Maria Snyder - Storm Glass

I shook my head, glancing at Ulrick. He had remained quiet during the meeting and I wondered if he felt left out.

The rest of the time we made arrangements for our assigned tasks.

“If we discover any questionable gemstones, I’ll send them to the Citadel with Leif,” Yelena said to me.

“Yippee. I’ve been promoted from fire lighter to delivery boy. I’ll write a letter home to Mother. She’ll be so pleased.” Leif ducked his sister’s swing.

As we returned to our rooms, Ulrick’s gloom continued. I thought about our trip back to the Keep. Now that these nightmares invaded my sleep, Ulrick would be alarmed. I understood the need to keep certain secrets, but this one could ruin our relationship. By not confiding in him, I wasn’t being honest with him. I pulled him into my bedroom and closed the door.

His shock was almost comical, until I realized I hadn’t been alone with him in a long time.

“Sit down. I need to talk to you.” I gestured to the only place to sit—the bed.

“What’s wrong?” Ulrick held my hand in his. “You’re not telling me everything.” His gaze bored into me. “How can I trust you to make the right choices, if you don’t trust me?”

“This is big. Telling you could make you a target.”

He refused to back down. Just being with me endangered him, so I explained about finding the glass prison.

“What did you do with it?” he asked.

“Gave it to Yelena.”

“Wow. It must have been difficult to turn down all that magic.”

“It was painful. But an increase in power is an increase in responsibility.” I thought of Zitora’s warning about being considered a threat. “I already hurt Pazia, killed the storm thief leader and almost released a Warper. I don’t need any more complications.”

“At least the prison is no longer a problem.”

When I didn’t agree, he asked, “Or is it?”

“The trapped souls haunt my dreams. I think all I need to do is get close to another prison and I’ll be able to find it.”

“We’ll stay away from them and I’ll ask Leif to brew you a sleeping potion.” He pulled me down next to him. “And here I was afraid you were leaving me for that Stormdancer.”

That Stormdancer had no desire to be with me. Mara’s advice, make him forget about his troubles sounded in my mind.

I leaned forward and kissed him. His surprise didn’t last long. He kissed me back with passion, wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. For a while, I forgot all my problems.

When his hands tugged at my shirt, I pulled away. Another of Mara’s comments floated in my mind, I’ve seen turtles mate faster. But I couldn’t continue. I wasn’t ready.

Ulrick said he understood, but the pain in his eyes haunted me for the rest of the day. Eventually, he would give up trying, and then how would I feel? The answer eluded me.

The next morning we visited Ulrick’s sister.

“Seems silly not to,” he said. “Besides, you should meet her.”

“Maybe I can get her to tell me a few embarrassing stories about you. My family has an endless supply.”

He grinned. “I will admit, the one your mother told about the sandpile—”

“Stop. I’ve heard it a million times, I don’t need to hear it again.”

The streets of Fulgor buzzed with activity. Wagons rumbled along the cobblestones, dogs barked and merchants called. With the blue sky above and not a hint of a breeze, the air warmed.

Whenever I contemplated the weather, my thoughts automatically turned to Kade. Yelena had received a message from him. He had left for the Cloud Mist Clan’s main town of Ognap, hoping to interview lava flake suppliers. He would meet up with us back at the Citadel to get another list of sand merchants from me. The dry wording of the message made it quite clear to me that Kade viewed me as a colleague. I vowed to forget about his “spark” and focus on Ulrick by following Mara’s advice.

Gressa’s shop was on the end of a long row of stores. Displayed in the window was a variety of glasswares. Sunlight glinted off the exquisite vases and bowls.

“It’s one thing to have a talented sister, another to have a glass genius,” Ulrick said.

“Does she have any magic?” I asked.

“You’ll have to tell me.” He turned away to open the door.

Dressed in expensive silk tunics, saleswomen descended on Ulrick as soon as we entered the shop. I let him explain while I strolled around the display cases. A fruit bowl with rippled sides drew my attention. I ran a finger along the light purple glass. No magic, but the craftsmanship was superb.

“Please don’t touch,” a saleswoman said. She eyed my cloak. “I doubt you have the gold to pay for it if you break it.”

“Sina, that is no way to talk to a customer,” another woman admonished.

I turned my head to see a tall beauty with long ebony hair and vibrant green eyes. Ulrick’s sister. They could have been twins. I liked her immediately.

“She’s with me,” Ulrick said, untangling himself from a persistent salesgirl.

“Ulrick! What a surprise.” They embraced briefly. She invited us to join her in the back. “My office is next to the workshop.”

Four kilns roared and eight workers scurried about the workbenches. The place resembled more a factory than a shop.

“Production pieces.” Gressa dismissed the activity. “It’s the only way I can keep up with the demand.” She chatted about her work, listing all the projects she’d been commissioned for in one speech.

We entered her office. Sheets of colored glass had been attached to the walls, floor and ceiling. Each pane a different color and when she closed the door to block the noise, I felt as if I stood in a glass box. Her desk and tables were made out of clear glass. Various glass items littered the tables and paper was piled on her desk.

She gestured to a round table made from brown-colored glass. The cushions on the four chairs surrounding the table were the only soft things in the entire office. We sat and stared at each other for a moment.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

Ulrick huffed with annoyance. “I wanted you to meet Opal. Do you remember her? She’s one of Jaymes’s daughters.”

Her mouth twisted into a little frown. “You’re obviously not the older one or the dead one.” Recognition lit her eyes. “The youngest one!” She seemed pleased with herself for figuring it out.

Perhaps I had been too hasty in liking her. She prattled on about how she could have been friends with Tula at school, but her talent manifested early and working glass was more important than classes.

“I remember now. You’re the glass magician.” Gressa regarded me with more interest. “You have important friends. Why are you wasting time with my brother?”

I changed my mind. I didn’t like her at all. “He’s important to me. And he’s a glass magician, too.”

“Really?” She ignored my heated tone. “Everyone always says I work magic with glass. Do I have power, too?”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ulrick roll his eyes. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to visit her at first. I glanced at the wares on the table. “Are they yours?”

“Yes.” She hopped to her feet. “Experiments, but I liked the way they catch the light.”

“May I?” My hand hovered over a small glass rose.

“Go ahead. I’m working on a whole bouquet of flowers made of glass for Councillor Moon.”

The rose was expertly wrought, but the glass remained silent. None of her other items popped or glowed. I dug out my seashell and showed it to her.

“Ugh. What a horrid creation. Here, let me toss that into the cullet barrel for you.”

“Gressa,” Ulrick said with outrage.