Storm Glass (41 page)

Free me. Crush the prison in your hand. Only you can do it.

  “Oh, yes. Worth getting wet for. Did I ever tell you you’re my favorite sister?”

  Yelena rolled her eyes since she was his only sister. “Are these your fake diamonds, Opal?”

  I closed my mouth and pushed to my feet, taking one of the torches with me. She didn’t hear him. I tried to do my job, despite the ghost’s increasing demands for freedom.

  A path wound through the chamber. From what I could see by the torchlight, it appeared to be several stories high, a couple hundred feet wide, and about seventy feet deep. Toward the back, I spotted an area where the crystals had been chiseled. These crystals were brilliant and clear. I rubbed my fingertips along the surface, pieces cracked off in my wake.

  “These are too brittle.” I searched until I found black-colored crystals. “These, too. They wouldn’t survive being shaped.” So why come here?

Free me. You’ll be stronger than the Soulfinder.

  “Do you know what these are?” Yelena asked.

  “A type of gypsum crystal, but I’m not an expert. Pazia or someone from the Cloud Mist Clan would know.”

I can tell you. Everything and anything you want to know.

  “What are they used for?” Leif asked.

  “They could be added into a glass mixture. Perhaps they are needed in the recipe to make the fakes.”

  “We’ll take a few samples to identify it. Leif, there’s a table on the other side of the pool,” Yelena called. “See if you can find a chisel.”

Crush the prison in your hand. Release me.

  After a few minutes of grumbling, Leif brought a chisel, hammer and a cloth bag. Trying not to make a noticeable break, I chipped off a finger-sized piece of the clear, then broke a similar-sized chuck of black and stuffed them into the bag.

  The pressure in my mind bloomed into an unbearable torment. I sank to my knees and, without conscious thought, pried the prison from the corner where it had been wedged, one sparkle among thousands. Relief and power flowed through me as if I had drunk an elixir. I gazed at the glass, muddy-red light pulsed from its core.

  Leif and Yelena didn’t notice; they stared at her bat flying overhead.

  I now knew Valek had been crazy enough to swim through the pool. He probably thought no one else would brave the cold water. He had been wrong.

  The bat landed on Yelena’s shoulder. She glanced at the rear wall. “There’s another tunnel.”

  Leif groaned, but followed his sister. I shoved the prison deep into my pocket and hurried after them. After traversing two chutes and three caverns, we came to a dead end. None of the other chambers contained crystals, and there was no sign of real diamonds.

  Through the thin fabric of my pants the prison’s heat jabbed me as if searching for a weak spot. I should give it to Valek so he could find a better hiding place. A sudden possessiveness welled. The prison was mine.

  “Can we go now? My feet are numb,” Leif said.

  We retraced our steps and once again stood in the crystal chamber.

  “Let’s hurry.” Leif pointed to the pool.

  I hesitated, fighting the desire to stay silent. This was too important. Yelena needed to know about the Warper. I tried to speak. A jolt of fire sliced up my body and stabbed into my head. I fell to my knees, pressing my fingertips into my temples. The man wouldn’t let me talk.

  Yelena’s voice sounded. Her hand on my back. His desire burned my thoughts.

Break the glass and release the pain,
he ordered.
Now!

  My hand closed on the glass. Normally so strong a material, I knew I could reduce it to powder in my fist. No one else could. The magic within the glass responded to me. Heady mix of power within my palm. To no longer be afraid. Exactly what I wanted.

Crush it. Be powerful. In control.

  My fingers tightened. Yelena’s presence reminded me of a time I had held a Curare-laced dart and jabbed it into her arm.

Do it. Together we will have more power than her.

  I yanked the prison from my pocket. Energy sizzled along my skin. One hard squeeze of my hand, and the pain would disappear.

Obey me.

  Those words cut through my fog of misery and confusion. Different voice. Same words. Words I would never forget. I thrust the prison into Yelena’s hands.

  Unbroken.

  The blazing pain remained; caused by shame over what I had almost done and knowledge that these glass prisons would haunt me until I died. I huddled on the floor, hot and miserable.

  Yelena’s touch on my forehead cooled the maelstrom. Her energy revived my spirit.

  “What’s going on?” Leif asked.

  “It’s better you don’t know,” Yelena said. “Go on through the pool, we’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Oh that’s right. I forgot I’m just here to light fires,” Leif grumbled, but dived into the water.

  Yelena held out the glass prison. “When did you know this was here?”

  I told her about the dreams. “I have a general idea where the others are, too.” I searched her expression. “Didn’t you know?”

  “I knew as soon as we entered the cave.” She paused and chewed on her lower lip as if debating what she should tell me. “I’ve been hanging around Valek too long. I heard the Warper’s pleas, but wanted to see what
you
would do.”

  “But…but I almost crushed the glass and released him.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “But what if I did? He has Master-level powers.”

  “Then I would have another problem to deal with.”

  “That was a big risk.”

  “Actually, I wasn’t worried. I trusted you, Opal.”

  If the Warper hadn’t said those two words, I would have freed him. “You shouldn’t. Because when you sent those evil souls to the glass, they traveled through me. I think a piece of them stayed with me. Sometimes I feel my thoughts and actions aren’t mine.”

  Yelena placed her hand flat on my chest and closed her eyes. After a moment, she stepped back. “We all have thoughts we’re not proud of. I’ve done a couple things I wish I hadn’t. I can assure you there are no remnants of those souls within you.”

  “But they call to me.”

  “Your other glass animals call to you.”

  “That’s different.”

  Yelena said nothing.

  “I sense emotions from my animals. I hear voices and feel pain with the prisons.”

