Shattered Glass

by Maria V. Snyder

“Exactly.” Fisk rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Why is identifying the other members of the Cartel so important when Bruns has brainwashed them along with everyone else? They’ve no clue that Bruns is collaborating with Owen and the Commander.”

  “You tell me.”

  He huffed. “I don’t know, because in order to stop the Sitian takeover, all we have to do is stop Bruns, Owen Moon and the Commander.”

  Valek suppressed a smile at the “all we have to do” comment. If only it were that easy. “Why are these people members of the Cartel?”

  Fisk shot him a sour expression. “Okay, I’ll play. They’re rich and powerful. Which is why the Cartel has been so successful in getting resources and converting the garrisons—Oh!”

  Valek waited as Fisk followed the logic.

  “So we identify them all and wake them up to what’s really going on, so they can use that influence and power to help us instead of Bruns.”

  Smart boy. “Or we assassinate them all and take them out of the equation. The added benefit is that we scare their support staff.”

  Instead of a knee-jerk reaction to the thought of killing ten people, Fisk paused to consider it. “Yelena would never allow that. She doesn’t want any of the brainwashed to be killed. Besides, I think they’d be more useful alive than dead.”

  “And that is why we need to know their identities.”

  Fisk yawned. “We’re getting reports back from the garrisons and will soon have a complete list of personnel at each one.”

  “Good. I need your people to locate a bug for me.”

  “The Mosquito?” He straightened in his chair, looking more awake.

  “Yes.”

  “Where?”

  “Here in the Citadel.”

  “Ah, hell. Is that why Yelena needed…” He stopped. “Won’t he be with Bruns?”

  “From what I heard last night, either he’s been fired, or Bruns thinks the competition will compel him to finish the job.” Valek told Fisk about the bounty.

  “She has to leave now and go some—”

  “I already tried that. Best I could do was get her to promise to stay at HQ until I’ve dealt with The Mosquito.” In other words, once Valek plunged his knife in The Mosquito’s heart and scared all the others away.

  “That’s some relief.” Fisk ran both his hands through his hair. “But the Citadel will be overrun with assassins, and it’s gonna be hard to find the bug. He’s smart, and my people aren’t as effective in the Citadel. Rumors that they’re doing more than helping carry packages for shoppers are spreading. Before, everyone ignored my kids, thinking them harmless and stupid. Now…”

  “Just tell them to keep an eye out for him. I only need a general vicinity.”

  “All right. And now that Yelena is under house arrest, so to speak, she can take over collecting the information from my people, since they trust her, and I can do a bit of reconnaissance on my own.” Fisk paused. “Are you sure she’s going to be happy hanging around here all day?”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll keep her happy.”

  Fisk shot him a dubious look before heading to bed. Valek settled behind the desk and studied the map Fisk had been marking. The other Sitian garrisons were highlighted. Members of the Helper’s Guild had infiltrated them all. Since the Cartel controlled the Citadel and the Moon, Krystal, Featherstone and Greenblade garrisons, they’d put the military soldiers in charge of all the civilian security forces in those lands. Rumors that the Cloud Mist base was also compromised hadn’t been substantiated yet.

  The garrisons farther south still hadn’t been indoctrinated, and Valek had agents working in the kitchens to ensure they remained uninvolved long enough for Valek to recruit them to their side. The agent in the Jewelrose garrison hadn’t reported in weeks, and Valek suspected the man had been captured or converted. Heli the Stormdancer was keeping an eye on the base in the Stormdance lands, but the storm season would start at the beginning of the heating season, and he’d need to find another agent then.

  Ari and Janco had been assigned to the Greenblade base to keep an eye on the Sitian Councilors and First Magician Bain Bloodgood. Eventually, they would need to be rescued. Meanwhile, his sister Zohav and his brother Zethan—a concept that still amazed him—worked on exploring the extent of their powers with Teegan and Kade on the Stormdance coast. They were safe for now.

  Valek reviewed his to-do list—identify the Cartel members, find and cut off the source of the Theobroma, rescue the Councilors, recruit the southern garrisons and free the magicians in the other garrisons. Oh, and find some time to rescue the Commander. Knowing what he needed to do was the easy part. Too bad he didn’t quite know how these tasks would be accomplished, with only Fisk’s Helper’s Guild and ten others to help. They needed more bodies. More allies. Yelena wished to recruit Cahil, believing the man might be smart enough to see the truth. Valek hoped she was right. Then there were Devlen, Opal and her soldier friends, Nic and Eve. As long as Reema was safe, they might be willing to help. Perhaps when Leif, Mara and Esau returned, he’d send another messenger to Fulgor, the capital of the Moon Clan’s lands and ask.

