“And sorry about this.” Hayes sliced my bound arm free.
Pain exploded as the weight of my arm dragged on my shoulder. He worked fast and placed my elbow into a sling, but not fast enough to prevent tears from flooding my vision.
He brushed my hair from my eyes when he finished. “How about some good news?” He smiled. “You can go back to your own quarters this afternoon.”
* * *
I worried when Yelena didn’t visit, but, as promised, Hayes discharged me. My return to my own quarters should have been a relief, except for my entourage. Two guards, Mara and Janco followed me to my rooms.
Mara fussed about, opened the shutters, changed the linens and dusted. Janco sat on the couch and muttered about the audacity of the guards who remained outside my door.
The apprentice quarters were all identical—a bedroom and living area with a stone hearth. One simple armchair and a small couch faced the fireplace on the left side of the room. A wooden table and two chairs occupied the right side of the room, and the bedroom contained a single bed, an armoire and a desk.
“Where are my saddlebags?” I asked Mara.
She stopped for a moment as if deciding. “Confiscated along with your cloak. Sorry, I tried to reason with them.”
I fumed silently and it was a respite when Mara and Janco finally left. Pacing my rooms, I wanted to... What? My shoulder throbbed. I couldn’t work with glass. Zitora hadn’t visited me. I’d been ordered to remain in my quarters until my hearing tomorrow.
The Council session would be my chance to prove myself. I rummaged around my desk for parchment and ink. Good thing I wrote with my right hand. Sitting, I detailed everything that had happened, including conversations. Tama Moon’s hypothetical situation of using my talents as leverage didn’t seem so wrong to me now.
Reviewing the talk with Tama, I realized the actions of the Master Magicians were extreme. If they didn’t know about my ability to siphon magic, then why would Zitora and Irys bring an armed guard with them to the glass shop? Why did they have a null shield around me? Because they knew. And there was only one logical person who could have told them. Councilor Tama Moon.
* * *
After a sleepless night caused by worry—where was Yelena?—and pain—the whole left side of my body ached—I reported to the Council as instructed, entering the cavernous great hall in the Council Building. I apologized to the eleven Council members and three Master Magicians for not following a direct order. I attempted to explain my actions, but from their hostility, I knew they had formed their own conclusions and nothing I said would change their minds.
I expected the harsh reprimand. I expected the fear and the comments on my character or lack thereof. I anticipated the disbelief about the Warpers and the blood magic.
What I failed to expect was Zitora and Yelena’s silence, and Councilor Tama Moon’s ruthless undermining of my credibility.
Tama claimed, “Ulrick was working undercover to infiltrate the illegal operations on the northern ice sheet. And to save the Stormdancer.” Her voice resonated with authority in the vast room. “Opal was unaware of this, so her reactions to Ulrick’s cover story would be genuine. Unfortunately, he played his role too well, and she is unable to believe the real story.”
As the silence in the great hall thickened until it clung to my sweaty skin like syrup, I glanced at Yelena and Zitora, appealing to them to correct Tama, to leap to my defense, to do...something. Anything.
Zitora stood. “Councilor Moon speaks the truth.”
10
Every single part of my body reacted as if I had been doused by the ice-cold runoff from the Emerald Mountains. Blindsided and ambushed, I sat in front of the Councilors and Masters unable to speak or even draw a breath.
“I’m sorry to have put you through that.” Zitora spoke to me for the first time since I was shot by the arrow. “But it was vital to the mission.” She turned to the Council. “Opal’s determination to help Ulrick, even though he didn’t need it, should be noted in her favor.”
The atmosphere in the great hall changed. A sense of relief permeated the air as the Councilors nodded and gave me sympathetic looks as if to say the poor dear had no clue, no wonder she disobeyed our orders to return. Their belief that all the Warpers were dead had been restored, and the whole nonsense about blood magic and switching souls had been explained away as a mere cover story.
