him. Guess helping shoppers bargain for goods had lost its
appeal.
“Any more advice?” I asked.
“Ask me to keep your secret.”
I stopped. “Why?”
“Otherwise, I’ll tell the Commander.”
“You’ll tell him anyway.”
“Only if he needs to know.”
“Oh. All right. Valek, will you please keep the knowledge
of my immunity to yourself ?”
“Yes. And I’ll ask you to keep the reason we’re immune to magic a secret.”
According to Yelena, when I had drained Tricky and Ulrick
of their blood magic, I had pulled their null shield to me,
but hadn’t been able to purge the shield as I had all the other magic, including my own. She also claimed a traumatic experience in Valek’s life caused him to pull in a null shield that bonded with his soul. Kade, Leif and Zitora knew about the
immunity, but not the null shield.
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Maria V. Snyder
Another quirk of the null shield being kept from the Coun-
cil and Sitians was its ability to be woven with fabric. I had
argued against keeping the information from them—if they
didn’t know about it they couldn’t guard against it. But the
Master Magicians and Yelena had overruled me.
“Does the Commander know why you’re immune?” I
asked.
“No. Only the three of us, and I like it to stay that way.”
In the past, keeping secrets had led me into trouble. “I won’t
tell anyone unless he or she needs to know.”
“Could you give me an example?”
I reviewed the events that had caused my current situation.
If Zitora had known null shields could be attached to various
objects, like nets, walls and clothes, she wouldn’t have entered the glass factory and almost died.
“I don’t want to be bound by a promise in a life-threaten-
ing situation. Or if I need to tell Kade why I’m immune, I
will.”
“Fair enough,” Valek agreed.
When we returned to the house, my mother insisted Valek
remain for dinner. She tried to embarrass me by reciting sto-
ries of my youthful misadventures. While I heard her voice,
I ceased listening. My mind replayed the conversation I had
with Valek.
Something he had said—a word or comment—nagged at
me, but I couldn’t pinpoint the exact phrase. Not until hours
later. After Valek left and my family had all gone to sleep.
When I woke in the middle of the night with my heart slam-
ming in my chest and my nightclothes soaked with sweat, the
reason finally clicked in my head.
Tricky had bled me every day for six days. More blood than
would be used in that short amount of time. Only a small por-
tion is mixed with the tattoo ink. Valek had even said blood
magic was extremely potent.
What happened to all my blood? Spilled? Spoiled or had
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29
it been preserved and hidden away? Or given to another for
safekeeping? Did Valek suspect there was more out there? Was
he hunting it? Would Yelena know what Valek was up to? Or
even where my blood was? Perhaps.
Tricky would know. But he was in a Fulgor prison along
with his three goons and Ulrick while they waited for the
Council to decide their fate. Doubtful any one of them would
tell me, unless…
I spent the remainder of the night planning. Instead of
traveling to the Citadel to tell Master Bloodgood about my im-
munity, I would make a detour. Guessing and hoping wouldn’t
work this time. I needed to act. If vials of my blood existed,
I would find them. First stop—Fulgor.
“You just arrived. Why are you rushing off ?” my mother
asked for the fourth time.
“Mother, I’ve been here for two months.” Sixty-five days of
wedding plans to be exact. I was surprised I lasted that long.
“Since I’m not helping Father in the factory—”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re helping me.”
I shoved another shirt into my pack and glanced at her.
She stood in the doorway of my bedroom, fidgeting with her
apron. Mara had the same nervous habit. “What’s really the
matter?”
She fisted the white fabric, then smoothed it. “This past
year has been difficult on you. Kidnapped, tortured…” Her
gaze dropped to the f loor. “Do you think you’re ready? You
don’t even have magic to protect you.”
I debated. The temptation to inform her about my immu-
nity pulsed in my chest. However, I knew she wouldn’t be
comforted by the news. It would give her another reason to
fret. I had confided in my father last night, and he had prom-
ised to keep it quiet, understanding the need for secrecy.
“You’ll worry even if I stayed here a hundred days,” I said.
“I’m just going to the Keep.” I lied to my mother and lightning
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Maria V. Snyder
didn’t strike me. At least, not yet. “There are plenty of travelers on the road, and I do know how to defend myself. You
watched me dump Ahir in the mud.” I grinned at the memory.
The big oaf thought he could overpower me with his strength
and size. Ha! “Plus I have Quartz. If we run into trouble, we’ll duck into the plains. No one would follow us in there.” The
majority of the route to the Citadel followed the edge of the
Avibian Plains.
She softened a bit. Time for the winning card.
“And I’ll be seeing Mara. I can take a few swatches along
to show her.” Eventually.