  Leif and Mara had left ten days ago to collect Esau and the plants in the glass hothouse near Broken Bridge. They should be at the farmstead where Leif had left his father by now. However, the return trip to the Citadel would take them twice as long since they’d be pulling a wagon.

  Fisk’s people honed in on a potential location for The Mosquito three days later and provided him with a current description. Valek'd been collecting information in the Council Hall in the evenings, much to Yelena’s annoyance at the risk he took while she was stuck at HQ. He refused to feel bad. In fact, knowing she was safe after learning Bruns’s plans kept him from being overwhelmed with all that had to be done. Plus, when he returned each morning, he woke her with more reasons to stay safe.

  “You’re going after him,” Yelena said. It wasn’t a question. She watched him as he dressed in nondescript Sitian clothing— a gray tunic and charcoal-colored pants—and tucked a number of weapons into the various pockets and hidden holders.

  “If you kill him, does that mean I’m no longer under house arrest?”

  “Technically, yes. But there’s still the bounty,” he said.

  “What if he kills you?”

  “He won’t.”

  “Cocky bastard.”

  Valek pulled her close and kissed her. “He won’t, love.”

  She melted against him. “I feel so useless.”

  “Don’t. The kids love you, and Fisk is getting better intel by being out in the Citadel.”

  She managed a half smile. “You’re right.”

  “I’m going to put on quite the show today and attract lots of attention and scare the other bounty hunters off for a while, so if you really can’t stand being inside and want to get some fresh air this afternoon, it should be a little safer.”

  Yelena’s face lit up.

  “I’d rather you didn’t, but if you do, please don’t go far or alone. All right?”

  “Yes.” She hugged him tight.

  He nuzzled her neck.

  “Tell The Mosquito to enjoy the fire world for me,” she said.

  “It will be my pleasure.”

  Once outside, Valek moved through the busy market with ease. He spotted a number of Fisk’s guild members working the crowd and darting between shoppers. The market was located at the very center of the Citadel. Factories and businesses ringed it in ever-widening circles and occupied the two center sections of the Citadel. The Magician’s Keep encompassed the northeast quadrant, and the Sitian Council Hall and other government buildings were located in the southeast corner. The Citadel’s citizens lived in the labyrinth of homes in the northwest and southwest quadrants.

  A few of the abandoned warehouses and factories had been converted into apartments, and according to Fisk, The Mosquito lived on the top floor of one of them. Normally Valek would attack at night, but The Mosquito knew that trick an
d would be ready.

  As he crossed the market, Valek noted three people taking an unhealthy interest in him and sensed another, but was unable to locate the fourth—a professional. He considered his options. Lead the three on a merry chase to an unfortunate dead end, or lose them?

  When he spotted The Mosquito standing near the entrance to an alley, Valek recognized the setup. Those three worked for the bug. Like a pack of sheep dogs, their job was to herd him toward that alley, where Valek’s prey would conveniently dangle like bait on a hook. Then the bait would slip down the alley and draw Valek right into an ambush. Classic.

  He judged his odds. The Mosquito plus three—doable with darts, but just how many waited? A brief thought of using his magic to sense the others flashed before he dismissed it. Too many people around. Even though Teegan had taught him at the Stormdancer's safe house to control his magic in order to prevent a flameout, he was reluctant to use it. According to Teegan, his mental barrier was strong enough that he didn’t need to wear a null shield. Besides, he liked being able to detect when magic was in use around him.

  Instead of using magic, he decided to take the high ground. Valek returned to the heart of the market and lost his sheepdogs, then cut down the street next to The Mosquito’s chosen alley. When no one appeared to take an interest in him, he climbed the nearest building and reached the top.

  When he straightened, he spotted The Mosquito waiting on the roof two buildings down on his left. Fisk did say the man was smart. So how did Yelena get away from him with only a few cuts?

  It occurred to Valek that perhaps Yelena wasn’t his target.

  Valek drew both his daggers and faced The Mosquito as he lightly hopped buildings.

  The Mosquito halted six feet in front of Valek. “Please tell me you really didn’t think I’d set up such an obvious trap for you.”

