Glass Collection: Storm Glass / Sea Glass / Spy Glass. Maria V. Snyder
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returning to the Magician’s Keep and to the snide gossip of my fellow students formed a cold lump in my throat. And I was reluctant to leave Kade. He was the only person, besides Yelena, I had shared power with. I wanted to connect with him again, to feel the strength of a storm and to have control over the wind. Even though the power was vicarious, I still craved it.
He watched the sea, lost in his own thoughts. I turned to go.
“Opal?”
I paused.
“Why didn’t you tell them about Kaya?”
“I thought she was a figment of my imagination.”
“I thought she had come for me,” Kade said in a quiet voice.
I moved closer to hear him.
“I was happy to go with her. Fly to the sky. I wanted …” Kade shook his head.
I knew what he desired. He wanted his sister. Missed her so much, he was willing to leave this world to be with her.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
I swallowed my reply.
After a while, he huffed with amusement. “Imagine my surprise when you flew from the orb.”
Sudden annoyance tinged with anger flared in my chest. “Of course you would be surprised.” The words erupted from my mouth of their own volition. “So wrapped up in your own problems, you can’t even see the people around you. You’re not the only person in this world to lose a sister.” I strode away.
The emotions dissipated as fast as they had arrived. I regretted my outburst. Even I had been surprised by my ability with the orbs. Although, the more I thought about it, the logic became evident. It was just my one-trick power. Nothing new, except Kade’s involvement, which was similar to when Yelena linked with me to trap those souls. I had shared her emotions, too.
Boots crunching on sand sounded behind me. A hand grabbed my elbow and spun me around. Kade.
“I’m sorry. You were right.” He searched my face for a moment.
“Go on.”
A flash of teeth. “I am being selfish, and I shouldn’t have been surprised about your help last night. I should be grateful. You saved my life.”
I dismissed the notion. “Kaya—”
“Wasn’t the one that gave me her considerable strength.”
“But she—”
“Told you I was in trouble? But you didn’t have to exhaust yourself for my sake.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
He shook his head as if he pitied my naiveté. “You’re too young—”
“Oh, for sand’s sake! I’m almost twenty. Probably only a few years younger than you.”
Kade considered as I fumed. “My mistake. I should have known the Master Magicians wouldn’t send a first-year student. Plus you solved our problem.”
“With the orbs?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t solve it. My father did.” Before he could comment, I walked away. The crux of my worry revealed. My first mission for the Masters and I had run home to my father for help, wasting precious time.
But Kade wouldn’t let me go off in a huff. He caught up to me and matched my stride as I ascended the trail toward the cave.
“You wouldn’t be mistaken for a younger woman if you had a little more self-confidence.”
I stopped and he almost bumped into me. “What do you mean?”
“Examine your actions during the last two weeks. Is there another who could have done what you did?”
“My—”
“With both the glass orbs and with the magic?”
I cast about for an answer, but as the delay grew longer, Kade became smugger.
“You win. I’m the all-powerful glass magician. Happy now?”
“No. More.” He waited.
“More?”
“Yes.”
“The savior of the Stormdancers. The founder of long-distance communication.” I clamped my mouth shut on another boast—the creator of the glass prisons—mentioning them would ruin the mood.
“Good. Now remember all those deeds the next time you’re presented with a problem. Knowing what you can do will help you feel confident enough to tackle the next storm.”
“Storm?” I asked.
“Sorry. I tend to compare everything to storms. People, life and problem solving.”
I considered his philosophy. “What happens when you feel able to deal with a gale, yet, despite your best efforts, it still wreaks havoc?”
“Clean up the pieces, rebuild and continue as best as you can.” The humor faded from his eyes. “Although a few things will be permanently destroyed.”
That was the kicker. Some things were too precious to lose, and I was sure Kade referred to his sister. My thoughts turned to Tula. Was my sister completely gone?
“You’re wrong,” I said.
“How so?”
“At first, it feels as if she has vanished forever, and all traces are destroyed. But later, when the pain of loss doesn’t overwhelm all your other feelings, every time you think of her, or hear her voice in your head, or remember a happy time together, you realize she’s still a part of you and will never be totally gone.”
“Is this from experience?” Kade held himself tight as if afraid to move.
“Unfortunately.” I told him about Tula, avoiding the horrible details of her death, but making it clear she had been taken from us.
“Then this fire burning inside me will extinguish?”
I assumed he referred to grief. “It’ll die down in time. After all, storms do fizzle.”
A brief smile touched Kade’s lips. “Now you’re using weather analogies. If you hang around here any longer, you’ll be spouting storm lingo like a dancer.”
I widened my eyes in mock horror. “Then I’d better go.”
He laughed. And I marveled at the rich sound—a rare gem, considering all his sour looks and ill humor.
“You better hurry then.” His laughter died, but his amusement remained. “Stay safe on your journey home. I won’t be there to blow away your attackers.” Kade grinned. “I must admit, knocking Blue Eyes over was the most fun I’ve had this season.”
His shoulder brushed mine when he strode past. Energy sizzled down my arm, raising all the hairs as if the air around me was charged for a lightning strike. If Kade felt it, he showed no signs. He continued up the trail, bypassing the storm cave.
I arrived at the cavern in time to see Tal swing his pack over his shoulder, almost knocking Indra over with the motion.
“I’m ecstatic you’re leaving, Tal,” Indra said. “I think you’ll be much happier harvesting indigo and mucking out stables.”
“I don’t really care what you think. You act like you’re so special. How special can you be when you needed little Opal’s help? She’s proven there’s no magic involved in your work. Anyone can make those orbs.” Tal spun on Raiden. “Deliver your own message to Soshe, old man. I no longer work for you.” Tal stomped out.
I hurried to get out of his way. He never looked back.
“Finally,”