cold logic, but on the emotional level, it was all wrong. Then
horror swept through me.
“What about Devlen? Him, too?” I asked.
Valek glanced at Ari.
“No,” Ari said. “He’s committed to making amends.”
I inhaled as powerful relief welled. “So could Ulrick and
the others. You need to give them a chance.”
Just as fast as it had come, the feeling of respite f led when
the three men exchanged a look. I stood on shaky legs. “It’s
too late. Isn’t it?”
“Your escapades in Wirral provided the perfect distraction,”
Valek said. “They didn’t suffer, and I left evidence pointing
to Finn as the assassin.”
As all sensation f led my body, I gaped at Valek. “All of
them?”
“No reason to kill Gressa and Akako. They don’t know
how to use blood magic.”
A minor concession. My mind couldn’t steer away from the
knowledge Valek had used me to kill five men. My escapades
had allowed him to… Grief f looded. Poor Ulrick. I had hoped
he would… What? See the error of his ways?
“Come on, Opal.” Janco stood and hooked his arm in mine.
“You’re exhausted. I’ll escort you to your room.”
“You just don’t want me having a fit in public.”
“Of course. I’ve a reputation to maintain.” He shot me a
grin, but it died just as quick. “Almost forgot.” He picked up
the necklace and put it on. Tucking the pendant under his
shirt, he tapped the slight bump it made. “I promised Yelena
I would keep Lamar safe.” He looked at me with a very un-
Janco expression. “We all make sacrifices for what is right.
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And you’ve experienced firsthand the horrors caused by blood
magic. To be truly safe, we should assassinate Devlen regard-
less of his efforts to redeem himself.”
I clutched his arm to keep from shouting the words. “Then
why didn’t you?”
Ari said, “Because of you.”
“Me?”
The big man shifted in his seat, appearing uncomfortable.
“Do you really believe we would eliminate someone you’re
in love with?”
I sputtered. “I’m not—”
Ari held up a hand. “He’s helping you, then. That’s impor-
tant to us.”
Staring at him in shock, I finally asked, “Love trumps
logic?”
“Every time,” Valek said. “Plus he’s being watched. One
move toward his old habits and I’ll pay him a visit.”
Overwhelmed, I let Janco pull me away from the table. On
the way to my room on the second f loor, I sorted through the
conversation. How could Ari think I was in love with Devlen?
We’d kissed a few times. That was all. No big deal.
After I said good-night to Janco, I locked the door and
faced my empty room. At least it matched the hollowness in
my chest. No blood. No magic. No Kade.
Kade had stayed away just like I asked. Finn planned to sell
my blood to someone who hates me. And magic… Not my
friend. The happy discovery that I could move it had been
countered by Finn’s effective use of the null shield to trap me.
My immunity to magic was no longer an asset.
All in all, a horrible day.
The next morning the four of us headed north to Valek’s
small stable. Once there, we discussed options on how to find
Finn.
“I’ll alert my network throughout Sitia. Someone will spot
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him,” Valek said with confidence. “Once we pick up his trail,
I’ll have a chat with him.”
Annoyance f lared. “I thought you said Finn was my
problem.”
“As an obstruction to your goal, he was. But now we know
he has a different agenda.”
Still unhappy, I grumped. “If you’d taken care of him in
the beginning, we wouldn’t have this different agenda.”
Unfazed, Valek cocked his head. “Then we wouldn’t know
of gold for a vial of your blood.”
Player. Interesting word choice. This wasn’t a game to me.
In a foul mood, I left the three of them to plan.
I visited Quartz. Just seeing her warm brown eyes melted
my frustration. Not bothering with a saddle, I hopped onto
her back and let her choose our path. The landscape streaked
by, and I released all my tension. Concentrating on the move-
ment of her powerful muscles against my legs, I became an
extension of her.
When she slowed to a walk, I returned to my problems.
I didn’t doubt Valek would find Finn. As for recovering my
blood, at this point I gave us a fifty percent chance.
After rubbing Quartz down and filling her water bucket,
I sought Valek. If he planned to confront Finn, he needed to
know about the null shields. I found him in the kitchen, bent
over a map of Sitia.
He might keep his secrets, but I believed in full disclosure.
“Valek, have you ever encountered a null shield?”
He glanced at me with a frown. “I don’t think so. Why?”
I explained about Finn’s attack. “I moved the magic around
me and Finn followed the logic.”
He straightened. “That is concerning.”
Trust Valek to downplay it. “It can trap you.”
“Perhaps. But your immunity seems to be different than
mine. I can’t move magic.”
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“Have you tried?” I asked and covered my grin when sur-
prise f lashed on his face.
