Teegan trotted over to Caramel, but Heli waved him off. “Go explain things to your grandmother. We’ll take care of the horses.”
Not wishing to intrude, the three of them took their time grooming and settling the horses. When they finished, Heli grabbed her saddle bags and headed to the house with the twins. The door opened before they arrived. Teegan stepped to the side to allow them into a large, comfortable kitchen. A fire burned in the vast hearth. Pots of delicious-smelling edibles bubbled on the coals. Heli’s stomach growled but, unsure of their welcome, they remained by the door, standing awkwardly. The older woman finished stirring one of the pots and wiped her hands on her apron.
“Grandmom, this is Heli, Zethan and his sister, Zohav,” Teegan said.
“You’re welcome to stay here with us until you’re needed.” She gripped the stained fabric of her skirt in a tight fist.
“Thank you, Mrs. Cowan,” Heli said.
“Please, call me Vyncenza. Teegan will show you to your rooms. Supper will be ready soon.”
Teegan led them through a living area and up a set of stairs. The air smelled of anise and cinnamon.
“What did you tell her?” Zethan asked.
“She’d already heard rumors about the Cartel but didn’t know what was really going on.”
“No, I mean about us?”
“Oh, that.” Teegan shrugged. “I told her we were helping Aunt Yelena and Uncle Valek, and they told us to lie low until they needed us.”
Which explained why the woman fretted with her skirt. Yes, Teegan was a powerful magician, but he was only fourteen and her grandchild.
“Does she know that we’re Valek’s...you know,” Zethan said.
He flashed a grin. “Didn’t have to. She’s quick, but she thought you were his children and was worried about Aunt Yelena’s reaction.”
Zohav choked. “Bad enough being his sister—”
“I wish I had a sister,” Heli said to distract her. “Being an only child, I didn’t have anyone else to play with, and I had my parents’ attention all the time. It would have been nice to share that pressure with another sibling.”
“I always wanted an older brother,” Teegan said in a quiet voice. “Especially when we were living on the streets and I had to take care of my sister.”
Heli felt foolish for complaining. Even Zohav remained quiet.
On the second floor, Teegan pointed to a room down the hall. “That’s my mom’s old room. Heli and Zohav can sleep there. Zethan and I can share my Uncle Ahir’s room.” He jerked a thumb at the door behind him.
“Will he mind?” Zethan asked.
“Nope. He grew up with three older sisters.”
Zethan made sympathetic noises. Zohav swatted him on the arm.
Teegan grinned. “Yeah, he says he needs his man time when I visit.”
Having heard enough, Heli hefted her bags and entered Opal’s childhood room. She dumped her stuff on one of the two twin beds. A couple of colorful pictures hung on the walls, but it was the collection of glass animals on the shelves that drew her attention. Some of the statues glowed with an inner fire. Beautiful.
Soon after they unpacked a few things, Vyncenza called them downstairs for supper. Teegan had regaled them with stories about his grandmother’s cooking while they traveled. Heli had considered it a form a torture, but now...now, she practically drooled with anticipation. The heady scents of roasted beef and garlic made her almost dizzy with hunger.
An older man with short gray hair and dark brown eyes was already seated at the long table. He introduced himself as Jaymes, Teegan’s grandfather. Heli noted his resemblance to Opal—tall and thin, while her mother shared the same heart-shaped face as her other daughter, Mara.
The small talk ceased when a young man—probably Ahir—blew into the room. Around her age, he was as tall as his father with the same eye color, but a mop of black hair flowed to his shoulders.
Ahir whooped when he spotted Teegan. “How’s my favorite nephew?” He high-fived the boy, who beamed at him.
“I’m your only nephew.”
“For now. Wait until Mara and Leif start popping out the babies.” He puckered his lips and used his hand to make popping sounds.
“Ahir, manners,” Vyncenza scolded. “We have guests.”
“Ah, so we do. Tee’s friends from the Keep?” Ahir sat down next to his nephew.
