He stopped. “It better be important.”
“You should wait for instructions from the Councilor before...harming her. Her cooperation is critical.”
He laughed. Tugging at my pants, he said, “This will ensure her cooperation. After I’m done, she’ll do anything I ask.”
“You just need to wait a day at most. The Councilor and Gressa may be upset.”
“I don’t care. Go away.”
Satisfied with the ensuing silence, he pulled my pants down to my knees. I strained, wanting to scream when he touched my leg, but I was unable to make any noise.
Then he lurched forward as a horrible thud sounded. Bouncing off me, he dropped to the floor. His magic released its hold on me.
Janco held a blowpipe. “Come on.”
I yanked my pants up and wrapped the remains of my shirt around my chest. “Are you insane? There are powerful magicians here.”
“Which is why we’re leaving.”
We ran from the building and headed toward the woods. And slammed into an invisible barrier. It knocked us backward.
“You Sitians with your magic,” Janco said in exasperation.
He helped me to my feet. We turned around. Ulrick, Len and Boar approached. Janco pulled a pipe from his pocket and loaded a dart. But before he could aim, the pipe flew from his grasp.
“Damn Sitians.” Janco drew his sword, but Ulrick raised his hand. The weapon sailed from his grip to Ulrick.
“Damn magicians,” Janco cursed.
Regret pushed out my fear. I shouldn’t have asked Janco to help me. Ulrick reached us. He pointed Janco’s sword at the Ixian. “Who are you?” When Janco refused to answer, Ulrick poked him in the chest with the sword’s point.
Janco cringed but remained silent. Ulrick turned to Len. “Did you know he was hanging around?”
“No,” Len said.
Ulrick cursed. “Who are you working for? Who knows you’re here?” He jabbed Janco twice.
Even though blood soaked his tunic, Janco kept quiet. I recognized his demeanor. He had shut down, displaying no emotion. He had done the same thing when Ox’s whip caught him.
“Check his pockets,” Ulrick ordered.
Len and Boar frisked him. They piled an impressive number of weapons on the ground.
“He’s an Ixian,” Boar said.
“We should kill him,” Len said.
“Not yet. Once Tricky is conscious, he can extract all the information we need from his mind. Take him down to the holding cells for now. Chain him up. I’m not taking any chances. You.” Ulrick pointed to me with the sword. “Come.”
No choice. I followed Ulrick back inside while Boar and Len escorted Janco to the basement. We entered an office on the ground floor.
Ulrick found a pair of gray coveralls and tossed them at me. “Change your clothes.”
“Here? Now?”
“Yes. I don’t want any more surprises.” He sat behind the desk. “You’ve been full of them, Opal. Picking locks, finding this place, escaping twice, and now your friend.” He ran his fingers through his hair. It had grown longer since our encounter in Ognap. “If you hadn’t been such a pain in the ass, I would be proud.”
“Those escape attempts failed and now a man’s life is in danger. Real inspiring,” I said.
“You’re stalling. Get changed or I’ll make you.”
I turned my back to him and put on the baggy coverall. It was sized for a man. I piled my clothes. No real loss, since I gave the last of my picks to Tricky. If I lived through this, I would have to conceal more weapons on my person. Big if.
When I finished, I met his gaze. Those blue eyes appraised me with cold calculation, which was better than lust. With his increase of blood magic, his soul now matched Devlen’s body and seeing him no longer shocked me. I wondered if Devlen’s soul had also transformed.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I miss Ulrick. The real Ulrick who wanted to assign a battalion of guards to protect me.”
“That lovesick puppy dog?” He spat the words out. “Good riddance to him.” Ulrick leaned back in his chair. “I guess I should thank you. If it wasn’t for your rejection, I’d still be that weak whiner.”
Wonderful. Another screwup courtesy of Opal. Lives ruined while you wait. How many people had I harmed so far? Too many to count. “I made a mess of things.”
“Yep. Sit down.”
I plopped in the chair in front of his desk. Talking to him was better than being locked in the dark.
“Who’s your friend?” he asked.
I saw no reason to lie and wanted to spare Janco from being interrogated with magic. “An Ixian named Janco. He’s working for me. No one knows he’s here.”
He huffed in amusement. “Right. I shouldn’t have bothered. No worries. Tricky is very good at reading minds.” He appraised me. “You know what’s going to happen next. Don’t you?”
“You’ll take my blood and force me to make messengers for Gressa.”
“Force how?”
I stared at him. “You need ideas?”
He laughed. “Guess not. Although you could tell me which one would be most effective?”
“No.”
“Why don’t we skip it. You know you’ll give in. You might have changed, but you still care.”
“I don’t care,” I said. “Not anymore. Everyone has either lied, betrayed or hurt me.”
“If you didn’t care then why did you spend all that extra time rescuing Tama and Faith?”
“Because I thought I’d use them. Put them in the line of fire so I could escape.” I swept my hand out as if dismissing their deaths as an unfortunate side effect.
“Nice try. If I really believed that, I’d try to recruit you.” He tapped his fingers on the desk as he considered. “You know Gressa will send Devlen.”