“No. It always feels like syrup. I assumed it moved like a
viscous f luid and would ooze.”
“That’s how it feels to me, too. But when I panicked, I
spread my hands and pushed.”
“Interesting.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “Can
a weapon pierce a null shield?”
“Yes. Anything but magic can. You can defend yourself as
long as your arms aren’t pinned.”
“I guess we’ll need to experiment when we have some
time.” Valek tapped the map. “First we need to find Finn.
The three of us are going to split up, and search all the cities we can reach between here and Booruby.”
“Three?
Booruby?”
“You need to go home to help your mother.” He slowed
his words as my confusion continued. “And we’re going to
meet you there for the wedding.”
“Mara!”
Valek laughed. “Even spies take time off for weddings.”
I groaned aloud. “I don’t have a gown or a date. I asked
Kade. But he never replied, so I’m guessing it’s a no. How am
I going to explain his absence to my mother?”
The humor dropped from his face and an emotion I’ve
never seen on him replaced it. Guilt? Chagrin? Hard to tell
with Valek.
He pulled a letter from his pocket. “Been meaning to give
you this. It’s from Kade.”
I snatched the letter from his hand. Folded multiple times, its worn edges looked as if it had been in
his pocket for a while.
When I frowned at him, he said, “Er…it came a while ago.
I didn’t want to distract you from your training.”
“You’re evil. Did you know that?”
“So I’ve been told.”
Instead of wrapping my hands around his neck, I left the
kitchen to find a private place to read Kade’s letter. I returned to my room and sat on the edge of the bed. Unfolding the
paper, I braced for anger, sarcasm, rejection or perhaps all
three. He had the right to be upset. But there was no hint of
any of them.
What melted my heart was his sadness. He wanted to un-
derstand why I ran off to Fulgor and why I asked him not to
join me there, but he couldn’t. If I really wished for him to be at Mara and Leif ’s wedding, I needed to explain my reasons
in person. He would wait for me at his parents’ indigo farm
until the heating season. Then he would be on the coast to
harvest the storms blowing in from the sea.
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Reading between the lines, I realized if I didn’t go, our
relationship would be over. The thought of not being with
Kade struck me like a hard slap to my cheek. It cleared my
head. I didn’t want to lose him.
Calculating how long I had until the wedding, I rushed to
gather my things. Twenty-five days until the nuptials. I needed ten days to reach the heart of Stormdancer lands, leaving me
fifteen days to talk to Kade and arrive in Booruby with enough
time to avoid giving my mother a heart attack. It would be
close.
As I raced to pack my saddlebags, I wondered exactly what
I would say to Kade. At least I had ten days to think it over.
After a hurried goodbye to Valek, Ari and Janco, I saddled
Quartz and spurred her into a gallop. All the things I left
undone in Fulgor would have to wait. I owed Nic and Eve
an explanation. Councilor Moon should be informed about
Wirral and her new assistant. Devlen… Unlike my feelings
for Kade, confusion about him twisted inside me. I planned to
unknot my emotions and sort it out on the way to Kade’s.
As I traveled around Fulgor, I sent a message to Nic and
Eve. I assured them I was fine, informed them that Tama’s
assistant worked for Finn and asked them to tell Devlen I was
okay.
I discovered traveling by yourself for an extended period of
time was lonely and it was easy to lapse into bouts of self-pity.
Stopping at inns along the way, I listened to the gossip in the common room, hoping for some useful information. Perhaps
even a clue to Finn’s location.
The major complaints centered on the Council’s inability
to deal with the glass messenger crisis. I almost choked on my
food when a man sitting nearby used the word crisis. They
thought a Sitia-wide search for another glass magician should
be launched and they grumbled over having to go back to the
old way of doing things.
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185
Good thing no one recognized me with my short, dirty
blond hair or I would be worried for my safety. Janco’s com-
ment about half of Sitia hating me replayed in my mind. And
who hated me enough to pay so much for my blood? During
the trip, I couldn’t name anyone. Well…anyone alive.
I also couldn’t prepare for what I needed to say to Kade.
And I failed to decide about Devlen. Without them with me,
I couldn’t make a connection. Logic said one thing, but being
in their presence had a different effect. I hoped I would find
the proper words.
After ten long days on the road, I found the lane to Kade’s
parents’ farm. The two-story wooden house had been painted
blue at one point. The roof sagged in the middle and rocking
chairs filled a large wraparound porch.
Fields of indigo plants spread from the house on both sides,
and what appeared to be a workshop or factory sat behind it.
The place felt deserted, but as I guided Quartz to the porch,
a woman stepped out.
