“But I heard…”
He tilted his head, waiting.
“Er…I only caught a sentence or two, but I don’t think my idea to tell her about Kaya worked.”
“Nothing’s a quick fix, Opal. But it was a step in the right direction. After I reminded her about her own often-repeated advice to not jump to conclusions about new people, she thought a day in town with you would be acceptable.”
“But, I don’t need anything.”
“Really? I thought you needed a dress for Mara’s wedding.”
It was my turn to groan. Dress shopping with Kade’s mother. Kill me now. The alternative—arriving home without a gown—was equally unappealing.
“Okay, but I’m taking my switchblade along.”
“To defend yourself against my mother?” he asked with an incredulous tone.
“No. To slit my throat if the day goes badly.”
He laughed. “Make sure you don’t bleed in front of her. She faints at the sight of blood.”
“I’m so glad you have your priorities straight,” I said. My voice dripped with sarcasm.
Unaffected he pushed me toward the house. “You’ll have…Well, you’ll have an interesting day at least. And you should listen to my mother. She has an excellent eye for color.”
Sarrah eyed my short locks as we walked to town. “First stop, the hairdresser. Those dark roots look awful.”
I sucked in a breath and held it for a moment. It was going to be a very long afternoon. When we arrived in the town of Cumulus, I followed Kade’s instruction and listened to Sarrah, letting the hairdresser return my hair to its natural color. I tried to ask Sarrah questions about her life in an effort to get to know her better, but she either ignored me or gave me a vague answer that implied that I really didn’t want to know so why should she bother.
The dress shop was busy. Sales staff hustled, and the seam-stress fretted over her customers with a measuring ribbon. I didn’t have time for a custom-made gown, so we searched through the racks of finished pieces.
When I moved to the back row, Sarrah stopped me. “Kade can’t afford those. They’re silk. If we can’t find something here, we can ask if they have any other cheap or rejected gowns.”
I blinked at her a moment. Did she just say Kade? Did she actually think I would let Kade pay for my gown? Or I needed him to pay for it? Her opinion of me was worse than I imagined. I endured her abuse for two reasons—guilt over Devlen and keeping the peace for Kade. No longer.
“Outside,” I said. “Now.”
She fussed about wasting time as she followed me. Surrounded by indigo fields, Cumulus’s entire downtown area fit within a two-block radius. I stopped at the edge of town and turned to her.
“I get it. You don’t like me. That’s fine. But you’re making the wrong assumptions about me and that isn’t fine. Kade and I are together. We’re not going to change because you don’t like it. And I’m no longer ignoring all your snide comments. If you don’t have anything constructive to say, then keep your mouth shut.”
“Or what?” She crossed her arms, daring me.
“Or I’ll leave and I’ll take Kade with me. He wants us to spend more time together, but if you’re going to continue to be nasty, then it won’t be here with you.”
“Finally!”
Not the reaction I expected. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t like you, Opal. But weak people who don’t defend themselves I like even less. Come on.” She hurried down the street.
I rushed to catch up. We passed the dress shop. She cut down an alley and knocked on the back entrance of a residence. When the door opened, a young lady peeked out. Laughter, shrieks and wails of children sounded behind her. A mane of blond hair framed her round face and she wore old clothes. A row of straight pins had been stuck in her shirt.
She smiled and greeted Sarrah as if they were old friends, then invited us in. The comfortable living area had been invaded by romping children. We bypassed the troops and she led us to a quieter sewing room.
Sarrah introduced us. “Tori, this is Opal, Kade’s…friend. She needs a gown right away. Do you still have the one you made for Anya?”
Tori frowned. “Yes. After all that work, she changed her mind and wouldn’t pay for it! And you had mixed me such a gorgeous color.”
“I think Opal is her size.”
She scanned me and squealed, dashing for a closet. After sorting through it, Tori pulled out a gorgeous emerald-green gown. Simple and elegant, the sleeveless V-neck bodice was lined with lace and crystals. From the waist down, layers of silk overlapped with crystals sewn along the ends of each layer.
