actions by reminding myself of my goal—finding my blood. If
Finn’s feelings were hurt in the process then I would apologize and move on.
“Great. I’ll meet you at the inn’s stables after your morning training.”
That would make Nic happy. Finn escorted me home, but
I started to worry when we drew closer to the inn. Would he
want a kiss good-night? What would I do? Being undercover
was harder than I’d thought.
The kissing issue turned out to be a needless concern.
One block from the inn, magic brushed my shoulder, warn-
ing me a split second before four armed men surrounded us.
My hands grasped the handles of my sais, but I
didn’t pull them. Not yet. I studied the men. Ordinary in
appearance, wearing nondescript dark clothing and lacking
any distinguishing features, the four men could easily blend
into a crowd—except for the short swords and daggers in
their hands.
Finn stepped in front of me. “Do you gentlemen have a
problem?”
“Not with you,” the man in the middle said. “We’d like a
word with your companion.”
Why wasn’t I surprised? Firing those guards was about to
get me killed. I f lexed my muscles. Four against one, suicide
for me, but with Finn, we’d have a better chance.
“In private,” Middle Man said.
“Not happening.” Finn drew his sword. Before his blade
cleared his scabbard, two of the goons rushed him.
I yanked my sais free of my cloak. Middle Man and the
remaining goon advanced. I managed to land a few bruis-
ing blows, but they disarmed me in seconds. Stronger than
they looked, two of them clamped onto my upper arms and
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countered my attempts to kick them. A suspicion that these
men weren’t the average goons for hire rose along with the
bile in my throat.
Finn lasted longer than I did, but the scuff le ended when
one of the men struck Finn’s temple with the hilt of his dagger.
He collapsed to the ground.
Middle Man glanced up and down the street. “This
way.”
Leaving Finn, they dragged me a number of blocks south
then west until we stopped in a small side street without lan-
terns. With a surge of fear-induced energy, I broke their hold.
The snick of a switchblade sounded before I even stepped
away. Cold steel pressed against my throat. I froze. An arm
snaked around my chest, pulling me close to the owner of the
knife.
“Relax,” Middle Man said. “We just want to ask you a few
questions.”
“Make an appointment,” I said, but he ignored me.
“Why are you in Fulgor?” he asked.
I considered a smart remark, but the sharp blade convinced
me not to be too hasty. “To find a job.”
“Why
here?”
“The people are so friendly.” I couldn’t resist the sarcasm,
but I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth.
Middle Man’s gaze cut to his buddy standing on my right.
Motion registered a second before pain exploded in my ribs. I
slammed into the man behind me. He kept me on my feet. The
switchblade remained in his hand, but it no longer touched
my throat. Progress.
They waited for me to recover. Nice of them.
“Why here?” Middle Man asked again.
Time to name drop. “I have friends here. Guards on Fulgor’s
security force.”
“You’re close to the Councilor. Who sent you to cozy up
to her?”
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“No
one.”
Even anticipating the blow, I still couldn’t block it. This one landed higher, causing a sharp jab of pain with every breath.
“Who are you working for?”
“Councilor Moon.” I puffed.
Buddy moved to my left and now both sides of my lower
rib cage burned.
“Are you working for the Master Magicians?”
“No.”
Another blow. My sides felt tenderized. Time for a
cookout.
“No.”
“Harder,” Middle Man ordered.
“I’m telling the truth!”
Didn’t seem to matter. Another two rounds of “who are
you working for” were followed by precision blows. Hard
enough to hurt, but not break my bones.
Before Buddy could land another, Finn appeared. He latched
onto the wrist holding the switchblade, yanking the weapon
down. They fought for control as the other three tried to pull
Finn away. Boots pounded on the street and strident voices
ordered the men to stop.
Middle Man said, “Security.” And they bolted.
By the time the guards reached us, the men were out of
sight, but they chased after them. Finn’s opponent had aban-
doned his switchblade. I leaned against the wall. The muscles
in my legs trembled and I slid to the ground.
Finn knelt next to me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I held still and tried not to breathe in too deep.
“How about you?” Blood oozed from a small gash on his
temple.
“Just a cut. You don’t look fine. I’ll fetch the healer.”
I grabbed his arm before he could stand. “No.”
“But your ribs—”
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“Aren’t broken, just bruised. They were professionals.
Just give me a minute.” All the muscles in my upper body
ached.
He settled next to me. “What did they want?”
I repeated their questions. “They think I have a hidden
agenda.”
