“I nailed it,” Leif said. “Springy.”
I introduced him to the young Stormdancer. Even though she had been busy all day, Heli still had energy to relate to us all her adventures. Before we headed back to the caverns, Kade signaled the others, sending a strong burst of wind up the coast.
Although they chastised her for being gone so long, the others were relieved Heli was safe. She pulled a small table next to the fire and dumped her treasure on it.
Sea glass of different shapes, sizes and colors glittered and winked. The pile beckoned. The desire to hold the pieces and claim them filled me. We were all drawn to the table. The sand and movement of the water had smoothed and polished the bits of broken glass. I picked up a blue piece.
Magic burned my fingers, jolting up my arm and shocking me. I dropped the piece with a cry, but the others grabbed at them, fighting over them. Raiden and even Wick—when did he wake?—clutched pieces as if they were children with candy. Heli scooped a bunch in her hands, yelling at everyone the sea glass was hers.
The arguments turned nasty. Voices grew louder. Soon fistfights would break out.
I pulled at Kade’s sleeve, and shouted for him to stop. But he shoved me away, protecting his hoard. I landed on the ground hard, staring at the horrible scene before me. The violence escalated and I guessed why.
The magic in the sea glass had enchanted them.
16
If I didn’t do something and soon, there would be bloodshed. The magic in the sea glass forced everyone to crave it. They all desired the shiny pieces for themselves. Even I had felt the pull. However, as soon as I touched one, I...woke. That didn’t work for the others, who fought and grabbed for the pieces.
The fight bordered on a melee, with Kade and Wick wrestling and Prin punching Raiden. I blocked the ruckus from my mind, and concentrated on what Heli had said about collecting the sea glass. She couldn’t help herself from gathering them until dark.
I glanced at the fire. If I doused it, would the ensuing darkness work? A null shield would be perfect. Unfortunately, Skippy struggled with Ziven. However, Leif knew how to erect one.
Leif crawled on the floor, picking up the dropped glass. I pounded on his shoulders and screamed in his ear. He batted me away as if I were an annoying fly. In desperation, I straddled his back and cupped my hands over his eyes, pinching his nose tight, too. Leif’s magical senses involved smells. If he couldn’t smell, perhaps he wouldn’t be influenced by the sea glass’s magic.
He bucked and cursed and rolled, slamming me into the side of the cave. I held tight despite the pain radiating up my spine. He smashed me against the stone wall again and again, then stilled. My ribs ached, but I kept my hands clamped to his face. Pressed between him and the wall, I waited.
“Opal, why are you covering my eyes?” Leif asked. His voice sounded funny.
“Magic in the sea glass has made everyone insane with desire. I need you to build a null shield.”
“I’ll need to see, and breathe.”
“Don’t look at the sea glass,” I instructed. “Put the pieces in your pocket.”
He emptied his hands and I removed mine.
“I’ll be a date for a necklace snake,” Leif said as he surveyed the chaos. “All this for a...pretty...sparkle...”
“Leif!” I yanked his head around. “Don’t look.”
“Oh, sorry.” He shook his shoulders. “What did you need?”
“Null shield.”
“Oh, yeah.” He blinked.
“Now! Before the Stormdancers start sending tornadoes at each other.”
“Oh, right.” Leif focused on the ceiling.
I thought about asking him to move his weight off me, but decided to stay quiet for now. The sounds of fighting diminished. I risked a peek over Leif. The others stood panting and looking at each other in confusion.
Long scratches on Prin’s right cheek bled, Wick’s eye puffed, Raiden rubbed his arm, Kade pushed Skippy’s hands away from his neck, and Heli gaped in horror.
“Leif?” I asked.
“Hmm?”
“Move, please.”
“Oh, sorry.” He rolled away.
I sucked in a deep and painful breath. It felt like I might have cracked my ribs. “Keep the shield in place until we put all the glass away.” I staggered to my feet.
No one said a word. Heli’s mesh bag had fallen to the floor, landing under the table. I picked it up and noticed one piece of sea glass remained on the table. All the others had been snatched and fought over, yet no one desired the milky blue triangle.
I examined it. Was it the one I had touched?
“Leif, where is the shield’s boundary?” I asked.
“Past the fire.”
I handed the mesh bag to Heli. “Collect all the sea glass.”
She blinked at me as if I’d asked her to fly.
“Go on,” I urged. “Make sure you get them all.” I carried the little blue piece past the fire, bracing for the burning pain of magic. Nothing. Its magic was spent and it didn’t even sparkle as much as before. In fact, scratches marred the piece, rendering it ugly and ordinary. I put it into my pocket.
When Heli had gathered all the glass, she handed me the bag. Leif dropped the shield and the Stormdancers swayed in relief. Everyone suddenly found something to do, righting the chairs and cleaning up the mess made by the fight. No one wanted to talk about what happened, but we would have to.
Raiden stirred the fire, adding logs. Flames leaped toward the ceiling. I collapsed into a chair and Kade saw my wince of pain. He was beside me in an instant.
“Do you need a healer?” he asked.
“No.”
