Storm Glass (47 page)

  I glanced at my sais four feet away. Could I reach them before he grabbed me? Devlen noticed my hesitation and hooked his arm in mine.

  “Helpful, remember.” He dug his fingers into my wrist.

  Spikes of pain shot up to my elbow. He kept the pressure until we were well away from the cabin. With his hand still around my arm, we walked through the woods, heading north.

  Doubts about my tenuous plan nagged at me. My best chance to escape would be while in Sitia. One little spider wouldn’t save me. What if Kade was already dead? Muted by Devlen’s backpack, Kaya’s orb hummed an urgent tone. I guessed if Kade died, the tune would change.

  Each step closer to Ixia brought more worries to my mind. By the evening, I had convinced myself it would be best to escape and return to the Keep to recruit help for Kade. Interesting how the memory of pain fades with time.

  Unfortunately, he gave me no opportunity. As soon as we stopped, he hooked my wrists behind a tree trunk while he set up camp in a tight clearing. He released me only to eat then forced me to take a swig of his blood potion before securing me again. Knowing the ingredients made me gag, I slept sitting down, leaning my head against the trunk.

  Cold nightmares invaded my dreams.

  The next day we met up with a caravan of merchants with five wagons. One wagon was filled with sand, another with lime, but I couldn’t see what was beneath the canvas tarps of the other three. They had been expecting us.

  One of the merchants, a heavyset man with thick eyebrows, approached Devlen. “Is this the cargo?”

  “Yes.”

  The merchant eyed the cuffs on my wrists. “An unusual request. We’re used to smuggling goods in and Ixians out. If she makes a sound-”

  “She won’t.”

  Hitching his pants over his ample stomach, the man chewed on his lip. “Gonna cost you extra.”

  “How much?”

  “Three golds, but I’ll give you a discount if me and my boys can play, too.” He gestured to the four men waiting by the horses.

  Devlen turned to me. “Care to play with the gentlemen?”

  Breathing became difficult as I guessed they weren’t referring to a game of tag. “No, thank you.” My voice quavered just a bit.

  “How about two golds and, if she causes any trouble at any time, you can play for one night?” Devlen offered.

  “Deal. Load her up.” The merchant returned to his caravan.

  Devlen led me to the middle wagon. “Now you have extra incentive to behave.”

  A small rectangular hole was at the bottom of the mound of white sand. There was a hinged door attached and I realized the sand covered a long box.

  Devlen grabbed my arms and secured my wrists behind me.

  “What-”

  He shoved a hard rubber bar between my teeth and pulled the straps behind my head. “It’s too important to trust you when we cross into Ixia. I guess you could pound with your feet, but the sand should muffle it. However, our merchant friend would feel the vibrations and get his night of fun.” He stepped back. “Put her in.”

  Two of the boys picked me up and shoved me feet first into the hole under the sand. A thud and a few clicks followed. It was dark, coffin-like and I puffed in alarm, convinced the sand or the gag would smother me.

  My panic increased with the drumming sound of sand being poured to cover the box’s door. After a few terrifying moments, my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I rolled to my side to take my weight off my arms. Small holes had been drilled into the floor of the box, allowing light and air to seep in.

  The wagon lurched forward. Through my peepholes, the ground slid past and my hope of escaping drained drop by drop with each passing mile.

  Voices woke me from a light doze. The wagons had stopped and the shuffling sounds of footsteps reached me. I debated taking the risk and making noise, but the image of being given to five men for the night caused me to hesitate too long. The wagon moved. The opportunity gone. Coward.

  Ixia passed under my wagon, but I didn’t see much of it. Taken out of my box only at night to eat, I caught a few glimpses of pine trees and frozen farmland. The ground was rock hard and after a few days of travel, muddy snow rolled under the wagon.

  The men complained of the weather and stared at me with hungry eyes. After another three days, the air became too cold for the merchants to sleep outside at night. They stopped at a travel shelter. We sat by the fire, finishing our dinner.

  “She’ll have to stay in here. The cold could kill her,” Rutz said. “You don’t want to deliver a corpse.”

  After being with the men for a total of six days, I knew all their names.

  Namir, their large leader said, “The Ixian patrols target the shelters, especially this far north.”

  “Opal has papers,” Devlen said.