Tori handed me the gown. “Try it on in there.” She pointed to a curtain.
Behind the material, I found a small changing room with a bench and mirror. Careful not to rip the fabric, I squirmed into it. The cool caress of silk touched my skin. I loved it.
When I came out, Tori squealed again.
Sarrah said, “It’s a little big.”
“Minor adjustments,” Tori said as she tugged and pulled. “I’ll take it in around the waist and shorten the straps. A few hours at most.” She used the straight pins in her shirt to mark the changes. “Oh my.”
The rows of scars on my arms had caught her attention. Sarrah also noticed. Great.
Tori patted my shoulder. “No problem. I have a pair of long white gloves and some extra dye. Plus I can dye a pair of shoes to match. Can you wait until tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
She quoted a price and I paid her without looking at Kade’s mother. It was the most expensive garment I ever bought, but it was worth every extra silver.
Mission accomplished, we walked back to Sarrah’s house. We didn’t talk, but it was a comfortable silence. When we arrived at the kitchen door, I thanked her for taking me to Tori’s.
She nodded. “It’s the perfect color for you.” Then she went inside.
Her comment reminded me of a similar one from Valek three seasons ago. He was going to be smug and all I-told-you-so when he saw me in emerald green. I still hated him and thought he was evil, but the man did have an eye for color.
Early the next morning Heli visited. At seventeen, she was the youngest Stormdancer, and her enthusiasm for life was contagious. Bounding into the kitchen with a wide smile, her energy spread to all of us in the room, including Sarrah. I marveled at the first sign of happiness from Kade’s mother.
“Opal,” Heli cried, spotting me sitting at the table. “Good to see you! Are you why Kade sent me a message?”
I glanced at Kade.
He flipped sweet cakes. “One of the reasons,” he said.
Sarrah set another place at the table. “Stay for breakfast.” She tsked at Heli. “So thin! You need to eat more.”
Heli plopped into the chair next to mine and rolled her eyes. “You sound just like my mother.”
“At least no one nags you on the coast,” I said.
“I wish.” Heli sighed dramatically. “If Kade isn’t fussing at me about something, Raiden thinks he’s my surrogate father. It’s why I spend so much time on the beach.”
“So you don’t really like hunting for treasures from the sea?” I asked.
She slapped the table. “That reminds me! Remember that sea glass I found?”
Hard to forget the glass that had caused everyone to fight over it. A magical compulsion had been attached to it by an uncontrolled young magician named Quinn. I wondered if he could purposely attach magic to glass now that he should have control over his power. Then I recalled the cold glass Mister Paul had in Hubal. The two bits of information linked and I felt as if I’d been smacked. If Quinn made the cold glass, he might be able to do more.
“Opal? It wasn’t that hard a question,” Heli said.
I pulled my thoughts back.
Heli waited for my answer.
“Sorry. What was the question?” I asked.
“Sea glass?”
“Of course. What about it?�
�
“I’m this close to deciphering the message scratched on the pieces.” Heli held up her finger and thumb with a half-inch gap between them.
“But the markings were just a way for Quinn to keep track of his collection.”
“Did he tell you that?” she asked.
“I don’t remember.”
“From your description of the Bloodrose family, I think the glass was a call for help.”
I shook my head. “Heli, the family was… All right, they were creepy, but I didn’t see anything illegal going on. They’re just oyster farmers who don’t want to be bothered by outsiders.”
Kade served the sweet cakes. “That sea glass already caused enough trouble, Heli. Just leave it alone.”
She snapped her mouth shut, but the gleam in her eyes gave away her intentions to continue despite Kade’s order. Ah. Youth.
After breakfast, Sarrah and Ink went to the shed, and I cleaned up while Kade and Heli discussed the upcoming storm season.
When she shrieked with delight, I looked over. Kade wore his sternest frown, but Heli practically bounced in her seat.
