Too tired to muster any energy to be concerned over the length of my sleep, I dozed. The next time the voices interrupted, I remained awake long enough to tally a list of woes. My muscles ached and my head throbbed.
Later Kade’s voice roused me enough to open my eyes all the way. He sat on the edge of my bed, holding my hand. His other fingers stroked my cheek. Deep lines of concern creased his haggard face. “...eat or you’ll wither away.”
My heavy eyelids drifted shut.
“Come on, Opal,” he pleaded. “Don’t leave me.”
I struggled to meet his gaze. I’d caused so much trouble. “Zitora?”
“She’s fine,” he rushed to assure me.
“Janco?”
“A pain in the ass, but otherwise fine.”
“Did I...die?”
“No. Just utter and complete exhaustion. But you will if you don’t start eating solid food. Yelena can’t sustain you forever.”
“Yelena?”
“She came as soon as she heard the news.”
She shouldn’t be here. She had more important things to do. “What happened—”
“I’m not telling you any more unless you eat.” Kade reached for a bowl on the table next to my bed. “Your mother’s soup.” He waved the spoon under my nose. “It’s your favorite.”
“You’re mean.” But I let him feed me because I was unable to move my arms. The simple act of swallowing exhausted me. I would have to ask my questions the next time I woke.
Each time I opened my eyes, Kade fed me and answered a few questions. I only “roused” for Kade because I didn’t have the strength to deal with anyone else.
“You were unconscious for twelve days. You’re in a room at the Dolomite Inn. The owner has given us all rooms and the use of the kitchen while we’re here,” Kade explained for a full bowl of soup.
“Once she recovered from her injuries, Zitora contacted the Council. After Yelena helped you, she switched both Devlen and Ulrick and Tama and Akako back to their rightful bodies,” Kade said for a bowl of creamy chowder.
“Ulrick, Tricky and the others have been arrested. Janco tracked down Aubin. The Council will decide their fate,” Kade offered for soup and a slice of bread.
“The Council is awarding you a commendation for your help in exposing Akako’s illicit deeds and the blood magic,” he said for soup and apple butter smeared on toast.
“The Council has voted to let you keep all the diamonds. You won’t have to worry about money anymore. You can languish on a beach and surf for the rest of your life,” he said for half a bowl of beef stew.
A full serving of stew netted me permission to stand up and move around. Finally ready to face them, I asked about the rest of my family.
“Your mother—”
“I’m sure she isn’t being very patient.”
He tried to keep his expression neutral. “I have to update her on your progress hourly. And she isn’t...happy with me at the moment.”
“Why?”
“Actually, she’s annoyed at Mara and Leif, too. All because we let you run off to Fulgor.”
At that time, no one would have stopped me. “But you didn’t—”
“Oh, and by the way,” Kade added as if just remembering, “we have to spend half of my next off-season with your parents and half with mine.”
I gave him a pained look.
“Not my fault. I had to promise my mother I’d be back when I left to join you in Fulgor. Imagine my surprise when you weren’t there.”
“Sorry. You should have sent me a message.”
“And be told to stay away?”
A valid point. And I didn’t have to be told why my mother wished me home.
* * *
A touch on my forehead revived me. Zitora cupped my face in her hands and warmth invaded my body.
“You look much better,” she said. “You should be out of here and causing trouble in no time.” A tired amusement lit her eyes.
“Not anymore. No magic left, so no more trouble.”
She sobered. “True. You can’t access the power source. Your glass magic is gone.” She covered my hand with hers. “Does that upset you?”
“No. I’m relieved. Now I’m just a regular nobody. No longer a problem. No longer a danger. No longer useful to Sitia.”
Zitora squeezed. “I won’t agree to any of those statements. You will never be a ‘regular nobody.’ Your deeds for Sitia have extended beyond the regular and into the extraordinary.”
I opened my mouth, but she shushed me.
“You may speak when I’m done,” she said in a stern voice.
“Yes, sir.” I pressed my lips together.
“Even when the entire Council, all your peers and I didn’t believe you about Devlen, you persisted—an admirable quality. And you will always have people concerned about you. You haven’t seen everyone who has gathered in this small town, waiting for good news.”
“Of course, my family—”
“Hush! I’m not done. Although I didn’t know you were related to two soldiers from Fulgor. They risked a court-martial to be here. Are Nic and Eve distant cousins?” She paused to drive the point home. “I’ll address the ‘no longer a danger’ and ‘not useful’ at the same time. Because you could be both.” Zitora held my gaze, making sure I paid attention. “You could be a danger to all magicians in Sitia and you could be very useful. The question is, will you?”
“Will I what?”
“When you siphoned the magic in the room, you grabbed it all. Yelena hasn’t been healing you.”
I sat up horrified. “I stole your magic too!” Kill me now!
“No. Not at all. You didn’t touch me,” she hurried to assure me.
I collapsed on my pillows with relief.