Somewhat recovered, I opened my mouth to protest, but an invisible hand snapped my jaw shut. Yelena’s gaze met mine. With a slight shake of her head, she warned me to keep quiet. The force on my teeth released.
The Council launched a battery of questions about my new magical ability to siphon magic from another magician. I answered, but realized the outcome no longer rested in my hands. A bigger conspiracy lurked behind this meeting. I would either be told or not, and I ceased to care. I knew the real story and no matter what happened here or how long it took, I vowed to expose Devlen and put a stop to blood magic.
The debate raged around me, but I tuned them out. Instead, I focused on my surroundings. The great hall’s narrow windows stretched to the ceiling three stories above my head. Sunlight striped the marble floor and the Councilors’ U-shaped table, casting Councilors Greenblade’s and Zaltana’s faces in shadow. Five Council members sat along one long section of the U-shape while the remaining four Councilors lined the other side. Yelena and the three Master Magicians occupied the short end.
I studied the long silk tapestries hanging between the hall’s windows. One for each clan, and I noted with pride the representation of an intricate glass vase on my clan’s banner. My hometown of Booruby was famous for glassmaking.
Shifting my position, I tried to find a comfortable spot on the hard wooden stool set before the Councilor’s table. Two guards kept close watch. The wooden benches along the marble walls remained empty. The public, including Mara and Leif, had been barred from attending this session and since my parents would not arrive in time—my mother refused to ride a horse—they decided to wait to hear the Council’s decision and make plans then. Janco had been sent back to Ixia. His grumpy goodbye had come with an offer to return if I needed him whether the Councilors wanted him or not.
Yelena’s voice slashed through my numbness. “You can’t ban her from working with glass. Who will craft more messengers?”
Good to know Yelena remained on my side. Unlike Zitora, who wouldn’t meet my gaze. The words null shield and supervised caught my attention, but otherwise I allowed the conversation to flow. In my mind, I replayed my last time with Kade, remembering his kiss and the feel of his strong hands on my back.
Many horrible things had happened to me, except Kade. He was worth enduring for. I could bow to the Council’s wishes, play the obedient student and pretend I had been duped by Ulrick’s undercover story to gain trust and freedom. And real answers. The Council would know the truth eventually.
Yelena’s approval pulsed in my chest.
“...and let’s not forget the diamonds, Councilor Krystal,” Councilor Jewelrose said. “We wouldn’t have to rely on imports from Ixia anymore.”
“Only at the cost of a magician’s power, which is too high,” Krystal replied.
“We don’t know if she has to take all their magic. We could experiment—”
“Absolutely not! Remember what happened to Pazia Cloud Mist...”
Again I ceased to listen to the debate. The strips of sunlight moved across the floor and climbed the opposite wall. When the light faded into a gray semigloom, the Council adjourned for the day. I was escorted to the holding cells in the basement of the Council Building. I laughed when they served me dinner. What else could I do? Cry? Scream? Rage against the injustice? No point. The reason for my humor was the wooden cup filled with water. No glass. No magic. No need to put me in the Keep’s special cells.
<
br /> I tried not to compare this cell with all the others I had been in. Or with all the times I had been confined by ropes or chains. But my mind refused to obey me. My memories drifted back to when Alea had kidnapped me to get to Yelena. The Daviian wanted me to trick Yelena, so she used a masked Warper to coerce me into helping her. It worked. I would have done anything to make him stop. Imagine my horrified surprise when Devlen explained he had been the man behind the mask.
Shuddering, I forced my thoughts on more pleasant memories to survive the night.
As the Council’s discussions dragged on for days, I discovered one good thing about spending my evenings in the Council’s jail. I learned who supported and believed me. Mara’s encouragement hadn’t surprised me, but Pazia’s frequent visits did. She even testified on my behalf. A few of the glass-shop workers stopped to entertain me with tales of their efforts.
Zitora failed to visit and Yelena took her sweet time. She finally came by on the third day with Leif. I slid from my bunk, but she put her finger to her lips, then pointed to her ear.
