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  He looked at Devlen in surprise. “Nothing. He paid for two full seasons. In fact, I owe you.”

  “Perhaps we can work out a deal. I need three more horses.”

  “They won’t be Sandseed horses. They’re too expensive. It’s been my pleasure to take care of these two. I’ve never seen such intelligence.” Peter led us to the main stable.

  The large wooden building smelled of earth and horses. Sawdust littered the floor and dust motes floated in the sunlight streaming through the big open doors. Two rows of stalls, sitting back-to-back, lined each side, creating three walkways. The main throughway was wider than the others. Ropes hung along the stalls to secure horses for grooming and saddling.

  “Your tack is in the back room.” He pointed. “I’ll have my staff bring your horses and the rental horses. See what you think of them.” He hustled back to the pasture.

  I entered the tack room. My saddle hung on the far wall and I unhooked it. The leather had been cleaned. In fact, the bridles, reins and rest of our tack appeared to be in good condition. The neat and organized room reflected Peter’s caring and professional attitude.

  Which was why the crack of a whip surprised me so much. Laden with equipment, I hurried from the room.

  Janco clutched his right hand. Blood poured from between his fingers. He dodged as a long leather whip snapped at him. His sword lay on the ground out of his reach. The two Sitian guards fought four men with pitchforks. Devlen stood to the side, grinning.

  We were under attack.

  2

  I dropped the tack. My sais and glass spiders remained in my saddlebags. Right where I had left them with Janco. A brute of a man attacked him with a whip. Janco ducked and darted, trying to get to his sword. He was fast, but with each snap, the whip tore his shirt to rags. Blood stained the shredded material.

  No weapons. No time. I charged the man wielding the whip, intending to knock him over or distract him long enough for Janco to regain his weapon.

  I had forgotten about Devlen. He plowed into me before I reached my target. We crashed into the side of a stall. My breath whooshed from my lungs as his weight pressed me into the ground. Gasping and choking on dirt, I struggled to push Devlen off, to no avail.

  “Gotcha!” a man’s voice yelled.

  The snaps stopped, but the ring of metal sounded for another minute until a furious round of clatters and curses ended in silence.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Peter demanded.

  Good question.

  “Contingency plan,” Devlen said. He lurched to his feet with his hands still manacled.

  I scrambled to grab him, but another man leveled his pitchfork at my chest. Our Sitian guards knelt with their hands laced behind their heads. Behind them two men pressed pitchforks into their backs. The man with the whip held Janco. The whip’s leather strap wrapped around Janco’s torso multiple times, trapping his arms.

  The horse Peter had been leading shied away from the smell of blood, but he quieted the animal with a reassuring hand. “Explain now,” he ordered.

  I counted six men—seven if I included Devlen—against three. The fourth pitchfork man searched Janco’s pockets and found the key for Devlen’s cuffs.

  Once freed of the manacles, Devlen rubbed his wrists. “Thank you.” He turned to Peter. “As you said yourself, Sandseed horses are expensive. I am afraid these people here—” he swept his arm out, indicating me and Janco “—tried to trick you.”

  “He’s lying—ow!” The pitchfork’s sharp metal points jabbed into me.

  “Do not be rude, Opal. You spun your story. Now it is my turn.” Devlen smoothed his hair away from his face. “The reason I paid for two seasons is I planned to be gone for two seasons, but I had a feeling something like this might happen and confided in the stable manager.” He inclined his head to the big man holding Janco. “You see, Sandseed horses are prized in Ixia. These three are really Ixian soldiers.”

  The two Sitians guards tried to deny the accusation, but were pricked into silence.

  “I am a horse trader and had business near the Ixian border,” Devlen continued. “They disguised themselves as Sitians, kidnapped me and coerced me into bringing them here so they could steal my horses.”

  Protests erupted and pitchforks poked. My body felt like a steak being tenderized. Janco remained unusually quiet. A good or bad sign? I couldn’t tell.

