anyone about the fakes?” Pazia asked.
“Not yet. I’ll wait until we have identified the supplier.” Fisk stiffened and held a hand up for silence.
The door to the alley opened and a small figure slipped inside. Appearing to be around six years old, the boy signaled Fisk with a series of hand and arm gestures.
“Thanks,” Fisk said. He flipped a silver coin to the boy. The child snatched it from midair and disappeared in the same furtive manner as he had arrived.
“You were followed.” He frowned at Pazia as if waiting for an explanation.
“I was in a hurry.” She seemed unconcerned.
Unlike me. I was very concerned. “Do you know who?”
“A man. A little taller and muscular than average, according to Tweet.”
My mind raced over potential attackers. Blue Eyes, Tricky, Sir, Tal, it was quite a list. Worry gnawed on my guts, chewing holes.
“You learned all that from a child named Tweet?” Pazia asked.
Fisk gave her an icy stare. “Tweet is the only sound the boy can make since his mother cut out his tongue for crying too loud. She actually did him a favor by abandoning him on the street. Even without parents, the boy understands better than you the importance of keeping the location of our headquarters a secret.”
“Fine. We’ll corner this man and find out why he followed us.” She made to leave.
“Can’t you just read his thoughts?” I asked.
She shooed away my question. “Too many people around.”
“He’s waiting at the end of the alley. Not far at all,” Fisk said.
Pazia’s annoyance turned to anger. “My ability to read minds is very limited. Happy now? Are you going to help us trap him or not?”
In the end, Pazia and I left the headquarters and headed toward the Keep. Fisk would wait a couple minutes and then recruit a few Guild members to set up an ambush near the Six Heathers Inn.
My legs wanted to run as fast as my heartbeat. Keeping my gait steady was an exercise in willpower. An itchy burning sensation bored into my back right between my shoulder blades, pushing me toward panic. I kept a sharp eye out for magical spiders and beetles.
The Six Heathers Inn appeared deserted. No lights in the windows and not a sound escaped from inside. The beginning of the cold season wasn’t a popular time for visitors to the Citadel, but, even at this late hour, I expected to see a few customers.
A shrill tweet split the air when we rounded a comer. Sounds of a scuffle ensued. We raced back to the noise. Five gangly children sat on top of a man. His indignant cries of protest died in his throat when he spotted me.
“Kade?”
21
“ARE YOU GOING to call off your dogs or do I have to conjure a gale?” Kade asked.
“It’s okay. He’s a friend,” I said to the children sitting on top of the Stormdancer. They didn’t move.
Fisk appeared beside me. “Friend? Following someone at night isn’t friend-like behavior.”
“I feel an extremely annoyed thunderstorm nearby,” Kade warned. “Actually, I’m the one annoyed. The thunderstorm could go either way.”
Lightning flashed and thunder cracked. “I’m sure he has a good reason for being here,” I said. My ears rang from the clap.
Fisk nodded and the children slid off Kade, disappearing into an alley.
Kade stood and brushed the dirt from his brown pants. He wore a short tan-colored cape and had a leather backpack slung over his left shoulder. A few dead leaves clung to his shoulder-length hair, which appeared black in the semidarkness.
“You do have a good reason, don’t you?” I asked.
He scowled. “Considering two of our glassmakers have been murdered and the other is missing, I thought I would find you and give you fair warning you might be next.”
I gaped as numbing fear flushed through my body. “Who …?”
“Indra and Nodin … pushed from the cave … we found them on the beach.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as if blocking an image. “Varun is nowhere to be found. Either his body washed away with the tide or he’s been kidnapped.”
“When did this happen?”
“End of the storm season—about a week ago. I really wish I could have used your glass orb to message Master Cowan.”
“What—”
“We can discuss it with Master Cowan in private.” Kade glanced at Pazia and Fisk. “I was just leaving the stables, when I spotted you crossing through the gate. I didn’t want to interrupt your evening with your friend, so I followed you to keep you safe.” He scanned the surrounding buildings with a rueful grin. All was dark, and a low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. “Laid low by five street kids, though. I’m not much of a protector.”
“You would have used the storm to escape,” I said. Seeing Fisk and Pazia’s confusion, I introduced Kade to them.
Fisk’s eyes held a question.
“This changes nothing,” I said to him. “We’ll keep our appointment with Elita in four days.”
“Good. See you then.” Fisk walked away.
Pazia didn’t hesitate to take Kade’s arm and lead him toward the Keep. She chatted with him, asking questions about being a Stormdancer. I followed a step behind. My thoughts churned as my emotions seesawed from apprehension to grief. Questions without answers plagued me and I hustled Kade and Pazia along, hoping to get him alone.
Once inside the Keep, Pazia wanted to go with us to Zitora’s office.
“You have an early class tomorrow,” I reminded her. “This is just glass stuff. Boring to you, I’m sure.”
She said a warm good-night to Kade, shot me a frozen glare and headed to her rooms.
“I take it she’s not a good friend,” he said.
We climbed the stairs to the administration building.
“We’re working together on another project.” Foreboding silence settled on me as I escorted Kade to Zitora’s office.
As expected, a strip of lantern light glowed under the door. Zitora’s surprise at seeing Kade was quickly replaced by concern.
“What happened?” she asked.
He repeated his news.
“Are you sure Indra and Nodin were murdered?” she asked. “You knew they might be in danger, didn’t you have extra
