soil would transform the landscape. Scrub grass and clumps of stunted pine trees would cling to the ground. Dry firewood would be hard to find and rocks would dominate the area.
Good thing I wouldn’t be in the plains for long. I touched Quartz’s shoulder with my finger and my world blurred. Colors streaked by, dragging long blazing tails and the air thickened, carrying me and Quartz aloft as if her hooves no longer touched the ground.
The Sandseeds called this phenomenon the gust-of-wind gait. When gusting, Quartz could cover twice the distance that she could at her normal gallop. Only Sandseed horses had this magical ability, and only when they were inside the Avibian Plains.
Before, Quartz’s gust-of-wind gait felt like flying—fast and light. Since magic had become tangible to me, the experience reminded me of sinking into a muddy river and being pushed downstream by the thick current. An odd sensation, but I wasn’t going to complain. If we had stayed on the main roads, the trip to Fulgor would have taken ten days. By cutting through the plains and gusting, we arrived at Fulgor’s main business district in six.
Weaving through the busy downtown quarter, I searched for a reputable inn. The sun teetered on the edge of the western horizon, casting our thin shadows far ahead. Vendors emptied their stands, and shops closed their doors. Everyone would return to their homes and eat supper before returning to sell goods to the evening crowd.
I scanned the streets without focusing on any one person or place. My thoughts dwelled on past events. This town held no cheerful memories for me. I wondered if fate kept sending me here so I could…What? Could get it right? Except what was “it”?
Perhaps I was supposed to leave this town without being duped, tricked or incarcerated. At least this trip, everyone smiled at me and laughed with their companions. No strained and worried glances. The last time I had arrived here the townspeople hurried fearfully through the half-empty streets, staring at the ground.
Interesting how the citizens hadn’t been able to pinpoint the reason for their unease in those days, but they had instinctively known something had been wrong. What I’d discovered was their Councilor had been kidnapped by her sister, Akako, and, with the aid of Devlen’s blood magic, Tama Moon’s soul was switched with Akako’s. While Akako pretended to be the Councilor, she locked the real Tama in a cell in Hubal about twenty miles away.
Devlen then switched his soul with Ulrick and pretended to be my boyfriend to trick me into finding his mentor. At least that didn’t work as he planned. I smiled sourly. By draining Devlen of magic, I stopped him from finishing the Kirakawa ritual and becoming a master-level magician.
He claimed I saved him. No longer addicted to blood magic, he tried to make amends. During the incident in Hubal, he had refused to hurt me. And after, I had watched him surrender to the town’s guards to begin a five-year prison sentence.
I rubbed a fingertip along my lower lip, remembering the light kiss he’d given me before turning himself in to the authorities. Had he really changed? From Daviian Warper to repentant citizen? Yelena had read his soul and supported him. She had spoken on his behalf and, combined with the fact he had saved Master Magician Zitora Cowan’s life, the Council had cut his prison time in half.
Quartz snorted, jerking me from my thoughts. She stood in front of a stable. I blinked at the stable boy.
“Want me to rub her down?” he asked.
“No thanks, I’ll do it.” I dismounted. Quartz had picked an inn. The stable’s wide walkways, clean stalls and the fresh scent of sweet hay boded well for the rest of the place. “You’re spoiled rotten,” I said, scratching her behind the ears.
“Excuse me?” the boy asked. He hovered nearby.
“Here.” I handed him her bridle. “Hang it up in her stall please.”
When he returned, he helped me remove her saddle and settled her in for the night. I fed her milk oats before searching for the innkeeper. I paused outside the main entrance and laughed. Quartz had a warped sense of humor. Or perhaps she could read my mind? Either way, I hoped the Second Chance Inn had a vacancy.
The next morning, I woke at dawn. The town’s soldiers trained every morning to keep in shape, and I planned to join them. I wrapped my heavy cloak around my shoulders as I hurried to the guards’ headquarters. Located right next to the Councilor’s Hall, the station also housed criminals before they were processed.
When I arrived, I scanned the sweaty faces of the guards. Even in the cold morning air, most of them had tossed their long-sleeved tunics over the fence, training in short sleeves. The sight made me shiver. Steam puffed from their mouths as they heckled each other. More men than women worked on sword drills and self-defense, which made it easy for me to spot Eve.
Although she matched my height, she looked tiny compared to her partner, Nic. A brute of a man, who had made a bad first impression when we met. He recognized me and beamed. When he wrapped me in a bear hug, I had to admit, it wasn’t his fault our first encounter hadn’t gone well. After all, I had been arrested for disobeying the Council’s orders. He had just been doing his job.
Pressed against his damp shirt, I breathed in his rank scent and coughed. “Phew, Nic.” I pulled away. “You stink.”
“Hello to you, too,” he said with a growl. But couldn’t hold it for long. Wrinkles emanated from his big puppydog brown eyes which contrasted with his sharp too-many-times broken nose.
“By the end of the cold season, we use him as a weapon,” Eve said.
She gave me a quick hug of welcome. Her short strawberry blond hair tickled my cheek. Intelligence and humor danced in her light blue eyes.
“All right, I’ll bite. A weapon?” I asked.
“He hates bathing during the cold season. So by the end he reeks so bad, we’ll send him into places we know criminals are hiding, and, within minutes, they pour out like rats escaping a burning building. Works better than a stink bomb.”
“Ha, ha,” Nic deadpanned. “You certainly don’t smell like roses after you’ve been working out. Besides, I hate being wet and cold.”
“Me, too,” I said. We launched into stories of woe, trying to outdo each other on who had been wetter and colder during our various adventures.
“No way the Northern Ice Sheet is colder than Briney Lake,” Nic said. “One time, I broke through the ice, sinking up to my thighs—”
“Nic, that’s enough. I’m sure Opal didn’t come to talk about your wet feet,” Eve said. Her gaze focused on me and she crossed her arms, reminding me of her powerful build. “What’s the trouble?”
“Can’t I come visit two friends without—”
“No,” Nic interrupted. “It’s too soon. You should be with your family or that boyfriend of yours, resting and recuperating.”
“Kade’s in Ixia, and my mother’s…wedding preparations drove me away,” I said.
“Why didn’t you go to the Magician’s Keep?” Eve asked. “Doesn’t your sister live there?”
“She lives there with Leif.” When they failed to react, I added, “Have you seen those two together? I’m queasy just thinking about it.”
They
