn’t blink an eye over torture, but he’s very protective of you,” he huffed. “So what’s the plan?”
“Isn’t the Ixian army coming to our rescue? Your partner?”
“This was a discovery mission. Top secret. Ari can’t get here until a day after the blizzards anyway, but by then Sir and Devlen planned to bleed your Stormdancer dry.” He shuddered. “All this magic gives me the creeps.”
No choice but to figure it out on my own. I thought fast. What did I do best? Looking at the solution as a series of glassmaking steps, I created a list of needs. Need a storm, need an orb and need the freedom to move.
“Janco, can you bring the orb from Devlen’s pack in here when they come for Kade tomorrow?”
“The swirly green one he just sold to Sir?”
“Yes. Toss it to Kade when I give the signal. Do they have more orbs for the storms?”
“Yeah. There were a ton of glass balls hidden under the tarps in the wagons, that’s what Namir has been delivering. The sand and lime are just decoys.”
“What’s the pit for?”
“General Kitvivan’s started a mining operation up here in the hot season. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here. To see what he’s been mining.”
I knew the answer. “Diamonds. To pay Sir for this operation in taming the blizzards.”
“Makes sense. The Commander’s not going to be happy about all this.” He paused. “What else?”
“Can you get me a key for these cuffs?”
“No, but I can unlock them for you.” He pulled a few picks from his pocket, reached up and the manacles popped open in seconds.
“Handy skill.”
“Since you have the same propensity for getting into trouble, you should ask Yelena to teach you.”
“Assuming I live through this.” I touched my raw wrists.
“Think positive. Anything else?”
“When and if things begin to happen, don’t kill Devlen.”
“Why not?”
“I need his body,” I said, thinking about Ulrick stuck in Devlen’s real body. I didn’t know if there was even a way to switch them back. I’d worry about it later.
“Magic.” Janco spat the word out. “Twisted.”
“I need a knife. Do you have one?”
“Always.” He handed me his switchblade. “Yours.”
I triggered the blade.
“You do know how to use it, right?” A hint of worry laced his voice.
“Think positive.”
He laughed and slipped from the room without another sound.
I waited for a few minutes before sliding off my sack pile. The thin line of firelight from underneath the door gave off just enough light to illuminate black shapes. I wove my way through them and almost tripped over Kade’s net-covered form.
“Kade?” I whispered. A sleepy mumble. I cut the ropes around his wrists and ankles. Then sawed through the net.
Without warning, his hands seized my shoulders. He rolled over me, pinning me to the ground.
“It’s me,” I said.
“Opal?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“Sorry.” He released me.
I finished cutting the net, and peeled it away from his body.
“Ah. Better.” Kade stretched.
“Don’t get used to it.” I explained my plan.
“What happens if Crafty tries to trap you in a null shield? Can you siphon that?”
“Don’t know, but if she’s focused on me, you should be free.”
“Should be. Opal, no offense, but this plan has a lot of holes in it.”
I challenged him. “You have any better ideas?”
He sucked in a breath then released it all at once. “No.”
I rearranged the net around Kade and he pretended his hands and feet were still tied. Tal had left two empty orbs in the storeroom so I moved them closer to me. I hid the knife in my pocket and palmed my glass spider. Then it was my turn to pretend to be manacled.
The wait was excruciating. Doubts chased worries. Fears followed hope. Impatience warred with the need to conserve energy. The increased keening of the wind didn’t help at all. The noise sawed through my body with its icy teeth.
When the door opened, I jumped. But settled my nerves. Hunched on the sack pile, I assumed a dejected and wary posture. Sir, Tal and Crafty entered first, then Devlen and Tricky. I noticed Tricky looked to Devlen as if waiting for permission. Janco hovered in the doorway.
“Time to dance,” Sir said. He and Tal bent over Kade. Crafty raised her arms.
“Now,” I yelled. I yanked my wrists from the cuffs and broke the glass spider in half. Kade leaped to his feet and tossed the net over Crafty. She yelped in surprise.
Bite Tricky, I ordered the spider.
Jumping from the pile, I grabbed one of the empty orbs. From the doorway Janco threw Kaya’s orb at Kade. He caught it in midair.
Janco spun and the clangs of a sword fight rang from the hallway as he blocked the entrance to the room. A snippet of a rhyme, “Five against one is so much fun,” hopefully meant Janco kept Namir and his men occupied. He wouldn’t last long.
An angry breeze stirred to life. And died.
Devlen smirked. “Now what?” He pointed to Tal and Sir, both had swords mere inches from Kade. His fingers grasping the stopper to Kaya’s orb, Kade grimaced with pain.
The spider had disappeared, leaving behind a nasty red welt and a livid man. Crafty found the hole in the net and shrugged it off of her. It landed in a heap.
“Crafty isn’t the only one who knows how to work a null shield,” Devlen said, breaking the silence. “It was one of the first skills I learned.” He considered Kade. “Now if the Stormdancer releases the energy inside his orb while he’s caught in a null shield, I’m assuming we’ll all die. But I really don’t think he wants you to die.” He turned to me. “And what are you planning? Unless one of us attacks you with magic, the empty orb is nothing but glass in your hands.”
