The orange light pulsed as if beckoning me. Come on, Opal. Mold me, shape me, it cooed. I’ve been a constant throughout your entire life. I’ve never betrayed or harmed you.
Even though I hadn’t touched glass in seasons, my skills returned as if there hadn’t been a gap. Being able to thumb a bubble for the first time in my life, I crafted a few small and delicate vases. Then I made glass flowers to set inside it. A tiny spark of joy returned to my soul as I experimented with my rediscovered talent.
I also admitted to myself that my mother had been right. My refusal to work with the glass had been moping.
Eventually, my glass pieces filled my shelves and I crafted gifts for others. I made a paperweight for Tama’s messy desk. I shaped a fist-sized ball, then filled the inside with a bunch of small bubbles. It resembled boiling water that had been frozen. Satisfied with the paperweight, I cut in a jack line and cracked it off into the annealing oven to cool.
“Solved all your problems yet?” Valek asked as I cleaned up.
“No. But I decided what I want for dinner,” I said.
“It’s a start.”
As we continued training, fatigue settled into my tired muscles, and each exercise sucked more energy from me. At this rate, I wouldn’t have the strength to accomplish the mission. And the sense of time running out loomed over me. Each day spent preparing was one day lost. And another day for something bad to happen to my blood.
With only forty-five days remaining until Mara’s wedding, my impatience boiled over. “Look, all I need are the basics,” I said to Valek that evening. “Once I find my blood, I won’t be doing all this sneak stuff.”
He sat at my kitchen table. The prison’s blueprints had been spread out in front of him. Valek displayed no emotion. Which wasn’t a good thing. I had learned to correlate his annoyance level to his lack of sentiment. The greater his ire, the flatter his tone.
“And what will you be doing instead?” he asked.
I hesitated. “Probably helping the Council.”
“In what capacity?”
“I don’t know. Whatever they need, I guess.” Wrong answer.
“Then I should bill the Council for your training. Because they will not hesitate to take advantage of your immunity, and assign you to jobs that require you to sneak around.”
I opened my mouth, but closed it as his stony gaze fixed on me.
“I suggest you decide what exactly you are going to do. Indecisive probablys usually lead to trouble.” He returned to studying the blueprints, ignoring me.
Sitting in a chair opposite him, I considered his comments. If I dug deep enough, I would find the nugget of hope that I would reclaim my blood and my powers. Then I could return to making glass messengers and being able to help a wild magician to avoid flaming out. And if I didn’t? My thoughts shied from that scenario.
Valek and I spent another seven days training, watching Wirral and poring over the blueprints. We donned disguises and followed the correctional officers home from the prison. The effort netted us names to match faces, and I identified Finn’s goons—Erik, Carrl and Lamar. No surprise that all were hotshots.
As the days passed, Valek tested me on spotting a disguise. It was one skill that came easily to me. With my artistic background, I held the advantage. Even though confidence in my abilities grew, I still worried about the amount of time we used. My sister’s wedding was thirty-eight days away and I needed at least eight to travel home. I feared thirty days wouldn’t be enough.
My fears turned into reality when Valek threw his quill across the table. I looked at him.
He crossed his arms. “I never thought I would say this, but it’s impossible.”
My stomach flipped. “What is?”
“Getting into Wirral. There isn’t a way in without being caught. We’re done.”
11
“WHAT ABOUT THE PLAN TO DISGUISE OURSELVES AS correctional officers?” I asked Valek, hoping the last seventy plus days of training hadn’t been for nothing.
“Think about the information we’ve collected these past couple weeks,” Valek said.
I huffed in annoyance. He had all the answers, but he wanted me to puzzle it out myself. Sorting through everything, I recalled a conversation Valek had overheard at the Spotted Dog. “We can’t go in as COs because there are too many checkpoints, and they change the password daily,” I said. “Someone before us must have tried that trick.”
“What about bribing a hotshot to ask Ulrick?” Valek asked.
