I squirmed under his continued scrutiny. “Aydan mentioned melt. Would you like to work the glass?”
“Could you show me how to make animal shapes? My mother always thought it was a waste of time.” He shrugged. “No money in it. But I’d like to learn.”
We worked together and, with my guidance, he made a swan. The piece didn’t resemble a first effort. Ulrick’s skills with the glass were impressive.
With the second animal, I gathered the molten glass onto the end of a blowpipe. When he finished shaping the legs and tail of a pig, I instructed him to blow through the pipe. The creature’s body expanded as it should. Although well crafted, the pig didn’t glow with magic. I didn’t mention the lack of power. What worked for me didn’t have to work for him, but my curiosity about how he inserted the magic into his pieces grew.
“Can you make one of your vases? One that sings?” I asked.
“No. I need a special sand mix. It’s your turn. I’d like to see you work your magic.”
Remembering his failure to see the inner glow in Zitora’s unicorn, I said, “You probably won’t be able to see it.”
“Maybe I just need to be here. What are you going to make?”
“I don’t know.”
He huffed. “You sound just like my sister. How can you not know?”
I shrugged.
“I have to have the image of my finished piece firmly in mind before I sit down at the bench. Otherwise I end up with a cold slug of glass.”
When I couldn’t provide the exact reason my method worked for me, he gathered the last of the melt. All distractions disappeared as I focused on rolling the pipe and shaping the glass. My mind open to the slight nuances in the glass, I used my tweezers and tugged until a shape formed. Then I blew magic into the piece. The core glowed as if on fire.
“I thought you said your speciality was animals,” Ulrick said.
“It is.” I considered the finished sculpture. Technically it was a living thing, but I had never made a seashell before. It twisted around a center point like a conch shell. “Interesting.”
“Crazy,” he teased. “Crack it off. I’ll put it next to mine in the annealing oven to cool.”
“Do you see the inner light?”
He hesitated for a heartbeat. “No.”
“So to you this is…”
“A lump of dull glass shaped like a shell. Sorry. Perhaps you should stick to animals.”
I waited to see if he would remember seeing Zitora’s unicorn. He frowned but didn’t mention it. I said the words for him. “Or perhaps not.”
“I didn’t say—”
“Don’t worry about it. My ego can handle it.”
“I know my ego wouldn’t. Otherwise I would have agreed with my mother and found another occupation instead of trying to prove her wrong.”
We cleaned up the work area and filled the kilns with Aydan’s special sand. Ulrick added enough coal to keep the fire hot for most of the night. Aydan would need to check on it overnight. By then, the sand mixture should melt and be ready in the morning.
When we finished, we headed toward the Keep. The lanterns along the main Citadel road cast a yellow softness on the hard marble walls of the buildings. Our footsteps echoed through the deserted street. I marveled over how much time had passed while Ulrick and I had worked.
Nighttime fears and apprehensions crawled along my skin. I checked Ulrick’s shadow, sighing with relief to see the shape matched my companion’s broad shoulders. I wondered if he knew how to defend himself. Like an idiot, I had left my sais back in my rooms. The need to protect myself still wasn’t instinctive in spite of my recent kidnapping. I had assumed Ulrick’s company was all I needed to stay safe.
“Why is seeing the inner glow so important?” Ulrick asked.
I explained about the magic trapped inside.
“If I can’t see it, then I’m not a magician.”
“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. The Masters are just realizing there are a number of unusual magical abilities. If it hadn’t been for Yelena, my magic never would have been discovered and I wouldn’t be here.”
Ulrick looked at me in surprise. “You know Yelena Zaltana?”
“Yes.” I waited.
“What’s she like? Is she as powerful as the rumors say? As beautiful?”
I suppressed my annoyance. At least he wasn’t pumping me for information about my sister, and he hadn’t heard about my involvement with trapping the evil souls. I confirmed the rumors and told Ulrick a few details, including her commitment to Valek, the Ixian Chief of Intelligence.
“The most hated man in Sitia in love with the hero of Sitia. Wow. I’d bet the story of how they met would be fascinating.”
“It is.” Before he could ask for more information, I changed the subject. We discussed the best way to explore his magic glass until we reached the Keep.
The gates were locked, and the guards suspicious until I explained who we were. We didn’t see anyone walking around the Keep’s campus, but Ulrick insisted on escorting me to my quarters.
“You really don’t need—” I started.
“Nonsense. After what happened, you should have a battalion of guards with you at all times.”
“A battalion? Six-hundred men?”
“All right. A platoon then, and not a single soldier less.” He acted stern.
“I’m insulted, now. Only thirty men? I’m worth a cohort at least.”
He considered. “I don’t know. You’re the only glass magician that we know of, but I’ve seen the shell you made, and—”
“Watch it.”
“You’re right. One-hundred men at least, although I’d be happier with two cohorts.” He opened my door for me and gestured me inside.
As I passed him, he placed a hand on my shoulder. I paused.
“I’ll go and order that battalion. We shouldn’t skimp on safety.”
The intensity of his concern sent a wave of warmth through me. We had been joking around. Hadn’t we?
I couldn’t think of a proper response, so I thanked him for taking me home. He nodded and left, closing the door behind him.
In my sitting room, I poked the dying embers of the fire into flames, adding wood until the hearth blazed with light and heat. The crisp air felt empty. And I longed to be…Be where?
Be home with my family? The familiar homesick ache didn’t fill my heart. And the thought of going back to helping my father in the factory was unappealing.
Be at the coast with Kade? Tempting, except for the fact Kade grieved for his sister and kept himself at a distance. Plus the Stormdancers had no real need for my skills.
Be with Ulrick? I would enjoy getting to know him better. My skin still felt warm where he had touched me. But I might have read more into the gesture than he had intended. He probably viewed me as a younger sister who held no talent for shaping glass.
I guessed I would have to be content with my current situation. The thought of working with Zitora raised my spirits. Perhaps my last year at the Keep wouldn’t be as lonely as the first four.
Tired from only a few hours of sleep, I dragged my body out of bed the next morning. After breakfast, I hustled to the Masters’ meeting room in the Keep’s administration building.
All three Masters sat at a conference table. They argued without anger. I hesitated in the doorway until Zitora waved me in and pointed to an empty seat.
Maps of the Moon Clan’s lands covered the surface. Black lines marked the Ixian border.
“…Valek isn’t involved,” Master Jewelrose said.
“But that’s his calling card,” Zitora said.
“Was. Just because a black statue was found in Councillor Moon’s house doesn’t mean she’s been targeted for assassination.” Irys Jewelrose flipped through a file of papers. “The Councillor’s sister desires the position. It is probably an attempt to scare the Councillor into retiring. We’ve seen this type of power struggle within the clans before.”