The wait was excruciating. Doubts chased worries. Fears followed hope. Impatience warred with the need to conserve energy. The increased keening of the wind didn’t help at all. The noise sawed through my body with its icy teeth.
When the door opened, I jumped. But settled my nerves. Hunched on the sack pile, I assumed a dejected and wary posture. Sir, Tal and Crafty entered first, then Devlen and Tricky. I noticed Tricky looked to Devlen as if waiting for permission. Janco hovered in the doorway.
“Time to dance,” Sir said. He and Tal bent over Kade. Crafty raised her arms.
“Now,” I yelled. I yanked my wrists from the cuffs and broke the glass spider in half. Kade leaped to his feet and tossed the net over Crafty. She yelped in surprise.
Bite Tricky, I ordered the spider.
Jumping from the pile, I grabbed one of the empty orbs. From the doorway Janco threw Kaya’s orb at Kade. He caught it in midair.
Janco spun and the clangs of a sword fight rang from the hallway as he blocked the entrance to the room. A snippet of a rhyme, “Five against one is so much fun,” hopefully meant Janco kept Namir and his men occupied. He wouldn’t last long.
An angry breeze stirred to life. And died.
Devlen smirked. “Now what?” He pointed to Tal and Sir, both had swords mere inches from Kade. His fingers grasping the stopper to Kaya’s orb, Kade grimaced with pain.
The spider had disappeared, leaving behind a nasty red welt and a livid man. Crafty found the hole in the net and shrugged it off of her. It landed in a heap.
“Crafty isn’t the only one who knows how to work a null shield,” Devlen said, breaking the silence. “It was one of the first skills I learned.” He considered Kade. “Now if the Stormdancer releases the energy inside his orb while he’s caught in a null shield, I’m assuming we’ll all die. But I really don’t think he wants you to die.” He turned to me. “And what are you planning? Unless one of us attacks you with magic, the empty orb is nothing but glass in your hands.”
I had miscalculated and underestimated Devlen. Failed. The rings of steel and grunts from the hallway ceased with a curse. Janco came into the room with his hands behind his head. Rutz and Shen following with swords aimed at his back.
“Did I miss the party?” Janco asked.
“Oh, no. We’re just beginning,” Devlen said.
I still held the orb.
Devlen stepped toward me unconcerned.
I could smash it on his head or use a broken shard to cut my throat.
“Back into your chains like a good girl.” His manner confident. He expected me to obey without hesitation.
Being an accommodating doormat, I had always listened to him. Not this time. Glass was in my hands. It throbbed with potential.
I reached. Reached toward Devlen and siphoned his magic. The clinks of glass sounded like hail on the windows. He struggled in panic, but to no avail. I pulled until he had nothing left.
Crafty started to move her null shield to encompass me, but I reached for her power before it touched me. Crafty’s magic rained into the orb for many minutes until I drained her dry. I turned to Tricky and plucked at his small power. It refused to budge. He grinned with triumph until a gust of wind slammed him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.
I staggered back as Kade used the air to disarm the rest of the men. The realization of what I had done knocked me to my knees.
I didn’t channel Devlen’s and Crafty’s magic.
I stole it. Using my own powers.
Dizziness and exhaustion swirled. Pressing my forehead on the floor, I closed my eyes.
31
I woke to bright sunshine reflecting off the snow. In bed and able to move freely, my day started better than the previous ten. Twenty? Exhaustion weighed on me like a heavy blanket. And from the way his body slumped, I guessed Kade was tired, too. Or it could just be from sleeping in a chair. His head rested on the back, his elbows propped on the arms, hands laced on his stomach and his legs were spread out in front.
“Kade,” I said.
He woke. The cuts on his face had scabbed over, and the bruises faded to a grayish-yellow. He shot me a sheepish grin. “I’m not much of a guard, sleeping on the job.”
“Guard? What’s going on?” I struggled into a sitting position.
“Relax.” He pushed me back onto the pillows. “I’m here to guard that you don’t get out of bed and to fetch things for you. Are you thirsty?”
“Very.”
He poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the night table and handed it to me. I downed it, stopping only when a dagger of ice knifed my forehead.
“Easy. There’s plenty of cold water around here.”
I glanced around the room. One bed, night table, chair and fireplace. Spartan and warm considering we were on the northern ice sheet.
No longer able to delay the question, I asked, “What happened?”
Kade sobered. “After you...harvested the magic from the magicians, I had to fill three orbs with the energy from the blizzard or risk having the station blown over and buried by snow. When I returned, Janco had secured the others.”
“Tell Janco to keep a close eye on Tricky. He still has a small bit of magic.” My magic.
Kade said nothing. He refused to meet my gaze, and I sensed he wasn’t telling me the whole story. “Spill,” I ordered.
“Your orb...” He paused as if trying to find the right words. “Your orb is filled with...with diamonds.”
This time I managed to sit up without a struggle. “Diamonds? Are you sure? They could be high-quality glass.” Glass made sense.