Delight replaced concern. She rushed off to gather the wed-
ding samples, letting me finish packing. Leaving most of my
possessions behind, I carried my saddlebags to the shed. No
sense bringing everything when I didn’t know where I would
end up.
Quartz trotted over as soon as I arrived, as if she’d been
waiting for me. I wondered if the presence of the saddlebags
tipped her off, or if she sensed I planned to leave.
I had worried about my connection to Quartz after my
powers were gone. Sandseed horses were picky. The Stable
Master at the Keep called them spoiled rotten. The breed
didn’t allow many people to ride them. But Quartz treated
me the same—to my vast relief.
After enduring a round of goodbyes, and finding room for
my mother’s bulging packages of food and fabric samples, I
guided Quartz through Booruby, heading north to keep the
illusion of my trip to the Citadel. The temptation to cut northeast through the Avibian Plains pulsed in my heart. Quartz’s
desire matched mine. She leaned toward home as she galloped.
I decided to wait a few days before turning toward Fulgor.
The nastiness with Ulrick and Tricky had happened in
Hubal. But the small town lacked a jail and the six men had
been incarcerated in Fulgor, the capital of the Moon Clan’s
lands. I would send my mother and Kade a message after I
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31
arrived, informing them of my change in plans. A coward’s
action, but I didn’t want to endure another lecture on safety
from my m
other.
A small hum of excitement buzzed in my chest as the miles
passed under Quartz’s hooves. The outcome of this trip could
go either way, but there was, at least, one positive result so
far. I had stopped moping. Not that I ever would admit I had
been moping in the first place. Especially not to my mother.
After two days on the main north-south road to the Cita-
del, I turned northeast into the plains. The terrain seemed to
undulate as a damp breeze rippled the grasses. Farther in, the
sandy soil would transform the landscape. Scrub grass and
clumps of stunted pine trees would cling to the ground. Dry
firewood would be hard to find and rocks would dominate
the area.
Good thing I wouldn’t be in the plains for long. I touched
Quartz’s shoulder with my finger and my world blurred.
Colors streaked by, dragging long blazing tails and the air
thickened, carrying me and Quartz aloft as if her hooves no
longer touched the ground.
The Sandseeds called this phenomenon the gust-of-wind
gait. When gusting, Quartz could cover twice the distance
that she could at her normal gallop. Only Sandseed horses
had this magical ability, and only when they were inside the
Avibian Plains.
Before, Quartz’s gust-of-wind gait felt like f lying—fast and
light. Since magic had become tangible to me, the experi-
ence reminded me of sinking into a muddy river and being
pushed downstream by the thick current. An odd sensation,
but I wasn’t going to complain. If we had stayed on the main
roads, the trip to Fulgor would have taken ten days. By cutting through the plains and gusting, we arrived at Fulgor’s main
business district in six.
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Maria V. Snyder
* * *
Weaving through the busy downtown quarter, I searched
for a reputable inn. The sun teetered on the edge of the west-
ern horizon, casting our thin shadows far ahead. Vendors
emptied their stands, and shops closed their doors. Everyone
would return to their homes and eat supper before returning
to sell goods to the evening crowd.
I scanned the streets without focusing on any one person
or place. My thoughts dwelled on past events. This town held
no cheerful memories for me. I wondered if fate kept sending
me here so I could… What? Could get it right? Except what
was “it”?
Perhaps I was supposed to leave this town without being
duped, tricked or incarcerated. At least this trip, everyone
smiled at me and laughed with their companions. No strained
and worried glances. The last time I had arrived here the
townspeople hurried fearfully through the half-empty streets,
staring at the ground.
Interesting how the citizens hadn’t been able to pinpoint the
reason for their unease in those days, but they had instinctively known something had been wrong. What I’d discovered was
their Councilor had been kidnapped by her sister, Akako, and,
with the aid of Devlen’s blood magic, Tama Moon’s soul was
switched with Akako’s. While Akako pretended to be the
Councilor, she locked the real Tama in a cell in Hubal about
twenty miles away.
Devlen then switched his soul with Ulrick and pretended to
be my boyfriend to trick me into finding his mentor. At least
that didn’t work as he planned. I smiled sourly. By draining
Devlen of magic, I stopped him from finishing the Kirakawa
ritual and becoming a master-level magician.
He claimed I saved him. No longer addicted to blood magic,
he tried to make amends. During the incident in Hubal, he had
refused to hurt me. And after, I had watched him surrender
to the town’s guards to begin a five-year prison sentence.
Spy Glass
33
I rubbed a fingertip along my lower lip, remembering the
light kiss he’d given me before turning himself in to the au-
thorities. Had he really changed? From Daviian Warper to
repentant citizen? Yelena had read his soul and supported him.
She had spoken on his behalf and, combined with the fact he
had saved Master Magician Zitora Cowan’s life, the Council
had cut his prison time in half.
