Maria Snyder - Storm Glass

“Eating breakfast?”

He tugged my covers down.

“Packing your bags?”

He pushed me back onto the pillow.

“Saddling Moonlight?”

He stretched out beside me and ran a hand along my arm.

“Catching up on your sleep?”

His arm encircled my waist and he pressed his body against me.

Before I made another guess, his mouth sought mine. As we kissed, I turned off my logical mind, and stopped worrying about the lack of a spark between us. After all, a steady flame could get just as hot.

His deft fingers unbuttoned my shirt. A shiver brushed my skin as he pulled the fabric free. Ulrick sensed my desire and didn’t hesitate. Instead of making him forget his troubles, he made me forget mine. Either way, I knew Mara would be happy.

Later in the day, I reported Gressa’s involvement with the fake diamonds to Yelena and Master Jewelrose while Ulrick packed our bags. When we mounted our horses for the trip back to the Citadel, Leif handed me a message for my sister.

“Tell her I’d rather be home than traipsing around Moon lands, searching for more caves,” he said. Then he grew serious. “Be careful.”

We had discussed taking a couple of soldiers with us, but decided Ulrick and I could handle any attacks. Plus we would stick to the main roads and overnight at town inns instead of in travel shelters.

“And keep hold of those bees, they’re handy in a fight,” Leif said.

“You watch yourself, too, or Yelena might promote you to scout.” I smiled at his mock horror.

We mounted our horses and headed out of town. Bright sunshine lit the landscape. The air felt crisp. Townspeople bustled about and I realized their sense of expectation was due to the upcoming half-moon festival. Each of the eleven clans held a festival to celebrate the middle of the cold season, which was thirteen days away. The Keep hosted a dance every year. For the first time in four years, I’d have a date.

Sitting on Moonlight, Ulrick scanned the crowded streets probably looking for any signs of trouble. My thoughts turned to when we had been ambushed by the Storm Thieves, but I decided not to dwell on the past.

We stopped for the night in a small town just over the western border of Moon lands. Renting a room at the Fireside Inn, we ate dinner in the cozy common room. A huge fire roared in a stone hearth.

“You’ve been quiet all day,” I said to him.

“A lot has happened.” He stirred his tea. “Did you have another nightmare last night?”

My newest dream, being trapped in ice. “Yes, but…” I waved it away. No sense rehashing it.

In a flicker of firelight, his eyes changed color. I blinked and they returned to normal. My imagination no doubt.

He covered my hand with his. “How bad are they?”

“I think one of the glass prisons is calling to me.”

He nodded as if expecting this answer. “The one you found in the cave?”

“No,” I said in surprise. “I haven’t felt that one since I handed it to Yelena.”

“Do you know where this new one is?”

“All I know is it’s in the snow. An area that could include the northern ice sheet, northern Ixia, or on top of the mountains. Too big an area to search.” Ixia and Sitia shared a mountain chain. Called the Soul Mountains in Ixia, they were connected to the Emerald Mountains, which stretched all the way south to the Daviian Plateau in Sitia.

“Your dreams get more specific the closer you get. We should travel north and see what happens. Once you find the prison, it may leave your dreams alone.”

“Into Ixia? Without permission? You’re crazy.”

He stared at me a moment, then smiled. “You’re right. Bad idea. A good idea is to increase the amount of sleeping potion Leif gave us. He told me it wouldn’t hurt you to drink more.”

We finished dinner and climbed the stairs to our room. The icy dreams returned. I caught flashes of buildings while the snow blew, but I couldn’t move.

I woke feeling as if my body had frozen solid. Rubbing my hands over my arms, I tried to work out the stiffness. With slow movements, I managed to sit up without waking Ulrick, sleeping beside me. I didn’t want to disturb him so I quietly changed into less-wrinkled pants, thinking about the fire downstairs and a cup of hot tea.

I wrote him a note so he wouldn’t get upset, but when I laid it on my pillow, I paused. His sleep-tousled hair covered his eyes and he slept without a shirt. His chest and arms were muscular with only a few burn scars marring them.

Since his run-in with his sister he’d been more…More what? Affectionate? Bold? He had always hesitated before, waiting for me to initiate. Then again, I had shown him I wasn’t afraid of his touch after he returned from his sister’s. Heat flushed my skin, remembering that morning and the hours we had spent entwined together.

Leaning over, I gently brushed the hair from his eyes. In a blur of motion, he seized my wrist.

“Where are you going?” Ulrick demanded.

Surprised by his quickness, I gaped at him.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said. “Even with taking a double dose, Leif’s sleeping potion isn’t working. It tastes like a rusty nail. Did you tell Leif what we needed it for?”

“Not specifically. Just to help you sleep.”

“I can’t sleep and I’m freezing. I’m going to fetch a cup of tea.”

With a playful smile, he yanked me down next to him. “You don’t need one. I’ll warm you up.”

Definitely more bold.

We returned to the Citadel without incident. It had taken us five days instead of four. Without Leif, neither one of us wanted to brave the plains to cut our trip by a day. Besides, we enjoyed the time together. Ulrick was full of questions, and I marveled at his changed attitude. I should thank his sister for making him realize how withdrawn he had become since discovering his limited magical abilities.

Mara greeted our arrival with mixed emotions. Glad to see us and disappointed Leif hadn’t also returned. She turned all dreamy after reading his note.

Later that day, Mara and I worked in the shop. My hands itched for a punty iron with a slug of molten glass. When we had finished, she pulled me aside. “You took my advice, didn’t you?”

“I’m not admitting to it unless you agree not to gloat about it.”

“Not gloat? No way.” She smirked. “I can tell by your expression anyway. You’re blushing.”

“Am not.”

“Are, too.”

“Am…” I stopped. It was a no-win argument. “We’re supposed to be taking inventory so I can order more supplies for the shop.”

She pouted for only a second before helping me. A few students arrived and I was glad to see Piecov. He showed me his new pieces and I made appreciative noises over them. “Look how much you improved.”

“But I have a long way to go,” Piecov said.

As he talked about his plans for his next project, I could see the avid gleam in his eyes. He was hooked.

Unfortunately, Ulrick had lost his passion for glass, and avoided the shop. When I asked him about it the next morning, he mentioned his sister.

“She’s talented, but look what she has done. My mother put so much pressure on all of us to do great things with glass, since I’ve been away I realized there are other things in life. I need a break. Besides—” he pulled me into a tight embrace “—I’m enjoying being the fetch boy.”

I wiggled away. “I think you’ve been enjoying it too much. Remember there are other things in life.”

Ulrick sobered. “I know. In time.”

Time. Enough time had passed and yet Pazia hadn’t regained her magical powers. All she could do was see the glow in my glass, but nothing else. We had been back at the Citadel for a couple of days and she finally recovered enough energy to be discharged from the infirmary.