“Perhaps they are harsh, but they are effective. No one expected him to give in so easily,” Devlen said. “I have not failed yet.”
The three men left, taking the light with them. After the locking sounds ceased, I lay there and tried to put my thoughts into words. The wind howled through the rafters. My sweat-dampened clothes turned icy on my skin.
“I never did like him,” Kade said in the darkness.
“He’s not Ulrick. He’s a Warper.” I explained about the blood magic.
“I trusted you to stay safe. Did Ul—Devlen trick you into coming here?” Kade asked.
“I actually led him here.”
No response except shuffling sounds as Kade moved into a more comfortable position.
“Why?” he asked.
“So I could rescue you.”
He laughed, but it was a strained, incredulous sound.
“I know what you’re thinking,” I said. “It looks bad—”
“Bad? Watching you tortured for hours was the worst thing I’ve endured in my entire life. My sister’s death…was quick. She didn’t suffer.”
“What about Varun?” Tal had mentioned him being eaten.
“I agreed to work for them as soon as they threatened to hurt him. When Varun heard about his brother’s and sister’s death, he flew into a rage and attacked Sir. He even managed to escape, but they found the bloodstained snow and evidence a snow cat had gotten to him before he left the compound.” Kade’s voice cracked. “Once he was gone, I was free to refuse them. But now…You said not to give in. They wouldn’t kill you, but I couldn’t stand…”
“You did the right thing, Kade. I was counting on you to give in.”
“Then why didn’t you ask me to, like Varun did?”
“Because I wanted you to see that death is better than Devlen’s torture. So you won’t hesitate to do the right thing.”
“What do you want me to do?” Kade asked in alarm.
I drew in a deep breath. “When you go out into the storm, I want you to use the storm’s energy to rip apart the buildings, scatter everyone to the four winds, and—” I steeled myself for his reaction “—to kill me.”
“Absolutely not. I could use the storm’s force to help us escape.”
“No. They’ll have me close so if even an errant wind comes, they’ll hurt me.”
A pause. “You said they won’t kill you. Why not?”
Time for a confession. “Devlen needs me. I can find his mentor’s prison, which he desires. And the truth is…I’ll tell him. I can’t…I’m too weak to resist. A few sessions of his torture and I’ll do anything. Anything. I’m not proud about it. It’s just a fact.”
“Opal, you’re not—”
“Let me finish.” The howling of the wind turned shrill as the storm approached. They would come for him soon. I lay on the sacks, and, for once, I knew my course of action was the right choice.
“With me…dead…” Despite my decision, the word was difficult to say. “…there is only one person left who knows the locations of the prisons. I’m no longer a liability. No other Warper can use me to find them.”
“A noble sacrifice, but you’ll have to figure out another plan. I’m not going to kill you.”
“You want Devlen to torture me? Get what he wants and become a powerful Warper?” Anger fueled my words. “That’s all I am. Someone to use. Alea used me, Yelena used me, and now Devlen. And they do it because I let them. I want it to stop. I won’t be useful to anyone when I’m dead.” I screamed with the wind, releasing all my pent-up fury and frustrations.
“Feel better now?”
“A little.”
“Good. I don’t want anyone to use you, Opal. I don’t want to see you hurt. I would love to tear them apart with the storm’s force. But I’m too weak.” His voice trailed off.
“Once the net’s off you should have enough energy.”
“I didn’t mean…” He huffed. “Time for a weather analogy. I don’t have the strength to be more creative. Opal, you arrived in my life like an unwelcome hot-season squall. After my sister died, I just wanted to languish in the sun and be left alone. But no, you wouldn’t let me. You blocked the sun and pelted me with your raindrops of curiosity and empathy and intelligence. And you blew out of my life as fast as you arrived—”
“But you told—”
“Quiet until I’m finished.” He paused. “I should have been glad you were gone, but I found myself missing the turbulence. When I saw you at the Keep with Ulrick, I convinced myself you were better off with him, and I didn’t need the heartache of losing someone I loved again. I managed to hold on to that conviction until today.