“It’s a huge responsibility,” Kade said. “Their safety is in your hands. If anything should happen—”
“Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen. I’ve got it covered. Thanks, Kade. Have a great trip!” She hugged him around the neck, waved goodbye to me and dashed off.
“That may have been a mistake,” Kade said.
“What?”
“I’ve put her in charge of the Stormdancers until I arrive on the coast.”
The other three dancers were older and more experienced. “Why?”
“She’s the strongest of the four, and when it comes to unpredictable storms, brute strength can be more valuable than experience.”
“At least it’s the heating season.” The storms were milder in comparison to the cooling season. “She’ll be fine.” Then I grinned.
“Should I even ask?”
“You may have an…interesting reception when you return. I’m sure Prin and Raiden will not be happy about the new boss.”
He laughed. “She’ll drive them crazy. Good. Maybe they’ll appreciate me more.”
Kade and I left the next morning for Booruby. Fitting a silk gown into my packs wouldn’t work, so I had to tie the box to Quartz’s saddle. There were twelve days until Mara’s wedding and it would take us seven to reach my house, leaving five days for me to help my mother. I was in big trouble.
I set a quick pace. When we arrived at my family’s home, I paused before pushing through the gate. The house seemed quiet. White smoke billowed from the glass factory’s chimneys. No one was in sight. Our courtyard had been transformed for the wedding ceremony and reception. Large arches decorated the space, tables and chairs had been set up and a fabric ceiling hung above the yard to protect everything from the rain.
Leading Quartz and Moonlight to the shed/stable, I realized Kade had never been here before. I pointed out the various buildings. We removed the horses’ saddles and rubbed them down. As soon as we finished, they trotted into the Avibian Plains. The grasses in the plains had returned to green and their long stalks rippled in the breeze.
When I could delay no longer, I headed toward the house. It was time to face my mother’s wrath.
“Perhaps I should wait outside,” Kade said.
“Oh no.” I grabbed his hand. “She can’t kill me if there is a witness.”
“I think you’re exaggerating. It won’t be that bad.”
I steeled myself and stepped into the kitchen—also known as wedding central. My mother bustled about the hearth, stirring pots and baking pies. I called a hello.
She turned and gave me a cold stare. “Can I help you, miss?”
“Mom—”
“Excuse me? You must be mistaken. I’m not your mother. No. Because my daughter wouldn’t be so inconsiderate as to arrive so late for her own sister’s wedding. Especially when she knows how much work is involved. No. I’m afraid my daughter is lying dead in a ditch somewhere.”
16
I EXPECTED MY MOTHER TO BE MAD AT ME FOR ARRIVING so close to the wedding, but I didn’t think she’d be so melodramatic. “Mom, I’m—”
“Hello, Kade,” she said, ignoring me to give him a welcoming hug. “I’m sorry about Opal’s tragic demise, but I’m sure you’ll find someone more reliable and considerate. Perhaps one of Mara’s friends—”
“Mother!”
She didn’t miss a beat. “—would suit you. She invited all of them, and some are still single and quite pretty. There is an extra bed in Ahir’s room for you. Make yourself at home. Supper will be ready in a few hours.” With that, she returned to her cooking.
She didn’t murder me, but I wanted to either die or kill her. Hard to tell. “Five days is plenty of time, Mom. Mara and Leif aren’t even here yet,” I said to her back.
Glancing over her shoulder, she said, “Kade, by the time you’re settled, Leif should be back with the tablecloths. Could you help him? Mara is busy helping her father make the centerpieces in the factory.”
He looked a little queasy. “Uh…sure.”
Giving up, I showed Kade my brother’s room. There were two extra beds wedged in with Ahir’s. I recognized Leif’s saddlebags on one of them. Kade dropped his pack onto the other. I showed him my room. It used to be mine and Tula’s. A sudden sadness pierced my heart and I sank to my bed. Tula would have loved planning for Mara’s wedding. She would have been chosen as the Bride’s Maid of Honor and I would have been happy to be a regular Bride’s Maid.