“You have worked for the Masters in the past,” Finn said.
“What did you tell them?”
“The truth. I’m here on my own. Although I don’t know
why a bunch of fired guards would care if my orders came
from the Council or not.”
The soldiers returned. Scowls creased their faces.
The guard on the left said to Finn, “They’ve disappeared.
Why didn’t you stay behind us as requested?”
“You weren’t fast enough,” Finn said. “I couldn’t let them
hit Opal again.”
The soldiers grumbled, but didn’t argue.
Finn helped me stand. His concern was evident in the gentle
way he pulled me to my feet. “I’m sorry for not protecting
you.”
“Don’t be silly. We were outnumbered and those guys…”
Reminded me of Valek and his corp. “Even with my sais…
Damn. They took my sais.”
“At least they didn’t take your life,” Finn said.
“Thanks to you. How did you find me so quickly?”
“Pure luck. When I woke up, I f lagged down a couple
guards. We were on the way to the station to organize search
teams and we passed this street.”
Nice of luck to go my way for once. Finn insisted on coming
along as the guards escorted me to the closest station house.
It turned out to be HQ, and every soul on duty descended
on me the instant I arrived. Finn stayed beside me as I re-
ported the attack. We remembered a few vague details about
the men, but couldn’t provide any usable information. As for
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a motive, I speculated on the recent security changes at the
Council Hall.
The ache in my ribs combined with my fatigue, and I fought
to keep my eyes open. Finn noticed and offered to walk me
home. However, the guards felt one protector was inadequate
and I ended up with six escorts.
Before the group would allow me to enter my room at the
inn, I had to promise not to go outside without protectors. At
this point, I agreed. Finn shot me his slanted smile and mimed
riding a horse, reminding me of our…date?…the following
day. I nodded and hurried inside. With only a few hours left
until dawn, I didn’t waste any time changing my clothes.
Careful of my sore ribs and wishing for Leif ’s pain-relieving
wet dog potion, I slid into bed.
I’d just finished my breakfast when Nic and Eve joined me
at my table in the common room.
“What a stroke of luck,” Nic said. “Meeting you here this
morning. A happy coincidence.”
I peered at him. “Yeah, right. Does this mean we’ll be
having more of these coincidences?”
He scratched the stubble on his chin. “You liked being beat
up? I thought you were smarter than that.”
“Yeah, but it was late and—”
“Strength in numbers. Eve, explain it to her while we’re
walking.” He stood.
“You can’t walk and talk?” Eve asked him.
“I’d like to stay focused on other…things.”
As we strode over to headquarters, Eve said, “After last
night’s attack, the Captain arranged for you to be escorted at
all times.”
“All? You know I’m protected in the Councilor’s Hall and
at the inn.”
“I meant on the streets. We are to make sure you arrive at
your various destinations without incident,” Eve said.
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“What about tomorrow? I’m going riding with Finn.”
I shouldn’t have mentioned his name. Nic’s attention
snapped to me. “Riding with Finn? What about Kade?”
“Shouldn’t you be focusing on the shadows or something?
There might be another attack.” I appealed to Eve, but she
wouldn’t help me. “Finn works at Wirral.”
Nic’s scowl eased. “Part of your secret mission?”
“It’s not…” Secret mission sounded so…deceitful. “I’m
trying to find information.”
“Uh-uh.” Nic remained unconvinced.
“And you’re romancing it from Finn,” Eve said.
I didn’t like that word choice, either, but couldn’t think of
a better replacement. “And it’s not very romantic with escorts.
Besides, I’ll have Quartz with me.”
Eve conferred with Nic and they agreed I would be accom-
panied to the stables, but once I was with Quartz, I wouldn’t
need their protection.
My sides still ached and I begged off training.
“Not that you need practice or anything.” Nic remarked.
His voice heavy with sarcasm.
In response, I lifted my shirt up and showed him my
torso.
Nic whistled. “Wow. Every shade of red and purple. Col-
orful.”
“Painful,” I corrected. “And one jab to my ribs and I’ll be
screaming.”
“So? Don’t let me get past your blocks.”
“I’m not worried about you,” I said.
Eve laughed. “Point for Opal.”
Nic remained silent the rest of the way to the Councilor’s
Hall. When I reached my desk, I read through the file on the
hotshots who worked in the SMU at Wirral, looking for any
bit of oddness. I reviewed the rookie’s…Lamar’s paperwork.
The only thing that stood out was the verification for him.
