A hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my outcry.
“Shhhh. It’s me, Yannis…er…Janco,” he whispered in my ear.
I quit struggling and he removed his hand.
“I don’t have much time. Even though it’s the middle of the night, Devlen watches us closely. The man doesn’t blink an eye over torture, but he’s very protective of you,” he huffed. “So what’s the plan?”
“Isn’t the Ixian army coming to our rescue? Your partner?”
“This was a discovery mission. Top secret. Ari can’t get here until a day after the blizzards anyway, but by then Sir and Devlen planned to bleed your Stormdancer dry.” He shuddered. “All this magic gives me the creeps.”
No choice but to figure it out on my own. I thought fast. What did I do best? Looking at the solution as a series of glassmaking steps, I created a list of needs. Need a storm, need an orb and need the freedom to move.
“Janco, can you bring the orb from Devlen’s pack in here when they come for Kade tomorrow?”
“The swirly green one he just sold to Sir?”
“Yes. Toss it to Kade when I give the signal. Do they have more orbs for the storms?”
“Yeah. There were a ton of glass balls hidden under the tarps in the wagons, that’s what Namir has been delivering. The sand and lime are just decoys.”
“What’s the pit for?”
“General Kitvivan’s started a mining operation up here in the hot season. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here. To see what he’s been mining.”
I knew the answer. “Diamonds. To pay Sir for this operation in taming the blizzards.”
“Makes sense. The Commander’s not going to be happy about all this.” He paused. “What else?”
“Can you get me a key for these cuffs?”
“No, but I can unlock them for you.” He pulled a few picks from his pocket, reached up and the manacles popped open in seconds.
“Handy skill.”
“Since you have the same propensity for getting into trouble, you should ask Yelena to teach you.”
“Assuming I live through this.” I touched my raw wrists.
“Think positive. Anything else?”
“When and if things begin to happen, don’t kill Devlen.”
“Why not?”
“I need his body,” I said, thinking about Ulrick stuck in Devlen’s real body. I didn’t know if there was even a way to switch them back. I’d worry about it later.
“Magic.” Janco spat the word out. “Twisted.”
“I need a knife. Do you have one?”
“Always.” He handed me his switchblade. “Yours.”
I triggered the blade.
“You do know how to use it, right?” A hint of worry laced his voice.
“Think positive.”
He laughed and slipped from the room without another sound.
I waited for a few minutes before sliding off my sack pile. The thin line of firelight from underneath the door gave off just enough light to illuminate black shapes. I wove my way through them and almost tripped over Kade’s net-covered form.
“Kade?” I whispered. A sleepy mumble. I cut the ropes around his wrists and ankles. Then sawed through the net.
Without warning, his hands seized my shoulders. He rolled over me, pinning me to the ground.
“It’s me,” I said.
“Opal?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“Sorry.” He released me.
I finished cutting the net, and peeled it away from his body.
“Ah. Better.” Kade stretched.
“Don’t get used to it.” I explained my plan.
“What happens if Crafty tries to trap you in a null shield? Can you siphon that?”
“Don’t know, but if she’s focused on me, you should be free.”
“Should be. Opal, no offense, but this plan has a lot of holes in it.”
I challenged him. “You have any better ideas?”
He sucked in a breath then released it all at once. “No.”
I rearranged the net around Kade and he pretended his hands and feet were still tied. Tal had left two empty orbs in the storeroom so I moved them closer to me. I hid the knife in my pocket and palmed my glass spider. Then it was my turn to pretend to be manacled.
The wait was excruciating. Doubts chased worries. Fears followed hope. Impatience warred with the need to conserve energy. The increased keening of the wind didn’t help at all. The noise sawed through my body with its icy teeth.
When the door opened, I jumped. But settled my nerves. Hunched on the sack pile, I assumed a dejected and wary posture. Sir, Tal and Crafty entered first, then Devlen and Tricky. I noticed Tricky looked to Devlen as if waiting for permission. Janco hovered in the doorway.
“Time to dance,” Sir said. He and Tal bent over Kade. Crafty raised her arms.
“Now,” I yelled. I yanked my wrists from the cuffs and broke the glass spider in half. Kade leaped to his feet and tossed the net over Crafty. She yelped in surprise.
Bite Tricky, I ordered the spider.
Jumping from the pile, I grabbed one of the empty orbs. From the doorway Janco threw Kaya’s orb at Kade. He caught it in midair.
Janco spun and the clangs of a sword fight rang from the hallway as he blocked the entrance to the room. A snippet of a rhyme, “Five against one is so much fun,” hopefully meant Janco kept Namir and his men occupied. He wouldn’t last long.
An angry breeze stirred to life. And died.
Devlen smirked. “Now what?” He pointed to Tal and Sir, both had swords mere inches from Kade. His fingers grasping the stopper to Kaya’s orb, Kade grimaced with pain.
The spider had disappeared, leaving behind a nasty red welt and a livid man. Crafty found the hole in the net and shrugged it off of her. It landed in a heap.
“Crafty isn’t the only one who knows how to work a null shield,” Devlen said, breaking the silence. “It was one of the first skills I learned.” He considered Kade. “Now if the Stormdancer releases the energy inside his orb while he’s caught in a null shield, I’m assuming we’ll all die. But I really don’t think he wants you to die.” He turned to me. “And what are you planning? Unless one of us attacks you with magic, the empty orb is nothing but glass in your hands.”
I had miscalculated and underestimated Devlen. Failed. The rings of steel and grunts from the hallway ceased with a curse. Janco came into the room with his hands behind his head. Rutz and Shen following with swords aimed at his back.
“Did I miss the party?” Janco asked.
“Oh no. We’re just beginning,” Devlen said.
I still held the orb.
Devlen stepped toward me unconcerned.
I could smash it on his head or use a broken shard to cut my throat.
“Back into your chains like a good girl.” His manner confident. He expected me to obey without hesitation.
Being an accommodating doormat, I had always listened to him. Not this time. Glass was in my hands. It throbbed with potential.
I reached. Reached toward Devlen and siphoned his magic. The clinks of glass sounded like hail on the windows. He struggled in panic, but to no avail. I pulled until he had nothing left.
Crafty started to move her null shield to encompass me, but I reached for her power before it touched me. Crafty’s magic rained into the orb for many minutes until I drained her dry. I turned to Tricky and plucked at his small power. It refused to budge. He grinned with triumph until a gust of wind slammed him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.
I staggered back as Kade used the air to disarm the rest of the men. The realization of what I had done knocked me to my knees.
I didn’t channel Devlen’s and Crafty’s magic.
I stole it. Using my own powers.
Dizziness and exhaustion swirled. Pressing my forehead on the floor, I closed my eyes.