“Worth the swim?” Yelena asked.

All I could manage was a thin squeak of assent. The voice consumed me. He was here, trapped in a glass prison, which I had made and helped Yelena to fill. I had been a conduit for the evil souls. Tainted—their black thoughts occupied my mind for a mere second but enough to…what? To reconnect with me? To claim me.

My chest tightened. The compulsion to go straight to the prison wrapped around me like a rope, pulling. I glanced at Yelena. Did she hear him? He was one of the Daviian Warpers. The seven prisons had disappeared soon after Yelena and I filled them. Hidden by Valek, Yelena assured me in locations unknown to everyone but him, and she had made it clear she didn’t want to know. And now me.

Free me. Crush the prison in your hand. Only you can do it.

“Oh, yes. Worth getting wet for. Did I ever tell you you’re my favorite sister?”

Yelena rolled her eyes since she was his only sister. “Are these your fake diamonds, Opal?”

I closed my mouth and pushed to my feet, taking one of the torches with me. She didn’t hear him. I tried to do my job, despite the ghost’s increasing demands for freedom.

A path wound through the chamber. From what I could see by the torchlight, it appeared to be several stories high, a couple hundred feet wide, and about seventy feet deep. Toward the back, I spotted an area where the crystals had been chiseled. These crystals were brilliant and clear. I rubbed my fingertips along the surface, pieces cracked off in my wake.

“These are too brittle.” I searched until I found black-colored crystals. “These, too. They wouldn’t survive being shaped.” So why come here?

Free me. You’ll be stronger than the Soulfinder.

“Do you know what these are?” Yelena asked.

“A type of gypsum crystal, but I’m not an expert. Pazia or someone from the Cloud Mist Clan would know.”

I can tell you. Everything and anything you want to know.

“What are they used for?” Leif asked.

“They could be added into a glass mixture. Perhaps they are needed in the recipe to make the fakes.”

“We’ll take a few samples to identify it. Leif, there’s a table on the other side of the pool,” Yelena called. “See if you can find a chisel.”

Crush the prison in your hand. Release me.

After a few minutes of grumbling, Leif brought a chisel, hammer and a cloth bag. Trying not to make a noticeable break, I chipped off a finger-sized piece of the clear, then broke a similar-sized chuck of black and stuffed them into the bag.

The pressure in my mind bloomed into an unbearable torment. I sank to my knees and, without conscious thought, pried the prison from the corner where it had been wedged, one sparkle among thousands. Relief and power flowed through me as if I had drunk an elixir. I gazed at the glass, muddy-red light pulsed from its core.

Leif and Yelena didn’t notice; they stared at her bat flying overhead.

I now knew Valek had been crazy enough to swim through the pool. He probably thought no one else would brave the cold water. He had been wrong.

The bat landed on Yelena’s shoulder. She glanced at the rear wall. “There’s another tunnel.”

Leif groaned, but followed his sister. I shoved the prison deep into my pocket and hurried after them. After traversing two chutes and three caverns, we came to a dead end. None of the other chambers contained crystals, and there was no sign of real diamonds.

Through the thin fabric of my pants the prison’s heat jabbed me as if searching for a weak spot. I should give it to Valek so he could find a better hiding place. A sudden possessiveness welled. The prison was mine.

“Can we go now? My feet are numb,” Leif said.

We retraced our steps and once again stood in the crystal chamber.

“Let’s hurry.” Leif pointed to the pool.

I hesitated, fighting the desire to stay silent. This was too important. Yelena needed to know about the Warper. I tried to speak. A jolt of fire sliced up my body and stabbed into my head. I fell to my knees, pressing my fingertips into my temples. The man wouldn’t let me talk.

Yelena’s voice sounded. Her hand on my back. His desire burned my thoughts.

Break the glass and release the pain, he ordered. Now!

My hand closed on the glass. Normally so strong a material, I knew I could reduce it to powder in my fist. No one else could. The magic within the glass responded to me. Heady mix of power within my palm. To no longer be afraid. Exactly what I wanted.

Crush it. Be powerful. In control.

My fingers tightened. Yelena’s presence reminded me of a time I had held a Curare-laced dart and jabbed it into her arm.

Do it. Together we will have more power than her.

I yanked the prison from my pocket. Energy sizzled along my skin. One hard squeeze of my hand, and the pain would disappear.

Obey me.

Those words cut through my fog of misery and confusion. Different voice. Same words. Words I would never forget. I thrust the prison into Yelena’s hands.

Unbroken.

The blazing pain remained; caused by shame over what I had almost done and knowledge that these glass prisons would haunt me until I died. I huddled on the floor, hot and miserable.

Yelena’s touch on my forehead cooled the maelstrom. Her energy revived my spirit.

“What’s going on?” Leif asked.

“It’s better you don’t know,” Yelena said. “Go on through the pool, we’ll be there in a minute.”

“Oh that’s right. I forgot I’m just here to light fires,” Leif grumbled, but dived into the water.