“Close,” Teegan said. He explained their adventures over the last couple months.
Judging by the increasingly alarmed expression on Vyncenza’s face, Teegan must be giving him more details than he’d given his grandmother earlier. Heli hoped the woman didn’t insist they go hide in the plains or hire bodyguards.
When Teegan described the big rescue at the Krystal garrison, all color leaked form Vyncenza’s face. Ahir, though, peered at Heli with a contemplative purse.
“Do your parents know what you’ve been doing?” Vyncenza asked in a strained voice.
Teegan hesitated. “I’m sure Aunt Yelena or Uncle Valek sent them a message.”
“You don’t know?” Color returned to his grandmother’s face in a flush of red.
Oh, no. Heli came to his aid. “Because Teegan’s been safe at The Cliffs, we haven’t gotten much news.”
“And Reema’s safe in Ixia,” Teegan added.
Even Heli knew that was the wrong thing to say. Vyncenza exploded. Heli understood her reaction—no one appreciated being kept in the dark about the status of their loved ones. Poor Opal would have a lot of explaining to do once this was over.
Ahir interrupted her tirade. “Relax, Mother. It’s obvious they can handle themselves.” He poked his fork in Heli’s direction. “She’s the other Stormdancer who helped free Opal and her friends from that Bloodrose cult.”
Heli was surprised Opal had told him, and that he remembered her name.
“And,” Ahir continued, “Tee might be younger than them, but I’d bet he’s more powerful. Right, Tee?”
“Uh...” He glanced at his grandmother, who still seethed, then at his grandfather, who hadn’t said a word. “Master Jewelrose did say I should be able to pass the master-level test. But I’m—”
“—helping to stop the Cartel right now, along with the other Master Magicians,” Heli said. While that comment wasn’t well received, it was better than informing his grandparents he was still learning how to control and use his magic.
It took a while, but his grandmother settled down, and they finished supper. The twins cleared the table without being asked. Heli suspected it must have been their job at home. She wondered if they missed their parents. Heli had grown used to being away from home for months at a time once her Stormdancer powers developed at the age of twelve. However, the other Stormdancers filled in for her family.
Vyncenza refused to let Heli wash the dishes but allowed her to dry them. After she left the kitchen, Heli slowed down, enjoying a moment of solitude. It didn’t last long. Ahir arrived to put everything away.
“Was Kade at The Cliffs?” he asked as he shoved a stack of plates into a cupboard.
“Yes. He was working with the twins.” Although she doubted that was the reason for Ahir’s interest.
“Why didn’t he come here with you?”
“It’s the beginning of the heating season. Lots of storms are expected, and he’s the strongest.” Not that there were many dancers left. Heli hoped more Stormdance children would develop the power. When Ahir didn’t respond, she added, “Our priority is to our clan. Those storms can kill, and we rely on their energy to fuel our factories.”
Ahir scooped up the utensils and sorted them. “Is he...okay?”
Confused, Heli said, “He’s fine.”
“I mean...about Opal. I...really liked him. I like Devlen, too, but...”
It had been a shock to Heli when Opal chose Devlen over Kade after they had almost died at the Bloodrose compound rescuing her. “He sulked and was grumpy for a few months, which isn’t that big of a change in his personality, trust me. He was happier when he was with Opal, but lately he’s been better.” She lowered her voice and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “I think he’s starting to like Helen, our new glassmaker. She’s a real sweetheart.”
Ahir smiled. “Good.”
Heli agreed. They worked in companionable silence for several minutes. She dried the pots and handed them to Ahir, who hung them above the hearth.
“What about you?” he asked. “Do you have a boyfriend back home?”
Her heart thudded. She focused on the towel in her hands. “No.”
“That’s a surprise. Unless you and Zethan...”
“No.” Heli met his gaze. “He’s not my type.”
“Really? He’s a good-looking guy—a young Valek.” A pause. “What is your type?”
