The desperate thumping in my chest filled my ears. About halfway between my wrist and elbow, Tricky drew his knife across the inside of my forearm. A burning pain sizzled and blood welled.
He covered the wound with a rubber suction cup and held it in place. A slurping noise came from behind him.
“It’s working,” Boar said. He squeezed a rubber ball attached to the tube. Red liquid filled a glass container in his lap. “It’s slow.”
He untied the rope around my arm, and instructed Boar, “Use your healing magic, but instead of stopping the flow, encourage her blood to gush. Draw strength from me.” Tricky’s face creased with effort. He rubbed my arm. “Relax. It’ll be over in a minute. No pain. You’ll just go to sleep.”
I felt light-headed and realized he planned to suck me dry. I couldn’t just lie here and let him. Fuzzy thoughts tried to plan. Glass container. Rubber tubing. Lump in my spine—my switchblade.
Pulling the weapon from the small of my back, I yanked it free and triggered the blade. Snick. Tricky’s gaze switched to my right hand. I jabbed him in the shoulder before he could draw power. He scrambled back in surprise, dropping the tube. I scooped up a handful of glass—spiders and a bee—crushing them.
The noise and flash stunned Boar for a second. Recovering, he gained his feet, cradling the container of my blood. The two other guards rushed toward me with their weapons drawn, but I pointed to the single Greenblade bee, hovering in midair. “Stop right there!”
They paused next to Boar. “Tricky, help,” Len cried.
No response. Tricky didn’t move. A lesson I learned from Yelena—treating my blade with Curare.
“Give me the jar,” I said.
“Aubin!”
A blur of motion and a knife skewered the bee. It fell to the ground, too heavy to fly. I ordered my spiders to attack them. A moment of confusion created a distraction while I found another bee. I sent this one to break the jar, but the glass was too thick. My last bee hovered for a mere second before being impaled with a knife.
“Don’t move. Or the next one goes into your heart,” Aubin said, aiming a dagger at me. “Drop your weapons and keep your hands where I can see them.”
I released the spiders and turned my palms out.
“Boar, can we finish the job?” Aubin asked.
“Not without Tricky. My magic is too weak.”
“Give me the jar. Help Len carry Tricky.” Aubin tucked the container under his arm.
With Boar’s help, Len draped Tricky over his shoulder.
Aubin gestured to me with his knife. “Come.”
“No.” Tricky wanted me alive. They could harm me, but probably wouldn’t kill me until after he woke. I hoped his goons didn’t know how to counter Curare.
Aubin considered. “We can force you. You’ll be hurt.”
“Doesn’t matter.” I swept a hand out. “My companions will wake well before Tricky. You won’t be able to get far carrying him and dragging me along. Once they can move, you’ll have a Stormdancer and two powerful magicians after you. I’d give you a twenty-percent chance of living through the encounter.” I tapped my finger on my lips. “Hmm…I changed my mind.”
“You’ll come with us?” Aubin asked.
“No. I think twenty percent is too high. I forgot Curare doesn’t last as long on Stormdancers…something with the electrical charge in the atmosphere neutralizing the drug. I think a ten-percent chance of survival is more accurate. It is the storm season.”
I kept my gaze steady as Aubin studied me. Dizziness spun behind my eyes, but I ignored it.
“Then I’ll kill your companions so there is no need to worry about them following us.”
My heart flipped. I used every bit of energy to keep my voice calm. “Zero chance of survival.”
“Why?”
“One of the magicians is the brother of the Soulfinder. If she doesn’t scare you, then her heart mate, Valek, should. Not only is he the Commander’s assassin, but he’s immune to all magic. Plus, you’d have every Stormdancer after you, and the Master Magicians, as well.”
“Let’s just go,” Boar said. “We have enough blood.”
“We can’t leave her here. She’ll send her bees after us,” Aubin said.
Boar muttered and searched the ground. He found my sais and grasped them by the shafts. He strode toward me. “Do you know how to fight with these?”
Confused, I glanced at Aubin.
“Answer his question.”
“Yes,” I said.
“Do you know the soldier’s honor code for a fair fight?” Boar asked.
“No.”
He stepped closer and held the sais out. I automatically reached for the hilts, but he snatched them away.
“Neither do I.” Boar swung one of the sais, aiming at my temple.
Pain pulsed in my head, waking me. I shaded my eyes from the searing reflection of sunlight off the shale ground. My body ached and my arm stung. I stayed prone for a while, chasing fuzzy memories. When I remembered the attack, I scrambled upright, searching for Tricky and his goons.
No one except Kade, Leif, Skippy and the horses. They all remained paralyzed by Curare and would be immobile for another…I checked the sky. A few hours past dawn. From my unfortunate experience with the drug, I knew they would be incapacitated for almost a full day. At least my companions could hear, see, breathe and swallow.
A hiccuppy laugh bubbled. Kade and the others had heard the whole fight. I wondered what I would get in trouble for. Falling for Boar’s honor-code trick or for letting them get away with my blood.
I needed to focus before the shakes came or I passed out again. Stumbling over to Leif’s pack, I found the Theobroma lumps. The wind had died down and a few half-burnt branches had survived last night’s flames. One good thing about being unable to light fires with magic was I kept matches in my saddlebags.
I coaxed the meager firewood into a small blaze and melted the Theobroma. Once the brown liquid cooled enough not to burn skin, I spooned the antidote into each of my companion’s mouths, guessing how much was needed. For the horses, I coated my fingers with it and rubbed my hands on their tongues.
My arms shook by the time I finished. Shivers racked my body. I wrapped my blanket around me and lay next to Kade, pulling his blanket over us both.
Leif woke me an instant after I fell asleep. At least, that was how it felt to me. I blinked in the light, cursing the brightness. My heavy limbs refused to move. I didn’t have enough energy to stand.
“Drink this,” Leif said.
He tipped a mug toward my lips. A foul-smelling liquid sloshed. I tried to pull away, but he put his hand under my head, dripping the yellow substance into my mouth.
“Swallow or I’ll hold your nose closed until you do,” Leif threatened.
I gulped and winced. It tasted like dirty wash water.
“It will help your body produce more blood. Make you feel stronger so we can get off this horrid rock and down to the soft sands of the beach.”
“Go on without me.” I shooed halfheartedly. “It’s not like you need me to save you or anything…Oh, wait. I did save you.”
“And you took your sweet time, too. Although I give you major bonus points for your…ah…very creative arguments about why they shouldn’t kill us.”
I shivered at the memory as Leif urged me to gulp more of his potion.
“I meant it, don’t let me keep you from the beach.”
“Nice try, but you’re going to drink all of this. Besides, if I tried to leave, a certain Stormdancer would probably zap me with lightning.”
“Where is Kade?” I sat up, feeling better.
Leif looked past my shoulder. “Walking the horses. They weren’t happy about being paralyzed. Once we calmed them, they let Kade work off their stiffness.” He met my gaze. “I’m sorry, Opal. We should have posted guards, but I thought the horses would warn us of any intruders. I never thought someone would use Curare on them.”