When the door closed, I said, “The shield must have reacted
to my immunity.” I thought it through and followed the logic.
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My immunity was created by magic. A null shield blocked
magic. I couldn’t reach Tama through the shield. Another
interesting quirk to my new status. Another thing to keep
quiet.
As I saddled Quartz early the next morning, Finn arrived on
the back of a beautiful golden quarter horse. Her blond mane
and tail had been braided and her legs had white socks.
I couldn’t resist running my hand along her long neck.
“What’s her name?” I asked him.
“Sun
Ray.”
“Perfect.” I tightened Quartz’s girth strap. Anxious to go,
she fidgeted.
“Is she a Sandseed horse?” Finn asked.
I looked over. “Yes.”
“I thought they’re rare, and only given to…”
I finished for him. “Councilors, Master Magicians and pow-
erful people like the Soulfinder?”
He remained neutral. “Yeah.”
“They are.” I let him figure it out. When I swung up into
the saddle, I was eye level with Finn.
He changed the subject. “Is that a jumping saddle?”
“Yep.” I grinned. “Quartz loves to jump. I hope you can
keep up.”
“That won’t be a problem, because you won’t catch me.”
He spurred Sun Ray into a gallop.
To be fair, I waited a few seconds before giving Quartz the
signal. Then we gave chase.
My ribs protested the motion, but the pure joy of riding
banished my aches, worries and problems. I concentrated on
my connection with Quartz and soon we moved as one, f lying
over fences, chewing up the miles and drinking the wind. We
transformed into a combined mass of energy and power, free
to go anywhere. Exhilarating.
We caught up to Finn and Sun Ray. He pointed to a forest
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95
in the distance. Our destination. With a burst of speed, we
passed them and bolted for the forest. Once at the edge of
the woods, we slowed and returned to horse and rider. I dis-
mounted and walked beside Quartz, letting her cool down.
Holding Sun Ray’s reins, Finn joined us, leading her beside
us as she puffed for breath. Her golden coat gleamed with
sweat. “I always thought the stories about the Sandseed horses
had been exaggerated. Now I’m thinking they didn’t quite
explain the—” he searched for the proper word “—splendor
of the horse. Not just physical attractiveness, but the whole
way she moved as if she embodied the tangible essence of pure
beauty.” He looked a bit chagrined. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to
gush.”
“As long as it doesn’t go to her head. She’s already spoiled,
but she’d be impossible to live with if she developed an over-
inf lated ego.”
We entered the forest, following a trail through the bare
branches and crunching dead leaves under our boots. A few
evergreens saved the landscape from being outright creepy.
Only a few days remained in the cold season, but full greenery
wouldn’t arrive until the end of the warming season.
The gurgle of water reached me before we entered a rocky
clearing. A stream cut through the middle, snaking around
the bigger rocks. Finn tied his horse to a nearby tree, but I
pulled Quartz’s bridle off and let her explore.
“Aren’t you worried she’ll run away?” he asked.
“No. Although, if she chooses to leave, I’d be
devastated.”
Quartz snorted and f licked me with her tail. Finn peered
at me as if my skin had turned another color.
“With Sandseed horses, the horse picks the rider. And if
she decides she wants to return to the Avibian Plains, there’s
nothing I could do to stop her. Well…I could tempt her with
milk oats.”
She raised her head at the mention of her favorite treat, but
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returned to drinking from the stream when I failed to produce
them.
I scanned the clearing. “Where’s the waterfall?”
“Upstream.” He removed a sack from Sun Ray’s saddlebags
and slung it over his shoulder. “Come on.”
We hiked along the bank, hopping from rock to rock to
avoid the mud and water. A light shushing filled the air and
a moisture-rich breeze fanned our faces. The sound grew
louder and the stream widened as we continued. Up ahead, a
bend blocked my view, but a thin mist f loated low over the
water.
Anxious, I increased my pace and rounded the corner. I
stopped. The waterfall was three feet high.
Finn shot me his slanted smile. “I did say it was a pretty
little waterfall.”
He opened the sack and drew out cheese, bread, two f lasks,
two cups, a variety of small sandwiches and a blanket. Ar-
ranging them on the top of a large f lat boulder, he smoothed
out the blanket and invited me to sit next to him.
For a moment I stood in stunned silence. This was a date.
An actual date. I’d never been on one before. Ulrick and I had
started as friends and then took the next step. And Kade…
Our initial meeting hadn’t gone well, but the relationship
grew over time and crises. We never had a peaceful moment.
Not even a picnic on the beach.
I suddenly wished Kade and not Finn waited for me to join
him. Settling on the ground, I turned my attention to him.
