Maria Snyder - Night Study

“The horses need to be fed,” Devlen said, bringing Leif back to the present.

Devlen mucked out the now-empty stalls. Aside from Rusalka, two other horses remained behind. One for Devlen to use, and the other would be given to the Clever Fox stables as a replacement for The Madam. The unflappable horse was now a member of their herd.

As Leif filled the buckets with grain, Devlen brought fresh water, and together they finished cleaning the rest of the stalls. Valek had invited Devlen to travel with them and eventually join Reema in the Commander’s castle, but he’d declined, claiming he’d be more useful aiding Leif with the investigation.

“What is next?” Devlen asked.

“I need to check on the coals in the hothouse.” And look for signs indicating crossbreeding to determine the purpose of the unknown plants. They had to have a purpose; otherwise, why take up space that could be used to grow more Curare vines? The factory in Lapeer that they’d shut down had the capacity to process twenty times the number of vines that grew in this one house.

Devlen followed him to the glass building. Using a shovel, Leif spread the glowing remains of the coals while Devlen filled the water pans. A puff of smoke stung Leif’s eyes as he added more of the expensive white coals to the fire. They burned hotter and cleaner than the black type. The smell reminded him of Mara and he closed his eyes for a moment to breathe it in. The sugary scent always clung to her clothes after she’d spent the day working in the Keep’s glass shop.

“How does the smoke escape?” Devlen asked. The tall man peered at the ceiling.

“Probably through the seams in the panes.”

Devlen reached up and ran a finger along the wet drops, leaving a clear line in the condensation. “There are small holes in the glass.”

Leif groaned. He’d been so focused on the plants, he hadn’t considered who might have constructed the house. Devlen, too, creased his face in chagrin. He’d worked with Opal in her glass factory in Fulgor for the past six months.

The sisters had taught their husbands that making holes in a pane of glass after it hardened would shatter it, but while the glass was molten, holes of any size and number could be added. These panels had been made for this specific purpose. If they found the manufacturer, they might uncover the location of the other houses and, even better, Owen’s hiding place.

“Not a word to our wives. Agreed?” Leif asked.

“Agreed.”

4

YELENA

Valek set a fast pace and, even though Kiki switched to her smoothest gait, after a few hours in the saddle, I clutched Kiki’s copper mane to keep from falling off. My recovery from Owen’s attack hadn’t been as complete as I’d thought. Lack of sleep didn’t help, either.

All morning, we’d pause in a series of small river towns as we headed east, paralleling the Sunworth River. Janco and Valek would dismount and poke around, searching for magic. Or rather, seeking Rika Bloodgood’s magical illusions, which may have been employed to conceal the three outlaws. Onora and I would visit the local authorities to inquire about any unusual activities and strange glass houses.

I lost track of the number of towns as the day wore on. We finally stopped for the night in one of the larger settlements. Valek checked us into the Anchor Inn and I collapsed on the bed as soon as he shut the door.

He was next to me in an instant. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just need to sleep. I’ll be fine. You should be more worried about Janco and Onora sharing a room. One of them is going to kill the other by morning.”

“Janco’s trying to provoke her.”

“And when she snaps?”

“He’ll have a bruise and an ego to nurse.”

“Are you sure it won’t be worse?” Despite Valek’s assurances of her loyalty, I didn’t trust the girl. And since learning she’d shot me with an arrow laced with starlight, I’d wanted to punch her. Frustration flowed through me. If I had my magic, I’d examine her soul and learn just how dangerous she was. The Ethical Code be damned. She’d started it.

“She won’t harm Janco, because it would upset me,” Valek said. “And right now, she’s still scared of me.”

“And when she’s no longer afraid?”

“Then it will get interesting.”

Typical Valek bravado. If I had any energy, I’d argue.

Sensing my mood, Valek said, “Before you form an opinion of her, I’d suggest you get to know her better. Like you, she’s been assaulted and raped. But unlike you, she hasn’t killed her demons yet.”

“Now you’ve done it.” Regret for my earlier dark thoughts pulsed.

“I’ve done what?”

“You complicated things. My feelings for her were rather simple. It was nice to just dislike her. Now I want to help her. Too bad my powers—”

“Are not needed,” Valek said. “You’ve overcome your difficulties without using magic, so can she. But I’m sure she’d like a friend to confide in.”

“You’re sure? Why do you care? She’s after your job.”

“I’ve always had people after my job, love. And the Commander’s been telling me to find a protégé for years. She’s the first to have real potential, and if she can step up, then perhaps she should.”

I studied his face, searching for regret or sorrow over the prospect. Finding none, I relaxed back into the pillows. Valek tucked me in and left to listen to the local gossip. I fell asleep dreaming of our future together.

* * *

Morning intruded. I groaned and tightened my grip on Valek as he tried to disentangle himself from me and the blankets.

“A few more minutes,” I mumbled.

“I caught a lead last night,” he said, pulling my arms off his waist.

Suddenly wide-awake, I let go and sat up. “You found Owen? Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Easy, love. It’s never that simple. I talked to a man who knew about a strange house made of glass.”

“And? Did you go check it out?”

“No. The man claimed he needed his brother’s help to find the place again. He offered to get his brother and take me there in the morning, for a fee of course.”

“Smells like a classic setup.” Instead of taking the mark to the promised location, the journey would end in an ambush.

“Indeed. However, from his comments, I think Owen may have tried to erase his memories, which is why he needed his brother to find the location again.”

“Still might be a setup.”

He smiled. “There will be four of us.”

“And if it’s a trap, we’ll be facing three magicians.” I flung the blankets off and dug through my pack. “Make sure all your darts are filled with Curare.”

“Yes, sir.”

We dressed and met Janco and Onora for a fast breakfast. The man joined us at the stables. He was in his forties, broad-shouldered and good-natured despite the tension. He introduced himself as Tex. I checked that his shadow matched his physique, ruling out a magical disguise. A short sword hung from his waist, but he might have other weapons tucked in his clothes or boots. I drew my cloak tighter around my shoulders. Or rather, Reema’s cloak. We had switched garments when I’d sent her to Ixia and out of danger.

Tex’s brother was named Jax—a thick, muscled man the size of Ari, whose shadow also matched. A rolled-up horse whip was tied to Jax’s belt. Janco eyed the whip with trepidation, rubbing his arms.

Valek introduced us. He used Janco’s and Onora’s real names, but changed mine to Elliona and referred to himself as Ilom. The men brought their own horses. Jax mounted a beefy gray quarter horse, and Tex rode a dark brown stallion.

Tex gazed at Kiki. “Is that one of those Sandseed horses?”

No sense lying. “Yes.”