“Won’t work. They’re an elite unit. It’s doubtful they’ll take a bribe, and they’re all terrified of Finn.” I tried to see past Valek’s blank mask. Was this all a test? A ruse to get me to use the strategy I had learned.
“Bribe one of the other COs to get in?”
“No way. They’re all terrified of the warden.” I didn’t blame them. “We could transfer in from another prison. That would save us having to join the force in Fulgor and advance through to the elite unit.” And save years.
Valek suppressed a smile. “That might work. Although the paperwork would have to be forged. It will take a couple weeks to set it up.” He glanced at the windows. “It’s late. Maybe a better solution will come to us in the morning.”
When I woke the next day, no sudden insight into our dilemma occurred. I dressed in my training clothes and joined Nic and Eve for our morning session. I worked self-defense drills with Eve and sparred Nic.
“Damn, girl,” Nic said after I slipped past his block and scored a hit. “You’ve improved big-time, and I don’t think it’s because of us.”
“And you have more confidence about your fighting skills,” Eve added. She arched an eyebrow at me. “Night school?”
“I’ve been working with you for almost two seasons,” I said. “Give yourself some credit.”
They exchanged a look, and I braced for another round of questions.
But Nic shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s working and I like seeing this part of you. Reminds me of the Opal from before.”
“Before when?” I asked.
Eve shot her partner a warning look, but he ignored her. “Before you lost your magic. When you came to Fulgor with fire in your eyes.”
“And it ended badly.”
“No it didn’t. No one died and you stopped a dangerous plot. I get that you have battle scars and need time to heal. I’m just glad you are finally moving past it. The fire is coming back.”
Eve and I stared at Nic in astonishment.
He reddened. “What? I do work in law enforcement. I know people.”
Smiling, Eve patted his shoulder. “We know. You’re just not usually so…eloquent about it.”
Nic preened as he and Eve filed into HQ with the other guards to report for duty. I remained in the yard. The construction crew arrived and buzzed around the half-completed extension. Masons laid bricks and the prisoners mixed mortar, delivering wheelbarrows full of the gray-colored mud.
The sun had burned off the cool morning fog. Devlen and a few others had pulled down the top of their prison jumpers and tied them around their waists. His skin had darkened from being outside, but pale scars on his back stood out.
I realized I knew nothing about his life before he became a Warper. Did he have siblings? What were his parents like? I hadn’t even seen him without a shirt. When his soul had occupied Ulrick’s body, I’d been intimate with him. But in his own body, he hadn’t tried to seduce me, just use me.
This confused my memories of being with who I thought had been Ulrick. Could I claim he raped me when I willingly slept with him? I thought he was Ulrick, but Devlen said he never pretended about his feelings toward me, even disguised as Ulrick. It had been his addiction to blood magic that had driven him to force me to search for his mentor.
Confused wasn’t a strong enough term for how I felt about him now. To avoid a headache, I returned my thoughts to the present. My gaze once again sought Devlen among the workers. He pushed the wheelbarrow arou
nd as if it was a toy, and he towered over most of the other prisoners. He had allowed his black hair to grow long. It reached past his shoulder blades.
I was about to go when Devlen caught me staring and smiled. Glancing around, he wheeled the barrow toward me. I scanned the COs, looking for his ever-present watchdog, but didn’t see Pellow’s broad shape.
“Opal, is something wrong?” he asked.
“No. Why would you think that?”
“You never stay after the soldiers leave for their shift. Did the Councilor give you the day off?”
“I wish.”
He waited.
“I’m just thinking. Something I’ve been working on isn’t panning out like I had hoped, and I need to figure another way.” I shrugged, trying to downplay my concern.
He wasn’t fooled by my act. Putting the wheelbarrow down, he stepped closer to me. “All I need to do is escape. Easy enough out here.” He gestured. No one paid us any attention. “I’ll let them catch me and they’ll transfer me to Wirral. I’ll get close to—”
“No.”