  “But will she cooperate?” Namir asked.

  “She has so far.”

  “But she hasn’t had the chance to misbehave. With Ixian soldiers here, she could get us all arrested.” Namir frowned.

  “Put the gag back on her and I’ll watch her,” Rutz offered.

  “No way. She’s more likely to behave with me,” Shen said.

  The other two men watched the exchange with interest. Yannis, the man who wore his woolen cap all the time, seemed tense, as if ready to fight. Something about him nagged at me as if I had seen him before. I checked his shadow, but it matched his shape. Owin’s dark brown eyes sparkled with anticipation as his gaze swept my body.

  “
I’ll
ensure she cooperates.” Devlen laid a possessive hand on my shoulder, bringing me closer to him.

  From the placement of his fingertips, I understood his warning. All he had to do was squeeze and I would be in agony.

  When it was time to sleep, Devlen lay on the cot with me. I flinched away.

  “Would you rather share with one of the boys?” he asked, whispering in my ear.

  I relented and he pulled me close. His chest against my back and his arm around my waist.

  “Just like the good old days. Perhaps?” His hand moved downward.

  I grabbed it and lifted his arm off me. “No.”

  He put it back around my waist. “You’re causing trouble,” he said with a gruff tone. “The boys are getting antsy.”

  “Do we have to travel with them?” I asked.

  He remained quiet for a moment. “It’s the safest way to get you north, but in a few days they will turn west. Unless you’ll volunteer to play-”

  “No.”

  “Then we’ll strike out on our own tomorrow.”

  I listened as Devlen’s breathing slowed and his arm around my waist relaxed. My thoughts whirled. He could have given me to the boys-I was defenseless-but he didn’t. Why not? He was a murdering, power-hungry Warper, who enjoyed torturing people. I thought back to the room in the cabin and realized he didn’t enjoy the torture. In fact, his whole posture radiated his distaste. I hadn’t noticed before when I was writhing in pain-a hard time to be objective. The same could be said about the time I had spent in the tent. Looking back at his actions, I sensed he performed his job without emotion, and without touching me in any inappropriate place. Odd.

  My thoughts turned to his comments about Ulrick. However much I resisted the notion, he had been right about my feelings toward Ulrick. I had kept my distance even when I knew Ulrick desired me.

  I tried to justify my actions with Devlen. But in my heart, I couldn’t say for sure if I would have stuck to my decision the previous night and made love to the real Ulrick. I had to acknowledge the fact that it was Devlen I had been drawn to-not Ulrick. I hoped Ulrick was really safe from harm. And I hoped I would live through this ordeal, so I could explain everything to him, and apologize.

  Various plans to escape, to fight and to trick formed in my mind, but all of them led nowhere because I didn’t have enough information. I would have to wait and see what developed, but the tightness around my chest eased a bit. At least I had a few reactions planned, so if a particular situation arose, I wouldn’t hesitate.

  Eventually I drifted into sleep. Snow-filled dreams swirled. I didn’t need the potion as we drew closer to the ice sheet. Details of Icefaren Station sharpened and I could see the scratches on the rocky sides of the pit. A snow cat crouched at the edge, its white coat invisible against the snow. The predator moved away. Its sleek muscles capable of incredible power and speed. Snow cats were almost impossible to hunt. All their senses were heightened to such a degree a hunter couldn’t even get within bow-and-arrow range. The Commander of Ixia was the only known person to kill one.

  My dream followed the creature. About four feet long and three feet high, the snow cat circled the buildings of the station before heading west. The landscape seemed vast and flat until I viewed it through the snow cat’s eyes. Then ridges of ice and mounds of snow were visible. And a den, filled with six other cats. The heat from their bodies welcoming. Farther inside the white walls turned to gray. A small cave with a pool of water. The cat stopped to drink. At the bottom of the pool rested one of my glass animals, pulsing with a muddy red light. Gede’s prison. The Story Weaver turned Warper. Devlen’s teacher.

  I jerked awake.

  “What did you see?” Devlen asked. His splayed hand rested on my stomach. Fingertips near pain spots.

  “A pit. Buildings.” I could tell him where the prison was. Seven snow cats, more than adequate guards.

  “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?”

29

IF I TOLD
the 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.