I mulled over his comments. His question about my commitment now made sense. I’d been pretending, playing dress up, and in the process sacrificed my magic and gotten Janco into trouble. In order to do it right, I needed to know things—things only Valek could teach me.
Valek watched me.
“Will you teach me?” I asked.
“You’re willing to give everything up?”
I swallowed, thinking of Kade. “Everything?”
“For now. The rest of your life is on hold.”
“How long?”
“Four months. Maybe less. You did pretty well so far, considering you’re a rookie.”
“Then, yes. I’m in one hundred percent.”
Valek smiled. “Good. First, send Kade a reply, asking him not to come.” He pointed at the unopened letter on the table.
I had forgotten about it. Sealed with wax, the message appeared to be secured.
Valek shrugged. “I was bored.”
“Second?”
“We’ll review your visit to Devlen, and decide what to ask him next.”
“And the rest of the time?”
“Spy training.” He grinned.
“You don’t really call it that, do you?”
“No.”
Kade’s sweet letter almost broke my resolve. He had planned to stop in Fulgor on his way back to his home in the Stormdance lands, spending the rest of the warming season with me. In my carefully worded reply, I asked him not to come. Instead, I told him I would meet up with him at the end of the warm season for Mara and Leif’s wedding in Booruby.
One half of me expected an angry reply, the other waited for him to show up on my doorstep.
Valek moved into my spare bedroom. We boarded up all the windows on the ground floor for security and privacy, and Valek converted a window on the ground floor into a hidden exit to the alley behind the building. He also rigged a way for us to descend from the second story.
“Always have alternate escape routes. The more, the merrier,” he had said.
He brought in various gadgets and weapons and equipment for training, filling the ground floor with them. He even ordered me to fire up a kiln and return to working with glass, insisting the effort of creating would enhance my training.
I asked Faith to begin interviewing new assistants for the Councilor. In the meantime, I continued to help Tama and I joined Nic and Eve every morning. Evenings I worked with Valek, sometimes late into the night.
After reviewing my conversation with Devlen, Valek sent me to Dawnwood for another chat. It was three weeks into the warming season and the late-afternoon sun warmed my shoulders. Fourteen days had passed since my previous visit. Even though Devlen worked on the construction site next to the training yard, I hadn’t talked to him.
And since Finn and his goons hadn’t shown up at all, my security escorts had stopped. Although I was quite sure Valek tailed me just in case.
A strange little sensation bubbled in my chest as I headed toward the prison. Expectation? Dread? Worry? None of them. It was more like pleasant anticipation. Oh joy.
Some experiences you just don’t get used to; being searched was one of them. After doing the entrance dance, a correctional officer led me to a visiting room. I jerked to a stop. No bars. A square table with two chairs had been placed in the center of the small room.
“Twenty minutes,” the CO said and left.
Surprised, I scanned the room. The bare white walls appeared to be solid. Except for the door on the opposite wall, nobody could see in. Devlen entered with Pellow a step behind.
Devlen sat at the table and Pellow remained by the door.
I pulled out the other seat and perched on the edge. “New room?”
“More trust,” he said. Devlen rested his arms on the table, leaning forward. “You look tired. You shouldn’t work so hard.”
“How do you know I haven’t been hitting the taverns at night?”
He flashed me a grin. “Give me a little credit. First, you’re not the type and second, I think you’ve been playing with Gressa’s toys. Have you fired up one of her, or more accurately, one of your kilns yet?”
Alarmed, I asked, “How did you know?”
“The construction workers like to gossip. A lot. Their incessant chatter is a nice diversion from the mindless labor.” Devlen waited for an answer.
“I just started.”
“Good. It’ll help you heal.”
“Are you going to turn all Story Weaver on me? If so, then I have other things to do.”
“No.”
“Thank fate.” I drew a breath. “I wanted to ask you about…Hubal.”
He stiffened for a second then relaxed. “Go on.”
I glanced at the CO, then met Devlen’s concerned gaze. “I was a…guest for a number of days, and I’d like to know if there were any…extras left.” Too cryptic?
A ridge of flesh puckered between his eyebrows as he tried to follow my hint.
“Since I donated so much…money to my host, I wonder if he spent it all or had some left over.” In other words, what had Tricky done with all my blood?
Understanding lit his face followed by chagrin. “Unfortunately our host didn’t trust me with his plans. He hadn’t since I left him behind in Thunder Valley. Remember?”
“I’ll never forget.” I had thought Tricky, Devlen and the others had been safely locked away when Devlen ambushed me. I rubbed my thighs. Scars from his sword still marked them and my upper arms.
Sadness pulled the corners of his mouth down. “And when he offered me some of your money and I declined, he became even more suspicious of my intentions.” He cupped his chin in his hand as he visited the past.
He would figure it out soon. That was the problem with asking him about my blood. Devlen claimed to be on my side. This would be a test.
Dropping his hand, he said with a sudden eagerness, “That is why you’re in Fulgor. If there’s money left over, you could—”
“Don’t say it.” The possibility of me regaining my magic was slim to none. No sense getting my hopes up for a tiny chance. “Besides, I may not have any legal right to it, and what if I start desiring more? That’s too high a price to pay.” Using my blood to gain power could have the same influence over me as blood magic.
“It’s a shame you don’t have any powerful friends to help you. One that has both magical and political influence would be ideal in this situation,” he teased.
I slapped the table. Yelena! She could monitor me and ensure I didn’t become addicted by pulling the blood from me if I did. But then I sobered. Since it was my own blood, would the magic work the same? Would I have to inject it into my skin or into my bloodstream?
Devlen rested his warm hand on my fingers. “See? I’m helping you. Maybe you won’t wait so long to visit me again.” He squeezed.
Fire sizzled up my arm. I jerked my hand away in surprise.
“Sorry,” he said, as Pellow stepped forward and yanked Devlen from the chair.
“Time’s up, Dev. You know the rules,” Pellow said. “No touching.”
Devlen resisted for a moment, looking at me in pain. “I thought you were no longer afraid of me.”
I shot to my feet. “I’m not. I…”
Pellow shoved Devlen through the door. The CO glanced at me over his shoulder. “The rules are to protect you, ma’am.”
The door slammed shut. My thoughts whirled as the skin on my right hand tingled. What the hell was that? He probably just hit one of those pressure points by accident. I dismissed it.
Since Devlen had no knowledge about the location of my blood, I had, at least, accomplished my task. No need to visit him anymore. I knocked on the other entrance and my CO escorted me from the prison.
On the way home, I felt out of sorts and not happy with the way our session had ended. I wanted to reassure him. Me? Reassure Devlen? I almost laughed out loud, except another part of my brain planned to visit him again.