around Mara was gone. Finally, all grew quiet.
My muscles strained to hold the full orb. I placed it on a table and a handful of the contents spilled. Trapped inside glass, miniature Greenblade bees sparkled. A success, but at what cost? I glanced at the others.
Ulrick moved closer to see the glass bees. Sweat soaked his tunic, but no other sign of the attack was visible. Mara’s disheveled hair stuck out in all directions, and she panted, winded from her exertions. Pazia had slumped to the ground.
Mara bent over her.
I joined her. “Is she okay?” I asked.
“I think she fainted.”
Her skin lacked color.
Mara settled on the ground and gently placed the magician’s head in her lap. “Should we take her to the infirmary? Maybe we should send for a healer.”
“Oh for sand’s sake, just throw water on her.” Ulrick picked up a bucket.
“Wait.” I grabbed the pail from him. “She hasn’t been overcome by the heat like in a glass factory. She might have exhausted her magic. Throwing water on her might just make her wet.”
When Zitora had used all her energy, she’d slept until her energy was restored. I dipped my fingers into the cold water and rubbed it on Pazia’s forehead. No reaction. “We should have a healer look at her just in case.”
Mara, worried and upset, left her in my care while she fetched a healer. She returned with Healer Hayes and Zitora. We followed as they carried her to the infirmary on the first floor of the administration building.
“She used her magic to create an illusion,” I told Zitora. The four of us stood around Pazia’s bed. “I didn’t think it would be such a big drain on her energy.”
“It shouldn’t. For a few younger students, they would be tired, but not Pazia. Something else must be wrong.”
“If there is, I can’t find it,” Healer Hayes said. His hand pressed against Pazia’s forehead. “She has all the classic signs of exhaustion. We should let her rest and she should be fine.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Mara offered. “Go see if your experiment worked.”
I returned to the shop with Ulrick, and examined one of the bees.
He put a hand on my arm. “Do you think they’ll obey you like the spiders? I’d rather not get stung again. Besides the whole dying from the poison aspect, it hurt like hell.”
“Only one—”
“Just do it.”
I broke a glass bee. A whoosh, a huff and a flash followed. The same energy burst as the spiders. One Greenblade bee hovered over the table, buzzing.
Ulrick poked it with a rod. It moved away, but didn’t attack him. “Feels real. Give it a command.”
“Sting that orange.” I pointed to a bowl of fruit. Mara always kept plenty of food around for the helpers who worked during mealtimes.
The bee flew straight toward the bowl, landed on the orange and stung it. After a few convulsions, the bee disappeared. Ulrick plucked the tainted fruit with care. He found a knife and cut the orange in half.
A rotten sour smell emanated. Brown mucuslike liquid oozed from the orange—the bee’s venom.
“Remind me never to get you angry,” Ulrick said.
Pazia didn’t wake while we experimented with the glass bees. I had hoped that with the release of the bees, she would recover faster. But her unconscious state remained despite breaking over a hundred bees. It appeared once the magic was trapped and transformed, it was available for me to use and no one else.
Zitora wanted a full report on our experiments. Ulrick and I briefed her in her office.
“You’ve discovered a great defense against a magical attack,” she said.
“Against illusions,” I agreed. “I was going to try channeling other types of attacks, but since Pazia’s collapse, I’m not so sure.”
“It’s best to wait until she recovers. I’m sure you have plenty to do in the meantime.” Zitora moved a few papers on her desk. “The Masters could use a few more of your messengers, Opal.”
Hint taken, I used my workshop time to craft a variety of animals for the Masters to use to communicate.
My worry for Pazia tipped toward panic as three days passed without any change in her condition. She had gone too far in sending so many bees against us, and conjuring Greenblade bees was just plain cruel. I could claim I acted in self-defense. Although I didn’t like her, I hadn’t wanted to cause her real harm.
During those three days, Ulrick’s special sand arrived and we loaded the mix into the kiln to melt, planning for him to demonstrate his vase-making method the next day. Just as we were leaving the shop, one of Healer Hayes’s assistants ran up to us.
“Pazia is awake. Master Cowan wants you to come. Now,” he said, before running back to the infirmary.
Thank fate! Relief gave me a burst of energy and I kept pace with the assistant, slowing only when we reached the door to Pazia’s room. Ulrick was right behind me.
A little color had returned to her cheeks, but exhaustion left dark circles under her eyes. She stared at me. Horror and accusation pulsed from her. Healer Hayes propped her against the pillows and Zitora positioned a tray of food on her lap.
“Eat. And it’s not a request,” she said.
I glanced at Zitora. Her concern was evident, but before I could explain, she asked me, “Did you feel tired after your experiment with Pazia?”
Surprised by the odd question, I needed a moment to collect my thoughts. “No. Why?”
Zitora looked at Pazia. She moved her fork to her mouth as if it weighed a hundred pounds.
“You must have used Pazia’s energy to channel her own magic.”
“Is that why she collapsed?”
“Not the whole reason. Pazia?”
She finished chewing, then paused as if summoning the strength to speak. “You stole everything from me. Every bit of magic. I have none left.”
23
“WHAT DO YOU mean none?” I asked.
Pazia dropped the fork onto the tray and fell back against her pillows. The effort of eating and talking was too much for her. I turned to Zitora. The Master Magician’s worry alarmed me.
“Her magic will come back, won’t it?” I asked.
“We don’t know. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Don’t do any more channeling until we know for sure.”
Ulrick and I left
