Creative lies. I didn’t think he had it in him. “And the Kirakawa ritual...?”
“Would have been my first unwilling sacrifice.”
“Uh-huh. So I’m to believe you never killed anyone.”
He pushed up to his elbow. “No. I have been in battles and have defended myself. Even you cannot make that claim.”
True. By my command, one of my bees had killed the leader of a gang of robbers, and two of Namir’s men died at Icefaren station when I’d rescued Kade and stolen Devlen and Crafty’s magic.
“But you still want to finish the Kirakawa, which is illegal and immoral. And requires you to release your mentor, who was imprisoned for a very good reason.” A group of Daviian Warpers had used the Kirakawa ritual to boost their magical power so they could counter the Master Magicians. They’d almost gained control of Sitia.
The desire to rid Sitia of all knowledge of blood magic pulsed through my body.
He lay back, stretching out on his mat. “My priorities have changed.” He stared at me. “I would rather focus on other things for now.”
“Like what?”
“You.”
3
The tiny smudge of light brightened, pushing the deep blackness of night away. While Devlen had slept, I transferred my bags to my saddle, tucking a few spiders and bees into my cloak and pants pockets. I couldn’t use them against Devlen, but they could be useful for other situations.
Devlen awoke refreshed. I wished I could say the same. My single uneasy hour of sleep had been fraught with disturbing dreams of being hunted.
We packed our meager supplies and headed east. If Devlen had noticed my late-night efforts, he gave no sign of it. The morning air held a crisp scent of pine. No clouds tainted the bright sky. Except for my companion, the day promised to be a perfect one for travel.
I would have ridden right by the border market if I had been alone. The scattering of stalls and tables matched the brownish-gray color of the forest. Customers dressed in plain tunics and pants dyed in various earth tones shopped. It was as if the people had no desire to clash with their surroundings.
I fingered my new charcoal-gray cloak. Trading the Ixian one I had worn for this one, I’d also swapped the uniform Devlen had given me to wear while in Ixia. My cream-colored tunic and dark brown linen pants were suitably nondescript. In fact, with my brown leather boots, brown eyes and hair, I fit right in. My sister Mara’s voice sounded in my mind, correcting me: Golden-brown hair, Opal. Look at those streaks of gold. And: Mother named you for your eyes. Black opals are so elegant and reflect the light.
I smiled, thinking about my younger brother’s comments: Mud brown and poop brown. Poor Opal, after Mother had Mara and Tula there was nothing pretty left. My reply was to mention how deficient he was in intelligence, launching us into an argument with no winner.
Longing to see them erased my grin.
“How much money do you have?” Devlen asked. He dismounted and tied Moonlight to a nearby tree.
“Not much.” I rummaged in my pack and found a few coins. Janco carried the bulk of the money.
“I will buy jerky and cheese, and you can get the bread.”
We split up to purchase the food. A feeling of oddness settled on my shoulders. I felt as if I should seek help from the locals. Yet I knew any claims about my bizarre situation would be met with disbelief. Devlen’s sweet-talking skills would negate any sympathy.
Fulgor would be the same. To prove my story, the authorities would have to contact Zitora for confirmation. She would alert them to my status. I almost laughed at the irony of trying to get Devlen arrested and instead being the one locked up.
The best plan would be to find Ulrick and then bring him and Devlen to Yelena. She could switch their souls back to their right bodies. Devlen would then be incarcerated, I would report to the Citadel as ordered and Ulrick...? Could do whatever he wanted.
Guilt squeezed my stomach. Ulrick and I had a relationship before Devlen interrupted. But now I had Kade, and just the thought of the Stormdancer caused a hurricane to blow around my insides. I would have to tell Ulrick about Kade.
Devlen and I packed the items into our bags and mounted. After spending another sleepless night in the open, we arrived at Fulgor late the next afternoon.
* * *
Sitting across the table from Devlen, I felt unsettled. He had done nothing to alarm me, but the atmosphere in the Weir Inn’s common room seemed charged. The normal buzz of conversation was muted, as if the others were afraid of being overheard.
I glanced around. Town guards sat at tables and leaned against the bar. More than usual or was I just ultra-aware of them because of my situation?
I questioned Devlen on Ulrick. “Where did you leave him?”
“We parted company at the Tulip Inn on the western edge of town.”
He stuck to his story and I had no way to force the truth from him. “I’ll play along. Did he say where he planned to go?”
“I suggested he find a mentor to teach him how to use his new powers and to increase them.”
“With blood magic?”
“Of course. You cannot add to your magical abilities otherwise.”
I considered my own history with magic. At first, I had thought I possessed one trick—to capture magic inside my glass animals. But when Kade exhausted himself filling orbs with storm energy, I joined my essence with him and helped contain the lethal might of the tempest. Then I discovered the skill to harvest another’s magic.
“Your magic was always there, Opal. You lacked the confidence and the knowledge to fully use it.”
“You can read my mind?”
“No. Your face. Your expressions are easy to read. Despite your adventures with the sinister side of life, you remain an open and kind person.”
I would call them my misadventures.