I had miscalculated and underestimated Devlen. Failed. The rings of steel and grunts from the hallway ceased with a curse. Janco came into the room with his hands behind his head. Rutz and Shen following with swords aimed at his back.
“Did I miss the party?” Janco asked.
“Oh no. We’re just beginning,” Devlen said.
I still held the orb.
Devlen stepped toward me unconcerned.
I could smash it on his head or use a broken shard to cut my throat.
“Back into your chains like a good girl.” His manner confident. He expected me to obey without hesitation.
Being an accommodating doormat, I had always listened to him. Not this time. Glass was in my hands. It throbbed with potential.
I reached. Reached toward Devlen and siphoned his magic. The clinks of glass sounded like hail on the windows. He struggled in panic, but to no avail. I pulled until he had nothing left.
Crafty started to move her null shield to encompass me, but I reached for her power before it touched me. Crafty’s magic rained into the orb for many minutes until I drained her dry. I turned to Tricky and plucked at his small power. It refused to budge. He grinned with triumph until a gust of wind slammed him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.
I staggered back as Kade used the air to disarm the rest of the men. The realization of what
I had done knocked me to my knees.
I didn’t channel Devlen’s and Crafty’s magic.
I stole it. Using my own powers.
Dizziness and exhaustion swirled. Pressing my forehead on the floor, I closed my eyes.
31
I WOKE TO bright sunshine reflecting off the snow. In bed and able to move freely, my day started better than the previous ten. Twenty? Exhaustion weighed on me like a heavy blanket. And from the way his body slumped, I guessed Kade was tired, too. Or it could just be from sleeping in a chair. His head rested on the back, his elbows propped on the arms, hands laced on his stomach and his legs were spread out in front.
“Kade,” I said.
He woke. The cuts on his face had scabbed over, and the bruises faded to a grayish-yellow. He shot me a sheepish grin. “I’m not much of a guard, sleeping on the job.”
“Guard? What’s going on?” Is truggled in to as it ting position.
“Relax.” He pushed me back onto the pillows. “I’m here to guard that you don’t get out of bed and to fetch things for you. Are you thirsty?”
“Very.”
He poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the night table and handed it to me. I downed it, stopping only when a dagger of ice knifed my forehead.
“Easy. There’s plenty of cold water around here.”
I glanced around the room. One bed, night table, chair and fireplace. Spartan and warm considering we were on the northern ice sheet.
No longer able to delay the question, I asked, “What happened?”
Kade sobered. “After you…harvested the magic from the magicians, I had to fill three orbs with the energy from the blizzard or risk having the station blown over and buried by snow. When I returned, Janco had secured the others.”
“Tell Janco to keep a close eye on Tricky. He still has a small bit of magic.” My magic.
Kade said nothing. He refused to meet my gaze, and I sensed he wasn’t telling me the whole story. “Spill,” I ordered.
“Your orb…” He paused as if trying to find the right words. “Your orb is filled with…with diamonds.”
This time I managed to sit up without a struggle. “Diamonds? Are you sure? They could be high-quality glass.” Glass made sense.
He didn’t respond. Instead he pulled a clear sparkle from his pocket and handed it to me. The diamond burned ice-cold then a vision of Devlen formed in my mind’s eye. He wore his own face. I dropped the gem onto the table. Flabbergasted, I couldn’t begin to contemplate the ramifications. Why diamonds? I remembered a vague connection between magic and diamonds, but failed to grasp it. Bain Bloodgood would know.
“My suggestion would be to not tell anyone you have this new ability,” he said. “Only I know you harvested their powers without them attacking you.”
Kade rubbed his hands on his legs, then jumped to his feet. “If the Sitian Council finds out…”
“I’m arrested and locked in the Keep’s cells until the Council decides what to do with me, which, according to Yelena, would be a long time.”
“You’ve already thought about this.”
“Yes. Zitora mentioned the possibility as an exercise in logic. I can’t lie about it, Kade. I’ll tell Zitora and the other Master Magicians and let them choose how to handle it.”
Kade slumped on the edge of my bed. “The right decision.”
“You don’t look happy about it.”
“I’m thinking selfish thoughts. If you’re locked up in the Keep’s cells, I will have no one again.”
“What about Kaya?”
“I’ve thought about what you said back at the Keep.”
“When I called you as thick as a fog bank?”
“Funny, I had forgotten that part. But I had plenty of time to consider your words, and your actions these last couple days have taught me much. I’m going to say goodbye to Kaya.”
“The right decision.”
Before Kade could respond, Janco poked his head into the room.
“Ah, the glass warden’s awake. Good! Ari’s coming with backup. Should I pretend we barely survived without his help or gloat that we didn’t need him at all?”
“Tough decision,” I said.
“You can’t go wrong with either one,” Kade said.
“You guys are no fun. I have to go with the gloating. But no mention of that magic stuff. It ruins the effect.” Janco rushed off.