“I can help.”
“Ulrick won’t talk to you. I need to get inside.”
The shock on his face lasted a second before he grabbed my shoulders. He pulled me toward him so we were almost touching. “No, don’t. I won’t let you.” Real fear filled his eyes.
“You can’t—”
“I have heard horror stories about the conditions and the prisoners. The COs threaten us with it to keep us in line. No. I’ll go and force Ulrick to tell me. You know he’ll crack.”
I shook my head. “I need to go, Devlen.” When I realized he wasn’t backing down, I said, “I can handle myself.” And it was the truth. With Valek’s training, I had an edge.
He closed his eyes as if enduring a surge of pain, then pulled me into a hug. Startled, I froze for a moment before wrapping my arms around his bare torso. I inhaled his familiar scent—a mix of spice and sun. The same smell I remembered from when I had lain with him after… But he had been in Ulrick’s body then. Odd.
Devlen drew back to meet my gaze. “Promise me you’ll be careful?”
“I promise.” When he failed to look reassured, I added, “Don’t worry. I have help. I’m not going in alone.”
“Who? Your annoying Ixian friend?”
“Yes.” I didn’t lie. Valek matched the description. He was Ixian and quite annoying at times.
“Hey, Dev, are you going to share?” a male voice asked. “I could use a hug, too.”
We broke apart as a group of prisoners approached us—five men with strong arms from working at the construction site. Not a CO was in sight. Figured.
“Go back to work,” Devlen said. “Or you’ll get into trouble.”
“The COs are busy,” the biggest of the men said. “Fight broke out inside.” He inclined his bald head toward the new wing.
I pulled my sais.
“I didn’t mean from the COs.” Devlen’s voice held a warning.
“From you?” The men laughed.
Devlen stepped away from me. “She’s the one you need to worry about.” More chuckles.
He met my gaze, and I knew in a flash what he would do next. I flipped my sais up into an attack position, flourishing the weapons to distract the men. Devlen moved, stepping in close to the big man and striking his throat with the edge of his palm.
Reversing my weapons so the weighted knob on top led, I shuffled forward, ramming the knobs into the closest prisoner’s solar plexus. A cheap shot, but it was effective for disabling an opponent without causing serious injury. I turned to the next guy in time to duck his swing, and repeated my move.
In a matter of seconds we had all five men gasping for breath. Devlen’s strike to the neck caused a temporary and painful swelling to the windpipe. If his hit had been harder, it would have crushed the windpipe, killing them.
The group stumbled away.
“Will they report you?” I asked Devlen.
“No. But I’ll have to watch out for them.”
The image of them ambushing Devlen inside Dawnwood caused my heart to race. Unlike the scuffle, which I hadn’t even broken a sweat for. “Maybe you should inform the COs or tell Pellow?”
“No need.” He dismissed my concerns.
“Can you handle all five?”
He turned to me. “Opal, worry about your own plans. Not me. If I get attacked…” he shrugged “…it’s all part of being in prison.”
Which he deserved. Which I kept forgetting.
“You’ll keep me informed of your progress?” he asked.
“I’ll try.” First I needed to figure a way to get inside.
He studied me as if memorizing my face. Those blue eyes with their thick eyelashes used to scare me, but now his intense gaze sent a surge of heat through my body. We had fought well together. Without thought, I stepped close and kissed him. Stunned, he froze, then returned the kiss with passion.
Coming to my senses, I jerked away. “You should go before you get into trouble.” Or I do.
“Opal, I’m—”
“Don’t apologize. I started it.”
“True.”
“And don’t go all Story Weaver on me, either.”
“Wouldn’t think of it.” He flashed a grin and pushed the wheelbarrow toward the construction site.
Dizzy with confusion and disbelief over what I had just done, I remained rooted in place until I reined in my out-of-control emotions. Didn’t anyone see us? I scanned the workers. They appeared to be oblivious, and the COs counted heads, making sure no one ran off while they were preoccupied. All except Pellow. He nodded at me before returning to his post. Damn.