Instinctively, I shuddered.
“He doesn’t need to threaten the ladies or your Ixian friend to get you to cooperate.”
“I know.”
“Then why endure the torture?” Ulrick’s curiosity seemed genuine.
My reasons faded when exposed to logic. I had been producing the glass messengers for Gressa for the last half season. Why would this be different? Because then I thought I had control and now I wouldn’t? But I really wasn’t in charge. This whole mess with Ulrick and Gressa went deeper than I imagined. I had deluded myself into thinking I could beat them at their own game.
“How about a deal?” I asked.
He raised his eyebrows, inviting me to continue.
“I’ll make the messengers for you, if you don’t kill Tama, Faith or Janco.”
“Janco’s too dangerous to keep alive,” Ulrick said. “Unless...”
“I’ll bite. Unless what?” I braced for the ultimatum.
“We’ve reached a dead end with blood magic. Devlen claims he doesn’t know any more. We need guidance from one of the Warpers you imprisoned.”
I laughed. “Couldn’t you come up with something original? Devlen tried it before and it didn’t work. This greed for magical power will only get you killed. Look at Roze Featherstone. She was a Master Magician, the strongest of the strong. Even adding to her power, she still failed. There are too many others to stop you.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I’d made a gigantic mistake. Colossal. If I had felt guilty before, it was a mere scratch compared to what I had set into motion. At least when I screwed up, I triggered major disasters. No sense doing things halfway.
With numb horror, I watched as Ulrick’s expression went from concern to contemplative as he chased the logic.
“You’re right. The Master Magicians and Yelena would eventually get in our way.” Ulrick smiled. “Unless...”
“Unless, we neutralize them. Which would be impossible if we didn’t have you.”
24
A power-hungry smile spread on Ulrick’s face. “You can—”
“No. No way,” I said.
“If you don’t, we’ll kill Faith, Tama and Janco.”
“Still no.”
“Heartless,” Ulrick said. “I guess we’d have to find someone you really care for. That Stormdancer, perhaps?”
As much as I desired to agree in order to spare Kade, I couldn’t. “Not even him.”
“You’re serious. Wow.” He studied my face. “But they won’t be harmed—not physically anyway.”
“Doesn’t matter. The answer is no.”
“I know I can’t force you to use magic with my magic. That trick only works for the Soulfinder.” He clapped his hands together as if making a decision. “Devlen’s been the most effective so far. After all, his methods convinced you to prick Yelena with Curare. You had to know Alea planned to kill her. This time, no one’s life is at stake.”
Still didn’t matter. The new Opal wouldn’t cave in. This time all of Sitia and Ixia were in danger.
“I’ll message Fulgor right away. But first...” He stood and gestured for me to precede him to the door.
Ulrick guided me to my room in the basement. But this time he cuffed me in the chains hanging on the back wall. He locked my arms above my head, but at least I could stand, taking my weight off my wrists. He left, sealing me in darkness.
* * *
Alone with my thoughts wasn’t fun. Not at all. The list of stupid things I had done circled through my mind. Janco. Delivered myself into Akako’s group’s hands and failed to have a backup plan. Kade’s advice to always think the best replayed. I should have waited and listened to Yelena’s advice. Then again...she should have trusted me and let me know what was going on. Unless she didn’t know. And what about Zitora? Did she really believe Akako’s story about Ulrick’s undercover mission?
I leaned against the wall. Considering how much of the last year I had spent in the dark, I should be comfortable. Perhaps Yelena never trusted me. Probably not since the day I had pricked her with Curare. I’d been naive to believe she forgave me for deceiving her. And my tendency to give in to Devlen’s pressure torture increased my untrustworthiness. I led him to the northern ice sheet to find his mentor. Yelena had to know Valek hid one of my glass prisons in a snow cat’s lair. If my escape plan hadn’t worked, I would have taken Devlen to the prison. I was weak—even I wouldn’t trust myself.
Perhaps I should just join the team. Help Ulrick and save myself days of pain. No. Ulrick was right. I cared.
My abilities and knowledge were dangerous to Sitia. Looking back, I was surprised the Council hadn’t locked me up when I wasn’t crafting the messengers. This exact situation could have been avoided.
I needed to take myself out of the equation. When Devlen arrived, I would endure as long as possible, and give in. The first opportunity I had, I would find a piece of glass and slit my throat.
My despondency lifted. It was the answer to everyone’s problem. A lump formed in my throat when I thought of Kade; being with him was the only reason to live. But it was a selfish reason. Very selfish.
I laughed suddenly. This situation wasn’t unique at all. I had thought of the same solution half a year ago on the northern ice sheet when I told Kade to use the blizzard’s energy to rip the station to shreds, killing everyone in it, including me. He should have heeded my advice.
Really. What did I do in the past three seasons? Craft messengers. Sitia could survive without my messengers, but not without Yelena and the Master Magicians.