Leif poked me in the side. I yelped.
“How about you answer that question again?” Leif’s smug expression wilted as I glared at him. He hurried to his saddlebags.
Kade knelt next to me. “I pushed you down. I’m sorry—”
“Not your fault.” When tears flooded Heli’s eyes, I added, “Not anyone’s.”
“I’ll fetch a healer,” Kade said.
“I don’t need one. Does anyone else?” I asked.
No one spoke up. Leif returned with a variety of first-aid supplies. “If her ribs are broken, she’ll need a healer. But if they’re cracked, she can heal on her own without danger.” He sorted through his collection of herbs. “I’ll brew you a tea to help with the pain, but first I want to assess the damage.”
“Assess how?” I asked.
He gave me a grim smile, then turned to Kade. “Is there a private place where I can examine her?”
Despite my protests, Kade carried me to his cave. I grabbed the bag of sea glass, knowing better than to leave it behind.
After being tortured by Leif’s examination, he declared two ribs on my left side were indeed cracked. He wrapped a bandage tightly around my middle. I dressed as he hurried off to make tea and to check on the others. If the brew was anything like the horrid stuff he fed me after Tricky’s attempt to bleed me dry, I planned to dump it onto the ground.
Kade tucked me into his cot. He started a fire in the brazier, then promised to return after helping Leif. I squirmed, trying to find a comfortable position. A sharp point jabbed me in the leg and I remembered the blue piece. I pulled it out. Leaning over the cot and ignoring the pain, I opened the brazier’s door. In the firelight, I examined the glass. So much trouble for such a little thing.
The scratches seemed random until I flipped it over. It could either be my overactive imagination or someone had carved a letter into the glass.
* * *
Kade returned carrying a steaming cup. I showed him the glass before he could force me to swallow the tea. He flinched as if burned.
“Relax. This one is spent. No magic.”<
br />
He took the sea glass and handed me the mug. “Drink up.”
“Ugh.” The liquid smelled like a wet dog. “What do you think?” I pointed to the glass.
“I think you should drink your tea and go to sleep.”
“About the scratches?”
He waited.
“Fine. Look, I’m sipping.” I slurped loudly. As usual, Leif’s medicinal concoction tasted horrible.
Kade examined the piece in the firelight. “The markings on this side resemble the letter S.”
“I thought so! We should look at the others.”
“And go crazy again?” Kade asked.
My elation died. “Have you discussed the...incident with the others yet? Are they all right?”
“Minor injuries only. Leif applied poultices and dispensed tea. Everyone was so exhausted I sent them all to bed. We’ll discuss it in the morning.” He sat on the edge of the cot. “You know, the tea tastes worse when it’s cold.”
I downed another gulp. “You should go to bed, too.”
“I’ll sleep in the main cavern. I don’t want to bump your ribs.”
“No need to worry.” I scooted over.
“Opal, you should—”
“Finish my tea first. Good idea.” I drained the cup.
He still looked unconvinced.
“Please stay. The last two nights have been horrible.” First Tricky, then the sea glass. With all that had happened, I had forgotten about the wound on my arm. In fact, even the pain in my ribs had dissipated. Leif’s tea worked. I would thank him, but he would be obnoxious about it.
Kade slipped into the cot next to me. Once his arms wrapped around my waist, I fell asleep.
* * *
“I didn’t see anyone,” Heli said. She concentrated on the empty bowl in her lap, spinning it around. “I was in the middle of nowhere.”
The early-morning sunlight touched the horizon. The beach remained in The Cliffs’ shadow, casting twilight into the main cavern. Everyone gathered around the cook fire. And everyone avoided each other’s gaze.
My ribs ached, but I wasn’t about to ask Leif for more of his tea.
“A magician had charged the sea glass,” Kade said. “Either he scattered them on the beach for you to find, or they were deposited there by the current.”
“Why?” Heli asked. She sounded like a little girl.
“To sabotage us or as a joke,” Kade guessed.
“Heck of a cruel joke,” Raiden said.
“Maybe someone really wanted you to find them,” I said. “Maybe they were trying to send you a message.” I pulled out the blue piece.
Ten people flinched, including Kade, who should have known better.
“This one is safe,” I said, handing it to Leif. “Looks like someone scratched the letter S on it.”
Leif turned it over in his hands. “Why is it safe?”
I thought back. “When I touched it, it...sparked, waking me. After all the...craziness last night, it was the only piece not claimed.”
“Let’s assume you’re right and it’s a message,” Kade said. “How do we examine the other pieces without going insane with desire?”
“Opal can spark them,” Leif said. “In a place where we can’t see.”
It was a reasonable step in logic. However, I dreaded the prospect, remembering the burn and shock of pain from just one piece.
I pulled Leif aside. “Can you brew me more of your tea?”
“Which one?”
“The wet-dog one you gave me last night.”
“Are your ribs hurting?”
“Yes.” Which was the truth.
I returned to Kade’s cot and dumped the sea glass onto the blanket. A mug of Leif’s potion was within reach. Steeling myself, I drank the entire mug, then reached for the first piece.
