Maria Snyder - Storm Glass

“You don’t have to come, but I’m going to try and find out where he is. I can’t just send a message.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t want to be with me anymore?” His tone was flat and curious.

“That’s not it. I enjoy being with you, it’s just he’s introuble.”

“Enjoy? How about love, Opal? Do you love me?”

“This has nothing to do with us. You don’t understand. I won’t let them hurt him.”

Ulrick laughed. Not the reaction I expected.

“What a useless statement, ‘I won’t let them hurt him.’ They’ll do whatever they please to him whether you let them or not. Frankly, I hope they kill him.”

My outrage froze on my lips. This was all wrong. When he lit the lantern, I stared at his shadow. It matched.

“You have no clue, but you’re really not in a position to rescue anybody, including yourself.” He stepped toward me.

His eyes blazed with blue fire.

“Now do you understand?”

“No.” The truth. I didn’t understand. His shadow matched his body. He lived in the Keep for weeks. Led me around the dance floor. Shared my bed.

“You will. Because you’re my little glass finder, who’s going to help me find my imprisoned mentor so I can complete the Kirakawa ritual.”

Logic shattered into fragments. My mind reduced to admiring the pretty pieces floating around my head. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t put them together into a reasonable picture.

“Do you submit?”

Realization crushed my confusion. Familiar words from the wrong face. Blue-eyed Devlen had disguised himself as Ulrick.

“HOW…WHAT…WHY…”I stared at Ulrick—Devlen. His eye color returned to the vibrant green of Ulrick’s. He looked the same. I touched his arm—the one not holding the sword. It felt the same. He even smelled the same.

Laughing at my confusion, he said, “Blood magic with a twist.”

“But you don’t have any tattoos.” The Daviian Warpers had gained their power by using blood magic and the Kirakawa ritual. By injecting the blood of their victims into their skin, they increased their magical power. As a Warper ascended through the levels of the ritual, he would be able to trap the victim’s soul and inject it into himself. At that point, he would have enough power to equal a Master Magician.

However, Yelena stopped the Warpers, pulling the trapped souls from them and reducing their powers. The Warpers who knew the final steps of the Kirakawa ritual were imprisoned in glass to keep them from communicating with anyone else.

“But all the Warpers were caught and executed by the Council.” My mind still couldn’t accept his claims.

“Not all the Warpers died. I hid and waited, biding my time. I learned how to use blood magic. Learned it so well, I was able to exchange my blood with another and switch souls.” Devlen pointed to his…Ulrick’s body. “For such a complete exchange there is no magic to detect. I can live in the Keep. And as long as I avoid the Soulfinder, I don’t need to worry.”

I had to close my eyes to understand. Devlen’s soul was in Ulrick’s body and vice versa. “Where is Ulrick?”

“He is a…guest of mine. Safe and sound. For now.”

I opened my eyes. For now! Fury replaced numbed shock and I reached for his neck, intent on strangling him. But he grabbed my wrists and yanked me close.

“Now, now. You weren’t this feisty before.”

Before? I had fought him with my sais in the alley, and protected Zitora from him during the ambush with Sir.

He peered at me. “Maybe this will remind you.” He adjusted his grip on my right wrist, and pressed his finger into the soft part of my forearm.

Unbearable pain shot up my arm and into my head. He released me and the agony ceased.

I staggered, panting in panic. This would be a good time to faint. To hide in the black comfort of unconsciousness. To not have to deal with or think about any of this. But he was an expert on bringing me to the edge of oblivion then yanking me back. Knew exactly how much I could take, what I would do to make him stop.

“Remember me now?”

The man who had come to the tent when Alea had captured me. The one who guaranteed I would obey Alea and jab Yelena with the Curare. He had worn a mask and dark glasses then, and now he wore Ulrick’s face, but there was no denying his touch.

My sais rested beside the bed. Too far.

I dived for his sword. I wanted to kill him or myself. At this point it didn’t matter. My hand closed on the handle, but he was quick. His hands around my neck, thumbs digging into my collarbone. My muscles turned to liquid. The sword clattered to the floor. The world faded and this time he let me slide into the blackness.

I woke, but resisted opening my eyes. The dreams of snow and ice preferable to the reality on the other side of my eyelids. If I kept my thoughts rooted in my dreamworld, could I ignore my situation? Only for a while.

The physical world intruded with muscle cramps along my arms and legs. Aches radiated up my back and soreness pulsed from where my body rested on the hard surface. All from being in one position for too long.

I cracked an eye open, peeking out. A wall built from wood loomed inches from my nose. Growing braver, I scanned my surroundings. I lay on my right side on the floor of an empty room. It was about four feet wide by six feet long. One closed door. Four metal clasps attached to the wall—two high and two low.

Staring at the clasps, I tried not to imagine what they were for, but as I moved to relieve the cramps in my arms, an unwelcome image came to mind. My wrists were hooked together behind my back, but my legs were free. The metal cuffs around my ankles sported bright silver clips which would be easy to attach to the clasps on the wall.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. I repeated the phrase, but my heart had its own agenda, slamming in my chest as if I ran for my life. I struggled into a sitting position and tried to organize my thoughts, examine the situation.

I should check the door. It might be unlocked, but I might make noise. I didn’t want him to know I was awake. Not yet. I needed time to sort things out.

Pushing through the confusion and my fear on learning about Ulrick’s capture, I concentrated on Devlen’s words. He needed my help, called me his glass finder and mentioned his mentor. A Warper in hiding, he wanted to complete the Kirakawa ritual and the only people who knew the final steps were imprisoned in my glass.

Since I confided everything to him, he knew the glass called to me. I wondered when Devlen switched souls with Ulrick. Had there been a change in Ulrick’s behavior? I thought back. It was so obvious I felt a fool for not questioning his actions. Devlen must have captured him the night he had confronted his sister, Gressa. Ulrick had been alone. And since he had been my constant companion, Devlen had targeted him. I hadn’t even warned Ulrick about Devlen because I didn’t want to hear another lecture about being careful.

Horror and guilt swelled, but I squashed the emotions. Devlen would have found another person to switch souls with. Besides, it had happened, there was nothing I could do to change the past.

Right now I needed to focus on the present. I had two goals. Rescue Kade and Ulrick without helping Devlen. The thought of going against Devlen turned my resolve to mush. And how could I help anyone when I was so easily fooled? His voice had sounded different, he had been bolder, and he’d refused to work with glass. All glaring signs, and I had rationalized each one away.

My emotions once again threatened to overwhelm me. I needed an image to hold to help me concentrate. I needed glass. So I imagined my heart encased in glass. Strong, unbreakable glass to lock away the doubts, worries, fears and to protect myself from further damage. The image helped cool my molten emotions and hardened my determination.