“Sorry. I’m trying to tell you gently and not doing a good job of it.”
I gasped dramatically. “You mean you aren’t perfect!”
“Far from it.” She sat on the chair by my bed and stared at her hands. “You’re not the only one who makes mistakes.” She rubbed her stomach.
We were quiet for a moment.
“Why hasn’t Yelena been healing me?” I asked.
“She can’t. Leif earns the credit with keeping you alive. All those tonics he forced down your throat sustained you.”
“But Kade said—”
“Kade doesn’t know. No one except Leif and Yelena knows. We didn’t want to tell Leif, but he is way too smart for his own good and he guessed.”
At this point I wanted to shake her. “Know what!”
“You’re now immune to magic.”
I blinked. My mouth opened. Questions lodged in my throat. “How...” The word squeaked out. No others followed as I recalled a distant memory and answered my own question.
The last bit of magic I had channeled had been the null shield surrounding Zitora. It had come to me, but I must have collapsed before sending it through the orb.
“But I can’t access magic. I don’t know how to maintain it,” I said.
“According to Yelena, you don’t need to worry about maintaining your immunity. She wouldn’t explain why, but she said it’s a part of you like your soul. No effort required. However...”
I braced myself for horrible news.
“...you need to decide if you’re going to tell the Council. They will be upset and wary over the news, but your recent good deeds should go in your favor. As long as you don’t go rogue and turn into an assassin like Valek, the Council will have need of your immunity. Eventually, Kade and your magician friends will figure it out. Magic will no longer harm you, but it will no longer heal you, either.”
“What should I do?” I asked.
She looked up in surprise. “You w
ant my advice?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t listen to me, Opal. I’ve messed up and ruined your life. I couldn’t even rescue you. You saved yourself.” She retuned her gaze to her lap. “Some Master Magician, I fell for Tama’s...Akako’s lies.”
“You weren’t the only one.”
She played with the fabric of her sleeve, bunching it and smoothing it over and over. Finally she looked at me. “I resigned my position.”
I sat up. “Why? Everyone was fooled—even Yelena.”
“You weren’t.”
I waved it off. “I had the unfortunate benefit of knowing Devlen before. If he hadn’t used those pressure points when disguised as Ulrick, I would have agreed.”
“Doesn’t matter. You were my student. I let my anger overrule logic by not talking to you.”
“I knew you were angry!”
A wry smile touched her lips. “You were right. Learning about your siphoning powers through Tama...Akako Moon upset me. Plus, your accusations against Ulrick sounded crazy. The Council turned to me to sort it out. So when Akako informed me of a secret mission, I knew I had lost control of the situation. To cover, I supported her claims. Her explanation made perfect sense.” She slumped in the chair.
“I was more than relieved when Yelena confirmed the impossibility of switching souls by blood magic. Then you visited...” She threw her hands up as if surrendering. “Look what happened to you.” Her arms dropped into her lap. “Everything I did was wrong. If I had listened to my heart, you would still have your glass magic. My actions harmed Sitia, not helped.”
“No. You can’t take all the blame.”
“Too late. I assumed the responsibility and resigned.” She pushed her chin out in stubborn determination.
“You’re taking the easy way out by running away.”
“I am not.”
“Lying to yourself is easy, too. I know. It’s much harder to stay and deal with consequences. The Council and other Masters will make it difficult to regain their trust.”
“The hardest part was confessing my lack of judgment. And admitting I have a blind spot. I can’t sense a null shield. I tried to hide it, but I started second-guessing myself, making matters worse.”
Did she know I had also kept information hidden?
“If you still want my advice on what you should do about your immunity, my suggestion would be to tell the Council. Thank fate, I won’t have to deal with the debate your news will trigger!” She smiled.
“What are you going to do then?” I asked.
“Oh.” She blinked as if I threw her off. She probably expected another round of arguments. “I’m going to search for my sister. Spending time with your family has made me determined to find her. Without any obligations, I can put forth my full effort.”
Zitora’s sister had taken her to the Keep over eleven years ago and then disappeared.
“Good luck,” I said.
* * *
As Kade nursed me back to health, I requested more visitors. My family filled the room with happy noises, stern lectures, embarrassing stories and lots of laughs. Mara glowed next to Leif and they announced their intentions to wed. I mouthed a silent thank-you to Mara as my mother’s intense focus turned to her.
Yelena stopped in before she left on another mission. “So nice to see color in your face again,” she said, grinning.
“I’d rather thank you than Leif. He’s going to gloat for...ever, and I’ll never be able to refuse one of his wretched potions.”
Her smile faded. “You’re going to need Leif’s expertise. I’d suggest you be extra careful from now on.”
The reality of my new situation hadn’t sunk in yet, and I was sure a whole set of interesting consequences would reveal themselves eventually. “Good thing Leif will be a member of my family.”
“Opal, he was always a member of your family. So am I and Zitora. I know we let you down with Devlen...” She shuddered. “But that’s what families do.”