Devlen relaxed against the back of his chair. “You do not agree. Just because you are smarter and more cautious now, you are not jaded and suspicious. When you meet someone, you think the best of them until they prove you wrong. It is refreshing and a little frustrating, especially in Ulrick’s case. He has not proven you wrong.”
“Mind games and sweet talk. You’re very good at those. You only know me through Ulrick’s memories.”
“And you have forgotten I was born a Sandseed and learned how to control my magic from the Story Weavers. Just because I chose to leave my clan to be a Warper does not mean I have forgotten my training. When I had magic, I scanned each person I touched. If they resonated with me, I had full access to the story threads of their life. Past, present and future.” He leaned closer. “You resonated deep within me. More than any other.”
He played with my emotions, conning me. I pushed aside his insinuations about knowing my life story. Focusing on the original topic, I asked, “Who would Ulrick seek out to teach him? According to the Sitian Council, all the Warpers are dead.”
Devlen propped his elbows onto the table and rested his chin on his hands. “Why are you asking me questions when you do not believe my answers?”
“Perhaps I’m hoping you’ll slip up and tell me the truth.”
He huffed. “Okay, fine. I told Ulrick there were three other Warpers who had escaped. They might have moved on, but two were living in Ognap and the other was somewhere near Bloodgood lands. I assume Ulrick would head east to Ognap. If the two Warpers are still there, he would find them.”
“How?”
“By their smell.” Seeing my confusion, he added, “It is not discernible by regular people or magicians. Only Warpers can smell it. Handy for a number of things, especially for finding spies in our midst.”
Ulrick could be in Ognap by now. If he was, then it would prove Devlen’s claims that Ulrick agreed to the switch. If he found the other Warpers, then the
y’re all together and I would have to deal with three powerful magicians. But it would also mean I could drain and neutralize three more blood magicians. Which was fine with me. The sooner the better.
Before, Ulrick’s skills were limited—his glass vases also trapped magic within them, but the magic transferred emotions rather than thoughts. Could he still use his own magic? Or had it remained with his body? I asked Devlen.
“No. Besides not knowing how to blow glass, all my own magic stayed with my soul.”
“How does blood magic work?” I asked.
Devlen sipped his ale. “Everyone has a soul. Therefore, everyone has magic. But not all can access the power source and use their magic potential. Only magicians can link their magic to the blanket of power.”
“I know all this. I studied at the Magician’s Keep for the past five years.”
“Humor me.” His finger traced the wood grain on the table. “Blood magic binds a person’s soul magic to his blood. It attaches energy to a physical substance. After the binding is achieved, blood can be drawn from the person and injected into another. The Warpers would mix the blood with tattoo ink and inject it into the skin.”
Devlen rubbed his arm as if remembering the prick of pain. “For the first level of the Kirakawa ritual, only a small amount is needed. The blood gives the Warper a boost of magic, and instead of drawing a thin thread of power from the blanket, he could pull a thicker strand. If the blood...donor is not a magician, the boost is weaker than blood from a magician.”
His gaze trapped mine. “This is where it becomes interesting. If the person receiving the blood is not a magician and the donor is not a magician, nothing happens. But if the nonmagical person injects blood from a magician, he gains the ability to connect with the power source. He becomes a magician. Think about it. Everyone could be a magician. Everyone would be equal. What is wrong with that?”
A persuasive argument, except for the one thing. “But it’s addicting. No one stops at the first level. The first few levels are benign, but once you get to level nine—”
“Ten is when the killings begin. And at level twelve the heart’s blood is harvested from the chambers of a heart. The final step reaps the most potent magic. Because the heart is where the soul resides.”
I shuddered, remembering the bloodstained sand at the Magician’s Keep. Sudden pride at my deeds during the Warper battle flared. Those who knew how to perform the last two levels of the Kirakawa had been imprisoned in my glass animals and hidden. Devlen had hoped to use me to find his captured mentor and finish the Kirakawa.
“What level were you on?” I asked.
“Eight.”
The word hung between us like a dark cloud. I pondered his explanation and encountered an anomaly. “The magic blood is injected into your skin, but when you switched bodies with Ulrick the tattoos didn’t go with you.”
“Correct. The extra magic stayed with my body. When I entered Ulrick’s, I only carried my original magic, which was strong.” He tapped his mug on the table. “Interesting. The addiction clung to me even when I swapped bodies.”
Horrifying was closer to the truth. If Devlen switched back to his body, he would have access to magic again and Ulrick would still be addicted.
He touched my hand. I recoiled. “When you stole my magic, you took away my greed for power. You could do the same for Ulrick.”
Ulrick had been frustrated with his limited magical abilities. To render him without any magic at all would be devastating. “I’m not sure he would want me to.”
“Does not matter what he wants. If you do not drain him, he will desire more magic and he has learned how to acquire it.”
With blood magic. “How could you say it doesn’t have to be ill used? Eventually anyone using it will advance to a point where he needs to kill in order to satisfy the hunger.”
“The desire to increase your power does not influence what you choose to do with your magic. Once acquired, I could do good things like heal and help others with it. The Daviian Warpers believed Sitia needed stronger leadership. They used their powers to overthrow the Council because they felt Ixia was on the verge of invading us, and the current Council would be ineffective in repelling them.”
