stopped near a file cabinet. Opening the bottom drawer, she
withdrew a small package.
“Master Walsh told me to give this to you if anything hap-
pened to him,” Penny whispered.
“What is it?” I asked.
“No idea, but don’t let Galen know about it.”
“I’ll
try.”
Penny put her hand on my shoulder, comforting me. “You
can endure. I pretended I was lying with my boyfriend when
Walsh ordered me to his bed.” Then she hurried to run her
errand.
Her concern touched me. I let the guilt over not recognizing
the horrors going on here consume me for a moment before
I used it to motivate me. I glanced at the office door. It was
ajar, but Galen couldn’t see me. Unwrapping the package, I
uncovered two syringes filled with blood and a note. I pock-
eted the note and rewrapped the gifts from Walsh, returning
them to the drawer. Hoping I would have a chance to read
the letter later, I returned to my post.
Penny soon arrived with Minister Heath and Nancee in
tow. They smiled at Galen and inquired about Walsh.
“We hope his illness isn’t serious,” the Minister said. “We’re
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honored to be here. This is the first time he invited us to of-
ficiate a wedding.”
Nancee beamed at us. “You two must be a special
couple.”
“We are,” Galen said.
The Minister f lourished papers for us to sign. Nancee
brought them to Galen first, pointing out where to write his
signature. She gestured me over, then handed me the pen.
The air in the room clung to me like a thick syrup. My
lungs strained to breathe. Nancee’s short fingernail marked the proper spot. Her nails had been cut short and lacked polish.
For a well-dressed woman who had spent time arranging her
hair in a neat style and putting on makeup, her hands didn’t
match. Then I spotted the scar along her index finger. One
of my worries f loated off my back, but it was immediately
replaced with a different concern.
“Sign it Opal Bloodrose,” Galen said.
I scrawled the name under Galen’s.
Nancee marked the papers and handed one set to Galen.
“For your records. We’ll send the other to the Bloodgood
capital, Vein Ravine.”
As they made small talk, Galen drew power, seeking their
deeper emotions. The ones they hid under the polite small
talk.
I moved between Galen and the couple. “It’s getting late.
If you plan to be home before dark, you should go soon.”
Galen kept his smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “They’re
welcome to stay as long as they’d like. I was about to offer
them some refreshments.”
Heath thanked Galen. “Opal’s right. We should go.” He
tsked. “The heating season’s foggy weather just won’t quit,
putting a crimp in travel.”
We did the polite goodbyes.
“I’ll escort you out.” Then I said to Galen, “I’ll be back.
Okay?”
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Outmaneuvered, Galen’s grin strained as he agreed.
The three of us kept silent until we were far enough away
not to be overheard.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked them. When they
acted offended and confused, I cut in. “Valek did another ex-
cellent job with your disguises, but you can’t fool me anymore.
I saw Eve’s scar. The one I gave her the last time we did knife defense.”
“Ah, hell,” Nic said. He pulled a silver coin from his pocket
and gave it to his partner.
“Always a pleasure taking your money,” Eve said.
“We don’t have time for this,” I said.
“We followed Devlen,” Nic said. “Along with that big
Ixian.”
Ari was here, too. I didn’t know if I should be glad or scared.
“Leave now. Galen’s suspicious of you.”
But Nic wouldn’t budge. He engulfed me in a hug, squeez-
ing the breath from me. Then he rested his hands on my
shoulders and peered at me in concern. “How are you holding
up?”
I stif led the desire to punch him. “Better now that I know
I’m not legally married to Galen, but if I’m forced to reveal
your identities and harm you then I’ll be sick. Go, so I don’t
have to. Please.”
“Okay, okay. Settle down. We’ll leave. Our job’s finished
anyway,” Nic said. He hugged me again and Eve squeezed my
hand.
“Stay strong,” she said.
I watched them cross to the stables, wishing Nic was a better
liar. The big lug had no intention of leaving. I wanted to cry
and cheer at the same time.
Before I reached Galen’s office, I read the note from Walsh.
He suspected Galen would attempt to take control of the
family. Even in his warped mind, Walsh loved them and
didn’t wish to see them subjected to Galen’s harsh leadership.
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Explaining what was in those syringes, Walsh hoped I would
aid his family. I tore the letter into small pieces and threw
them in the trash.
When I returned to the office, Galen didn’t wait to un-
leash his anger over my little trick. “You are to remain silent unless I ask you a question or give you permission to speak.
You’ve been taking advantage of my inattention to details. I’m
going to rectify that right now.” He read from a list he had
written.
My loopholes disappeared with each command. All but two
and I clung to them. They were all I had to keep me from
giving up.
