Spy Glass Read online

  When the door closed, I said, “The shield must have reacted

  to my immunity.” I thought it through and followed the logic.

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  Maria V. Snyder

  My immunity was created by magic. A null shield blocked

  magic. I couldn’t reach Tama through the shield. Another

  interesting quirk to my new status. Another thing to keep

  quiet.

  As I saddled Quartz early the next morning, Finn arrived on

  the back of a beautiful golden quarter horse. Her blond mane

  and tail had been braided and her legs had white socks.

  I couldn’t resist running my hand along her long neck.

  “What’s her name?” I asked him.

  “Sun

  Ray.”

  “Perfect.” I tightened Quartz’s girth strap. Anxious to go,

  she fidgeted.

  “Is she a Sandseed horse?” Finn asked.

  I looked over. “Yes.”

  “I thought they’re rare, and only given to…”

  I finished for him. “Councilors, Master Magicians and pow-

  erful people like the Soulfinder?”

  He remained neutral. “Yeah.”

  “They are.” I let him figure it out. When I swung up into

  the saddle, I was eye level with Finn.

  He changed the subject. “Is that a jumping saddle?”

  “Yep.” I grinned. “Quartz loves to jump. I hope you can

  keep up.”

  “That won’t be a problem, because you won’t catch me.”

  He spurred Sun Ray into a gallop.

  To be fair, I waited a few seconds before giving Quartz the

  signal. Then we gave chase.

  My ribs protested the motion, but the pure joy of riding

  banished my aches, worries and problems. I concentrated on

  my connection with Quartz and soon we moved as one, f lying

  over fences, chewing up the miles and drinking the wind. We

  transformed into a combined mass of energy and power, free

  to go anywhere. Exhilarating.

  We caught up to Finn and Sun Ray. He pointed to a forest

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  in the distance. Our destination. With a burst of speed, we

  passed them and bolted for the forest. Once at the edge of

  the woods, we slowed and returned to horse and rider. I dis-

  mounted and walked beside Quartz, letting her cool down.

  Holding Sun Ray’s reins, Finn joined us, leading her beside

  us as she puffed for breath. Her golden coat gleamed with

  sweat. “I always thought the stories about the Sandseed horses

  had been exaggerated. Now I’m thinking they didn’t quite

  explain the—” he searched for the proper word “—splendor

  of the horse. Not just physical attractiveness, but the whole

  way she moved as if she embodied the tangible essence of pure

  beauty.” He looked a bit chagrined. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to

  gush.”

  “As long as it doesn’t go to her head. She’s already spoiled,

  but she’d be impossible to live with if she developed an over-

  inf lated ego.”

  We entered the forest, following a trail through the bare

  branches and crunching dead leaves under our boots. A few

  evergreens saved the landscape from being outright creepy.

  Only a few days remained in the cold season, but full greenery

  wouldn’t arrive until the end of the warming season.

  The gurgle of water reached me before we entered a rocky

  clearing. A stream cut through the middle, snaking around

  the bigger rocks. Finn tied his horse to a nearby tree, but I

  pulled Quartz’s bridle off and let her explore.

  “Aren’t you worried she’ll run away?” he asked.

  “No. Although, if she chooses to leave, I’d be

  devastated.”

  Quartz snorted and f licked me with her tail. Finn peered

  at me as if my skin had turned another color.

  “With Sandseed horses, the horse picks the rider. And if

  she decides she wants to return to the Avibian Plains, there’s

  nothing I could do to stop her. Well…I could tempt her with

  milk oats.”

  She raised her head at the mention of her favorite treat, but

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  returned to drinking from the stream when I failed to produce

  them.

  I scanned the clearing. “Where’s the waterfall?”

  “Upstream.” He removed a sack from Sun Ray’s saddlebags

  and slung it over his shoulder. “Come on.”

  We hiked along the bank, hopping from rock to rock to

  avoid the mud and water. A light shushing filled the air and

  a moisture-rich breeze fanned our faces. The sound grew

  louder and the stream widened as we continued. Up ahead, a

  bend blocked my view, but a thin mist f loated low over the

  water.

  Anxious, I increased my pace and rounded the corner. I

  stopped. The waterfall was three feet high.

  Finn shot me his slanted smile. “I did say it was a pretty

  little waterfall.”

  He opened the sack and drew out cheese, bread, two f lasks,

  two cups, a variety of small sandwiches and a blanket. Ar-

  ranging them on the top of a large f lat boulder, he smoothed

  out the blanket and invited me to sit next to him.

  For a moment I stood in stunned silence. This was a date.

  An actual date. I’d never been on one before. Ulrick and I had

  started as friends and then took the next step. And Kade…

  Our initial meeting hadn’t gone well, but the relationship

  grew over time and crises. We never had a peaceful moment.

  Not even a picnic on the beach.