The letter took fourteen days to travel to Iolite Prison and
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fifteen days to return. An extra day. Which could be explained
by many reasons—weather, problems with the horse, sickness.
Except two letters had been sent at different times, and each
one took a day longer to return.
As I read through all thirty-six hotshots’ records again, I
noted their performance on the locked-up challenge. Eighteen
had managed to escape their cells, but not the prison. Six had
successfully started a black market inside the prison, bringing in contraband goods to sell. Ten had built complex weapons
from the standard items available to prisoners. Only two had
escaped the prison.
Flipping through the paperwork, I found the names of the
two. Finn and Lamar. Finn had been very modest when he’d
said he managed. Lamar’s file noted he had escaped in three
days—the fastest in the history of the prison. Finn had taken
seven. Interesting.
When Tama and Zebb entered the reception area, I put the
files away. Color had returned to her face and she fired off a
list of things she needed me to accomplish for the day. I asked her about taking tomorrow off.
She bit her lip as panic f lashed in her eyes. “Come in my
office, please,” she said. Then Tama turned to Zebb. “You
can maintain my null shield from out here, right?”
He hesitated. “Yes, but—”
“Wonderful. Opal, when we’re done, have another desk
brought up here for Zebb.” She entered her office.
I ducked Zebb’s glare as I followed her and closed the
door behind me. Tama stood near the window, hugging her
arms.
“Magic can’t reach you now,” I said. “You’re safe.”
“I don’t feel protected.” She rubbed her hands along her
white silk shirt. “I only feel safe when you’re nearby.”
“But I was here yesterday, and that magician—”
She cut me off. “Yes, I know. I’ve been thinking about the
attack all night, trying to deduce a motive for it. Nothing
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made sense until I remembered the magician’s strong desire
to lock you away.”
“I’m not very popular with the guards we fired.” I debated
telling her about the attack, but she had enough to worry about without me adding more.
“This was…different. And you saved me. Blocked the magic.
How did you do it? You have no powers and you sent for Zebb
to build a null shield.”
I had hoped she wouldn’t recall any of the details of my
“rescue.” Should I formulate a creative explanation or should
I tell her the truth? Tama held herself as if my words could
knock her over. She had been lied to, betrayed and ill-used.
I would undo all the good progress if she discovered I hadn’t
been frank with her. She needed to trust.
“I’m immune to magic. That’s how I was able to block the
attack. But I can’t shield you. Remember when I touched your
wrist?”
“Yes.”
“It didn’t work, so my efforts were a temporary fix until
Zebb arrived. If the magician had been prepared for my in-
terference, I wouldn’t have saved you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
I sighed and explained my reasons. She sank into her chair
as I talked.
“And Zebb knows?”
“He figured it out the first day.”
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Because I asked him not to.” Before she could respond,
I added, “I wanted to keep the knowledge of my immunity
from the Council until I decide what I want to do with it.
His primary concern is keeping you safe. Since my immunity
wouldn’t harm you, he respected my request.”
“You do plan to tell the Council. Right?”
“Yes. It’s inevitable. Anytime I interact with a magician,
he or she will figure it out. I’m just waiting for the Council
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to…settle down and be a little more receptive to listening to
me.”
She laughed. “You’ve been hanging around here too long.
That was very diplomatic.” Tama paused for a moment. “At
least my instincts are still reliable. When you asked for a
day off, I sensed your presence was linked to my feelings of
safety.”
“But—”
“I know, I know.” She waved me off. “Feelings are not
logical, Opal. And I’m not going to let my fears stop you
from taking a day off. You need it. No offense, but you look
terrible.”
“Gee
thanks.”
“Why don’t you take today off, as well?”
“I’m fine.” When she didn’t appear convinced, I added,
“Your list of tasks won’t take long. I’ll leave early. Okay?”
“Good.”
I turned to go, but she asked me to wait. She scooted her
chair closer to her desk and stacked a few papers. “Can you
take these to the realty office?” She held out the sheets.
“Sure.” I reached for the papers and hit an invisible wall.
My fingers bent back as I tried to pierce it. The barrier felt
solid and hard. Not magic. Magic moved like thick syrup, and
I could put my hand in and swirl it around.
“Opal, what’s wrong?”
“I think…” I leaned my weight on the invisible barrier. “I
think—”
Zebb burst into the room with Tama’s two bodyguards right
behind him. “She’s being attacked,” he cried as he rushed over
to us.
“Relax, Zebb,” I said. “It’s just me. I got too close”
“Oh.” He dismissed the guards, and waited for my
explanation.