I plopped onto the bed and reviewed the evening’s events. It was time to admit I needed help. Two people came to mind.
Kade. He was handy in a fight, but had no experience in sneaking around. Besides, he’d promised his parents he would visit for the season. I decided not to bother him.
Janco would have loved the chase through Fulgor’s streets and would drool with happiness at the challenge of getting into the Councilor’s residence. He had offered to help if needed. I decided to send Janco a message in the morning.
When my heart slowed to normal and the buzz of anxiety drained from my mind, I dressed for bed. Before drifting off to sleep, I realized the break-in hadn’t been a complete waste of time. The address in Hubal where the extra glass supplies were delivered could be informative.
22
A COMMOTION IN THE OUTER ROOM WOKE ME. GRESSA BARGED into the bedroom with Nic on her heels.
“…here all night,” Nic said. “See?”
Anger simmered in her eyes as she studied me.
I sat up. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone broke into the Councilor’s Hall last night. Someone matching your description.”
I had prepared for this. At least, the Hall’s guards weren’t with her. Jumping from bed, I let concern fill my face. “Is the Councilor all right? Did she get hurt?” I ignored the accusation for now.
She hesitated. “Tama is fine. No one was hurt.”
“Thank fate.” I relaxed with mock relief, then pressed my lips together. “What did they steal? Not that beautiful vase you made for her? That’s priceless!” I stroked her ego.
Confusion replaced anger. “Nothing was taken.”
“Oh.” I blinked at her for a moment before putting a hand to my breast in horror. “You said the intruder looked like me. You don’t think I…?”
Nic opened his mouth, but snapped it shut when she glared at him.
“No. Of course not. I’m checking to make sure no one tried to break in here. The person could have been after your messengers.”
“Did you examine the cabinet? Lee always locks them inside after they’re done annealing.”
“No. I wanted to ensure you were safe first.”
Her quick recovery and fast lies were impressive. I met Nic’s gaze. He seemed awed, as well, but smoothed his expression before Gressa noticed. We went through the motions, inspecting the cabinet, counting glass messengers in the annealing oven and speculating on reasons why someone would break into the Councilor’s Hall and not steal anything.
Eventually she left and I started my day. After sending a message to Janco by courier, I worked in the factory. As I crafted messengers, my thoughts kept returning to the address I found last night. Gressa had been ordering enough supplies for eight kilns with half going to Hubal. Why? No logical reason popped to mind. I would have to visit Hubal. It was a small town located about twenty miles northeast of Fulgor.
One problem. I needed to ditch my escorts for a couple of days. Plus, I would need to wait. If I disappeared right after the break-in, Gressa’s suspicion would return to me. It would also be prudent to be here for Janco or his reply.
On horseback, the messenger should reach the Ixian border in a day, delivering the note to the border guards. Assuming Janco was at the Commander’s Castle, he would receive my request in five days. If he left that day, the earliest he would arrive was ten days from now. Too bad the Commander banned all magic in Ixia. Otherwise, I could have contacted Janco via my glass messenger and halved the time.
Though sensible, my plan to wait produced an anxiety-inducing edginess. I imagined Tricky spreading his knowledge of blood magic like a stain, tainting everything it touched with red.
I followed my routine and tried to mask my impatience for action. After ten days of waiting, I twitched at every noise. By day twelve, I decided to go to Hubal without Janco.
Determined to pack and slip out the window that night, I fidgeted while Nic swept the apartment for intruders. He gave me the all-clear signal and left, guarding the door.
I barreled into the bedroom and skidded to a stop. Janco lounged on my bed with his hands laced behind his head and a smug smile on his face.
Recovering from my surprise, I said, “About time.”
He huffed. “Not quite the welcome I expected.”
“Thanks for coming. Is that better?”
“No. I imagined you would be so impressed by my ability to get past your watchdog, and so grateful for my arrival you would throw yourself at my feet and promise me your undying gratitude.”
It was nice to know he hadn’t changed. “If you can get free ale at the pub with that story, you can go ahead and use it.”
“Is this an official damsel-in-distress call? ’Cause that would help me with Ari. He’s going to be pissed I left. Especially since we had to explain to Valek how we managed to lose a smuggler.”
“Yes, it’s an official D-I-D call.”
“Ooh…I like.” He patted the bed, inviting me to join him. When I was comfortable, he said, “Spill.”
I explained everything. It felt as if the story lasted hours. Janco asked a few questions, then scratched the scar under his right ear. A queasy expression settled on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He grimaced. “Well…If Yelena says souls can’t be switched, I’m inclined to believe her. There’s no reason for her to lie.”
I rushed to assure him. “I don’t think she’s lying. There are aspects of blood magic that we don’t know about. Just because she can’t switch souls doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”
“And you want to find proof?”
“Yes.”
Mischief danced in his eyes. “How can I help?”
“Just an overnight trip,” I said to Gressa. “Quartz needs the exercise and I could use some fresh air.”
“But you haven’t finished the messengers for the Council yet. And we have orders waiting.” She tapped her fingers on the inventory list.
Time for a concession. “Why don’t you keep half the messengers for our clients. The Council should have enough for now.”
She brightened at the idea and agreed to my day off. I hoped my trip to Hubal would net us information. Janco had made many forays into the Councilor’s Hall and Tama’s and Gressa’s apartments without finding a bit of evidence. Disheartening unless they kept their files in another location.
The next morning, I packed a few things. Eve arrived to relieve Nic and I told her about my plans.
“Let’s stop by the station and I’ll grab my stuff,” Eve said.
“No offense, Eve, but I need some time to myself. No one has attacked me and no one knows where I’m going. I’ll be safe.”
“What about on the roads? You could be followed.”
“I could, but I doubt they’d catch me. Quartz is a Sandseed horse. Besides, I don’t plan to stop at any travel shelters or camp on the road. There’s a half-dozen small towns within a day’s ride. I’ll stay at an inn and be back by tomorrow afternoon. Promise.”
Her frown didn’t ease. “What if they trail you to the inn and ambush you there?”
Damn. Since she didn’t know about Janco, she had a good point. I thought fast. “How about if you watch me and see if anyone follows me from Fulgor. If no one does, then you don’t have to worry.”
“And if someone does?” she asked.
“Then please catch up.”
She laughed. “Where are you going?”
“South to Chandra. I’ll walk Quartz the first hour. If you don’t show up, I’ll assume no one is trailing me.”
She agreed with reluctance. Quartz squirmed as I saddled her. She was as anxious as I to be on the road. She trotted at the slightest movement from me, and holding her to a walk was difficult. I headed south, trying to keep a lookout for a tail, but didn’t notice anyone. After an hour, I touched Quartz with my heels. She broke into a gallop in an instant.