We talked about nothing in particular as we ate, but at the first natural segue, I steered the conversation to Wirral. Because
this shouldn’t be a real date. I needed to learn everything I
could about the prison.
Finn answered a few questions, but the gleam in his eyes
meant he saw right through me. Eventually he asked, “Is your
interest in the prison linked to the attack last night?”
“No. I was just curious.”
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He leaned back on one elbow. “Even if I hadn’t been trained
to spot one, you’re not a good lair. Your questions about se-
curity at Wirral combined with the attack last night, mean
you’re up to something. You’re on a mission.”
I tried to protest, but he shook his head. “Don’t bother de-
nying it. Since I doubt you’re up to no good, why don’t you
tell me what’s going on so I can help you?”
I hesitated. He straightened and said, “I have sources all
over Fulgor.” He leaned toward me. “What if you’re attacked
again? If I know what’s going on, I can better protect you.”
Sticking to the truth, I said, “I’m on a mission for myself.
No one sent me. You know I’m not popular among the guards.
Remember the drunks at the Spotted Dog?”
“What’s the mission?”
“I’d rather not say. Don’t worry. It doesn’t involve helping
any of the prisoners at Wirral.”
“Good. Do you expect to be ambushed again?”
“Not with my escort
s following me around Fulgor.”
Finn gave me a wry smile. “They care about you. And…”
He reached for one of the f lasks, twisting off the cap. He
poured wine into one of the cups and handed it to me. He
filled the other and fiddled with it.
Unsure of what to do with the cup, I prompted, “And?”
“And, I’m beginning to care about you, too.” He brushed
a stray strand of hair from my face. His warm fingers stroked
my cheek and lingered under my chin, drawing me closer.
He kissed me.
My heart broke into a gallop. In order to maintain the
ruse, I kissed him back. After…I don’t know…seconds?…
minutes?…he drew back and gave me that slanted grin. He
raised his cup and stopped as a twig snapped.
We both turned. The four men who had attacked us before
stood a few feet downstream. My heart increased its pace to
a full-out canter.
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“How romantic,” Middle Man said. “I hope we’re inter-
rupting.”
Finn stood and pulled his sword. I cursed myself for not
replacing my sais. Instead, I grabbed my switchblade and trig-
gered it as I positioned myself next to Finn.
He glanced at me and asked, “Are you certain these goons
aren’t here about your mission?”
“Yes,” I said.
The four men advanced.
“This isn’t going to be pretty. Any chance we can talk our
way out of this?” he asked.
I called to the men. “What do you want?”
“You already know, Opal. Don’t go acting like you’re sur-
prised,” Middle Man said.
Finn asked, “Any chance you could just tell them or give
them what they want?”
“I’m not working for anyone,” I shouted at the men. “Why
don’t you believe me?”
“Then why are you in Fulgor?” Middle Man asked.
“I told you. For a job. My friends.” I almost screamed in
frustration.
The men paused and exchanged a glance with Finn. He
lowered his weapon and turned to me. “You’re either incred-
ibly smart or unbelievably stupid.”
A chill raced over my skin. “Excuse me?”
“Somehow you blocked my magic, so I can’t read your
intentions.” He gestured to the goons. “We couldn’t scare the
information from you, and I couldn’t romance it from you,
either.” A wild gleam lit his eyes. He sheathed his weapon.
I backed away, pointing my knife at his chest. “What are
you saying?”
“The game’s been fun. And it just galls me to resort to the
old-fashioned ways, but, sweetheart, you’re one tough nut to
crack.”
My mind reeled as I backed away from Finn, trying to connect him to the four smiling goons. The realization that
I was an amateur caught in a professional’s game lodged in
my throat. And even though my heart pumped for all it was
worth, my legs refused to run.
Upstream remained the only direction open. Since Finn
had arranged this whole surprise, he probably already had it
covered. He matched me step for step until I reached the edge
of the boulder. My knife was all that separated us.
Finn moved without warning. Pain f lared in my wrist, and
he held my switchblade.
“Are you going to cooperate and tell us what your mission
is?” he asked.
“I told you—”
“Nothing. No matter. You will.”
“Why don’t you believe me?”
“I deal with prisoners all day so I don’t believe anyone.
And, I’ve told you before, it’s part of my job to find out why
you’re in town. The warden has also given me permission to
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Maria V. Snyder
make sure your keen interest in the SMU isn’t because you’re
up to no good.” He reached into his pocket.
I jumped off the boulder, landing hard on the uneven
ground. I spun, intent on running, when a dart pricked my
neck. Finn grabbed my arm before I could yank it out. I mar-
veled at his ref lexes as my world liquefied. He picked me up
as if I weighed nothing.