  I suddenly wished Kade and not Finn waited for me to join

  him. Settling on the ground, I turned my attention to him.

  We talked about nothing in particular as we ate, but at the first natural segue, I steered the conversation to Wirral. Because

  this shouldn’t be a real date. I needed to learn everything I

  could about the prison.

  Finn answered a few questions, but the gleam in his eyes

  meant he saw right through me. Eventually he asked, “Is your

  interest in the prison linked to the attack last night?”

  “No. I was just curious.”

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  He leaned back on one elbow. “Even if I hadn’t been trained

  to spot one, you’re not a good lair. Your questions about se-

  curity at Wirral combined with the attack last night, mean

  you’re up to something. You’re on a mission.”

  I tried to protest, but he shook his head. “Don’t bother de-

  nying it. Since I doubt you’re up to no good, why don’t you

  tell me what’s going on so I can help you?”

  I hesitated. He straightened and said, “I have sources all

  over Fulgor.” He leaned toward me. “What if you’re attacked

  again? If I know what’s going on, I can better protect you.”

  Sticking to the truth, I said, “I’m on a mission for myself.

  No one sent me. You know I’m not popular among the guards.

  Remember the drunks at the Spotted Dog?”

  “What’s the mission?”

  “I’d rather not say. Don’t worry. It doesn’t involve helping

  any of the prisoners at Wirral.”

  “Good. Do you expect to be ambushed again?”

  “Not with my escort
s following me around Fulgor.”

  Finn gave me a wry smile. “They care about you. And…”

  He reached for one of the f lasks, twisting off the cap. He

  poured wine into one of the cups and handed it to me. He

  filled the other and fiddled with it.

  Unsure of what to do with the cup, I prompted, “And?”

  “And, I’m beginning to care about you, too.” He brushed

  a stray strand of hair from my face. His warm fingers stroked

  my cheek and lingered under my chin, drawing me closer.

  He kissed me.

  My heart broke into a gallop. In order to maintain the

  ruse, I kissed him back. After…I don’t know…seconds?…

  minutes?…he drew back and gave me that slanted grin. He

  raised his cup and stopped as a twig snapped.

  We both turned. The four men who had attacked us before

  stood a few feet downstream. My heart increased its pace to

  a full-out canter.

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  “How romantic,” Middle Man said. “I hope we’re inter-

  rupting.”

  Finn stood and pulled his sword. I cursed myself for not

  replacing my sais. Instead, I grabbed my switchblade and trig-

  gered it as I positioned myself next to Finn.

  He glanced at me and asked, “Are you certain these goons

  aren’t here about your mission?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  The four men advanced.

  “This isn’t going to be pretty. Any chance we can talk our

  way out of this?” he asked.

  I called to the men. “What do you want?”

  “You already know, Opal. Don’t go acting like you’re sur-

  prised,” Middle Man said.

  Finn asked, “Any chance you could just tell them or give

  them what they want?”

  “I’m not working for anyone,” I shouted at the men. “Why

  don’t you believe me?”

  “Then why are you in Fulgor?” Middle Man asked.

  “I told you. For a job. My friends.” I almost screamed in

  frustration.

  The men paused and exchanged a glance with Finn. He

  lowered his weapon and turned to me. “You’re either incred-

  ibly smart or unbelievably stupid.”

  A chill raced over my skin. “Excuse me?”

  “Somehow you blocked my magic, so I can’t read your

  intentions.” He gestured to the goons. “We couldn’t scare the

  information from you, and I couldn’t romance it from you,

  either.” A wild gleam lit his eyes. He sheathed his weapon.

  I backed away, pointing my knife at his chest. “What are

  you saying?”

  “The game’s been fun. And it just galls me to resort to the

  old-fashioned ways, but, sweetheart, you’re one tough nut to

  crack.”

  My mind reeled as I backed away from Finn, trying to connect him to the four smiling goons. The realization that

  I was an amateur caught in a professional’s game lodged in

  my throat. And even though my heart pumped for all it was

  worth, my legs refused to run.

  Upstream remained the only direction open. Since Finn

  had arranged this whole surprise, he probably already had it

  covered. He matched me step for step until I reached the edge

  of the boulder. My knife was all that separated us.

  Finn moved without warning. Pain f lared in my wrist, and

  he held my switchblade.

  “Are you going to cooperate and tell us what your mission

  is?” he asked.

  “I told you—”

  “Nothing. No matter. You will.”

  “Why don’t you believe me?”

  “I deal with prisoners all day so I don’t believe anyone.

  And, I’ve told you before, it’s part of my job to find out why

  you’re in town. The warden has also given me permission to

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  make sure your keen interest in the SMU isn’t because you’re

  up to no good.” He reached into his pocket.

  I jumped off the boulder, landing hard on the uneven

  ground. I spun, intent on running, when a dart pricked my

  neck. Finn grabbed my arm before I could yank it out. I mar-

  veled at his ref lexes as my world liquefied. He picked me up

  as if I weighed nothing.