  Peter’s expression had turned from outrage to confusion. “But what about her? The painted mare wouldn’t have let a stranger touch her. It took me three weeks to get her to trust me.”

  “My sister. Unfortunately, she was romanced by him.” He pointed at Janco. “She is young and inexperienced. He used her.” He clucked his tongue.

  Outraged, I stepped away from the pitchfork. “We’re not related. He’s lying to you.”

  My guard glanced at Devlen, and I braced for the jab. Devlen gave him a dismissive wave. No holes for now. Yippee for me.

  “I’m sorry,” Peter said, looking from Devlen to me, “I don’t know who to believe.”

  “You will want proof, of course,” Devlen said. “Go ahead, Opal, prove your ridiculous story to Peter.”

  I opened my mouth and closed it. All I had on hand was the message from the Council and it would do more harm than good. The permission papers to travel through and leave Ixia had been collected by the border guards. The only way to convince Peter would be if he verified my story with one of the magicians in the Keep or with Zitora, which would alert the Council to my location. But better to be forced to appear before the Council and locked in the Keep’s cells than be Devlen’s prisoner again.

  Devlen smirked as the silence lengthened. “She has nothing.”

  “Peter can contact Second Magician Zitora Cowan to verify my story,” I said. The stable owner looked suitably awed.

  “Name-dropping. Very impressive,” Devlen said. “And it would take a long time, too. Extra points for creativity.”

  “Do you have any proof?” Peter asked.

  “Of course.” Devlen strode to Janco’s pack and opened it. He turned it upside down and shook out the contents. “Ixian uniform. Ixian coins. Ixian weapons.”

  “It’s a knife,” I said. “Everyone uses a knife.”

  He yanked the blade from its sheath. “Not with Ixian battle symbols etched in the metal.”

  Real fear caressed my spine. Before, the whole situation was preposterous, but now I worried Peter would believe him.

  “If you need more, I can saddle Moonlight. You know Sandseed horses are very particular about who can ride them.”

  Peter nodded.

  “At least confirm my story with Master Cowan, before you do anything,” I pleaded.

  Devlen scoffed. “As if he has the time. How many mares are ready to foal?” he asked Peter.

  “Too many.” The stable owner sighed. “I don’t have time for this, either. I’ll send a message to Robin’s Nest and have the authorities deal with it.”

  “Excellent idea.” Yet Devlen frowned and rubbed his wrists.

  Peter took the bait. “But?”

  “Oh, it is nothing. Since Opal is not of age yet, my father will be summoned. And it is the warming season—a busy time for farmers. He will be furious with us both.”

  “I’m twenty,” I said, but Devlen and Peter shared a yeah-right look. Turning to the stable owner, I appealed to his intelligence. “We don’t even look like we’re related. Please wait.”

  Peter chewed on his lip. “Horses have better sense than people. If he can saddle the black Sandseed horse, he’s telling the truth. Then he can take you home to help your father.” He turned to his manager, “Ox, secure those men. Use their manacles and lock them in the tack room. Bret, go fetch the authorities. You two—” he jabbed a finger at me and Devlen �
�—get your saddles and come with me.”

  The stable hands moved to obey. Ox kept Janco wrapped tight in the whip.

  I met Janco’s steady gaze. “Don’t worry, I’ll catch up,” Janco said before Ox dragged him away.

  With no other options, I grabbed my saddle and followed Peter to the pasture. My situation transformed from bad to worse.

  Moonlight snuffled Devlen’s hair, nudged him for treats and stood to be saddled without being tied to the gate. Yelena had told me Sandseed horses could sense magic. I had hoped Moonlight would balk at Devlen’s soul in Ulrick’s body until I remembered he had explained there was no magic to detect, and only the Soulfinder would know of his deception.

  Peter saddled Quartz, but Devlen placed my saddlebags on Moonlight along with Janco’s sword. Great.

  He thanked the stable owner. “Now we can get home and help my father plow.”

  My panic must have reached my face. Peter touched my shoulder. “Don’t worry too much. Your father’ll be mad, but I’m sure he’ll forgive you in time. Daughters hold a special place in their hearts. I know.”