He slammed the paper down on the desk. “I’ve been too
nice to you. I don’t think you really understand how nice.”
Galen stood. “Don’t move.”
My mind yelled to run away, but my feet remained
planted.
He approached me and slid his hands under my shirt, fon-
dling my breasts. I bit my tongue, hoping the pain would
distract me.
“I can feel you’re repulsed and afraid,” he said. “I order you
to relax and enjoy my touch.”
Heat spread across my body, igniting desire.
“Better or worse?” he asked.
“Worse.”
“Now do you understand how nice I’ve been?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I think it’s time to consummate our nuptials. You
will get pleasure from everything I do to you even if it hurts.
Consider it a wedding gift.” He yanked my shirt off.
I shivered in delight as he ran his hands over my back and
again when he finished undressing me. A distant corner of
my mind recognized the horror and humiliation, but I was
powerless.
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A knock sounded before Galen could do more. Thank fate!
Irritated, he strode to the door and opened it a crack.
“This better be important,” he said.
Devlen’s voice replied, too low for me to discern his
words.
Galen glanced at me. “Get dressed.”
More than happy to oblige, I pulled my clothes on in record
time. Galen swung the door wide and returned to his desk.
Devlen entered, leading a dozen guards.
“Show Opal what you caught on your fishing trip,” Galen
said.
The guards parted, revealing two figures wrapped in null
shield jackets.
My legs refused to support my weight any longer. I dropped into a chair. This nightmare would never end.
“Heli has returned and she brought a friend,” Galen said.
“Is he your Stormdancer, Opal?”
I met Kade’s gaze. “Yes.”
“He came to rescue you. How sweet.” Galen rubbed his
chin as if considering. “And despite Devlen’s assurances that
the Bloodroses have meekly accepted me, I’ve been picking up
an undercurrent of unrest from them. Which is concerning.
Opal, has Devlen been lying to me?”
“Yes.” The word burned my throat.
“Is he planning on helping you?”
“Yes.” I tried to catch Devlen’s eye, but he kept his atten-
tion fixed on Galen.
Galen said to him, “You were worried Opal would en-
danger her own rescue so you kept her out of the loop. But
all this time, you’ve been a wonderful source of information.
Your blood magic isn’t strong enough to block me from your
emotions.” He gestured to the guards. “You believe they are
loyal to you, when in fact they are still mine. And I know all
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about the fog. How many people have you sneaked into the
compound?” He didn’t wait for Devlen to reply. “I counted
six—the Minister and his wife, two disguised as guards and
the Stormdancers.”
The small bit of hope clinging to me kissed me goodbye.
Listening to Galen gloat was like watching someone burn to
death and not being able to throw water on the poor soul.
Drawing power, Galen concentrated on Kade and Heli.
“The jackets aren’t tied. They’re supposed to rip them off and
cause problems when given the signal,” Galen explained to
me. “Go ahead, Stormdancers, take them off.”
Kade and Heli shrugged free of the jackets. They exchanged
a look.
“I’m more than capable of producing a null shield. Everyone
was so worried about Opal’s power, you disregarded mine.”
He tsked. “And is she really worth six lives? If she’s so devoted to her Stormdancer, then why did she sleep with Devlen?”
Dead silence. No one said a word. Beyond horrified, I stared
at the f loor.
Finally, Galen ordered his guards to wrap up Kade and Heli
in the jackets and to secure Devlen.
As if on cue, Kade, Devlen and Heli fought the guards. But
they were outnumbered, and Heli didn’t know how to defend
herself. She was the first to be subdued and tied into a jacket, followed by Kade and then Devlen.
“Announce a mandatory clan meeting to start in one hour,”
Galen ordered his guards. “Escort the three of them to the
dining room. I’ll join you there after I finish.”
I returned my gaze to the rug until the rustling sounds of
movement faded.
Galen crouched in front of me. “Feel terrible?”
“Of
course.”
“You’re going to feel worse after you kill your friends.”
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* * *
Before we left, I used the washroom near Penny’s area and
was alone for a few precious minutes. Opening the drawer, I
took out the syringes Walsh had left me. I shoved them deep
into my pocket as Galen stepped from his office.
He grabbed my hand and we walked to the dining room.
All the clan members sat around the tables. Armed guards
ringed the large space and lined up along the front wall were
Nic, Eve, Kade, Heli, Ari and Janco. My friends. My family.
My reasons to stop Galen.
Unfortunately having reasons gave me no power. I couldn’t
meet anyone’s gaze.
Their disguises had been ripped off and they were either
manacled or wrapped in null shields. All had been secured to
the wall. At least Valek wasn’t among them. I’d like to think he remained off-site to call in reinforcements. A valiant gesture, but they wouldn’t arrive in time.