Ari arrived with a handful of men. He ignored Janco’s smug boasts and proceeded right to the heart of the matter. “What do we do with them?” he asked.
He referred to Sir, Tricky and the others.
“Arrest them. They’re here illegally. They used magic. Smuggled goods,” Janco said.
“Can they still use their magic?” Ari asked me.
“Only one. The rest have been…neutralized.”
“One?”
“Sleeping,” Janco said. “Until we figure out what to do with him.”
“Tricky’s powers are weak, and I don’t know what he can do with them,” I explained.
“We’ll arrest them all and let the Commander decide their fates,” Ari said.
“We need to take one with us,” I said.
“Which one?”
“Devlen.”
“Why?”
“His body and soul don’t match.” I explained about the blood magic.
“I know I hated magic for a reason,” Janco said.
“Congratulations. This is the first time you’ve had a valid reason to hate something,” Ari countered. “Remember your campaign against sand?”
“Sand! Horrid little stuff. Gets everywhere. I had a perfectly good argue—”
“Janco.” Ari’s voice rumbled deep in his throat.
In a heartbeat, Janco switched gears. “Well, this blood magic sounds worse than sand.”
“Do you know how to switch them back?” Kade asked. He had been following the conversation with an amused smile.
“I’m not sure.” I shuddered, thinking I would need to learn more about blood magic.
“It’s easy,” Janco said.
We all stared at him, waiting.
“Holy snow cats! You don’t know?” His incredulous tone transformed into a huge smirk. He danced a little jig.
As he gloated, I made the connection. His knowledge of magic was limited to his contact with Yelena. “The Soulfinder,” I said.
“Righto! Souls switched while you wait.” Janco twirled.
Then I would need to rescue Ulrick. I figured Devlen wouldn’t help me find him. And what about my feelings for Ulrick? When I had thought he had been injured by his sister, I had realized how much I cared for him. Even though I know I loved Kade, I owed it to Ulrick and myself to explore our relationship without Devlen’s taint. Would Kade help me? As my father would say, only one way to find out.
Kade watched me and I wondered what he thought. I didn’t have a chance to ask him until the next day.
We carried Kaya’s orb far away from the building and onto the ice pack. Janco warned us to keep an eye out for snow cats. I held an empty orb. Once Kade released the storm’s energy and Kaya, he would recapture the storm, but let Kaya go.
“Don’t want another blizzard to blow down on MD-1,” Kade had said.
Our boots crunched on the new snow and I shivered in my cloak, thinking about hot kilns.
“I understand why General Kitvivan would want to tame the blizzards. They’re nasty.” Kade’s eyes glowed with admiration for the storms. “I would be willing to come here every cold season to help him. Those extra full orbs would be useful, and I’m sure other Stormdancers would be happy to come along.”
“Not me,” I said. “Too cold.” His words reminded me of my new mission. “Would you be willing to come along with me to rescue Ulrick?”
“Shouldn’t you let the authorities deal with Devlen and Ulrick?” Kade asked instead of answering me.
“No. I’m responsible. My relationship with Ulrick put him in jeopardy. I need t
o find him and talk with him—figure out how I feel.”
“Then I would only complicate matters.” Kade reached for my free hand. “You know my feelings for you and you know where I’ll be waiting. While I would love to fight for your love in a dramatic duel with lightning bolts flashing, I trust you, Opal. Always have. Always will.”
His faith warmed me to my core. “You don’t have to fight for my love. You already have it. I just need to discover what Ulrick has.”
He smiled with confidence, squeezing my hand. “You’re a problem solver, Opal. I’ve no doubt you’ll solve this one, as well.”
His comment about solving problems reminded me of our first encounter. I had to chuckle. “If you always trusted me, then what about when you first met me and stormed off in a huff?”
He laughed. “All right, maybe not always, but very, very close. In my defense, you looked twelve years old, and we were desperate for help.”
When Kade felt we were far enough from the station, he stopped. I moved away as he cradled Kaya’s orb. My thoughts turned to my sister Tula and how I wished I had a chance to say goodbye to her.
Cold air blasted, sending snow into the air to swirl around us. Kaya’s joy filled the air. She spun around me for a moment. Her gratitude pulsed in my heart before she vanished. When the snow settled, Kade crouched in the drifts. Remembering my lecture to him about having others to help hold you together as you heal, I embraced him.
He clung to me for a while. Snow thawed under us and soaked into my pants, but I felt warm in his arms.
“You could always try to bribe the Council,” Kade said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Give your diamonds to them and maybe they won’t lock you in the Keep’s cells.”
“Being selfish again?”
He nodded.
“They’re not my diamonds,” I said.
“Really? Then whose are they?”
I didn’t have an answer for him. We remained silent for a moment.
He was inches from me. My desire to kiss him pushed away all other thoughts, so I pressed my lips to his. He pulled me closer and heat spread throughout my body. More snow melted underneath us, but I didn’t care.
Eventually an icy wind intruded. I broke away from his embrace.
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