At first, a few bees blazed by my head. I jumped back as another green-and-black bee flew by my ear. Mara cried out, swatting at her skirt.

A finger of ice brushed my spine when I recognized the Greenblade bees. All six inches of the hairy insect were striped with green and brown. Impossible to spot in their home forests, they attacked with relish and pumped lethal quantities of venom into their victims. Fortunately they lived deep in the Greenblade Clan’s forest and only awoke to mate every three years.

“Anytime now, Opal,” Ulrick said. He ducked to avoid a cloud of them. One landed on his shoulder and plunged its stinger into his upper arm. He grunted in pain.

Mara raced around the room, yelling. The air was thick with bees, many more than the spiders. A blanket of insects covered Ulrick. A twinge of doubt squeezed my stomach, but I concentrated on the orb. It waited as if interested in the commotion yet content to just watch. I rolled it between my palms, imagining it on the end of a blowpipe. Pulling the buzz closer to me, I channeled the magic into the glass sphere.

One ping, then another. Soon the ringing of glass dominated. The sound echoed in my heart and continued for a long time. Bees disappeared, and more were created. Because of the sheer numbers, it felt like years before Ulrick’s body was uncovered and the swarm 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.