“So you don’t really like hunting for treasures from the sea?” I asked.
She slapped the table. “That reminds me! Remember that sea glass I found?”
Hard to forget the glass that had caused everyone to fight over it. A magical compulsion had been attached to it by an uncontrolled young magician named Quinn. I wondered if he could purposely attach magic to glass now that he should have control over his power. Then I recalled the cold glass Mister Paul had in Hubal. The two bits of information linked and I felt as if I’d been smacked. If Quinn made the cold glass, he might be able to do more.
“Opal? It wasn’t that hard a question,” Heli said.
I pulled my thoughts back.
Heli waited for my answer.
“Sorry. What was the question?” I asked.
“Sea glass?”
“Of course. What about it?”
“I’m this close to deciphering the message scratched on the pieces.” Heli held up her finger and thumb with a half-inch gap between them.
“But the markings were just a way for Quinn to keep track of his collection.”
“Did he tell you that?” she asked.
“I don’t remember.”
“From your description of the Bloodrose family, I think the glass was a call for help.”
I shook my head. “Heli, the family was… All right, they were creepy, but I didn’t see anything illegal going on. They’re just oyster farmers who don’t want to be bothered by outsiders.”
Kade served the sweet cakes. “That sea glass already caused enough trouble, Heli. Just leave it alone.”
She snapped her mouth shut, but the gleam in her eyes gave away her intentions to continue despite Kade’s order. Ah. Youth.
After breakfast, Sarrah and Ink went to the shed, and I cleaned up while Kade and Heli discussed the upcoming storm season.
When she shrieked with delight, I looked over. Kade wore his sternest frown, but Heli practically bounced in her seat.
“It’s a huge responsibility,” Kade said. “Their safety is in your hands. If anything should happen—”
“Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen. I’ve got it covered. Thanks, Kade. Have a great trip!” She hugged him around the neck, waved goodbye to me and dashed off.
“That may have been a mistake,” Kade said.
“What?”
“I’ve put her in charge of the Stormdancers until I arrive on the coast.”
The other three dancers were older and more experienced. “Why?”
“She’s the strongest of the four, and when it comes to unpredictable storms, brute strength can be more valuable than experience.”
“At least it’s the heating season.” The storms were milder in comparison to the cooling season. “She’ll be fine.” Then I grinned.
“Should I even ask?”
“You may have an…interesting reception when you return. I’m sure Prin and Raiden will not be happy about the new boss.”
He laughed. “She’ll drive them crazy. Good. Maybe they’ll appreciate me more.”
Kade and I left the next morning for Booruby. Fitting a silk gown into my packs wouldn’t work, so I had to tie the box to Quartz’s saddle. There were twelve days until Mara’s wedding and it would take us seven to reach my house, leaving five days for me to help my mother. I was in big trouble.
I set a quick pace. When we arrived at my family’s home, I paused before pushing through the gate. The house seemed quiet. White smoke billowed from the glass factory’s chimneys. No one was in sight. Our courtyard had been transformed for the wedding ceremony and reception. Large arches decorated the space, tables and chairs had been set up and a fabric ceiling hung above the yard to protect everything from the rain.
Leading Quartz and Moonlight to the shed/stable, I realized Kade had never been here before. I pointed out the various buildings. We removed the horses’ saddles and rubbed them down. As soon as we finished, they trotted into the Avibian Plains. The grasses in the plains had returned to green and their long stalks rippled in the breeze.
When I could delay no longer, I headed toward the house. It was time to face my mother’s wrath.
“Perhaps I should wait outside,” Kade said.
“Oh no.” I grabbed his hand. “She can’t kill me if there is a witness.”
“I think you’re exaggerating. It won’t be that bad.”
I steeled myself and stepped into the kitchen—also known as wedding central. My mother bustled about the hearth, stirring pots and baking pies. I called a hello.
She turned and gave me a cold stare. “Can I help you, miss?”
“Mom—”
“Excuse me? You must be mistaken. I’m not your mother. No. Because my daughter wouldn’t be so inconsiderate as to arrive so late for her own sister’s wedding. Especially when she knows how much work is involved. No. I’m afraid my daughter is lying dead in a ditch somewhere.”
16
I EXPECTED MY MOTHER TO BE MAD AT ME FOR ARRIVING so close to the wedding, but I didn’t think she’d be so melodramatic. “Mom, I’m—”
“Hello, Kade,” she said, ignoring me to give him a welcoming hug. “I’m sorry about Opal’s tragic demise, but I’m sure you’ll find someone more reliable and considerate. Perhaps one of Mara’s friends—”
“Mother!”
She didn’t miss a beat. “—would suit you. She invited all of them, and some are still single and quite pretty. There is an extra bed in Ahir’s room for you. Make yourself at home. Supper will be ready in a few hours.” With that, she returned to her cooking.
She didn’t murder me, but I wanted to either die or kill her. Hard to tell. “Five days is plenty of time, Mom. Mara and Leif aren’t even here yet,” I said to her back.
Glancing over her shoulder, she said, “Kade, by the time you’re settled, Leif should be back with the tablecloths. Could you help him? Mara is busy helping her father make the centerpieces in the factory.”
He looked a little queasy. “Uh…sure.”
Giving up, I showed Kade my brother’s room. There were two extra beds wedged in with Ahir’s. I recognized Leif’s saddlebags on one of them. Kade dropped his pack onto the other. I showed him my room. It used to be mine and Tula’s. A sudden sadness pierced my heart and I sank to my bed. Tula would have loved planning for Mara’s wedding. She would have been chosen as the Bride’s Maid of Honor and I would have been happy to be a regular Bride’s Maid.
Kade moved around the beds, looking at my childhood knickknacks, but there wasn’t much space. Two extra beds plus Tula’s occupied the room. It appeared Mara would sleep in Tula’s and we would have two more guests. That meant Mara’s room was also being used for visitors. Despite her complaints of all the extra work, my mother loved having a house full of people. If she hadn’t married my father, she would probably be a very contented innkeeper.
I sighed. Kade sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. I leaned into him.
“Don’t worry. Your mother can’t stay mad at you forever,” he said.
“She’ll make me suffer first. But that’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
How to put my swirling thoughts into words? “After the wedding, everyone has jobs to return to. You’re needed on the coast. Mara and Leif will eventually return to the Magician’s Keep. Yelena, Valek and even Ari and Janco all have a purpose. I don’t.”
“You’ve given up on finding your blood?”
“By now it could be anywhere. Finding it would be like picking out one particular raindrop in a storm.”
“Don’t start.”
I batted my eyes, faking innocence. “With what?”
“The defeated attitude. Ha! You thought I was going to say the weather analogies. Didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Well it’s not as important as your attitude. You can’t give up. This is something you need to do and I understand that. Valek has his people searching. From all I’ve heard about them, success is likely.”
“There’s still nothing I can do, but wait.”
“Really?”
“I tried thinking of who hates me enough to want my blood.”