When Nic and Eve left HQ escorting a prisoner, I ducked behind the fence so they wouldn’t see me. Did I kiss Devlen because Kade still hadn’t sent me a message? And why was I hiding from my friends?
I waited until they were out of sight before I headed toward the Councilor’s Hall. My mind swirled with questions with no real answers, replaying the intense conversation with Devlen. He really cared for me. It hadn’t been an act. No glib words or sweet talk. He would have gone to Wirral for me.
Then the worries started. What about Kade? I loved him. So why was I kissing Devlen? Would Pellow gossip about our kiss to the other COs? I hoped my friends didn’t find out. I’d never live it down. Nic and Eve would—
And then from the chaos of my thoughts an astonishing idea sparked. I had the answer to how Valek and I would get into the maximum security prison.
I reported to work and assisted Councilor Moon with interviews. We had been searching for another person to take over my duties. Now that I had a way to get inside Wirral, hiring a new person and training him or her became critical. Tama wasn’t happy, but she understood. She had made such progress in trusting others, but, at times, I found her clutching the glass paperweight I had made for her.
Tama claimed my gift steadied her and gave her strength. “It reminds me of you,” she said after the last interviewee had left. “I remember what you have done despite—” she swept an arm out “—everything. If you can face your fears, then I can, too.”
Glad she found comfort from my paperweight, I swallowed my doubt that I faced my fears. Seeking my blood felt more like avoiding the fear of being without magic forever.
Later in the afternoon, I ran errands for Faith. Just like every day, I delivered various papers and forms to the other offices in the Hall. Except today I failed to hand over one form. Instead, I slipped it into my satchel. One day’s delay wouldn’t be noticed. I hoped.
After I finished my tasks for the Councilor, I raced home. When I entered the ground floor, I paused. The lantern we kept lit in the glass factory was dark. It was either out of oil or someone had extinguished the flame.
I put my bag and cloak down. Sliding my sais from the holder around my waist, I left them with my cloak and palmed my switchblade. I stepped to the side, keeping my back against the wall. I waited for my eyes to adjus
t to the semidarkness. Slivers of sunlight cut through the cracks in the boards covering the windows.
As I strained to hear any sounds over the hum of the kiln, two possible scenarios came to mind if the lantern had been snuffed. One ambusher or more than one. The second possibility jacked up my heart rate.
Remaining with my back to the wall, I moved to the left, stopping after each step to listen. When I reached the corner of the room one of the slivers of light flickered as a shadow passed. Inside or outside? Valek’s voice lectured in my mind—assume the worst. Inside then.
I had no desire to leave the corner, but I could be here all night if I didn’t check the lantern. The out-of-oil scenario hadn’t been dismissed yet. I ghosted along the long wall of the factory. The lantern sat in a stone alcove at the midway point. I reached it.
Before I could check the oil level, the shadow returned, and I dived toward it before it could move. I slammed into a person. Knocking the ambusher down, I pinned the man to the ground. With a move I had practiced a thousand times, I triggered my switchblade and pressed the tip to flesh.
He stopped struggling in an instant.
“Talk or die,” I ordered.
He laughed.
I groaned and pushed to my feet. “Did I pass your test, Valek?”
“With flying colors. I especially liked your ultimatum,” he said.
“Is this a new twist to our training? Am I going to have to be on guard all the time?”
“You should be on guard all the time, regardless.” He lit the lantern. The yellow glow illuminated his amusement. “Practice and repetition sharpen your reflexes to a point where you move without thinking. However, the element of fear is hard to replicate during training. Which is why I make you pick locks on real houses with the occupants sleeping inside and why I will test you from time to time.”
“Wonderful,” I muttered.
I collected my satchel and cloak and followed him upstairs. When he pulled a chair up to the table full of blueprints, I remembered my epiphany.
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