Maria Snyder - Storm Glass

My heart locked. The black shape following her heels was not Zitora’s shadow. It was the shadow of a man with a sword hanging from his belt.

MY FIRST IMPULSEwas to deny what my eyes had seen. In the quick glance I had of Zitora’s shadow, I couldn’t have discerned a man’s shape or a sword. Could I?

But it made perfect sense. Zitora had acted strange since freeing me last night. Even the rescue was out of character. She had been determined to prove me innocent.

I cursed myself for my incredible stupidity. If I was killed, it would be a good thing, preventing my idiocy from being passed on to my children. My self-recriminations wouldn’t help me now, so I ceased them and concentrated on what to do next.

Who was the shadow man? Blue Eyes? He wanted me for an unknown reason—unknown to me. Disguising himself as Zitora and tricking me into going with him was plausible. As a magician, he possessed the skill.

Scanning the surrounding pine trees, I searched for signs of his return. What should I do? Run? Hide? Yell for help? All three? In order or in a different order? My thoughts spun in place, failing to produce an answer.

Gut instinct urged me to run. Logic argued for hiding, but I dismissed the idea, knowing he would find me with his magic. We were away from the road, doubtful anyone would hear me if I screamed.

Another option presented itself, and every inch of me wanted to reject the notion. I could play along and find out what he wanted. That was the logical plan.

Taking in a few lungfuls of air, I settled my spinning thoughts. If I intended to pretend everything was normal, I needed to act calm.

Of course, as soon as he returned, a wedge of fear lodged under my heart. I hoped the terror hadn’t spread to my face. Concentrating on Zitora’s image, I tried to ignore the mismatched shadow and pretended the Master Magician was with me.

“Find anyone?” I asked.

“No, but there’s a trail through the forest. Let’s go.”

I regained my feet and brushed the sand off my pants. “Where are we going?”

“North to the Krystal Clan lands.”

“Then back to the Citadel and the Keep?”

“Eventually.” He wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Let’s go.” Blue Eyes led the way through the pine trees.

Thick branches whacked me in the chest, but soon we broke through the dense cluster and traveled along a thin path. Conversation was kept to a bare minimum just as before. This time, though, I was glad for the quiet.

We stopped for a quick lunch. Fatigue dogged my steps and I lagged behind. Eventually, he decided to find a spot to sleep.

Worried about what the imposter would do while I slept, I fought to stay awake. I tried to think of a few questions to ferret out information about our destination or about his plans, but my overworked mind refused. Sleep won.

My round house of glass shook. It rocked in the wind and threatened to break. Cracks appeared, carving a spiderweb pattern along the smooth walls.

“Opal, wake up.” A man’s voice hissed in my ear.

My glass world shattered. I jerked awake before the jagged shards could pierce my heart.

Yanking me to my feet, the Zitora impersonator said, “We need to go.”

The cold night air, the quick pace and the knowledge of who I traveled with blasted the tired fog from my mind. I kept an eye out for any sign of our destination, but we pushed through thick stands of pines and crossed empty stretches of black-streaked sandy soil.

By morning, I knew we had crossed into Krystal lands. Glints of quartz sparked from the white sand. The open areas widened. Stone and sand quarries dotted the horizon.

I searched the surrounding area for people or houses, but found none. We had traveled far from the main roads. Panic simmered below my ribs. Once he revealed his true identity, I would no longer have the upper hand.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t smart enough to use my advantage. My mind couldn’t produce a plan. Even if I had my sais, I knew Blue Eyes’ skill with the sword would reduce me to a bloody mess. I hoped we would see a few Krystal Clan members so I could enlist help.

After traveling all day, we rested for a few hours before setting out again. We encountered no one. When I finally spotted a wooden barn-shaped building the next morning, hope bloomed. No animals roamed, and the renovations to the structure implied its new use could be a house or workshop. Smoke billowing from the large stone chimney meant at least one person was inside.

In fact, four people waited within. I recognized three of their faces. They stood among glassmaking machinery. The warm, kiln-humming comfort contrasted with the cold, heart-drumming fear of understanding. A moment of disorientation swept over me.

Tal leaned on a post in the center of the room. His smirk matched the superior cock of his hips. The two others were the ambushers. I expected the leader to start cackling as he had on the day they had tried to stop Zitora and me from reaching the Stormdancers. The woman magician seemed pleased with my reaction. The man sitting on the glassmaker’s bench was unfamiliar to me.

I glanced at the Zitora imposter, expecting to see Blue Eyes with a smug smile. But it wasn’t him. Standing next to me was the other magician.

“I love a surprise. Don’t you?” he asked, pulling the backpack from my shoulders.

“And I love it when a plan is executed without trouble,” the leader said. He hustled over and linked his arm around mine. “Come in, come in.” Pulling me away from the door and from any chance of escape, he made a swooping gesture with his free arm. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

My advantage was at an end.

“Let me give you a tour,” the leader said.

With his arm still tight around mine, he showed me the kiln, the glory hole and all the other equipment needed to make glass. Bowls, vases and a few glass balls littered the work space. My mind registered the information, but couldn’t produce any intelligent thoughts beyond my terror.

The leader escorted me through a door behind the kiln and brought me into a long thin room studded with bunks.

“Our sleeping quarters, but look!” He opened a door at the back. “Your own room.”

A single cot had been wedged into the narrow space. No windows and the formidable door locks were on the outside.

He pointed at my cloak. “Why don’t you leave that here for now.” He released my arm long enough for me to toss the garment on the bed.

Reclaiming my elbow, he walked me to the opposite side of their quarters and through another door, entering into a kitchen with a table and chairs. The place also had a couch along the side wall.

He whisked me back to the main room. The others looked at me as if expecting me to say or do something. “Who—”

“I’ve forgotten my manners.” The leader tsked. “Let me introduce you. My name is Sir.” He pointed to the man who had led me here. “His name is Tricky. She’s Crafty. Our glassmaker’s name is Ash.”

The ambushers all shared grins with each other, and I knew their names were pseudonyms. Sir gestured to Tal. “I believe you already met him.”

I studied Tal. He was obviously in league with these people. Logic followed and I guessed he had been the one to sabotage the lime with Brittle Talc.

“I know him,” I said. “His name is Traitor.”

Tal purpled with rage. He moved toward me with the intent to harm clear in his body language.

Tricky blocked his path. Tall and muscular, the magician was the strongest-looking person of the group. I marveled at his skill in convincing me he was the diminutive Zitora. Even criminals possessed more magic than I did. Wonderful.

“After. Wait until after,” the magician told Tal.