  I tried to convince him of my honesty, but his stern frown warned me he’d had enough. Quartz felt my fear, but she nuzzled me as if to say, “Snap out of it.” She snorted with impatience. Her desire for action was evident, but I remained on the ground, declaring I would wait for the authorities to arrive.

  Peter glanced at Devlen. “I have rope and leather ties.”

  “No.” The mere thought of being tied to the saddle horrified me. I’d rather be free so I could escape as soon as we were out of sight. I mounted Quartz, feeling dazed over the speed with which my situation had changed.

  Peter handed her reins to Devlen on Moonlight. With a final wave, he clicked and we left at a trot. I waited until the woods obscured the stable, then reached to unbuckle Quartz’s bridle. The bone-jarring gait made it difficult to keep my balance. I almost fell. Not that I would care, falling and running was plan B.

  “What are you doing?” Devlen asked. He stopped the horses.

  “Enjoying the scenery.”

  “You have spent too much time with that annoying Ixian. Sarcasm does not suit you.” He dismounted.

  “And being a doormat does?” I swung my leg over, preparing to slide down and bolt.

  He pulled the sheath with my sais from the saddlebags. “No. You already proved you are not a doormat when you drained me, Tricky and Crafty of our magic. After I recovered from my surprise, I was quite proud of you.”

  “Proud?” Not the feeling I expected.

  “Yes. What you did was ruthless and smart. You did not hesitate. Much better than the whimpering little girl at our first meeting.”

  I bit down on another sarcastic remark. I had been fourteen and a prisoner. He had tortured me—justified whimpering.

  Devlen strode toward me with the sheathed sais. I planned my next move. But instead of pulling the weapons and threatening me, he shoved the sheath and Quartz’s reins at me.

  “Here. Go. Do what you want.” He returned to Moonlight and mounted.

  I clutched the weapons to my chest.

  He spun his horse around and laughed at my confusion. “Did you think I was going to drag you to a remote cabin so I can reclaim my magic from your blood?”

  “Yes.” Before I siphoned Devlen’s Warper powers, he had used blood magic to help Tricky regain a bit of his magic by injecting my blood into Tricky’s skin.

  Good thing Tricky was incarcerated in an Ixian jail. And even better, Devlen didn’t know he was protected by my blood. He was the only magician impervious to my glass magic.

  “Ten days ago, I would have. But I am getting used to being without magic, and do not miss the hunger for more power that had consumed me. Right now, I am more intrigued.”

  Again, not what I expected. “Okay, I’ll bite. Intrigued about what?”

  “About your reaction when you find Ulrick.”

  “That’s no mystery. I’ll be happy.”

  “Even when he tells you he does not want to be saved?” He considered. “And his reaction after I inform him about our intimacies should be interesting. He cares for you and he will be upset you did not notice the change.”

  I suppressed the urge to correct him. Ulrick’s behavior and attitude had changed, but I thought it was due to seeing his sister, Gressa. Her self-absorption and over-the-top ego caused him to realize how his own maudlin demeanor was being perceived as self-pity by those around him. It had made sense, and I liked his new confidence and boldness. Which could be why I didn’t question the change. And why Devlen kept returning to the subject.

  Focusing on the situation at hand, I pulled my sais.

  Devlen smiled. “What are you planning?”

  “Take you back to the stable, and rescue my friend.”

  “That would not go well in your I-am-the-good-one defense with Peter. Besides, we have already proven your sais are no match for my sword.”

  He had a point. Last time we fought, he maneuvered past my defenses with ease, slicing my arms and legs until I was dizzy with exhaustion. If I returned to the stables, Peter would probably lock me up until the city guards arrived. But I couldn’t let Devlen escape, either.

  He watched my face. “Guess you are stuck with me.”

  Until I could recapture him. “Where are you going?”

  “To Fulgor to find Ulrick.”