“What happened with Devlen?” I asked.
“He helped me with Tama and Akako. A complete blood transfusion, using magic to keep the body alive. Nasty and painful and unnatural. I had to see it to really believe it. The second set was as bad as the first. But they’re all healthy and back to normal.”
“Swell.”
Yelena cocked an eyebrow at my sarcasm.
“What’s going to happen to them?” I asked.
“The Council needs to decide their punishments. Akako’s list of crimes spans pages. Ulrick and Devlen will go to prison.”
“Prison won’t stop them from teaching blood magic to others.” At least they couldn’t regain their magic. Unless they used my blood.
“You think they should be executed?”
“Yes and no. I don’t want them to die, but I don’t want anyone else doing blood magic, either.”
“The knowledge is out there. It can’t be stopped now. It’s just like null shields, Curare and Voids. All things to be used and abused by others. Everything has two sides. A good and a bad.”
“Including people,” I said, thinking of Ulrick and Devlen and how they had switched more than their souls. “No one is truly trustworthy.”
“I don’t agree with you. There are certain people I trust no matter what. Even when it seems like they’ve turned into monsters, you need to stay true to them. Because, in the end, they’ll be the ones backing you up.”
“Even when they believe in something impossible?”
“Especially when they believe in the impossible. A mistake I hope I won’t make again. I’m still learning that it’s all part of the relationship. Those you trust will make bad decisions and cause trouble and heartache.” She quirked a smile. “Bad decisions like not telling the Ixian authorities Tricky still had magical abilities that helped him to escape, and failing to tell the Council why he kept them when everyone else was drained of magic.”
I swallowed my weak excuse. She was right—poor judgment on my part.
“But as long as you know their intentions are trustworthy, that should be enough to support them.”
“How do you decide who you’ll give this loyalty to?” My biggest problem, knowing who to trust. “I’m sure you don’t bestow it on just anyone you meet.”
“Of course not. There are only a few who’ve proven to me that I can count on them,” Yelena said. “It’s a matter of time and experience.”
Great. My experiences have been horrible. “Who are the people you rely on?”
Her gaze grew distant. “Valek, Kiki, Leif, Ari, Janco, Irys, Moon Man, my parents and you.”
“Me?”
Yelena gave me that flat don’t-be-so-stupid look.
“Okay. Okay.” I reviewed her list of names in my mind. It was longer than mine. “I guess in time I’ll add a few more to my list.”
“Who are on your list?” she asked.
“Kade, Janco, Leif, my family and you.”
“You’re missing a few names.”
“Who?”
“Think about it.” She gestured to the bed. “You’ll have plenty of time.” She laughed. “I’d better go before Kade kicks me out for tiring you.” She waved and slipped out the door.
With nothing else to distract me, I replayed our conversation. My list had improved from before the events in Hubal. I would have to trust Yelena’s assertion of time and experience and expect to add more names as I dealt with the next round of trouble.
* * *
Nic and Eve stopped by before leaving for Fulgor.
Nic explained what happened in Fulgor after Akako’s deception had been revealed. “Captain Alden couldn’t believe the message at first. If it hadn’t come from First Magician, he might have consulted the Councilor...the impostor and ruined
the surprise attack. We stormed the Councilor’s Hall.” Nic punched a fist into his other hand. “They didn’t know what hit them. We nabbed Gressa first. She tried to sneak out through the tunnel. The impostor hid under her office desk.” Nic snorted with disdain.
“The whole city’s changed,” Eve said.
“The citizens are giddy with relief. Lots of drunk-and-disorderly-conduct charges,” Nic added.
“Nic and I volunteered to escort the impostor here so the Soulfinder could switch her back.” She folded her arms. “And we wanted to check on our charge, who did not go to Chandra like she said.”
“You weren’t supposed to follow me.” I tried, but twin stern expressions aimed at me. I felt instantly guilty. “Um...aren’t you supposed to be back in Fulgor?”
“Not until we were sure of your survival,” Nic said. “Do you know how much trouble we’d be in if you were assassinated on our watch?”
“But my condition is my fault. No one harmed me,” I said.
“You planned all this?” Eve asked.
“Not really, but—”
“Suspect’s story is changing—we should haul her ass in for further questioning,” Nic said.
“We’d need more backup and rain gear. Otherwise we won’t get her past the Stormdancer.”
Nic scowled. “All right, Opal. We’ll let you go with a warning. This time. However, if you come to Fulgor again, you’re to check in with us. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.” I felt like I should salute. He was serious.
“And if you need assistance on another one of your...adventures, send us a message. We’ll be there,” Eve said.
By their posture and demeanor I knew they would keep their promise. “Thank you, I will.” I shook both their hands and the mood lightened.
“We’d better go and face the Captain’s wrath,” Nic said.
“I’ll bet you two silvers he gives us the ‘Chain of Command’ lecture,” Eve said.
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