Quartz snorted, jerking me from my thoughts. She stood
in front of a stable. I blinked at the stable boy.
“Want me to rub her down?” he asked.
“No thanks, I’ll do it.” I dismounted. Quartz had picked
an inn. The stable’s wide walkways, clean stalls and the fresh
scent of sweet hay boded well for the rest of the place. “You’re spoiled rotten,” I said, scratching her behind the ears.
“Excuse me?” the boy asked. He hovered nearby.
“Here.” I handed him her bridle. “Hang it up in her stall
please.”
When he returned, he helped me remove her saddle and
settled her in for the night. I fed her milk oats before searching for the innkeeper. I paused outside the main entrance and
laughed. Quartz had a warped sense of humor. Or perhaps she
could read my mind? Either way, I hoped the Second Chance
Inn had a vacancy.
The next morning, I woke at dawn. The town’s soldiers
trained every morning to keep in shape, and I planned to join
them. I wrapped my heavy cloak around my shoulders as I
hurried to the guards’ headquarters. Located right next to the
Councilor’s Hall, the station also housed criminals before they were processed.
When I arrived, I scanned the sweaty faces of the guards.
Even in the cold morning air, most of them had tossed their
long-sleeved tunics over the fence, training in short sleeves.
The sight made me shiver. Steam puffed from their mouths
as they heckled each other. More men than women worked
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Maria V. Snyder
on sword drills and self-defense, which made it easy for me
to spot Eve.
Although she matched my height, she looked tiny compared
to her partner, Nic. A brute of a man, who had made a bad
first impression when we met. He recognized me and beamed.
When he wrapped me in a bear hug, I had to admit, it wasn’t
his fault our first encounter hadn’t gone well. After all, I had been arrested for disobeying the Council’s orders. He had just
been doing his job.
Pressed against his damp shirt, I breathed in his rank scent
and coughed. “Phew, Nic.” I pulled away. “You stink.”
“Hello to you, too,” he said with a growl. But couldn’t hold
it for long. Wrinkles emanated from his big puppy-dog brown
eyes which contrasted with his sharp too-many-times broken
nose.
“By the end of the cold season, we use him as a weapon,”
Eve said.
She gave me a quick hug of welcome. Her short strawberry
blond hair tickled my cheek. Intelligence and humor danced
in her light blue eyes.
“All right, I’ll bite. A weapon?” I asked.
“He hates bathing during the cold season. So by the end he
reeks so bad, we’ll send him into places we know criminals are
hiding, and, within minutes, they pour out like rats escaping<
br />
a burning building. Works better than a stink bomb.”
“Ha, ha,” Nic deadpanned. “You certainly don’t smell like
roses after you’ve been working out. Besides, I hate being wet
and cold.”
“Me, too,” I said. We launched into stories of woe, trying to
outdo each other on who had been wetter and colder during
our various adventures.
“No way the Northern Ice Sheet is colder than Briney
Lake,” Nic said. “One time, I broke through the ice, sinking
up to my thighs—”
“Nic, that’s enough. I’m sure Opal didn’t come to talk
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35
about your wet feet,” Eve said. Her gaze focused on me and
she crossed her arms, reminding me of her powerful build.
“What’s the trouble?”
“Can’t I come visit two friends without—”
“No,” Nic interrupted. “It’s too soon. You should be
with your family or that boyfriend of yours, resting and recuperating.”
“Kade’s in Ixia, and my mother’s…wedding preparations
drove me away,” I said.
“Why didn’t you go to the Magician’s Keep?” Eve asked.
“Doesn’t your sister live there?”
“She lives there with Leif.” When they failed to react, I
added, “Have you seen those two together? I’m queasy just
thinking about it.”
They shared a glance.
“Why here?” Eve asked.
“Why not? I’m not surrounded by magicians here. Besides,
I need something to do. Are you hiring?”
Nic laughed, but Eve punched him on the arm. “She’s
serious.”
He sobered. “Come on, Opal. It’s us.”
Trying to keep secrets had gotten me into trouble before. I
was supposed to be smarter now. I glanced around the training
yard. “Not here. Later, when you’re off duty.”
“Okay, come back for the late-afternoon training session.
Bring your sais. After we work out, we’ll grab supper at the Pen,” Nic said.
“The
Pen?”
Eve grinned. “The Pig Pen. Nic’s brother owns it. Best stew
in town.”
After talking to Nic and Eve, I sent an overland message
to my parents and one to Kade, explaining my whereabouts.
Then I spent the rest of the day studying Fulgor’s prison. Lo-
cated in the far northwest quadrant of the city, it occupied a
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Maria V. Snyder
huge area, extending five blocks wide by eight blocks deep.
Spy Glass Page 3