He didn’t respond. Instead he pulled a clear sparkle from his pocket and handed it to me. The diamond burned ice-cold then a vision of Devlen formed in my mind’s eye. He wore his own face. I dropped the gem onto the table. Flabbergasted, I couldn’t begin to contemplate the ramifications. Why diamonds? I remembered a vague connection between magic and diamonds, but failed to grasp it. Bain Bloodgood would know.
“My suggestion would be to not tell anyone you have this new ability,” he said. “Only I know you harvested their powers without them attacking you.”
Kade rubbed his hands on his legs, then jumped to his feet. “If the Sitian Council finds out...”
“I’m arrested and locked in the Keep’s cells until the Council decides what to do with me, which, according to Yelena, would be a long time.”
“You’ve already thought about this.”
“Yes. Zitora mentioned the possibility as an exercise in logic. I can’t lie about it, Kade. I’ll tell Zitora and the other Master Magicians and let them choose how to handle it.”
Kade slumped on the edge of my bed. “The right decision.”
“You don’t look happy about it.”
“I’m thinking selfish thoughts. If you’re locked up in the Keep’s cells, I will have no one again.”
“What about Kaya?”
“I’ve thought about what you said back at the Keep.”
“When I called you as thick as a fog bank?”
“Funny, I had forgotten that part. But I had plenty of time to consider your words, and your actions these last couple days have taught me much. I’m going to say goodbye to Kaya.”
“The right decision.”
Before Kade could respond, Janco poked his head into the room.
“Ah, the glass warden’s awake. Good! Ari’s coming with backup. Should I pretend we barely survived without his help or gloat that we didn’t need him at all?”
“Tough decision,” I said.
“You can’t go wrong with either one,” Kade said.
“You guys are no fun. I have to go with the gloating. But no mention of that magic stuff. It ruins the effect.” Janco rushed off.
&
nbsp; Ari arrived with a handful of men. He ignored Janco’s smug boasts and proceeded right to the heart of the matter. “What do we do with them?” he asked.
He referred to Sir, Tricky and the others.
“Arrest them. They’re here illegally. They used magic. Smuggled goods,” Janco said.
“Can they still use their magic?” Ari asked me.
“Only one. The rest have been...neutralized.”
“One?”
“Sleeping,” Janco said. “Until we figure out what to do with him.”
“Tricky’s powers are weak, and I don’t know what he can do with them,” I explained.
“We’ll arrest them all and let the Commander decide their fates,” Ari said.
“We need to take one with us,” I said.
“Which one?”
“Devlen.”
“Why?”
“His body and soul don’t match.” I explained about the blood magic.
“I know I hated magic for a reason,” Janco said.
“Congratulations. This is the first time you’ve had a valid reason to hate something,” Ari countered. “Remember your campaign against sand?”
“Sand! Horrid little stuff. Gets everywhere. I had a perfectly good argue—”
“Janco.” Ari’s voice rumbled deep in his throat.
In a heartbeat, Janco switched gears. “Well, this blood magic sounds worse than sand.”
“Do you know how to switch them back?” Kade asked. He had been following the conversation with an amused smile.
“I’m not sure.” I shuddered, thinking I would need to learn more about blood magic.
“It’s easy,” Janco said.
We all stared at him, waiting.
“Holy snow cats! You don’t know?” His incredulous tone transformed into a huge smirk. He danced a little jig.
As he gloated, I made the connection. His knowledge of magic was limited to his contact with Yelena. “The Soulfinder,” I said.
“Righto! Souls switched while you wait.” Janco twirled.
Then I would need to rescue Ulrick. I figured Devlen wouldn’t help me find him. And what about my feelings for Ulrick? When I had thought he had been injured by his sister, I had realized how much I cared for him. Even though I knew I loved Kade, I owed it to Ulrick and myself to explore our relationship without Devlen’s taint. Would Kade help me? As my father would say, only one way to find out.
Kade watched me and I wondered what he thought. I didn’t have a chance to ask him until the next day.
We carried Kaya’s orb far away from the building and onto the ice pack. Janco warned us to keep an eye out for snow cats. I held an empty orb. Once Kade released the storm’s energy and Kaya, he would recapture the storm, but let Kaya go.
“Don’t want another blizzard to blow down on MD-1,” Kade had said.
Our boots crunched on the new snow and I shivered in my cloak, thinking about hot kilns.
“I understand why General Kitvivan would want to tame the blizzards. They’re nasty.” Kade’s eyes glowed with admiration for the storms. “I would be willing to come here every cold season to help him. Those extra full orbs would be useful, and I’m sure other Stormdancers would be happy to come along.”
“Not me,” I said. “Too cold.” His words reminded me of my new mission. “Would you be willing to come along with me to rescue Ulrick?”
“Shouldn’t you let the authorities deal with Devlen and Ulrick?” Kade asked instead of answering me.
“No. I’m responsible. My relationship with Ulrick put him in jeopardy. I need to find him and talk with him—figure out how I feel.”