“No. I won’t do anything to endanger you, because I’m being selfish this time. There will be an opportunity for you to escape, and I’ll hold out hope. Because without you in my life, I might as well let the storm take me, too.”
“I thought…You made it clear…” Logic dribbled from my mind. Deep cracks snaked through my glass heart. It broke apart.
I had known what to do. It had made sense. I wouldn’t have left any regrets behind. But now…“Kade, I can’t—”
“I know I hurt you and I understand if you no longer feel the same toward me. But I’m not changing my mind.”
Chained to a ceiling, recovering from torture, staring at a bleak future and yet I managed to find an instant of joy. Kade had been my choice from the moment on the beach when he handed me Kaya’s orb. I wished I had trusted myself, held on to hope and waited for him.
“Opal?”
“My feelings for you haven’t changed. I just lied to myself for a while. But now…Damn it, Kade, you’ve given me a reason to live.”
“How is that bad?”
“My plans worked so much better when I thought you didn’t want me. I don’t have any other ideas on how to get us out of this.”
“You’re smart, Opal. You’ll figure it out.”
Kade’s words matched his sister’s exactly. They both had such confidence in me. Perhaps it was time I proved myself worthy and had confidence in myself. Time to stop moping over Devlen’s trick. He romanced me. Plain and simple. I fell for him and probably would still be with him if he hadn’t revealed his true self. Another fact I wasn’t proud of, but I can’t change the past. My thoughts reviewed all the dumb and tragic mistakes I had made.
Yelena’s words, You can’t let the past ruin your future, had just been words to repeat before. The past shouldn’t be forgotten. It should be used as a guide for future situations and not used as a reason to avoid making difficult decisions. There was always a choice.
I focused on my abilities. So far, I tricked Devlen into coming here. I had discovered who made the fake diamonds. Tricky could no longer access the power source because of me.
My goals were simple. Save Kade, save myself and rescue Ulrick. I hoped Devlen hadn’t lied about him being safe and sound. With the possibility of Kade in my future, I had a reward. Now all I needed was a plan.
“If I manage to figure something out, you have to promise me one thing?”
“I promise.” His content tone made me smile.
“Don’t you want to know what the promise is?”
“Tell me later.”
30
DEVLEN WOKE ME from a light doze. He held a clamp in one hand and a knife in the other. He had changed his clothes and smelled of soap. “The fun begins,” he said as Sir and Tal came for Kade.
They untied his hands and feet, but left the netting draped around him until Crafty entered the storeroom. She pulled the net off him. Sir and Tal drew their weapons and stepped back as the Stormdancer stood.
Crafty said, “I have a null shield around him.”
Kade rubbed the blood back into his arms and legs. His focus never left Devlen. The Warper positioned a clamp on my left arm, twisting the screw until the device was secured enough to stay put without causing me pain.
“Crafty will escort you outside. As soon as the null shield
is dropped, you’re to fill the orbs, and teach her how to dance,” Sir said.
“How many orbs?” Kade asked.
“I’m sure the great and wonderful Kade can fill at least five,” Tal said. He picked up five empty ones from the table, leaving two behind.
“If Crafty can dance, five will be fine,” Kade said. “If she can’t, I can only do three.” His tone remained flat.
I eyed the extra orbs. Potential weapons? Not if no one attacked me with magic. Besides, I couldn’t reach them.
I cried out as Devlen dug his thumb into my hip. “Deviate from your job in any way and—”
“Save the threat. I said I would cooperate. Let’s go.” Kade led the way from the room with a sense of purpose in his stride as if he were the one in charge. Crafty, Sir and Tal hurried after him.
After a few uncomfortable moments alone with Devlen, Tricky brought in Devlen’s pack. The day turned from bad to worse. Kaya’s orb sounded agitated and upset, emitting a high-pitched keening louder than the blizzard’s winds.
“We are going to try an experiment,” Devlen said, digging into his bag. “I know how much you like them.” He withdrew a knife.
