Maria Snyder - Storm Glass

When Heli helped me to stand, grains of sand rained to the floor.

“Looks like you were on the beach,” Heli said with amusement.

My legs wobbled.

Heli’s grip on my arm tightened. “Perhaps you should lie down.” She guided me over to my cot and steadied me until I sat. “Do you want a glass of water?”

I tried to say no, but my throat was raw. Swallowing, I choked on the taste of salt and sand. Heli strode over to the water pitcher. I glanced around, hoping I didn’t wake anyone.

Zitora was up on her elbow, watching me. “Care to tell me what that was all about?”

“That?”

“Don’t play the simpleton. You know what I mean.”

I knew. I liked Heli’s explanation, overcome by the orb’s song. Zitora wouldn’t be satisfied, though. “Can I tell you later?” It was an effort to talk and my eyes kept drifting shut. Besides, I needed time to figure it out.

“All right, but…”

I stopped listening and lay on my cot, falling asleep in a heartbeat.

Light stabbed through my closed eyelids. I groaned and rolled over, blocking the annoyance. Eventually the sounds of people moving and talking with happy voices burrowed into my consciousness. A dry breeze fanned me. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t go back to sleep.

I pretended to be unconscious, needing time to go over last night’s odd series of events. What would appease the Master Magician? Should I tell her I was sucked into an orb by a woman made of sand? Questions swirled in my mind. Unfortunately no answers formed from my stew of thoughts.

With reluctance, I peeked to see if anyone had noticed me. Kade slept on a cot next to mine. His tunic was stiff with dried seawater. Grains of sand clung to his chin. I reached out to smooth his hair, remembering our brief union, but jerked my hand back when he opened his eyes.

He stared at me and I knew the sand woman’s name. When he frowned, it cemented my conviction. The sand woman was Kade’s sister, Kaya. How or why, I hadn’t a clue, but it explained why she looked so familiar.

Before he could speak, Zitora walked between us. “You’re up. Good. Raiden and I would like to have a word with you and Kade.”

Kade sat and looked around. “Where’s Raiden?”

“Down on the beach, assessing damage.”

We followed the Master Magician. Raiden directed Tal and Varun as they piled driftwood onto a wooden cart hitched to Sudi. When we drew closer, Tal muttered an oath.

“Excuse me?” Kade asked.

“Oh, sorry, I forgot to genuflect,” Tal said. “The hero’s here with his glassmaking sidekick. All hail the wonder that is Kade.” He bowed with mock reverence.

“All right, Tal. I’ve had enough,” Raiden said. “You can stop with the wood. I’m sending you home. Tell Soshe to send another helper to take your place.”

“Fine by me.” Tal flung his load to the ground. “There are far better uses for my talents.” He strode away.

Raiden helped Varun finish loading. The glassmaker grabbed Sudi’s reins and led her up the path. He watched as they climbed the steep slope. “I should have Soshe send a horse, too. Usually by this point in the season, the orbs are made and we don’t need to haul supplies up to the kiln.”

“Once Sudi is rested, we should return to the Keep,” Zitora said. “But first I want an explanation about last night.” She crossed her arms, waiting.

Raiden squinted at Kade in confusion. “I thought you said everything went well. You brought back five filled orbs.”

“I found out five is too many for me,” Kade said. His gaze sought mine. “I think I had help with the last two.”

Everyone stared at me. I stammered for a moment, then told them a condensed version of my adventures inside the orb. I omitted the part about Kaya and about linking with Kade.

“An interesting development, but it makes sense,” Zitora said almost to herself. “Opal can trap magic within glass and Kade uses magic to trap the storm’s energy. The two actions are similar. Do you ever use two Stormdancers to fill one orb?”

“All the time,” Kade said. “Usually when we are training a new dancer.”

“But both Stormdancers are together with the orb. We don’t have one in the cave and the other on the beach. I don’t think any dancer in our history could claim that skill.” Raiden shrugged. “It must be a talent of Opal’s. Either way, it worked out. We finally have orbs we can use and one safe Stormdancer. Now, if only the storm season lasts a little longer than usual, we can make up for lost time.” Raiden rubbed his hands in anticipation and hurried away to make lunch.

“We can experiment more with your new skill at the Keep,” Zitora said to me. “Since the problem with the orbs is fixed, there’s no reason to stay.” She left to organize our supplies.

But I wasn’t ready to leave. I had made friends with the glassmakers. They accepted me for who I was. The thought of returning to the Magician’s Keep and to the snide gossip of my fellow students formed a cold lump in my throat. And I was reluctant to leave Kade. He was the only person, besides Yelena, I had shared power with. I wanted to connect with him again, to feel the strength of a storm and to have control over the wind. Even though the power was vicarious, I still craved it.

He watched the sea, lost in his own thoughts. I turned to go. “Opal?”

I paused.

“Why didn’t you tell them about Kaya?”

“I thought she was a figment of my imagination.”

“I thought she had come for me,” Kade said in a quiet voice.

I moved closer to hear him.

“I was happy to go with her. Fly to the sky. I wanted…” Kade shook his head.

I knew what he desired. He wanted his sister. Missed her so much, he was willing to leave this world to be with her.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

I swallowed my reply.

After a while, he huffed with amusement. “Imagine my surprise when you flew from the orb.”

Sudden annoyance tinged with anger flared in my chest. “Of course you would be surprised.” The words erupted from my mouth of their own volition. “So wrapped up in your own problems, you can’t even see the people around you. You’re not the only person in this world to lose a sister.” I strode away.

The emotions dissipated as fast as they had arrived. I regretted my outburst. Even I had been surprised by my ability with the orbs. Although, the more I thought about it, the logic became evident. It was just my one-trick power. Nothing new, except Kade’s involvement, which was similar to when Yelena linked with me to trap those souls. I had shared her emotions, too.

Boots crunching on sand sounded behind me. A hand grabbed my elbow and spun me around. Kade.

“I’m sorry. You were right.” He searched my face for a moment.

“Go on.”

A flash of teeth. “I am being selfish, and I shouldn’t have been surprised about your help last night. I should be grateful. You saved my life.”

I dismissed the notion. “Kaya—”

“Wasn’t the one that gave me her considerable strength.”

“But she—”

“Told you I was in trouble? But you didn’t have to exhaust yourself for my sake.”

“Who wouldn’t?”

He shook his head as if he pitied my naiveté. “You’re too young—”

“Oh, for sand’s sake! I’m almost twenty. Probably only a few years younger than you.”

Kade considered as I fumed. “My mistake. I should have known the Master Magicians wouldn’t send a first-year student. Plus you solved our problem.”

“With the orbs?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t solve it. My father did.” Before he could comment, I walked away. The crux of my worry revealed. My first mission for the Masters and I had run home to my father for help, wasting precious time.