  “Have you been dealing with this for the past four years?” Yelena asked.

  The answer surprised me. “No. I started having the vivid dreams…” After my trip to the Stormdance lands. After I had connected with Kade through the orb. “Around the middle of the cooling season. Around the time I discovered a few new…things I could do with my magic.” I explained about the spiders, but not about Kade.

  “The new abilities could have set off a chain reaction. Your magic is linked to glass and perhaps in increasing your powers you expanded your connection to your other creations.”

  I guessed it was possible.

  “Or there could be another reason altogether. In this case, I would say dealing with the problem is more important right now than figuring it out. You must not tell anyone you know where the prisons are. This one will be hidden again. Stay away from the others lest you be tempted.” She smiled. “The next trapped soul might offer you warmth and dry clothes. Then we’d be in trouble.”

  I released a shaky breath. “You’re right. I’d do anything for a warm fire.”

  She cringed. “Not me. I tend to avoid fires.” She shivered. “I’m more tempted by a piece of apple cake.”

  “You sound like Leif.” But my stomach rumbled in agreement. We didn’t waste any more time. The trip back through the chilly water wasn’t as bad, perhaps because I knew a dry cloak waited on the other side.

  Kade helped me out of the pool. His hand pulsed hot against my icy skin. Soothing warmth spread from where he had touched me. My body felt bruised and battered, and the sudden desire to wrap myself in his arms coursed through me. I pushed the notion away, knowing he would reject me.

  What a night. I couldn’t wait to leave the cave. Staying far away from the prisons was an excellent idea, but how do I avoid the nightmares? What if I encountered another stronger Warper? Would I be able to resist freeing him if Yelena wasn’t by my side?

  Yelena and Leif crawled through the tunnel toward the cave’s exit. Kade and I waited for the all clear signal.

  “Something’s wrong,” Kade said. He helped me wrap my cloak around my shoulders. “You hold yourself as if you’ve ingested Brittle Talc.”

  I smiled, remembering our conversation on The Cliffs. “Now you’re using glassmaking analogies. If you hang around me too much, you’ll be spouting glassmaking lingo like a gaffer.”

  He gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest. “Then I’d better go.”

  Kade joked, but the thought of him leaving felt as if I had dived into the cave’s pool again. Without thought, I stepped closer to him. He stiffened.

  I moved away, letting my blood turn into ice.

  “Did something happen in the cavern?” he asked.

  “No. I’m just cold. You know what cold does to metal.”

  “You’re not made of metal.”

  Right now, I wished I was.

  We returned to Fulgor an hour before dawn. Kade had rented a room in the Good Inn near the center of the town. In the Councillor’s guest quarters, Leif shared a room with Ulrick, and I had the other bedroom. A living area with a marble hearth separated the three rooms. Leif immediately roused the dying embers of the fire into a full blaze.

  “Ahh…I’m sleeping here.” He pulled the couch closer.

  “Get changed first,” I said. “Or you’ll soak the cushions.”

  I entered my room. My still-damp shirt clung to my body and my hair had dried into a tangled knot. Clean, dry clothes felt like the finest silk against my skin. I wrestled with a comb, but put it down when a knock sounded.

  Yelena stood at the door. “Do you have those samples from the cave? I want to show them to Irys.”

  I stepped back, opening the door wider. “I put them in my pocket.”

  As I dug for the crystals, Yelena wandered around my room.

  “Opal?”

  I grabbed the crystals and joined her. She had stopped by my saddlebags. One of the pouches gaped open.

  Yelena pointed to the orb visible through the gap. “What is that?”

  Her voice sounded odd and I guessed she heard the magic’s song. I had grown so used to the melody, I no longer muffled it. “It’s a Stormdancer orb. A storm’s essence is inside. Kade wanted me to keep it safe.” I shrugged. “I didn’t feel right leaving it behind.”

  She turned to me in shock. I almost stepped back.

  “Can you hear it?” I asked.

  “Hear it? Can’t you
see
her?”

  I knew who Yelena meant. “No. I only hear her name. She’s Kade’s sister. Kaya died while he harvested a storm.”

  “Her soul is trapped inside that orb. She must be freed.”

26

YELENA MOVED TOWARD
the orb.

  “No. Wait.” I stepped in front of her. I stood about three inches taller than her, but I knew she possessed the power to move me aside.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “It’s Kade’s orb. He asked me to keep it safe.”

  “Does he know his sister is trapped inside?”

  I thought back. “On an unconscious level he does. He’s kept it with him since she died. But I doubt he knows her actual soul is there.”

  “She should be released so she can find joy in the sky.”

  “Is Kaya unhappy?”

  “Let’s ask her.”

  She grabbed my hand before I could say a word. The room swirled and spun as color drained, leaving gray in its wake. The furniture faded away. The walls curved around us and transformed into glass.

  We stood inside the orb. My second trip, but this time Kaya didn’t form from sand granules. She waited for us-a ghost with a sad smile, her resemblance to Kade unmistakable. Her short brown hair was streaked blond by the sun.

  Yelena asked her if she wanted to go to the sky.

  “I would love to go to the sky, but you can’t set me free, Soulfinder,” Kaya said. “Only my brother can.”

  Frowning, Yelena’s forehead crinkled with effort as she reached toward Kaya.

  “That’s a first,” Yelena said. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, I’ve met a few…interesting souls in the past four years.”

  I remembered Leif’s translation of Yelena-speak, and
interesting
meant
dangerous.
“I didn’t know souls could be treacherous.”

  “The ones who belong in the fire world are. They always fight.” She placed her hands on her hips. “We’ll have a talk with your brother.”