Instead of listening, Ben pressed his lips together and brought his arm down. I braced for the explosion of pain, but the blade halted mere inches from my stomach. Ben grunted with effort and his muscles trembled. However, he didn’t move.
A hooded figure loomed behind him. “What part of ‘stop’ don’t you understand?”
“She deserves to die.” Ben forced the words out as if his vocal cords were pinched tight.
Perhaps they were. No doubt magic was involved in preventing Ben’s knife from plunging into my body. A good thing, but the Boss’s arrival might just delay the inevitable.
“Yes, she does deserve to die. But what happens when the Council, the Master Magicians, the Commander and Valek find out she’s been murdered?”
Ben hissed in frustration. “They’ll come after us.”
“And your rescue has drawn too much attention already. Besides, Valek won’t stop until we’re all dead,” the Boss said.
“But now she knows where we are.”
“Thanks to you.” The Boss sighed. “And once again, I’ll have to take care of it.”
Ben flashed me a look of pure venom. He relaxed back on his heels and lowered his knife. “We’re not done,” he said to me. “I might not be allowed to kill you, but I can hurt you. Bad.”
“That’s enough. Ben, go fetch the Theobroma.”
“But she’s—”
“Go now,” the Boss ordered.
Ben left, but my heart rate kept its frantic pace. Theobroma reduced a person’s resistance to magic. The Boss believed I still had my magic, and if I ingested the Theobroma, then I wouldn’t be able to defend against his power. He had no idea he didn’t need the substance.
I scanned the room, searching for a way to escape. Small with only a few benches. A couple of lanterns sat on a table near the door. The unlocked door.
“Not yet,” the Boss said, correctly reading my intentions.
“You’ll let me go? Yeah, right.”
“I plan to, and do you want to know why?”
“Because you’re afraid of Valek?”
“For now.”
Ben returned. He held a brown lump in his palm.
“Give it to her,” the Boss ordered.
I struggled, but the four people holding me down didn’t budge. Clamping my mouth shut, I was determined not to open it, but Ben pinched my nose closed until I had to either part my lips or pass out. He shoved the Theobroma into my mouth, then held my jaw tight.
The nutty sweet substance melted on my tongue. I resisted swallowing, but due to my prone position, it dripped down my throat and I instinctively gulped.
The Boss said, “Ben, lift your null shield now.”
“Okay.”
A pause. Then the Boss turned to Ben. “What are you waiting for?”
“It’s off, I swear.”
Silence stretched and I braced, but nothing happened.
“A shield remains. Take her clothes off,” the Boss ordered.
Renewing my efforts to free my limbs, I bucked as hands grasped my shirt and yanked. Buttons flew into the air, exposing my undershirt and the glass octopus pendant.
“Stop.” The Boss held a hand up. He knelt next to me and picked up the octopus. “Interesting. No doubt the work of the Keep’s new glass magician.” Tugging the chain over my head, he removed my last defense. “But the real question is why you are wearing it.”
I kept quiet.
“No matter. I will find out soon enough.” He pulled his hood down.
Recognition shot through me an instant before his voice invaded my mind. Without my magic or a natural resistance to his power, I couldn’t stop him from delving into my memories. A horrified revulsion flushed through me, but he probed deeper and deeper until I split and shattered, exposing everything.
*
I stood on the street, blinking at the row of lanterns. How did I get here? It took a few moments for me to recognize the town. Fulgor. And another couple of minutes to remember I’d been on my way to Opal’s to read a story to Reema.
Reema. My stomach knotted. I needed to leave Fulgor or an assassin would target her. In fact, if I didn’t go now my family and friends would all be in grave danger.
I ran to Opal’s glass factory. The place was surrounded by Fulgor’s security officers. Their presence increased my panic. I’d been too slow to leave and everyone was dead!
The sergeant at the door smiled when he spotted me. “They’ve been searching the city for you. You better report in to HQ.”
“Reema?” I asked, breathless.
“She’s upstairs sleeping.”
“Are Opal and Devlen with her?”
“No. They joined the search parties along with your brother. A couple of our officers are watching her.”
Search parties? That was the second time he’d mentioned that. Had they been looking for me? It didn’t matter. All that concerned me was leaving town to keep them safe. “I’ll...just check on Reema and...report in.”
He stepped aside and I raced up the steps. The two standing guard relaxed when they recognized me. I waved to them as I confirmed Reema was unharmed. She slept on the couch.
She looked so innocent. No lines of worry or cunning creased her face and her pure beauty shone through. The instinct to protect her burned through me like a sudden fever. Move. Now. Or she’d die.
I gathered my pack, bo staff and cloak and dashed from the factory, heading to the stables at the Second Chance Inn. The knowledge that they watched me to ensure I left pressed on my back. No time to waste. Kiki nickered a greeting when I entered. I waved off the sleepy stable boy who appeared while I saddled her in record time. Rusalka poked her head over the wall. Her ears cocked forward.
“Please tell Rusalka not to worry,” I said to Kiki. “Tell her we’re going...” Where? The urgency to leave didn’t specify a direction. I strained to recall elusive details. There had been something about a plant in the Avibian Plains and it had been important...Freeze Burn! “Tell her we’re going to the plains and ask her to keep Leif from chasing after us. He needs to stay away from me. It’s too dangerous.”
Kiki stared at me for a moment. Then turned her head toward Rusalka, doing her silent horse communication thing. Rusalka snorted in either agreement or disagreement. It was hard to tell.
When I mounted Kiki, she twisted one ear back. “We’re going to search for that plant Devlen...er...Changed Man showed you. Do you remember it?”
She flicked me with her tail as if insulted that I’d question her memory.
“Good. I’d like to get to the plains as fast as possible.” This earned me another long gaze. “I have to leave to keep Reema safe. Okay?”
Just when I started wondering what I’d do if Kiki refused to take me, she trotted from the stables. I let her pick a path through the empty streets. Scanning the surrounding area for potential problems or for anyone following us, I stayed alert until we reached the plains two hours after dawn.
The panic released its vise grip on my heart and I drew a deep breath when we entered the vast grasslands of the plains. My family and friends would be safe. And as long as I stayed away, they’d live. The reason for my conviction eluded me, but just the thought of returning to Fulgor sent waves of fear along my spine. Sorrow weighed heavily on me. I already missed them so much it burned inside me. I imagined it would consume every part of me, leaving behind a hollow husk. And I couldn’t even think of Valek right now or I’d collapse in a puddle of misery and never move again.
Kiki broke into her gust-of-wind gait. We sailed on a river of air. I closed my eyes, enjoying the rush of the wind on my face. It banished the sadness if only for a moment. After being up all night, it didn’t take long for me to doze in the saddle.