Heli considered. No one had ever asked her before. Everyone just assumed she’d eventually get married and have Stormdancer babies. Was he just making conversation, or was he interested in the answer? Her pulse sped up. “Zohav would be more my type if she wasn’t so sour all the time.” She held her breath, waiting for his reaction.
“Oh.” Ahir clutched the pot to his chest. He blinked a few times, as if it helped him sort her comment into its proper pile, like the silverware. “She’s pretty, but you’re right. She’s far too serious.”
Heli relaxed. She knew of a few other same-sex couples, and most people were accepting, but there were always a handful who found the idea to be objectionable, so she’d never told anyone before. Not like she had any time to date anyway.
“You want me to keep it between us?” Ahir asked.
“I’d rather you didn’t gossip about me. But if someone asks, don’t lie. It’s not a secret.”
“All right.” Then he laughed. “I advise patience with my mother. She thinks she’s a matchmaker and will try to hook you up. If you want her to find you a match, just tell her your type, and she’ll try to find you a heart mate.”
Heli grinned. “Did she send you in here?”
“No. I volunteered.” He held up a pot. “Don’t worry. I wanted to ask you about Kade in private. However, my mother thinks otherwise, so when she starts singing my praises to you, just know that they’re all true.”
“Your modesty is staggering.”
He mock-bowed. “That’s me. Actually, I’m looking forward to hearing what she says. I haven’t done anything remarkable. Not like Opal and Mara.”
She wished to reassure him, but she didn’t know him well enough to do so. They finished putting away the pots and joined the others in the living area.
Zethan sprawled on the couch with a hand pressed to his stomach. He groaned. “That was the best meal ever. I’m stuffed to the gills and will never eat again.”
Vyncenza leaned forward. “There’s still a slice of cherry pie left.”
Zethan hopped to his feet. “Mine.”
* * *
After two days of eating, resting and more eating, Heli grew bored. Teegan had given them a tour of the glass factory. Helen’s little kiln at the coast looked like a toy compared to the massive machinery and quantity of equipment needed to run eight kilns. Not to mention the number of workers scurrying about. Intrigued by the scale of the operation, Heli followed Ahir and Jaymes into the building on the third morning, hoping she could lend a hand.
The hot air pressed against her like a physical force as the kilns roared in her ears. Without thinking, she used her magic and pulled the moisture from the heat. It condensed into tiny water droplets, which she blew out the door with a light wind. The temperature in the factory dropped twenty degrees.
All the workers paused and stared at her. Oops. “Sorry, I...”
“That was amazing,” Jaymes said. “Will it last?”
“Until the heat from the kilns builds up again.” Glass melted at twenty-one hundred degrees, so it wouldn’t take long.
“Too bad.”
“What are you doing during the hot season?” Ahir joked.
Jaymes showed Heli how to gather a slug of molten glass from the kiln, spinning it onto a metal rod called a pontil iron so she could help the glassmakers who sat at their gaffers’ benches crafting bowls, vases, goblets and decorative statues. It was hot, tiring work, but she enjoyed being useful. At the end of the day, Ahir taught her how to shape a ball of glass into a flower by using a pair of large metal tweezers.
He inspected her daisy. “Not bad for a first effort.”
“How do you get it off the iron?” she asked. Helen usually had all the glass orbs ready by the time Heli arrived.
“You put in a jack line, like so.” He spun the pontil iron on the bench as he pressed another metal tool into the soft glass, carving a groove. Ahir then carried the rod over to a box filled with sponges. Tapping the pontil with the end of the tool, the daisy cracked off right at the line and fell into the box. “Now we have to wait until it cools.”
“I can cool it.” The air was unstable and easy to push with her magic. A breeze sprang to life.
“No, don’t.” Ahir made a stopping motion. “If it cools too fast, it will crack. Instead, we’ll put it in an annealing oven to cool slowly.” He donned a pair of heat-resistant gloves and carried the daisy to a metal cabinet. A few other pieces were already inside. “It’ll be ready tomorrow.”