“Then I would only complicate matters.” Kade reached for my free hand. “You know my feelings for you and you know where I’ll be waiting. While I would love to fight for your love in a dramatic duel with lightning bolts flashing, I trust you, Opal. Always have. Always will.”
His faith warmed me to my core. “You don’t have to fight for my love. You already have it. I just need to discover what Ulrick has.”
He smiled with confidence, squeezing my hand. “You’re a problem solver, Opal. I’ve no doubt you’ll solve this one, as well.”
His comment about solving problems reminded me of our first encounter. I had to chuckle. “If you always trusted me, then what about when you first met me and stormed off in a huff?”
He laughed. “All right, maybe not always, but very, very close. In my defense, you looked twelve years old, and we were desperate for help.”
When Kade felt we were far enough from the station, he stopped. I moved away as he cradled Kaya’s orb. My thoughts turned to my sister Tula and how I wished I had a chance to say goodbye to her.
Cold air blasted, sending snow into the air to swirl around us. Kaya’s joy filled the air. She spun around me for a moment. Her gratitude pulsed in my heart before she vanished. When the snow settled, Kade crouched in the drifts. Remembering my lecture to him about having others to help hold you together as you heal, I embraced him.
He clung to me for a while. Snow thawed under us and soaked into my pants, but I felt warm in his arms.
“You could always try to bribe the Council,” Kade said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Give your diamonds to them and maybe they won’t lock you in the Keep’s cells.”
“Being selfish again?”
He nodded.
“They’re not my diamonds,” I said.
“Really? Then whose are they?”
I didn’t have an answer for him. We remained silent for a moment.
He was inches from me. My desire to kiss him pushed away all other thoughts, so I pressed my lips to his. He pulled me closer and heat spread throughout my body. More snow melted underneath us, but I didn’t care.
Eventually an icy wind intruded. I broke away from his embrace.
“Shall we continue our conversation inside?” Kade asked with a wide grin.
We trudged through the snow, holding hands. “I wish we could just freeze this time together, and all the—” I waved, indicating the future problems that waited for me “—would disappear.” It was quite a list, finding Ulrick, switching his soul, convincing the Council not to arrest me, discovering how my new powers would affect Sitia.
Kade kept quiet for a while. “This calls for a glass analogy.”
I groaned, but he ignored me.
“Life is like molten glass. It flows, it’s flexible, it can be molded and shaped and...what do you say? Ah, yes. It holds vast potential. You have a number of uncertainties in your melt right now. But they will always be there in one form or another. Always. Unlike molten glass, life can’t be fixed or frozen into a pretty vase and placed on a shelf to gather dust.”
“I wouldn’t mind a little coating of dust instead of facing the Master Magicians and the Council. What if they just lock me away?”
He stopped and drew me into a tight hug. “They won’t. Because you’re smart, Opal. You’ll figure it out.”
“You said the same thing in the storeroom and I almost killed us.”
“But you didn’t. And that reminds me. What exactly did I promise you?”
I thought back to his description of me, arriving like an unwelcome squall when all he desired was to be left alone. “You promised me that the next time you decide to languish in the sun, you’ll take me with you. I’m in desperate need of a vacation and I’m sure you know the best beach for languishing.”
He laughed. “There is this beautiful little cove along Bloodgood’s coast. White sands, crystal-clear water, but it can get hot during the day.”
“Perfect. I hate the cold.”
* * * * *
Acknowledgments
Thanks go to
my husband, Rodney, and my children, Luke and Jenna. For being patient when I need to finish a book, and for not complaining (too much) when I travel to book signings and conventions. Without you three, there would be no books to write.
A special thank-you goes to my critique partner, Kimberley J. Howe. She rose to the challenge when I hit a dead end and dumped three hundred pages of this book on her, crying for help. Your encouragement, phone calls and comments helped pull this book together.
Huge thanks go to all the hardworking people at Harlequin Books. Your enthusiasm and love of books has made working with you a joy. Special kudos go to my editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey, whose expert comments greatly improve my stories. Thanks to Elizabeth Mazer and the PR goddesses: Michelle Renaud, Marleah Stout, Amy Jones, Heather Foy and Diane Mosher for all the extra effort!
Thanks to my agent, Robert Mecoy, whose help has been invaluable, and to his daughter, Dash, for her wonderful support. Many thanks to Michael Alberstat, Photography, and Allan Davey, Retouching, for this beautiful cover.
For this book I once again enrolled in a variety of glass classes at the Goggle Works. I would like to thank a quartet of teachers and artists who helped me: Helen Tegeler, Sandra Kaye, Karen Lesniak and Louise Mehaffey. I think I’m addicted to glass.
And a continuing heartfelt thanks to my army of Book Commandos! Your efforts in the field are greatly appreciated! Special mention to those who have gone well above and beyond the call of duty: Suzanne Ledford, Alethea Allarey, Patrice de Avila, Elizabeth Darrach, Jeff Young, Heather Tebbs, Megan Knight, Jamie Perry and Jen Runkle. The Commander would be proud.
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Storm Glass Page 37