“They were wrong.”
Devlen shrugged. “For now. Ixia’s Commander could always change his mind.”
“I can’t get past the fact of having to murder another to finish the ritual.”
He considered. “You could find someone on the edge of dying and take his soul right before he passes.”
“But then you deny him eternal peace in the sky.”
“Only if he was headed to the sky. What if the fire world claimed him? Given the choice of eternal pain or helping another, I have no doubt he would choose to stay.”
I almost agreed to the benefits of his scenario before I realized he had used his golden tongue to twist his words again. And I had fallen for it. Again.
His gaze slid pass me and a wry smile touched his lips. “Such a good boy. Right on time.”
I turned. Janco and four Sitian guards hustled toward us.
Devlen spread his hands wide, showing he was unarmed, but his attention never left me. “I enjoyed our conversation.”
Two guards rushed him. They jerked him to his feet and slammed him face-first onto the table. He offered no resistance despite being armed with Janco’s sword, which Janco wasted no time in reclaiming. Frisked and manacled, Devlen was pulled upright. The amused smile remained on his now-bloody lips.
All the patrons in the room stared at the spectacle. The other town soldiers watched with interest, but didn’t attempt to help their colleagues. Probably off duty.
“See you later,” Devlen said as the guards escorted him from the inn.
Janco remained behind. He turned a worried expression my way. “Are you all right?”
“Fine. How about you?” I gestured to his face and neck. Angry welts and scabs striped his skin.
He rubbed his arm. “Lousy whip. Took me by surprise. Knocked my sword right out of my hand.” His eyes, though, gleamed with appreciation. “Nasty weapon. I can’t wait to try it out on Ari.”
Janco’s partner, Ari, was twice as broad. Powerful and smart, Ari wouldn’t be easy to beat.
“Just don’t let him catch the whip. If he grabs it, you’re done.” I righted the mugs on the table and sat.
Plopping into the opposite chair, Janco winced.
“Do you want to go to a healer?” I asked.
He was quick to respond. “No. Absolutely not. I’m fine.” He waved down a server and ordered a meal. Moving with care, he leaned back. “Okay, spill.”
I filled him in on what had happened the past two days.
“You didn’t believe a word he said. Right?” Janco asked.
“Of course. I know better.” I tried to sound convincing, but wondered if the effort was for Janco’s benefit or mine.
“He’s got to have another reason for being here.”
He enjoyed twisting my emotions. Dismissing the thought, I said, “Your turn.”
“That big oaf, Ox, must wrestle bulls. He’s stronger than Ari and he wrapped me so tight in the whip, I couldn’t move a muscle.”
I suppressed a smile. Janco liked to exaggerate. This would be an interesting story.
“After waiting all day for the authorities to arrive, they wouldn’t hear our side of the story. Just carted us down to Robin’s Nest and dumped us in jail.” He shot me a cocky grin. “Local yokels. They did a sloppy search. My lock picks went undetected. But then I was in a quandary.” His grin turned sardonic. “I wished Ari was with me. He’s good with planning. But then again he would have lectured me on getting whupped by a man named Ox. I would have never lived it down.”
He swigged his ale and gazed at the liquid a
s if considering his near miss. Janco’s mood matched the waves in the sea, constantly up and down.
“A quandary?” I prompted.
“Oh, right.” He perked up. “If I escaped, the authorities would assume I was guilty and send soldiers after me. No big deal, except what to do when I caught up with you and Devlen? I couldn’t have him arrested if I had a posse on my tail. But I didn’t want to waste the night waiting for the town’s guards to confirm my story. I’ve seen what he’s done to you. It about killed me to decide.”
Judging by the time of Janco’s arrival with a team of Sitian soldiers, I figured he must have waited. “You did the right thing.”
He downed his ale and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “There is one problem.”
Oh no. I held my breath.
“In exchange for help to rescue you, I had to promise to escort you to the Citadel.”
I relaxed with relief, but my smile froze. A very un-Janco expression hardened his face. He was serious.
“I don’t go back on my word,” he said.
Bad news. I needed to find Ulrick. My mind raced. “What exactly did you promise?”
“I promised to take you to the Council. They’re frantic for your return.”
“Frantic? You could tell this from a message?”
“Yes. It read frantic.” He crossed his arms. “And considering the torture I thought you were enduring, I wasn’t going to waste time negotiating with them.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
He huffed, not mollified.
“Did you promise them a certain time? Like as soon as you rescued me or just that you would escort me home?”
A slow smile lit his face. “The time was implied. As in the sooner the better. But no. I just said I would bring you to the Council.”
“Then we need to make sure you come with me when I return after we find Ulrick.”
Janco ordered another ale to celebrate. “I like the way you think.”
* * *
Locating Ulrick proved to be difficult. The next morning, Janco and I talked to the Tulip Inn’s owner. He remembered Ulrick and Devlen because he had worried they would cause trouble. He thought Ulrick had been in a drunken brawl by the way he leaned on his companion and by the fresh blood on his face.