  How could he hold me when my body was a puddle? He

  poured me back onto the boulder. I sloshed at the edges and

  stared in amazement at the drippy trees and his gooey face.

  Finn settled next to me. “Isn’t this better than torture?”

  The forest spun around my boulder. His men stretched

  into long lines of color. “Anything’s better than torture.” The intense rush of the waterfall overwhelmed my senses.

  “Plus you’ve proven to be very resistant to torture.”

  I giggled. In a minuscule section of my mind, a tiny Opal

  was appalled by my behavior. Miniature Opal screamed at me

  to stop being ridiculous. This was a serious situation. But big Opal was completely at Finn’s mercy.

  “Tell me,” he commanded.

  And I couldn’t resist. The words gushed up my throat and

  poured from my mouth, filling the forest until I drowned in

  them.

  When I woke, I couldn’t remember what Finn had asked

  me or what I had told him. My stomach heaved and I rolled

  over and expelled the picnic lunch onto the ground. Only

  spotty details of the afternoon remained. I glanced around,

  expecting to see Finn and his goons gloating, but the forest

  was empty.

  I lay back as relief then fear then anger consumed me. Did

  he expect me to ignore what happened? And why did he go

  to all that trouble? Why did he and the warden care about my

  reason for being in Fulgor? Did they really think I would try

  to help one of the inmates escape? The answers eluded me.

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  Should I tell the Councilor? The thought pumped ice

  through my veins. His magic couldn’t hurt me, but that meant

  nothing. This guy was out of my league. He reminded me of

  Valek. Perhaps it was time for me to call in that favor. After

  the Warper Battle six years ago, Valek had offered me his

  assistance. Anytime and anywhere, he had said. I hoped he

  meant it.

  I staggered from the boulder. A moldy smell clung to my

  clothes, and I wondered how long I had been out of it. By

  the time I found Quartz, the sun hovered over the horizon.

  Having no energy to face anyone, I headed straight for the

  inn. I wouldn’t tell anyone about Finn. Not yet. He had the

  warden’s permission. Plus he had claimed he was doing his

  job—my questions about the SMU worried him, but his meth-

  ods sent warning signals. This time I wasn’t going to waste

  effort trying to solve this one on my own.

  In the middle of the night, I woke, convinced Finn hovered

  over me. I jolted upright, and scanned the shadows. No one.

  A shudder rattled my teeth as I realized how easy it had been

  for Finn to fool me and how quickly he’d trapped me. I was

  defenseless against him.

  I doubted Finn could get that close to Valek. Worry panged.

  Maybe I should deal with Finn myself ? Stop it, Opal, I

  chided myself. Young and inexperienced Opal wo
uld have

  reported him to the Councilor and tried to convince her of

  his misdeeds.

  Older and smarter Opal called for help right away. This

  concerned Valek just as much as me. Finn had illegally ob-

  tained private information about both of us.

  I mentally checked Finn off my to-do list. He had to know

  I wasn’t here to help anyone escape from the SMU. If I avoided

  him, I should be fine until Valek arrived. I would concentrate

  all my effort on finding my blood. Then it hit me. I had to

  assume Finn knew all about my mission. Damn.

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  My sore muscles protested as I pushed the blankets from

  my legs. I hopped down and paced the room. I needed a new

  strategy and fast. Finn could decide to find my blood and use

  it, or sell it, or dump it on the ground for a laugh.

  I reviewed all that I had learned since arriving in Fulgor.

  The warden, Finn and the hotshots. I sorted through my

  memories. As the sky lightened with the dawn, I formed the

  only plan that had a chance of working. I would sneak into

  Wirral and ask Ulrick myself.

  When I arrived at work in the morning, Zebb sat at his

  desk. For better or for worse, Zebb was part of the team. My

  background search on him had uncovered an exemplary ser-

  vice record. We still didn’t like each other, but we tolerated

  each other’s presence.

  “Zebb, do you still have that glass messenger?”

  He straightened, instantly wary. “Yeah. Why?”

  “I need you to contact Leif Zaltana for me.”

  Huffing at my audacity, he said, “Sorry, it’s for emergencies

  and Council business only.”

  “This is Council business. I have an idea about who may

  have attacked the Councilor, but I need more information.”

  He

  hesitated.

  “Should I bother the Councilor for permission?”

  “No.” He yanked the goat from his pocket and peered into

  its depths. “Leif better have one,” he grumbled.

  “He does.” I had always given him extras.

  Zebb concentrated and then asked in a distracted voice,

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Ask him if a Finn Bloodgood was ever a student at the

  Keep.” I waited.

  Eventually Zebb put the goat down. “He doesn’t recognize

  the name, but he said he’ll find out and get back to me. Do

  you think this Finn is involved in the attack?”

  “It’s possible, and I’d like to know how strong he is.”