“Let me see…somewhere her boyfriend won’t notice.” Devlen pushed my sleeve up, exposing my elbow. “Sit up. I want your arm bent.”
I struggled into a sitting position. My wrists ached from being manacled.
“Find the bowl,” Devlen ordered Tricky.
The storm winds shook the rafters. Tricky glanced up before searching in Devlen’s pack. “Your Stormdancer better hurry,” he said as he removed a wooden bowl from the bag.
“Hold it under her elbow.” Devlen rested the knife’s blade against my forearm.
The inside of the bowl was stained dark brown. Unease twisted around my heart.
Once the bowl was in position, Devlen cut a long gash in my arm. I gasped as fire raced along my skin. Blood welled and flowed, splattering the bowl with crimson drops.
When the bleeding stopped, Tricky asked Devlen, “More?”
“No. We’ll start small. I don’t want to waste blood if it doesn’t work.”
“It better work.” Tricky stared at me with murder in his eyes.
“Even though her powers are weak, blood magic is very powerful. I will inject her blood into your skin and we’ll see if that helps you reclaim any of your magic. There are bandages in my pack. Cover her wound and join me when you’re done. I need a fire to complete the ritual.”
“What about her? Sir said to stay—”
“She isn’t going anywhere. Let her alone. Besides—” Devlen cocked his head as if listening to the storm “—the winds are dying down. I suspect you will have plenty of orbs to appease your General friend.” He left the room, taking my blood with him.
Tricky dug through the pack, removing items as he rummaged. He laid Kaya’s orb and a pair of Devlen’s pants on the ground, scattering a few other things. Finding the bandages, he quickly stuffed most of the items back in.
He delighted in causing me pain as he cleaned and wrapped my cut and pulled my sleeve down.
“If this blood magic works, then I get to siphon the Stormdancer’s power. Once he teaches Crafty, we won’t need him anymore.” He laughed at my dismay. “I don’t trust you in here by yourself.” Tricky put his hand on the screw.
“Don’t—”
He tightened the clamp. Pain dominated all my senses, but I clung to the knowledge that, in his haste, Tricky missed the little silver key.
My world returned the moment the pressure abated. Devlen held the clamp. His mouth twisted in displeasure as he scanned the others in the storeroom. Sir and Tal carried Kade. Exhaustion pulled on him and he offered no resistance as they bound his hands and wrapped him in the null shield net. He appeared to fall asleep the moment he was pushed to the floor.
“Can you dance the storms?” Sir asked Crafty.
“Yes. But with two of us, we get more orbs.”
“He’ll eventually cause trouble.” Sir turned to Devlen. “What about this blood magic Tricky’s so excited about? He has regained some power. Does that mean if you transferred the Stormdancer’s powers to Tricky, he could dance in the storms?”
Devlen’s blood magic experiment had worked. However, this bit of news didn’t spark a brilliant plan for escape.
“He should have the magic. He will need to learn how to use it. But Tricky must follow my orders or else I’ll keep the Stormdancer’s power for myself.” Annoyance colored the last few words.
“Oh, come on.” Sir gestured to me. “It was a measure of revenge for what she did to him.”
“What if she had a connection with the Stormdancer and he felt her distress while harnessing the storm’s energy? All deals would have been off and he would have ripped this place to shreds.”
“You cut her on the arm,” Sir shot back.
“A moment of pain.”
“Didn’t matter anyway. He danced and we’ve cornered the market!” Sir’s eyes lit up. “We’ll send the full orbs back with Namir and his crew after the next storm. He can sell them in Sitia. Factories outside the Stormdance lands will be willing to pay lots of gold for them. Since the Stormdancer Clan can’t make their own orbs, we can sell our empty ones to their clan. The blizzard died before reaching MD-1, so the General has his proof we’ve done the job and we’ll have even more gold.”
Sir left in good spirits to make his plans. Devlen turned to me.
“Why don’t you want Kade’s power?” I asked.