Kade moved around the beds, looking at my childhood knickknacks, but there wasn’t much space. Two extra beds plus Tula’s occupied the room. It appeared Mara would sleep in Tula’s and we would have two more guests. That meant Mara’s room was also being used for visitors. Despite her complaints of all the extra work, my mother loved having a house full of people. If she hadn’t married my father, she would probably be a very contented innkeeper.
I sighed. Kade sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. I leaned into him.
“Don’t worry. Your mother can’t stay mad at you forever,” he said.
“She’ll make me suffer first. But that’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
How to put my swirling thoughts into words? “After the wedding, everyone has jobs to return to. You’re needed on the coast. Mara and Leif will eventually return to the Magician’s Keep. Yelena, Valek and even Ari and Janco all have a purpose. I don’t.”
“You’ve given up on finding your blood?”
“By now it could be anywhere. Finding it would be like picking out one particular raindrop in a storm.”
“Don’t start.”
I batted my eyes, faking innocence. “With what?”
“The defeated attitude. Ha! You thought I was going to say the weather analogies. Didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Well it’s not as important as your attitude. You can’t give up. This is something you need to do and I understand that. Valek has his people searching. From all I’ve heard about them, success is likely.”
“There’s still nothing I can do, but wait.”
“Really?”
“I tried thinking of who hates me enough to want my blood.”
“And?”
“No luck.”
“You haven’t thought hard enough.”
“You sound like Valek!”
He acted as if I had given him a compliment.
“I hate Valek,” I said, but it didn’t burst his bubble.
“You just need to dig deep enough,” Kade said. “I can think of two people who may be after you.”
“Ziven and Zetta, which are probably not their real names.” I shook my head. “They were hired assassins. Gressa paid them.”
“Paid them to do a job, which they failed to complete.”
Thanks to Kade’s quick thinking. If he hadn’t created that cushion of air
, I would have died. Remembering the attack, I realized the assassins had put a great deal of faith in Kade. “They were supposed to fail. It gave Akako a reason to have guards watching me all the time.”
“Maybe they don’t like failing, and want to finish the job?”
“But why take my blood? To use as bait? It’s not like I’m in hiding. They should be able to find me.”
“It’s just a possibility. You need to think it through for the various people you dealt with this last year, including Devlen.” His arm tensed.
I glanced up at Kade, but he stared at the wall.
“He has a good reason to hate you,” he said. “Cooperating with the authorities and helping you could all be an act.”
Before my training with Valek, I would have conceded the possibility, but not after. Plus he had plenty of opportunities to get to me before. No. Not Devlen.
“All right, I’ll dig deeper. Perhaps I’ll unearth a playmate from long ago bent on revenge,” I said.
He relaxed. “From your mother’s stories, it’s a wonder you lived through your childhood at all.”
“Hey!” I pushed him away. “My mother loves to exaggerate.” Then a notion struck me. “Since I’m dead in a ditch, maybe she won’t tell her embarrassing stories.”
Within an hour, I wished my mother would switch to the humiliating stories. But no luck. Even though she continued to ignore me, she told Kade about all the times poor dead Opal had disappointed her.
When Leif arrived with the tablecloths, I ran from the house. “Thank fate, you’re here! One more minute with that woman…”
Leif chuckled. “Suck it up, Opal. You’re the one who decided to show up late.”
“I didn’t decide…never mind.” The reasons would take too long to explain.
“So how’s my favorite glass wizard…er…my favorite soon to be sister-in-law?” he asked.
He had the decency to squirm when I didn’t answer.
“Well…er… Kade!” Leif rushed over to say hello.
Next to the tall Stormdancer, Leif seemed shorter than he was. His stocky build was due to thick muscles and not fat. What he lacked in speed he compensated with his strength when he wielded his machete. Despite his tactless greeting, he was dependable and grounded. A good man in a storm. Well…not as good as Kade, because of the whole Stormdancing thing. But someone reliable to fight beside. Mara had found a mate who suited her perfectly.
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