Maria Snyder - Spy Glass

“No. How many clams did you eat?”

He blanched, turning green. “Don’t talk about food.” Galen groaned and curled into a ball. Sweat dampened his clothes.

I suspected his food had been spiked with beach root. If the clan members planned to revolt while he was incapacitated, I shouldn’t be close enough to hear Galen’s commands. I moved to leave, but Galen ordered me to stay in the cottage. At least he was too sick to do anything besides shiver and moan all night.

The gray fog still clung to the compound in the morning. Galen felt better, but he dropped into an exhausted sleep. I had spent the night on the couch in the living area.

When a soft knock sounded, I rushed to open the door before another knock could wake Galen. Even when sound asleep, Galen could rouse in an instant. In that regard, he reminded me of Valek.

His guards had taken up position next to the door, but Devlen waited.

“Where’s Galen?” he asked.

The bodyguards seemed interested in the answer, so I crossed my arms and frowned at Devlen. “Sleeping.”

“He asked me to report to him this morning.”

“You’ll have to come back later. He had a strenuous night.”

The guards chuckled, but Devlen pushed his way inside. “I’ll check for myself.”

He peeked into the bedroom then pulled the divider between the rooms closed. He returned to the guards. “He’s fine. I’ll wait here until he wakes.”

This time the guards leered as Devlen shut the door. He leaned against it as if he would collapse without its support. Wearing the same clothes as yesterday, he gazed at me as if I might explode. Deep lines of weariness marked his face. His hollow bleary eyes a sign that he hadn’t slept.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop Galen from killing Walsh and marrying you,” he whispered. “Did he…have time….” He averted his gaze. “…have time to…”

“To rape me?”

He flinched as if I had slapped him.

“Why couldn’t you stop the wedding?” I asked, keeping my voice low despite my desire to scream at him. “Was it part of your plan for me…for him to consummate the marriage?”

“No.” He slid to the floor and dropped his head into his hands. With pure misery in his voice, he said, “He was supposed to get sick.”

Regret immediately bloomed in my chest. I knelt next to him. “Nothing happened. He did get sick.”

He gathered me into his arms and held me close. “Thank fate.”

“What’s been going on?” I asked.

“I can’t tell you.”

Gritting my teeth to keep from yelling at him, I tried another question. “Why did you let him kill Walsh and marry me?”

“A tactical decision.”

And then I knew. His answer was classic Valek. Last night was all part of a grander scheme that I knew nothing about. Which kept everyone safer except for the clues I’d already put together.

“What can I do?” I asked.

Devlen closed his eyes for a moment. “When the fog burns off, keep Galen busy.”

“You’re not serious. Are you?”

“I am. It’s critical that he is distracted when the fog lifts.”

“The fog…Kade’s here.”

He wouldn’t say anything. I understood, but for sand’s sake it was so frustrating. I had already guessed Valek and Kade were nearby. “Why doesn’t someone just assassinate Galen? Valek could—”

Devlen covered my mouth with his hand. “Don’t speculate out loud. I know this is difficult for you. Waiting and trusting others are not your best qualities.” He whispered in my ear. “There has been some discussion over Galen’s death. We’re worried his demise would also cause yours.”

I shook my head, planning to argue, but he continued. “Your and Galen’s blood are mixed. Your souls are intertwined. If one of you dies, we believe the other will, as well.”

“Yelena—”

“She won’t return a soul to a dead body.”

“Oh.”

“I can’t exist without you, so killing Galen is not an option. I would rather lose you to the Stormdancer than lose you to the sky.”

“But what about Curare—”

“Please. Stop. Trust us to have considered all the angles. Just keep Galen busy.”

“How distracted do you need him?” I asked, dreading the answer.

“It would be best if he wasn’t walking around the compound until nightfall. Going between buildings is okay as long as he’s busy with a specific task.”

“You do understand the longer I stay with him, the greater the chance he’ll force me to consummate the wedding.” It needed to be said. Although stating my fears out loud didn’t alleviate them one bit.

He squeezed me tight. “I’m painfully aware of the danger. This would be an ideal time to use that clever brain of yours. You have gotten out of more difficult situations than this.”

But I hadn’t been bound to a sick bastard. I buried the doubts deep and promised to try. I nuzzled his neck, inhaling Devlen’s distinctive scent. My connection to Devlen seemed stronger despite Galen’s hold. Just like my glass animals, I felt his song deep inside me. A desire to repeat yesterday’s liaison flushed through me.

I lifted my head and he turned as if he read my mind. We kissed and I moved so I straddled his lap. I ceased worrying about my situation and was just satisfied to be with him.

Eventually, Devlen broke off. “Too dangerous.”

He was right, but I didn’t have to like it. When he left, all warmth fled my body. I shivered and planned different ways to distract Galen. If I was lucky, he would sleep all day.

I wasn’t lucky. Galen woke when the sun burned through the fog. Grumpy and irritable, he ordered me to fetch him something to eat with a specific request to make sure the food came from a container that served everyone. I hustled to the dining room, trying not to search the faces of the clan members I passed. If I spotted a disguise, I could endanger the person, who would most likely be a good friend or a relative.

Without the fog, the entire compound was visible. Sunlight sparked from the blue-green waters of the sea. We were a few days into the hot season—my favorite time of the year. Kade and I had promised to visit his parents and we were going to return to Booruby, as well.

My heart ached when I thought of Kade. I still cared for him, but the fire had died.

By the time I returned to Galen’s cottage, he had washed and dressed. He ate without saying a word, then ordered me to follow him to Walsh’s office.

“Until I’m certain the Bloodroses won’t do anything stupid, you’re to stay with me at all times unless I say otherwise,” Galen said.

Quinn’s sister jumped a foot when we entered. I feared she would go into labor, but she pulled it together and helped Galen find Walsh’s files and important documents. More armed guards stopped by, reporting on the evening’s patrol and on a few minor incidents.

Devlen arrived a couple hours later. He had changed into fresh clothes. Ignoring me, he said, “You were right, Galen. No problems. The Bloodroses have accepted your leadership.”

“We’ll keep things as is for now, but once they’re comfortable, we can start implementing our changes,” Galen said.

“What should I do next?”

“Take a contingent and sweep the coast. Make sure no one is hiding in the rocks. Damn fog is a pirate’s best friend. And then find the woman who worked in the kitchen last night. She put something in my cheese to make me sick. Pepper and salt her and put her out to dry in a very public location.”

Devlen nodded and left. I hoped for the poor woman’s sake he didn’t follow all of Galen’s orders.

“Opal,” Galen said, jerking me from my thoughts. “Tell Penny to fetch the Minister and his wife. I want to speak with them before they leave.”