* * *
A couple days, weeks or seasons passed—hard to tell when trapped in the dark. The opening door remained the only break in the constant blackness. Usually it was Len or Boar, bringing food, water and a few moments of exercise. Each time, I squinted into the bright lantern light, unable to see who held the lantern at first.
When Devlen arrived, I smiled, knowing he brought a change of pace.
“Not the reception I expected,” he said as he closed the door and set the lantern on the floor.
“Your presence is another step toward the end point.”
“The end point as in you will agree to all of Ulrick’s demands?”
“Yep.”
“Then why not skip this?” He flourished the clamps in his hand.
“Pride.”
He shook his head. “I warned you about Gressa.”
“Yes, you did. Why?”
“You said you would not believe me.”
“Then. Now you don’t have a reason to lie,” I said.
“What if you escape?”
“Has Janco escaped?” According to Len, Janco tried three times without success. The only reason they kept him alive was for the information in his head.
“Point,” he said. “I warned you because I knew it would come down to this. Me, you and the clamps, torturing you to obey us. Tama and Gressa have been plotting to lure you to Fulgor. Gressa paid for the mock-assassination attempt. All part of the plan.”
“The attempt seemed rather extreme.”
“It worked. Tama convinced all the Councilors you were in danger. They ordered you home and assigned a guard to watch you at all times.”
“I didn’t see—”
“You were not supposed to.”
Information swirled around my head until I felt dizzy. He might have no reason to lie, but it didn’t mean he told the truth, either.
Sensing my disbelief, Devlen rolled up his sleeves and showed me his bare arms. “No tattoos. See? Tricky offered me a vial of your blood to regain my magic and protect myself from you. I turned him down.”
“There are other places to put tattoos.”
He stripped off his shirt and yanked his pants down, leaving his undershorts on. He spun around. “Should I take everything off?”
“No. I believe you.” No ink stained his skin. I glanced away as memories of lying with him bubbled to the surface of my mind. He kept in shape. Not an ounce of fat clung to his well-defined muscles.
“I thought you wanted your magic back,” I said. My voice rasped. Embarrassed, I cleared my throat.
“At first, I did and I do miss the magic. But I do not miss the obsession. The craving for more power that dominates every thought and action. I would rather be without the addiction.”
“Why are you still working for Gressa?”
“To protect you.”
I laughed. Who was going to protect me from him?
Offended by my outburst, he said in his defense, “I did rescue you from the Councilor’s Hall.”
I sobered. “Are you here to rescue me again?”
His shoulders sagged. “I cannot. Ulrick and Tricky have too much power. They will detect us before we leave the building.” He sounded upset.
I bit my lip, hoping the pain would zap a measure of sense into me. Devlen was a master manipulator. He had a plan. It involved using me. I needed to remember that. “Whatever. Let’s get on with the torture, then.”
“No. I am not going to hurt you.”
“What?”
“I will not torture you.”
He was a master liar. This was a trick. He hadn’t put his clothes back on. Perhaps he thought I would be so relieved I would sleep with him.
“What game are you playing now?” I asked.
“No games.”
Yeah, right. “What do you want?”
“Nothing.”
Hard to believe. I thought about the implications if he failed to follow orders. “If Ulrick and Tricky find out, they’ll kill you. Or use you as a sacrifice.�
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“Probably.”
“You don’t seem very upset.”
“I do not have any control over what they do, so why should I worry about it?” He pulled his pants back on and found his shirt.
“Maybe they won’t find out.” I snapped my mouth shut, clicking my teeth. Why had I spoken aloud? Because I was an idiot.
“What do you mean?”
I figured out his plan. It was official. I was an idiot. “You know exactly what I mean. You’re being lazy. You know I’ll give in after a few days, so you’re saving yourself time by playing this I-won’t-hurt-you card. I’m supposed to fall for it and be concerned you’ll be killed. Then I’ll offer to pretend to be tortured and give in so you aren’t hurt.” And why was I distressed? I had been planning to break anyway. At least this way I would avoid days of pain.
His eyebrows shot up in amazement. “You still do not trust me.”
“And you’re surprised?”
“I have not lied to you or done anything to hurt you since we left Ixia. I told you Ulrick agreed to switch bodies—you know that is true. I helped you escape Gressa, and I am trying to help you now.”
“What about at the Bluejay Inn? You used pressure on my wrists.”
“You were trying to kill me.”
True. Kade’s words sounded in my mind. When forced into a desperate situation, you will defend yourself with the weapons available to you. But I still didn’t trust him.
He huffed. “People can change, Opal. I am free of the blood magic and have chosen not to go back. You have changed, too. And not for the better.”
“That’s supposed to convince me?”
“Okay. Fine. If my death will prove I speak the truth, so be it.” He strode to the door and yanked it open. His boots pounded on the steps. Silence filled the room. My breath rasped through my nose, sounding loud.
Distant voices reached me, then the heavy tread of feet.
“Damn it, Devlen. You left her door open,” Ulrick said.
“Do not worry, she is chained.”
“We have thought that before and she managed to escape.”
The two men entered my room.
Ulrick scanned my body. “You haven’t even started! What’s going on?”
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