Leif stared off in the distance for a moment. His short muscular build, square face and brown hair were the complete opposite of his sister. Striking green eyes were the only feature they had in common. “I blocked the snoops,” he said. “So how’s my favorite glass wizard?” he asked me.
“Peachy. I just love it here!” Sarcastic and bitter, I’d outdone myself. Of course, I regretted it as Leif jerked back like he’d been slapped. “Sorry,” I said.
Leif glanced at his sister. “This isn’t good for her. We should bust her out.”
I snapped. “Why would you do that? According to the Council, I’m a danger to myself and others. I’m just a poor, deluded, brainless girl who believed in the impossible, who—”
“Opal, that’s enough.” Yelena’s stern tone stopped my tirade. “I’ve talked to Kade and Janco. I believe you.”
“Then why haven’t you said—”
“Because we were outmaneuvered.”
“But you would know Devlen is in Ulrick’s body. Right?”
“I hope so.”
“Hope?” Not the answer I wanted to hear.
“It’s a unique situation, Opal, and there aren’t any other Soulfinders around who I can ask.”
True. “But you can vouch for me, testify that switching souls is possible?” The pained grimace answered my question.
“I can assure the Council of your integrity. Without Devlen or Ulrick here, I can’t swear they switched. I know you’re telling the truth, but the Council can argue that the men are very good actors and have tricked you.” Yelena flicked her long black braid over her shoulder.
“Couldn’t you read Zitora’s mind and tell the Council she’s lying?”
Leif made a strangled sound. “Accuse a Master Magician? Ho boy, you really need some fresh air.”
Yelena frowned at him. “I can’t read her mind. Her mental defenses are too strong for me. And if I rifled through Councilor Moon’s memories, it would be a major breach of the Ethical Code and I would be arrested.”
“What about reading their souls?” I asked.
An odd expression gripped Yelena’s face before she covered it. “Zitora felt she did the right thing. As for Tama, ever since her sister tried to overthrow her, she has hired a magician to cast a protective null shield around her when she’s in public.” She fidgeted with her sleeve. “The other Councilors believe it’s a wonderful idea and are in the process of doing the same. I have...mixed feelings about it.”
“A null shield is becoming a weapon like Curare,” Leif said. “Before the Warper battle, only the Sandseed Story Weavers knew how to create one. Now the knowledge is spreading.” He shrugged. “It’s smart to protect the Councilors from a magical attack, but, on the other hand, it can mask deceptions and be used against us.”
I agreed with Leif. In order for Sir to capture Kade, the strongest Stormdancer in Sitia, a null shield had been intertwined with a net. Yelena knew all the details, but she decided the Council should only be told Kade had been neutralized by a null shield. No sense giving anyone ideas.
“However...” Gazing down at her hands, Yelena laced them together.
Not a good sign. I braced for the bad news.
“However, the diamonds found in your saddlebags are the real problem.” She raised her head and leaned toward me. “You scare them more than I do.”
I laughed. At this point, what else could I do? If I looked on the bright side, I finally had done something better than Yelena. The fact it would keep me locked up didn’t stifle my manic mirth.
“Opal,” Yelena warned. “This is serious. They’re not picking on you. They have an excellent reason to be scared. Think about it from the Council’s point of view. Your ability to transform magic into glass is concerning, but Master Magician Zitora vouches for you. Then you disappear and claim you were tricked by blood magic and kidnapped to Ixia. The Council is distressed, and orders you to return so they can hear the whole story, but you run off to Fulgor.
“Now they’re alarmed. When Councilor Moon reports you have escaped and tells them about your new powers, they become frightened. Plus the fact you used the power without consulting them or without any due process. In their eyes, you have become unpredictable and unreliable. A rogue. Zitora can no longer vouch for you because if she didn’t know about your siphoning power, what else doesn’t she know. Why didn’t you tell her?”