Tall and lean, her resemblance to Kade was undeniable. She
dried her hands on her apron, which covered a pair of dark
brown pants. Her tan shirt was peppered with blue stains.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
I dismounted and approached. “I’m looking for Kade. You
must be his mother. I’m Opal Cowan.” I smiled and held out
my hand.
“Uh-huh.” She glanced at Quartz. “I see you have one of
those fancy Sandseed horses, too. Something wrong with a
dependable and hardworking Stormdance horse?” She didn’t
wait for an answer. Hooking a thumb, she indicated the field
to the right. “He’s out harvesting with his father.” Without
another word, she returned to the house.
I lowered my hand, wondering what Kade had told her
about me. Scanning the field, I saw no signs of Kade or his
father, but the land rose in the distance and then dropped from
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sight. I mounted Quartz and patted her neck. Then I asked
her to find Kade.
Since she was a fancy Sandseed horse, she had no trouble
understanding me and finding Kade by his smell. He hunched
over a tall green plant, cutting leaves off. His shirt lay on the ground in a heap and sweat shone on his back. His skin had
tanned in the sun to a deep golden color.
Another nice perk with a fancy Sandseed horse, she didn’t
make any noise when walking on dirt so neither Kade nor his
father heard us approach.
I hesitated to call to him. After his mother’s cold reception,
I worried he would frown or ignore me. But Quartz wasn’t
shy. She neighed a loud hello. Both men stopped and turned
around in surprise. I held my breath as Kade squinted into
the sunlight in confusion. I tugged at the short strands of my
hair. Would he even recognize me?
Moonlight whinnied and ran up to us, happy to see Quartz.
I dismounted and removed her saddle so she could spend time
with the big black horse—another Sandseed.
And then Kade smiled. My world brightened and I didn’t
hesitate this time, rushing to him. He pressed me to his chest
for a moment, then tried to pry me off, claiming his sweat
would stain my shirt, but I clung a little longer, breathing in his scent. Even this far inland he smelled like the sea.
“I’m guessing this is Opal,” his father said.
I finally stepped away to greet Kade’s father. Shorter than
Kade, he had a full beard streaked with white, and a mess of
white hair that fell to his shoulders. His stocky build was the opposite of his son’s thinner frame.
Kade said, “Opal, meet my father, Igarian.”
“Call me Ink.” He shook my hand. “Everyone else does.”
“Why?” I asked.
He swept a hand out, indicating the plants. “Because of my
job.”
Kade coughed. “He’s being modest. He’s known for the
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quality of his indigo. Most of his fellow farmers claim he has
ink in his veins instead of blood.”
Ink dismissed Kade’s comments. “My boy likes to exag-
gerate. It’s easy to raise indigo when it always rains just when the soil dries out.” He beamed at Kade with a proud smile.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get these leaves into the
shed.”
When Kade moved to help, Ink shooed him away. “I can do
it, boy. Spend some time with your friend. Give her a tour of
the farm.” Ink whistled for Moonlight. The horse trotted over
and let him hitch the cart full of leaves onto his harness.
My opinion of Ink rose. Moonlight liked so few people.
He drove the Keep’s Stable Master crazy by refusing all the
students. So far, he tolerated Janco and Ulrick, before Ulrick
became addicted to blood magic. And, I realized Devlen had
also been able to ride him when his soul was in Ulrick’s body.
I wondered if Moonlight would let Devlen ride him now.
Quartz followed Moonlight as he headed back toward the
house. I watched her until she was gone from view. Without
Ink and the horses, an awkward silence formed between us.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” Kade said.
“I would have come sooner…” Would I? “Your letter was…
delayed.”
He wiped his brow with a rag and shrugged his shirt on.
“Delayed how?” he asked.
“It’s a long, complicated story.”
“Will it explain your hair?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’ll take the extended tour.” A hint of a smile
quirked and humor f lashed in his amber-colored eyes.
Relieved by his reception, I returned his smile. The sunlight
glinted from the gold and red highlights in his brown hair. It
had grown long enough to be pulled into a ponytail.
As we walked through the indigo fields, I told Kade of my
adventures in Fulgor and at the prison, including Valek’s and
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Janco’s involvement and about visiting Devlen, but not about
kissing Devlen.
Kade had remained silent during the whole story. “Opal,
why do you want to reclaim your magic? It has given you
nothing but trouble.”
He had a point. “I’m lost without it,” I admitted. “I feel
useless.”
“Your
immunity—”
“Is
worthless.”
“Only this Finn knows. And besides, don’t you think you’ve
done enough? You almost died and those who know how to
use blood magic are gone.” He took my hand in his. “After