Galen stood with his back to the prisoners and made a
speech to the Bloodroses. I scanned their faces. Quinn sat next to Penny, but his attention was on Galen. I opened my mind
to them. Anger and resistance simmered, but worry and fear
also churned. And if I dipped deeper… No. I wouldn’t invade
their privacy.
“…the outside world has forgotten you,” Galen said. “Do
you think these people are here to help you? ” He swept an arm out, indicating the prisoners. “They came to rescue Opal.
They’re professionals and powerful magicians and they failed.
Now you can witness what I do to those who try to upset
my plans.” He handed me my switchblade. “Kill Devlen,” he
ordered.
I triggered the weapon and the blade shot out. The Ixian
battle symbols Devlen chose for me marked the steel. I ran
my fingertip along the f lat side of the blade, feeling the ridges of the etchings. I offer my heart, entrust my soul and give my life to you.
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“Now, Opal.”
I turned toward Devlen, but stopped. He had given me his
heart, soul and life. Therefore, in order to kill him, I would
have to kill myself. Without hesitating I put the blade to my
own throat, and pulled.
“Stop!” Galen ordered.
Too late! Warmth gushed down my neck, soaking into my
shirt. I smiled until he ordered me to heal the wound. As I
used magic to seal the skin, I realized the cut hadn’t been deep enough to finish the job anyway.
“What the hell was that?” Galen asked.
“Magic is very literal. Devlen had given me his life. I was following orders.”
“I take it back,” Devlen called, trying to protect me.
No! Unable to speak, I appealed to Devlen. He remained
stubborn, but his eyes were wide as if he had been scared.
“Opal,
don’t—”
Before Galen could finish, a puff sounded. A strange clear
dart struck my bicep. I teetered and Galen caught me as I
collapsed.
“Heal yourself,” he said. “Push the drug from your arm.
Now.”
I envisioned a little butterf ly sucking the drug as if it were nectar. Liquid trickled down my arm. The Bloodroses didn’t
wait to see if I was successful. They surged to their feet and
chaos erupted as they attacked the guards.
Galen yanked me down as he crouched low. “Protect us
from objects.”
I covered us with a glass barrier. Darts ricocheted off it and
from within, I watched the fighting. Bloodroses wielded glass
knives, glass darts and bamboo spears tipped with glass. The
weapons might not be as strong as steel, but they were razor
sharp and a slash across an unprotected neck did the job as well as a sword through the heart. I silently cheered them on.
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; Quinn threw glass balls that seemed ineffective at first, but
must have been charged with heat. They ignited clothing and
tablecloths.
“Idiots,” Galen said. He pulled me through the melee and
we exited. “Secure the doors,” he ordered.
They slammed shut, trapping everyone inside. I looked
away as black smoke poured from the chimney. The f lames
spread. Horrified, sick and disgusted weren’t strong enough
to describe my torment. I huddled on the ground in misery.
The black clouds overhead matched my mood until I realized
they were thickening.
An explosion rocked the ground as the roof of the dining
room blew apart. Then rain teemed from the sky. The incred-
ible deluge soaked me in an instant and I choked on water,
but I didn’t care as the fire sputtered and died.
“Damn Stormdancers,” Galen said.
He would soon have another problem. I spotted Valek ap-
proaching us. The clan members streamed from another hole
in the dining room, but they kept their distance from us.
“Can you sense the Stormdancers?” Galen asked me.
“Yes.”
Kade and Heli worked to free the others.
“Stop them from helping the Bloodroses. Now.”
I projected my magic. As slow as possible, I smoothed it
over Heli and then Kade, erecting a null shield around them.
The rain lessened into a drizzle and ceased. But by this time,
Valek had arrived.
Galen appraised the assassin with a critical eye. “Am I sup-
posed to be scared of you?”
“With my reputation, you should be terrified,” Valek
said.
“Because of your immunity? Didn’t Opal tell you about
the null shields?”
“She did.” He f lung a succession of darts at us.
Galen easily batted them away. His magic was strong enough
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for a few missiles. Then Valek withdrew glass balls from his
pockets and lobbed them. They crashed around us, but the
breeze carried the sleeping gas away. Valek stopped moving
when Galen encased him in a null shield. Valek looked furious.
But by then, Devlen, Ari and Janco had joined the Bloodroses
outside, which, I suspected, had been Valek’s intent.
Before Galen reacted, a battle cry rose. As one they rushed
us, screaming loudly. Galen shouted my name, but the noise
from their attack drowned out the rest of his words.
Pushed and shoved, I was hustled along and up a slight dune
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