  Caught off guard, I paused, letting his words sink in. “Don’t you already know where he is? You said—”

  “I lied. At the time, I wanted you to think I held him. More incentive for you to obey me. After we switched bodies, he went one way and I went another. I keep telling you he consented to the exchange, but you refuse to believe me.”

  “You’ve just admitted to lying, and you wonder why I don’t trust you.”

  He threw his hands up. “I guess finding him will end the argument. We need to hurry, though. I figure we have a day at most before your annoying Ixian is tracking us.” Devlen spurred Moonlight into a gallop.

  Lacking another option, I urged Quartz to follow.

  * * *

  Well after midnight, we stopped to rest for a few hours. Devlen had kept to the northern Featherstone forests, avoiding populated areas. Which was good and bad for me. Our passage through the trees left a clear trail for Janco to track, yet the isolation set my nerves on edge. He was armed. Granted, my glass spiders and bees were in my saddlebags on Moonlight, but I wouldn’t use the bees, and the spiders were more effective when my opponent was surprised.

  We collected firewood, and Devlen cooked a simple bread stew.

  “We will need more supplies.” He handed me a bowl of the steaming liquid.

  I sniffed the contents.

  He laughed. “You think I poisoned it.”

  “You could have put in a sleeping potion or goo-goo juice.”

  Devlen shook his head as if he couldn’t believe my stupidity. I realized he had plenty of chances to escape or...what? Capture me? Why bother when I’m following him like a lost puppy?

  Yet I flinched every time he moved, grabbed the hilts of my sais when he came too close and jerked when he said my name. I almost wanted him to attack so I didn’t have to wait and worry anymore. Sleep would be impossible.

  “We will leave at dawn and make a stop at the border market.” Devlen unrolled his sleeping mat and squirmed into a comfortable position.

  The small market was located on the borderline between the Moon and Featherstone clans. At our current travel rate, I estimated we would arrive at Fulgor in two days.

  Devlen’s breathing slowed. I contemplated rearresting him. He said he wanted to go to Fulgor, but he could have been lying. Perhaps I could grab his sword. The weapon lay in its sheath beside him. His hand rested on the hilt. I
decided to make the attempt.

  I waited an hour, hoping he would relax into a deeper slumber. Seizing the tip of the scabbard, I inched his sword away from him. He moved in a heartbeat, snatching my wrist and yanking me forward. I sprawled in an ungainly heap next to him.

  “Opal, you should know better after all those nights we spent sleeping side by side.” He released my wrist and snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me close to him. “I missed this.”

  I stiffened. “You would. Let me go.”

  “I do not miss the times after you knew who I was, but before. You did enjoy yourself.”

  Those memories were tainted with his deception. It was difficult for me to recall them without feeling the fool, without feeling embarrassed and humiliated. If I removed him and concentrated on the time spent as being with Ulrick, then I could agree. But there was the doubt, too. Did I know in an instinctive way that he wasn’t really Ulrick?

  “I did,” I said. “But what happened after has ruined any joy.”

  His muscles tightened for a moment. “I am sorry to have caused you pain. It was difficult for me to be so cruel, but I was obsessed and needed your help. I happen to be very good at finding those pressure points, and, if you think about it, there is no lasting damage. Once the pressure is released the pain stops. No bruises, no broken bones and no wounds to get infected.”

  “Should I be glad you tortured me that way?” Sarcasm spiked my words. I jerked away.

  He sighed. “No. Just trying to explain.”

  “Don’t bother. It’s bad enough you tricked me and wanted to use me to find your mentor, but you planned to give me to Sir and Namir’s men. I don’t think they would have been as considerate as you and go for the no-lasting-damage torture.” I shuddered, remembering Shen’s hungry eyes and possessive touch.

  “An empty threat. I hoped you would decide to stay with me and learn about blood magic once we freed my mentor.”

  I laughed. “Wouldn’t happen.”

  “Why not? I will admit blood magic has a horrible history and reputation. But it does not have to be ill used. The blood I collected was freely given. I did not kill anyone to obtain it, nor did anyone die.”