Maria Snyder - Storm Glass

“The glass prison?”

“Near the pit. That’s why it called to me. If they dig any wider, they will find it.”

“Who is there?”

“Nobody now, but something is being mined from the pit. Probably during the warmer seasons.” The truth.

He moved his hand away. I remembered to breathe. Weak sunlight lit the shelter. I stood and stretched my stiff muscles while Devlen stirred the fire to life. Two of Namir’s men woke, but Namir and the others came in from outside, bringing a cold blast of air with them.

“Everything’s covered with ice,” Namir said. “We’re going to need a chisel to break up the sand covering her hidey-hole. It’s gonna be hard smoothing it out.”

“Since you’re so worried about being caught with her,” Devlen said, “we’ll travel on our own a few days earlier than planned, and you can make your delivery without trouble.”

Rutz and Shen glanced at each other, then at Namir.

“Well…me and the boys been talking.” Namir hooked his thumb in his belt near a sword.

I couldn’t remember if he always wore a sword or not.

“We’re a little concerned about your girl,” Rutz said.

Owin and Yannis joined them. Knives and swords that I hadn’t noticed before hung from belts.

“And we’ve grown fond of the little girl. Don’t want to see her hurt,” Shen said. “Looks to us like she doesn’t want to be with you.”

“I assure you, gentlemen, she’s quite content with my company.” Devlen stood with his sword in hand.

“We think she would be safer with us.” Namir drew his weapon.

“Since we disagree. Let’s ask her. Opal, who would you rather be with?” Devlen kept his tone neutral.

I had a choice. Stay with the Warper or go with the men. Devlen’s pain was horrible. Rape was horrible. A choice of two horrors. As Leif would say, “Yippee for me.” But with five against one, would I really have a choice?

“Thank you for your concern. I—”

The shelter’s door banged open. An Ixian soldier entered. In a heartbeat, the weapons returned to their holders. Devlen yanked my sleeves down to cover the cuffs.

The big soldier wore black and orange—Military District 8’s colors. Three more men followed him inside. He eyed us with suspicion. “Something wrong?” he asked.

“Perhaps you know the answer, Lieutenant,” Devlen said. “I said General Rasmussen has three daughters, but my friend insists he has two. Who’s right?”

“Neither. The General has one daughter and twin boys.” The Lieutenant’s concern disappeared as Namir’s men laughed.

“My wife was right after all.” Devlen draped an arm around my shoulder.

Another soldier entered. “The wagons are clean,” he said to the Lieutenant.

“Of course they are,” Namir said, sounding offended, “special delivery for MD-1.”

“Papers, please.” The Lieutenant inspected each one with care. “Why are you traveling with these merchants?” he asked me. His eyes were a light blue and small white curls poked out from under his wool cap.

I stared at the soldier. He seemed familiar, and he presented me with a chance to cause trouble and escape from Devlen. A chance to get everyone arrested and hope they didn’t kill me right away. Should I take the chance?

“We’re not with these merchants, sir,” Devlen said. “Just sharing the shelter. My wife and I are on our way home from visiting relatives.”

“I didn’t ask you. Ma’am?”

IF I TOLDthe Ixian soldier I was a hostage, we would be arrested and two scenarios could happen from there. Devlen would claim I was a magician and I would be executed without hesitation. Or they would listen to my story and confirm my connection with Liaison Yelena through one of Valek’s corps.

Valek’s corps. Of course.

“We met these men last night, sir. My husband and I are returning home from my parents’ house,” I said. The tension in Devlen’s arm eased.

The Lieutenant handed my papers back to me. “You’ll want to hurry. A big blizzard is coming. I can feel it. You have three, maybe four days at most. Perhaps these merchants can take you north with them?”

“It would be our pleasure,” Namir said.

Right back where we started. I would have laughed at the ironic twist if the Ixians hadn’t been with us. The soldiers weren’t in any hurry to part ways, either. They traveled with us to the border of MD-1. The Lieutenant guided his horse alongside the lead wagon, talking with Namir and Devlen as if killing time.

I sat on the second wagon as far away from Rutz as possible. His extra-wide smile when he had patted the seat next to him made my insides feel queasy. Glancing behind me, I counted the three other wagons. Shen leered and waved. Bile pushed up my throat, but I focused on the man driving the last wagon.

Now I knew why Yannis wore his woolen cap all the time. Most people knew Janco, one of Valek’s second-in-commands, was missing the lower half of his right ear. And it wouldn’t be wise for these merchants or Devlen to suspect that Yannis was really Janco in disguise. I had put it together when I recognized the Lieutenant as Janco’s partner, Ari.

They both had been at the Warper battle when Yelena defeated the Fire Warper. I had met them briefly after crafting the prisons for the souls. Janco had joked and called me the glass warden.

I swung my attention forward. Ari and Janco were obviously part of an undercover operation, and I hadn’t wanted to jeopardize it. Janco knew about my predicament, yet he kept quiet when his partner showed up. I would just have to sit tight.

A wave of relief passed through the men when the Ixian soldiers headed west. We crossed into MD-1 without any trouble. Namir took the Lieutenant’s warning about the coming storm to heart. He pushed the caravan farther than usual, stopping late into the night.

At least there was one person on my side. Five against two seemed better odds than six against one. Plus Janco’s skills with the sword were legendary. He wouldn’t be Valek’s second unless he could fight.

I worried about when Janco needed to follow Namir, leaving me and Devlen alone again. Once we arrived at Icefaren Station, how would I find Kade? Pangs of nervousness echoed in my chest. I suppressed my turmoil back into my glass heart.

The storm also proved to be a good distraction, especially since Namir promised to wake everyone well before dawn. The men collapsed into bed without a word about my situation. Although Devlen insisted on sharing my cot again, I was able to endure his touch by noting Yannis’s proximity.

The next night Devlen and Namir held an intense discussion out of earshot. Devlen’s amused smile and hearty laugh stabbed through me. The chumminess couldn’t be to my benefit. Devlen confirmed my unease when he joined me, sliding under the covers.

“I have a surprise for you,” he whispered.

I tensed. “What is it?”

“Namir’s delivery is to Icefaren Station. He can take us there.”

“But I didn’t see anyone.” Mixed emotions rolled through me. Glad Yannis would be close, but scared about the other boys.

“Did you see inside the buildings?”

“No.” And that would also explain about the bloodstained snow. If it had happened during the hot or cooling season, the snow would have covered the stain by now.

“Well then,” he said. Discussion over.

As I considered this new information, a bit of hope bloomed. Miners at the station meant more people and potential allies.

The next two days followed without incident. We reached the ice sheet as fat snowflakes drifted down. A blanket of dark gray clouds sealed the sky, allowing a pale half-light through. Full darkness would descend by early afternoon.