“Working with glass takes a lot of patience.”
“And skill. These glassmakers—” he gestured at the empty benches “—they make it look easy, but they’ve spent thousands of hours to get to that point.”
It was difficult to imagine working that hard. Her ability to connect with the weather and harvest storms had always been a natural extension of her. Sure, it took some practice to funnel the energy into the glass orbs, but no longer than a couple hours.
* * *
A brisk wind blew the next morning, and a sheet of dark clouds threatened rain. Jaymes muttered about the weather at breakfast.
“What’s wrong with the wind?” Zethan asked him, digging into his pile of bacon.
“It blows the sand around, making the glass gritty.”
“And it cools the kilns, so more coal is needed to keep them at temperature,” Ahir added.
“I can move the storm for you,” Zethan offered. “It won’t be hard.”
“That might attract the wrong kind of attention,” Zohav said.
Heli hated to agree with her. “I can keep a bubble of calm around your factory, Jaymes.”
“No need to exhaust yourself for us. It’s a minor inconvenience.”
“It doesn’t take that much energy. I do it all the time when I’m dancing in a storm.”
Ahir stroked his chin. “You know, having a Stormdancer around is handy. When everything is resolved with the Cartel, you should consider going into business.”
Surprised, she asked, “Doing what?”
“Weather stuff. Couples could hire you to ensure they have a sunny day for their wedding. Kade gave us beautiful weather for Leif and Mara’s day. Or farmers could engage your services to water their fields when it gets too dry.” Ahir sat up straighter. “You and Zee could work together when you’re not needed on the coast. You’d be rich in no time.”
“I never thought of it that way,” Heli said.
Vyncenza beamed. “That’s my smart boy. Always thinking.” She tapped her temple with a finger.
“Yeah, always thinking of ways to avoid work.” Jaymes stood. “Come on, Mop Top, the glass doesn’t gather itself.”
* * *
Their days fell into a routine. During the day, Heli helped in the factory while Zethan and Teegan practice
d their magic. Zohav preferred to stay with Vyncenza, learning how to bake pies, crochet and cook, which had surprised everyone, including Zohav. At night, Zethan sprawled on the couch, groaning about eating too much, Zohav read a book next to the lantern, and Heli, Ahir and Teegan played cards or dice.
Heli should have recognized it for what it was—the calm before a storm—but she was having too much fun. When Ahir woke her a few hours before dawn on the ninth morning, she shouldn’t have been startled.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, sitting up in bed.
“Dad says we have company. And it’s not our distant cousins coming for a visit.”
Alarmed, she scrambled to her feet. “Are they in the house?”
“No. He spotted them outside the gate. Looks like they’re waiting for something...or someone.”
Her first impulse was to run and hide in the plains.
Zohav pushed her covers back. “How many are there?”
“Dad says six or seven, maybe more.”
“What do they want?” Heli asked.
Ahir shrugged. “I don’t know. But Tee might. He’s downstairs.”
Heli almost smacked her forehead. Of course. They rushed to join Zethan, Teegan and Jaymes in the dark living area.
“Mom’s asleep. It’s better if we don’t wake her unless we absolutely have to,” Ahir whispered.
Teegan peered into the night.
“Robbers?” Heli hoped.
“No,” Teegan said. “The Cartel. They know we’re here.”
“All of us, or just me?” Heli asked. Bruns had learned that one of the Stormdancers had helped with Yelena and Valek’s escape, but he shouldn’t know about the twins or Teegan.
“All of us.”
Damn. Something must have happened at the Citadel. “Are we surrounded? Can we slip out the back?”
Zethan turned to her. “There are only seven—”
“Ten,” Teegan corrected him.
“—only ten of them. Between the four of us, we can easily blow them away.”
“Yes, we could, but they’ll just come back with reinforcements.” Heli mulled it over. “What are they planning?”