“Then why are you in Fulgor?” Middle Man asked.
“I told you. For a job. My friends.” I almost screamed in frustration.
The men paused and exchanged a glance with Finn. He lowered his weapon and turned to me. “You’re either incredibly smart or unbelievably stupid.”
A chill raced over my skin. “Excuse me?”
“Somehow you blocked my magic, so I can’t read your intentions.” He gestured to the goons. “We couldn’t scare the information from you, and I couldn’t romance it from you, either.” A wild gleam lit his eyes. He sheathed his weapon.
I backed away, pointing my knife at his chest. “What are you saying?”
“The game’s been fun. And it just galls me to resort to the old-fashioned ways, but, sweetheart, you’re one tough nut to crack.”
Chapter Eight
MY MIND REELED AS I BACKED AWAY FROM FINN, trying to connect him to the four smiling goons. The realization that I was an amateur caught in a professional’s game lodged in my throat. And even though my heart pumped for all it was worth, my legs refused to run.
Upstream remained the only direction open. Since Finn had arranged this whole surprise, he probably already had it covered. He matched me step for step until I reached the edge of the boulder. My knife was all that separated us.
Finn moved without warning. Pain flared in my wrist, and he held my switchblade.
“Are you going to cooperate and tell us what your mission is?” he asked.
“I told you—”
“Nothing. No matter. You will.”
“Why don’t you believe me?”
“I deal with prisoners all day so I don’t believe anyone. And, I’ve told you before, it’s part of my job to find out why you’re in town. The warden has also given me permission to make sure your keen interest in the SMU isn’t because you’re up to no good.” He reached into his pocket.
I jumped off the boulder, landing hard on the uneven ground. I spun, intent on running, when a dart pricked my neck. Finn grabbed my arm before I could yank it out. I marveled at his reflexes as my world liquefied. He picked me up as if I weighed nothing.
How could he hold me when my body was a puddle? He poured me back onto the boulder. I sloshed at the edges and stared in amazement at the drippy trees and his gooey face.
Finn settled next to me. “Isn’t this better than torture?”
The forest spun around my boulder. His men stretched into long lines of color. “Anything’s better than torture.” The intense rush of the waterfall overwhelmed my senses.
“Plus you’ve proven to be very resistant to torture.”
I giggled. In a minuscule section of my mind, a tiny Opal was appalled by my behavior. Miniature Opal screamed at me to stop being ridiculous. This was a serious situation. But big Opal was completely at Finn’s mercy.
“Tell me,” he commanded.
And I couldn’t resist. The words gushed up my throat and poured from my mouth, filling the forest until I drowned in them.
When I woke, I couldn’t remember what Finn had asked me or what I had told him. My stomach heaved and I rolled over and expelled the picnic lunch onto the ground. Only spotty details of the afternoon remained. I glanced around, expecting to see Finn and his goons gloating, but the forest was empty.
I lay back as relief then fear then anger consumed me. Did he expect me to ignore what happened? And why did he go to all that trouble? Why did he and the warden care about my reason for being in Fulgor? Did they really think I would try to help one of the inmates escape? The answers eluded me.
Should I tell the Councilor? The thought pumped ice through my veins. His magic couldn’t hurt me, but that meant nothing. This guy was out of my league. He reminded me of Valek. Perhaps it was time for me to call in that favor. After the Warper Battle six years ago, Valek had offered me his assistance. Anytime and anywhere, he had said. I hoped he meant it.
I staggered from the boulder. A moldy smell clung to my clothes, and I wondered how long I had been out of it. By the time I found Quartz, the sun hovered over the horizon. Having no energy to face anyone, I headed straight for the inn. I wouldn’t tell anyone about Finn. Not yet. He had the warden’s permission. Plus he had claimed he was doing his job—my questions about the SMU worried him, but his methods sent warning signals. This time I wasn’t going to waste effort trying to solve this one on my own.
In the middle of the night, I woke, convinced Finn hovered over me. I jolted upright, and scanned the shadows. No one. A shudder rattled my teeth as I realized how easy it had been for Finn to fool me and how quickly he’d trapped me. I was defenseless against him.
I doubted Finn could get that close to Valek. Worry panged. Maybe I should deal with Finn myself? Stop it, Opal, I chided myself. Young and inexperienced Opal would have reported him to the Councilor and tried to convince her of his misdeeds.
Older and smarter Opal called for help right away. This concerned Valek just as much as me. Finn had illegally obtained private information about both of us.
I mentally checked Finn off my to-do list. He had to know I wasn’t here to help anyone escape from the SMU. If I avoided him, I should be fine until Valek arrived. I would concentrate all my effort on finding my blood. Then it hit me. I had to assume Finn knew all about my mission. Damn.
My sore muscles protested as I pushed the blankets from my legs. I hopped down and paced the room. I needed a new strategy and fast. Finn could decide to find my blood and use it, or sell it, or dump it on the ground for a laugh.
I reviewed all that I had learned since arriving in Fulgor. The warden, Finn and the hotshots. I sorted through my memories. As the sky lightened with the dawn, I formed the only plan that had a chance of working. I would sneak into Wirral and ask Ulrick myself.
When I arrived at work in the morning, Zebb sat at his desk. For better or for worse, Zebb was part of the team. My background search on him had uncovered an exemplary service record. We still didn’t like each other, but we tolerated each other’s presence.
“Zebb, do you still have that glass messenger?”
He straightened, instantly wary. “Yeah. Why?”
“I need you to contact Leif Zaltana for me.”
Huffing at my audacity, he said, “Sorry, it’s for emergencies and Council business only.”
“This is Council business. I have an idea about who may have attacked the Councilor, but I need more information.”
He hesitated.
“Should I bother the Councilor for permission?”
“No.” He yanked the goat from his pocket and peered into its depths. “Leif better have one,” he grumbled.
“He does.” I had always given him extras.
Zebb concentrated and then asked in a distracted voice, “What do you want to know?”
“Ask him if a Finn Bloodgood was ever a student at the Keep.” I waited.
Eventually Zebb put the goat down. “He doesn’t recognize the name, but he said he’ll find out and get back to me. Do you think this Finn is involved in the attack?”
“It’s possible, and I’d like to know how strong he is.”
“Anything else?” Zebb asked. His flippant tone indicated he didn’t think I would request any more.
He was wrong.
“Yes. Can you contact Yelena Zaltana?”
“The