pulsed through my body as I listened to its song and watched the swirls of color inside. At night, even through the thick covering, I heard the orb calling Kaya’s name.
I missed Kade, yet I was enjoying Ulrick’s company. My dual emotions unsettled me until I realized those mixed feelings occurred all the time. I longed for my family, but was glad for Mara’s presence. I even wished for Aydan’s company, missing his gruff commands and kind gestures. My missing Kade was all part of being his friend. Nothing wrong with it. No hidden meanings in it at all.
Equipment for our glass shop arrived. Ulrick, Mara and I assembled and installed the various pieces. My excitement grew as we planned the first set of experiments and recruited helpers from the Keep’s students.
“Just need the kiln and we’ll be good to go,” Ulrick said.
We snuggled on the couch in my quarters. A fire roared in the hearth. The white coals from Gid had been delivered, and I was testing how long the coals would burn so I could determine how often the kilns would need to be fed. Once the kiln reached the correct temperature to melt the sand, the best course of action was to always keep it hot.
“I’ve managed to convince Seften to help us next week,” I said. “His magical illusions are very good.”
“You’re hoping to duplicate what you did with the spiders?”
“Yes.”
“What is he going to send after you? Snow cats would be useful or necklace snakes. No one would bother you if you had a snow cat following you.”
I laughed. “I think we’ll start with something a little smaller.”
The day of meeting with the jeweler arrived. I joined Pazia in Zitora’s office.
“We’ve been watching the store, and have followed a few people,” Zitora said. “We think we know who Elita’s main supplier is, but we’ll know for sure today. I want you to arrange to buy all his diamonds over ten carats.”
“All?” I swallowed. The cost would be unbelievable. Even Pazia paled.
“Yes. All.”
“Why?” I asked.
“So he knows you’re serious buyers. And when you ask him for more, he won’t hesitate to go straight to his source.”
“Why don’t you just arrest him and extract the information from his mind?” I knew there were a few powerful mind-reading magicians at the Keep.
“As soon as he’s arrested, word will spread and the source will disappear. Also only Third Magician Irys is legally allowed to obtain information that way, and she’s still in Moon lands.” Zitora handed Pazia a large money bag. “Make sure the diamonds you buy are real then return to the Keep. I’ve assigned another magician to follow the supplier.”
With no need to disguise ourselves, Pazia and I set off for the meeting. Ulrick hadn’t been happy about staying behind at the Keep.
“She’s no friend of yours,” he had said. “If you get into trouble, she’s going to protect herself first.”
Good thing the conversation had been interrupted by the arrival of the kiln from Booruby. Distracted, he had skipped his lecture on safety, settling for a promise from me to be extra careful.
My thoughts centered on trust as we hurried to Elita’s store. She had said to arrive before the lamplighters lit the back alley. The troop of lighters was already out on the streets, shimmying up the posts with their flaming sticks.
The door opened after our first tap. Hustled inside, we entered the same room as before. Elita waited with a man of average height and weight, although I would never forget him. His pure white hair was buzzed close to his head and was in stark contrast to his midnight skin. Elita introduced him as Mr. Lune.
Six diamonds sparkled on the velvet-covered table. They ranged in size from a thumbnail to a cherry. We all hunched over them as if they possessed a magical attraction.
“May I?” I gestured to the stones.
“Certainly. They’re as genuine as the mountains they were mined from,” Mr. Lune said.
“The Emerald Mountains?” Pazia asked.
“Nice try, sweetheart. I’m not stupid enough to tell Vasko’s daughter where I found my diamonds.”
I picked up the smallest one. It was a round stone with the bottom cut to a point. Numbing cold soaked into my skin where the diamond rested on my palm. My mind’s eye filled with a frozen and flat wasteland.
As I checked the others, my bones ached with cold. The snowy vision stayed and a few wooden structures came into focus. The wood, peeling and gray, appeared weathered by many storms. The buildings leaned as if constructed during a strong wind. Piles of snow decorated their roofs and icicles hung from the windows.
The gems were authentic. I signaled Pazia with a discreet gesture.
“How much?” Pazia asked Mr. Lune.
“For which one?”
“For all.”
Shock and then gleeful greed blazed on Mr. Lune’s dark face before he smoothed his expression into mild interest. His first amount was so ridiculously high, even Elita couldn’t suppress a huff of amusement.
Pazia handled the brisk negotiations. Feeling had returned to my palm and I wanted to see what would happen if I touched all six diamonds at once. I laid my hand over the gems on the velvet. Ice pierced my skin and spread throughout my body, driving the heat out. Once again the white expanse formed in my mind. This time I concentrated on the structures, searching for any clue to their location.
Gray smoke billowed from a chimney rising above the only stone building. Footprints tracked between doorways. Another set of tracks ringed one small shack. These resembled snow cat paw prints, which ended in a scuffed mess stained pink.
Unable to endure the icy grip on my body, I pulled my hand away from the diamonds. I glimpsed a deep pit before the vision melted.
Rubbing my arms, I shivered. The gems had been mined from the northern ice sheet above the Territory of Ixia, a vast expanse of snow and ice almost as big as Ixia. Mr. Lune had lied about the mountains.
“… pay Elita and the two agents who brought you here, plus my workers, there’ll be nothing left,” Mr. Lune said.
“I know how much miners are paid. My offer is more than generous,” Pazia countered.
The negotiations launched into another round. My thoughts shifted to Ulrick. He would be worried if we delayed too long. A deluge of emotions swirled in my chest. The thrill of holding his hand, the wonderment over his attraction to me, the annoyance about his protectiveness, and the worry we lacked a certain spark all churned. I shied away from the last thought. Since our brief touch in Zitora’s office, I couldn’t think of sparks without thinking of Kade.
“… five golds per carat, and if you can find me six more diamonds over ten carats from the same mine, I’ll up it to six,” Pazia said.
Mr.