“If I didn’t help Tricky, he would have found a way to kill you. I need you alive for now. One more storm and then you will keep your promise and find the prison.”
“One more?”
“These northern blizzards come in pairs about a day apart. I waited almost five years to find my mentor. I can wait a little more.” When Devlen turned to leave, he stopped. “What’s this?” He bent over and picked up the key. “Where did this come from?”
All plans for using the key vanished. I’d admit the plans were vague and dependent on many factors, but still it could have been useful. No reason to lie, I told him about Tricky’s mess.
“Must have been frustrating, knowing it was there and unable to get to it.”
“You want me to admit it so you can feel a perverse pleasure from my aggravation?”
His gaze flattened. “I take no pleasure in this. I wanted to be Ulrick the entire time, tricking you into finding the prison.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Stay with me after we free my mentor. I lied to Sir. I intended you to be my Kirakawa sacrifice. Instead, I’ll teach you blood magic. We’ll increase your limited powers, and you won’t have to worry about being at anyone’s mercy again.”
I stared at him, seeking deceit. He seemed sincere in his offer and I was unable to match the man before me and the man who frequently tortured me. The thought of not being at anyone’s mercy, especially his, was tempting. “I don’t trust you. You have no qualms with lying. Even if I agree to stay with you, you’ll probably use me for the ritual anyway.”
“Everyone lies when it suits their needs, and everybody uses people, too. It’s in our nature.”
I looked at Kade’s inert form. “Kade and Ulrick didn’t.”
He flicked his hand in anger. “Does it make you feel better to lie to yourself?”
I didn’t answer.
“It must. Because Kade used you when he gave you his orb to keep safe. It’s a dangerous object to have lying around.”
“He asked me. Big difference.”
“If the orb scared you, would you have said no?” He didn’t wait for my reply. “Of course not. Ulrick was right, you’re a nice accommodating doormat.”
“He didn’t say that.”
“Not to you. You claim Ulrick never used you. His connection to the Keep and the Master Magicians was through you. Why do you think he pretended to care and to act as your bodyguard? He worried he would be sent home if something happened to you.”
Devlen tortured me without even touching my body. But I remained stubborn. “You’re lying again.”
He pointed to his temple. “I’ve seen his memories and I’ve felt his emotions. He had no regrets when he swapped you for magic.”
My reaction must have betrayed the turmoil in my mind. A smug half smile quirked his lips. “I’ll let you think over my offer.”
An automatic refusal pushed from my chest, but I clamped down on the impulse. Instead, I asked, “Since you consider me an accommodating doormat who lies to herself, why would you offer me more power?”
A rush of emotions, too fast for me to decipher, crossed his face. “You’ve endured more than anyone else. Usually I only need one session and the person is mine, yet you suffered a long time before giving in to me. I admire your inner strength and your courage.” A wistful lilt stole into his voice. “I enjoyed our time together, and I know you did, too. Think about what I’m willing to do for you, and, this time, don’t lie to yourself.” He strode from the room.
I already had finished deluding myself. I knew who I desired, and it wasn’t Devlen. But I wouldn’t tell him. Not yet. Pretending to go with him might be the only chance I would have to escape.
Once I was sure Devlen wouldn’t return to the storeroom for a while, I wiggled up on my knees then gained my feet on the pile of sacks. I remained attached to the ceiling, but now my hands could reach my waistband. It was a relief having my arms down. The breaks Devlen gave me for eating and such were never long enough.
My fingers sought the glass spider and after a panicked moment, I pulled it from where I had wedged it. But what to do with it? Kade lay in an exhausted sleep and another blizzard was on its way. Sir would want him to dance in the next storm and he should be rested by then. The best time to attempt an escape was right as the next storm hit. Kade would have the storm’s full power at his disposal.
I mulled over my logic. Unfortunately that was when Sir and the others were extra careful and on guard. Tucking the spider back into its hiding space, I sat. Ideas formed and dissipated when exposed to reason.
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