How could he hold me when my body was a puddle? He
poured me back onto the boulder. I sloshed at the edges and
stared in amazement at the drippy trees and his gooey face.
Finn settled next to me. “Isn’t this better than torture?”
The forest spun around my boulder. His men stretched
into long lines of color. “Anything’s better than torture.” The intense rush of the waterfall overwhelmed my senses.
“Plus you’ve proven to be very resistant to torture.”
I giggled. In a minuscule section of my mind, a tiny Opal
was appalled by my behavior. Miniature Opal screamed at me
to stop being ridiculous. This was a serious situation. But big Opal was completely at Finn’s mercy.
“Tell me,” he commanded.
And I couldn’t resist. The words gushed up my throat and
poured from my mouth, filling the forest until I drowned in
them.
When I woke, I couldn’t remember what Finn had asked
me or what I had told him. My stomach heaved and I rolled
over and expelled the picnic lunch onto the ground. Only
spotty details of the afternoon remained. I glanced around,
expecting to see Finn and his goons gloating, but the forest
was empty.
I lay back as relief then fear then anger consumed me. Did
he expect me to ignore what happened? And why did he go
to all that trouble? Why did he and the warden care about my
reason for being in Fulgor? Did they really think I would try
to help one of the inmates escape? The answers eluded me.
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Should I tell the Councilor? The thought pumped ice
through my veins. His magic couldn’t hurt me, but that meant
nothing. This guy was out of my league. He reminded me of
Valek. Perhaps it was time for me to call in that favor. After
the Warper Battle six years ago, Valek had offered me his
assistance. Anytime and anywhere, he had said. I hoped he
meant it.
I staggered from the boulder. A moldy smell clung to my
clothes, and I wondered how long I had been out of it. By
the time I found Quartz, the sun hovered over the horizon.
Having no energy to face anyone, I headed straight for the
inn. I wouldn’t tell anyone about Finn. Not yet. He had the
warden’s permission. Plus he had claimed he was doing his
job—my questions about the SMU worried him, but his meth-
ods sent warning signals. This time I wasn’t going to waste
effort trying to solve this one on my own.
In the middle of the night, I woke, convinced Finn hovered
over me. I jolted upright, and scanned the shadows. No one.
A shudder rattled my teeth as I realized how easy it had been
for Finn to fool me and how quickly he’d trapped me. I was
defenseless against him.
I doubted Finn could get that close to Valek. Worry panged.
Maybe I should deal with Finn myself ? Stop it, Opal, I
chided myself. Young and inexperienced Opal wo
uld have
reported him to the Councilor and tried to convince her of
his misdeeds.
Older and smarter Opal called for help right away. This
concerned Valek just as much as me. Finn had illegally ob-
tained private information about both of us.
I mentally checked Finn off my to-do list. He had to know
I wasn’t here to help anyone escape from the SMU. If I avoided
him, I should be fine until Valek arrived. I would concentrate
all my effort on finding my blood. Then it hit me. I had to
assume Finn knew all about my mission. Damn.
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My sore muscles protested as I pushed the blankets from
my legs. I hopped down and paced the room. I needed a new
strategy and fast. Finn could decide to find my blood and use
it, or sell it, or dump it on the ground for a laugh.
I reviewed all that I had learned since arriving in Fulgor.
The warden, Finn and the hotshots. I sorted through my
memories. As the sky lightened with the dawn, I formed the
only plan that had a chance of working. I would sneak into
Wirral and ask Ulrick myself.
When I arrived at work in the morning, Zebb sat at his
desk. For better or for worse, Zebb was part of the team. My
background search on him had uncovered an exemplary ser-
vice record. We still didn’t like each other, but we tolerated
each other’s presence.
“Zebb, do you still have that glass messenger?”
He straightened, instantly wary. “Yeah. Why?”
“I need you to contact Leif Zaltana for me.”
Huffing at my audacity, he said, “Sorry, it’s for emergencies
and Council business only.”
“This is Council business. I have an idea about who may
have attacked the Councilor, but I need more information.”
He
hesitated.
“Should I bother the Councilor for permission?”
“No.” He yanked the goat from his pocket and peered into
its depths. “Leif better have one,” he grumbled.
“He does.” I had always given him extras.
Zebb concentrated and then asked in a distracted voice,
“What do you want to know?”
“Ask him if a Finn Bloodgood was ever a student at the
Keep.” I waited.
Eventually Zebb put the goat down. “He doesn’t recognize
the name, but he said he’ll find out and get back to me. Do
you think this Finn is involved in the attack?”
“It’s possible, and I’d like to know how strong he is.”
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