  “You took a contract to kill Yelena. That makes me question the level of your intelligence.”

  “Fair enough.” He swept a hand out.

  Sensing movement behind him, Valek angled his body to keep the bug in sight while he glanced back. Four black-clad figures stood up from where they’d been lying on the right side of the rooftop. Nice.

  “What about now?” The Mosquito asked.

  “It depends on who you brought for backup.”

  “Well, this is Sitia. Not a ton of trained killers here. But there are plenty of magicians. Four might be excessive, but…” He shrugged. “I’d rather too many than not enough.”

  Ah. Smart move. Around Valek, the presence of magic disappeared suddenly. The magicians must have surrounded him with a null shield. Valek dropped his arms to his sides, as if an invisible hand had wrapped around his torso. When he’d been immune to magic, a null shield could immobilize him like a rat stuck between the jaws of a trap. Now…not at all. However, he didn’t want the bug to learn this fact until the perfect moment.

  “Now I’m questioning your intelligence, Valek. Why would you come after me alone when everyone knows how easy it is to trap the infamous assassin?”

  “Who says I’m alone?”

  The Mosquito opened his mouth, but snapped it closed as his gaze slid past Valek’s shoulders. Four thuds sounded behind him. The presence Valek had sensed in the market stood among the prone forms. As usual, Onora was barefoot.

  “You do realize she wants the same thing I do,” The Mosquito said.

  Valek rolled his shoulders as if he’d been released from the pressure of a null shield. “I do,” he said. “But she’ll wait her turn. Right, Onora?”

  “You can play with your bug first,” she said.

  I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Dawn Study. Click to preorder your copy! —Maria

  Acknowledgments

  For Araella, whose world was shattered. With your strength and courage and the loving support of your family and friends, you can put it back together and it will be stronger than ever!

  To Joy Kenney—a big thank you for a beautiful cover.

  And thanks so much to Mary Theresa Hussey for another excellent editing job.

  Also by Maria V. Snyder

  Glass series

  Storm Glass

  Sea Glass

  Spy Glass

  Shattered Glass (novella)

  Study series

  Poison Study

  Magic Study

  Fire Study

  Shadow Study

  Night Study

  Dawn Study

  About the Author

  Maria V. Snyder switched careers from meteorologist to novelist when she began writing the New York Times best-selling Study series about a young woman who becomes a poison taster. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, Maria dreamed of chasing tornados and even earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University. Unfortunately, she lacked the necessary forecasting skills. So she worked as an environmental meteorologist until boredom and children drove her to write down the stories that have been swirling around in her head. Writing, proved to be more enjoyable than meteorology, and Maria returned to school to earn a Master of Arts degree in fiction writing from Seton Hill University. Unable to part company with Seton Hill and its wonderful writing program, Maria is currently a teacher and mentor for the MFA program.

  However, Maria's meteorological degree did not go to waste, nope, not at all. And to prove it to her parents... er... since she is still fascinated with the weather, she was able to play with the weather while writing her award-winning Glass series about a glass magician who can capture magic inside her glass creations. To research the Glass books, Maria attended several glass blowing classes. There is no need to worry that she will change careers to glass artist anytime soon. Maria does not possess the hand-eye coordination and would need years of practice to produce a piece worth displaying. However, the whole experience was educational, and she now owns an extensive collection of misshapen paperweights, tumblers, and bowls.

  Subscribe to her newsletter here, or join her readers on Goodreads.

  Visit Maria on the web:

  mvsfans

  www.mariavsnyder.com

  Praise

  “Snyder’s clear, straightforward, yet beautifully descriptive style is refreshing, while the story itself is completely engrossing.” —RT Book Reviews on Magic Study

  “Snyder delivers another excellent adventure.” —Publishers Weekly on Fire Study

  “Snyder deftly weaves information about glassblowing into her tale of magic and murder.” —Library Journal on Storm Glass

  “A compelling new fantasy series.” —SFX magazine on Sea Glass

  “Snyder's storytelling skills continue to build an involving story line.” —Library Journal on Spy Glass

  “Filled with Snyder’s trademark sarcastic humor, fast-paced action and creepy villainy, Touch of Power is a spellbinding romantic adventure.” —USA TODAY on Touch of Power

  Copyright © 2016 by Maria V. Snyder. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

  This is a work of fantasy. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Shattered Glass / Maria V. Snyder—1st ed.

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