No longer able to keep still, I paced. “I thought it would be better in person. I wanted to discuss it with her first. But now she’s avoiding me.”
“She’s keeping her distance in an effort to remain impartial.”
“Swell.”
“Opal, sarcasm will not help you,” Leif said. “I know.”
“Nothing will help me.”
Yelena moved closer to the bars. “Tomorrow you will be honest, you will be remorseful, you will be respectful, and you will abide by the Council’s decision no matter what. They need to see you are not a threat. They need to feel they can trust you.”
“Would you do all that?”
“I already have. If I can earn their trust, so can you.”
I slumped against the wall. My shoulder burned as fatigue settled over me. The task of gaining the Council’s trust felt equal to being ordered to climb over the Emerald Mountains. Impossible.
“It’s not impossible,” Yelena said.
“Reading my mind?”
“No. Your posture.”
“Now what?” I sank down to the floor. At least I had a clean cell. Amazing how the small things become important.
“We wait,” Yelena said. “It’s a trick I learned from Valek. Let them think we believe their story about Ulrick. Let them get comfortable and relax their defenses. All the while I’ll keep an eye on them and, hopefully, discover what they’re up to.”
“What about me?” I gestured to the bars between us.
“I think the Councilors are leaning toward letting you continue your work for the magicians. If that’s the case, you need to be on your best behavior, and you’ll need to pretend Ulrick fooled you. You’re not to tell anyone a different story, as they will have someone watching you.”
“How long do I have to pretend?” I asked.
“It may be seasons. I need to return to Ixia to help Kade convince the Commander to allow him to tame the blizzards. Don’t worry.” She held her hand up. “I’ll assign...someone to keep an eye on Councilor Moon and Devlen.” She studied my face. “You’ve been through worse. Just hold on and we’ll figure this one out.”
She glanced at the main door, then turned to me as if she had made a decision. “Irys will have a fit, but it’s cruel to let you suffer.” Yelena crouched and reached through the bars, pressing her hand on my injury.
“What—
ow!”
Her magic held me immobile. Pain flared, then dulled to a throb, changing into a bone-deep itch. She pulled away and closed her eyes. Blood spread on her shoulder, soaking her tunic.
The door to the cells flew open. Master Jewelrose sprinted into the room followed by a bunch of guards.
Without opening her eyes, Yelena said, “Wait.”
Irys scowled, but kept quiet. When my mobility returned, I scratched my newly healed skin.
Yelena rolled her shoulders and met Irys’s unhappy gaze. “Her wound was infected.” Her statement sounded like a challenge.
My cell felt colder after they left. I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders—part of a huge care package Mara had brought me. The whole Council session, being locked in a cell, the lies and backroom dealings had left a rancid taste in my mouth. I had trusted the Council, had believed Zitora would defend me, not betray me. Not anymore. Time to stop wallowing in pity and act. Time to trust no one and stop relying on others.
I reviewed Tama Moon’s comments about my glass messengers and leverage. Her advice didn’t strike me quite the same way this time. Before I thought them selfish. Perhaps I needed to be a little more selfish. I would wait and bide my time as Yelena requested, but I would also prepare. I’d proved to Devlen I wasn’t a doormat, and I would prove it to the Council, as well.
* * *
As Yelena had predicted, the Council released me with a number of conditions. I could craft my glass messengers, as long as another magician remained in the workshop. No experiments with my magic were allowed. I could leave the Magician’s Keep if I had permission and a Council-approved escort. In other words, I continued to be a prisoner, but without the bars. They kept my glass bees, spiders and the diamonds in my saddlebags. They returned my cloak and bags.
At least I wouldn’t be monitored by magic. With a null shield around me at all times, no magic could penetrate it. However, I would have escorts anytime I left my room. Swell.
The Council session had lasted six days. Yelena left for Ixia and said I should return to my studies. Except Zitora had taken me out of my classes so I could concentrate on the glass factory and experimenting with my powers.