The kindness and concern on both their faces didn’t appear to be faked. I could invent a story of getting lost just in case. But what if Sir and Tricky tracked me here after I left? These people should know about the potential danger. I sighed. Being mistrustful and suspicious was hard work, and opposite of my nature. In the end, I told them a brief version of what had happened.

Horrified gasps followed my story. Judi bustled about the kitchen as if needing action.

The man named Riks reclined in his chair with his dog sleeping at his feet. A thoughtful frown pressed his lips together. “Thought I saw smoke. I’d better take you into Mica to talk to the guards.”

The half-day trip to Mica, the long process of explaining about my kidnapping to the Mican authorities and the wait for the town’s magician to arrive mixed together into one exhausting day. Riks offered to lead a few soldiers back to his farm and point them in the direction of Sir’s glass shop, since I had no idea where I had escaped from.

Finally the town’s Captain led me to a small guest room and I collapsed on the bed.

After all was said and done, Zitora confirmed my story through the town’s magician, who used one of my glass messengers to speak with the Master. I felt a brief welling of pride to be responsible for increasing the speed of messages, which caused me to smile, thinking about Kade’s pep talk on confidence.

Although a wonderful invention, there were difficulties involved with my animals. Setting up a Sitia-wide network and choosing who should be allowed to communicate what type of information had become a problem. The Sitian Council still debated the issue. Currently, I made them for the Keep’s magicians stationed throughout Sitia.

Through the magician, Zitora instructed me to return to Thunder Valley. My arrest warrant had been voided—the two witnesses and the stand owner had been paid by Sir to lie, and the stolen vase had been planted in my saddlebags—yet the authorities still needed to complete the proper protocols for my official release.

Zitora requested an armed escort for me, so I had to wait until the soldiers returned from their mission with Riks.

They arrived the next day, reporting the discovery of the charred remains of Sir’s building. The kiln survived the fire, but little else. There was no sign of Sir or his gang.

No other problems occurred during the two-day trip south. I arrived at the administration building and waded through what seemed like a mountain of paperwork. By the time I finished, the sun had set and Zitora wanted to wait until morning to leave for the Keep.

I followed Zitora to the inn where she’d been staying since my disappearance.

“My room has two beds, you can share with me,” she said.

We sat at an empty table in the busy common room and ordered dinner. My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

Questions filled Zitora’s eyes. We hadn’t had time to discuss the details of my kidnapping. But before she could voice any, Kade arrived.

Strands of his golden-brown hair had sprung from a leather tie, and his clothes were torn and wrinkled. His frown deepened when he spotted us. Zitora and I exchanged surprised glances as he strode toward us. This time of the year was the height of the storm season.

“Kade, what—” Zitora started.

“Are you all right? What’s going on?” he demanded, staring at me.

I stuttered, appealing to Zitora.

“I told you she was fine,” she said.

“But little else.” He rolled my small orb onto the table. “I can’t use this to contact you. It only works when you’re sending to me.” Yanking a chair out, he dropped down, crossing his arms. “I want more details. Now.”

I waited for her to bristle, to give him the cold Master Magician stare of affront.

Although she stiffened with displeasure, she kept her comments about his behavior to herself. “I told you to wait. I haven’t discussed all the details with Opal yet.”

“You haven’t?” Outrage filled his voice. “Why not? My dancers could be in danger. I can’t just wait for your information.”

Ice crystals could have formed in the air around Zitora. “Opal’s been through a difficult time.” Her voice sliced with the sharpness of a sword’s blade. “Since she kept the Stormdancer’s orb recipe a secret despite being physically harmed, I would think you’d be a little more patient regarding this matter.”

If I were to describe his reaction in storm terms, I’d say the hurricane just fizzled into a light mist. I tried to suppress my smile when he sought my forgiveness.

“Now that you’re here, you might as well stay and hear the information firsthand. Opal?”

Reluctance knotted around my throat. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything from the beginning.”

“But you already know—”

She held up a hand. “Doesn’t matter. Go on.”

Despite her orders, I didn’t tell them everything. The incident with the spiders and the fact I had followed Tricky while well aware of his illusion, I planned to tell Zitora in private. The story sounded more heroic without those details. Was I trying to impress Kade?

“Odd,” Zitora said after I finished. “This group of rogues wants to make orbs, but they don’t have the power to harvest energy from a storm. I wonder what they’re planning to do with them.”

“Tal was with them. Maybe he told them he can fill the orbs,” I guessed.

Kade had listened to my tale in stony silence. “I hope Sir doesn’t kill Tal when he discovers the boy has no powers. I’d like to do the honors.”