By the time I finished, my numb hands could barely hold the glass. Pain burned along my skin from wrist to shoulders. My bones ached. I wrapped my arms around my waist and curled up on the cot.
* * *
Kade woke me with a hard shake. “Opal, what happened? We thought you’d be back by now.”
My body throbbed. My arms and hands tingled as if they’d fallen asleep.
“Is it your ribs?” he asked in alarm.
“Yes. No. Leif. Dog.” The room dimmed and Leif appeared next to Kade. A hot liquid burned my lips. I choked on the taste of dirt mixed with mint.
“Drink it. It’ll help you,” Leif said. “Trust me.”
I wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but the pain eased and I drifted into a relieved sleep.
The next time I opened my eyes, Kade hovered above me with an anxious expression.
“I’m fine,” I said, although I didn’t have any energy.
“You slept for two days. That’s not fine.”
“Two days? But the melt, the orbs...” I tried to sit up.
Kade held me down. “No. You are to stay in bed until Leif gives you permission to move.”
“Who made Leif boss?”
“I did when he saved your life.”
“Pah! I would have been fine.” I couldn’t believe Kade had fallen for Leif’s dramatics.
Kade sighed. “Opal, why didn’t you tell us?”
“Tell you what?”
“About the pain. You didn’t have to spark all that glass. You could have done a little at a time.”
“Heli felt so bad... I wanted to help.”
“She’ll be fine. She’s been sorting the sea glass, trying to decipher the message.”
I tried to push up to my elbow, but Kade refused to budge. “Has she gotten any of it?”
“Not yet. One side of the glass has a letter and the other has a number code scratched on it. Once she figures out the code, she’ll be able to assemble the letters in the right order.”
An interesting puzzle. I longed to join her and to check on the glassmakers. “Can you ask Leif to come visit so I can get up?”
“Will you promise to stay in bed?”
“Yes.”
Kade left. I fidgeted and thought of a bunch of questions I wanted to ask. A little of my energy returned—enough so I regretted promising to stay prone.
Leif arrived carrying a mug. “How’s my favorite glass wizard today?”
“Wonderful. Can I move now?”
“Not yet.” He handed me the drink.
I wrinkled my nose. Another foul-smelling brew. This one reminded me of mushrooms and moldy storerooms.
“It’s a restorative. You’re to finish every drop and eat a full meal before you’re allowed to walk among the living.”
“Why do all your potions taste so bad?” I stalled for time.
“They’re all made from plants and fruits grown in the Illiais Jungle. My father is an expert on herbal remedies, and, since I’m not the super healer like my sister...” He gave me a wry smile. “I have to make do with using leaves and spoors and roots and seeds.”
Leif’s clan, the Zaltanas, lived in the jungle. Their homestead had been built in the tree canopy, blending in with the surrounding greenery.
“Are you going to drink it? Or do I need to hold your nose and force it down your throat?”
I sipped the potion. It tasted better than it smelled. Swallowing a few more sips, I noticed deep scratches on his nose and cheeks. “Are they from me?” I pointed.
“I think so.”
“Sorry.”
“No problem. You sliced my face, I cracked your ribs. Let’s call it even.” His tone remained light, but his expression was uncharacteristically somber. “If you hadn’t broken the spell...just imagine.” His hand touched the hilt of his machete. “If I had thought about it before you went to neutralize
the glass, I would have stopped you. The magic on them was strong. Maybe even master-level strong.”
“Really?”
“It’s hard to say for sure. I couldn’t examine them while they were charged, but most magicians keep mental defenses in place so they don’t fall for illusions and magical suggestions. The Stormdancers don’t because their magic is...different. But the rest of us do. And for the sea glass’s magic to break through mine and Skippy’s defenses, it had to be strong.”
“Skippy’s?” I found that hard to believe.
“He may be a prick, but he’s a powerful prick.”
“Good to know.” I thought about Leif’s comments. “The magician who charged the glass was either desperate or deranged.” I drained the rest of Leif’s brew and upended the mug. “Can I get up now?”
“Nope. You still need to eat.”
“I’m sure Raiden has a savory dish on the fire.” I pushed the blankets away. How did I get so many? Swinging my legs over the side, I stood, using the little energy I had collected. My legs buckled under me and I plopped down on the cot.
Leif watched me with an aggrieved expression. “It would be refreshing if, for once, I helped someone who actually listened to me.”
“I drank your tea.”
He harrumphed.
Kade arrived with a tray full of food.
“Make sure she eats it all,” Leif said, shooting me a warning glare before he left.
I consumed a large serving of Raiden’s special fish stew, bread and seaweed. The salty green leaves crunched between my teeth.
“What have the glassmakers been doing?” I asked Kade.
“They made a few orbs. But Heli’s getting closer to figuring out the code. She thinks there may be missing pieces. Once you’re feeling better, she wants to take us back to the spot where she found them.”
I squinted at him in suspicion. He had changed the subject from the glassmakers rather fast and now he avoided my gaze. Yet I couldn’t help being intrigued by the prospect of going to find more sea glass.