A calculating coldness slid behind Walsh’s eyes. “Please do.” He watched Leif present the sea horse to the others.
Aside from the general bewilderment, no one admitted to seeing the magic.
When Leif returned, Walsh said, “Now do you believe me?”
“It was never a question of belief,” Leif said. “It’s just that in the past few years, we’ve discovered magical powers in people who would have been passed over. For example, Opal’s magic. She was assessed by Master Jewelrose, and Fourth Magician found no indications of potential. But Opal’s power is rather unique, and these—” he held the seahorse up “—glass creations can find those with…latent magical powers.”
“They must speed up the process of finding the fledglings,” Walsh said. He stared at the sea horse with a speculative purse of his thin colorless lips. “It would be a handy device to have.”
“You don’t need one now.” Leif gestured to the rest of the dining room. “I’ve assessed all your family members. Unless some are missing?”
“No. All are here.” Walsh straightened for a moment, then leaned back. Lacing his fingers together, he rested them in his lap. “You’re right. I’ve no need for it.”
His body language contradicted his words. Considering how worried he was about pirates and thieves, I suspected he lied to us about his people. A few guards must have been out patrolling the grounds.
While we finished dinner, I glanced around, counting tables. I estimated two hundred and forty people were in the room.
Walsh escorted us to the guest cottage. “It’s been a lovely evening, but we wake at dawn to harvest the oysters. Please feel free to avail yourselves of the bathhouse. I’ll instruct Brand to stay nearby in case you need anything.” He said good-night and left.
Leif waited a few minutes before calling us over. We discussed the odd dinner.
“He lied about everyone being in the room,” Leif said.
I agreed, telling him my estimate.
“Shoot. Wish I’d thought of that.” Leif shook his head. “I used magic and he knew it.”
“What’s next?” I asked.
“We’ll avail ourselves of his hospitality and take a look around.”
Leif’s plan didn’t account for Brand being so…helpful. The guard led us to the bathhouse, gave us towels and robes to use and waited for us to finish. On the way back to the cottage, he talked about how self-sufficient the family was and how they only bought a few raw materials from the market. He lit the lanterns inside. Telling us good-night, he left. I doubted he went far.
“And now?” I asked Leif.
“Plan B.” He crossed to the bed and wiggled under the blankets.
I combed my wet hair. Wishing my clothes were cleaner, I prepared to go to sleep.
Skippy glanced from Leif to me and back. “Plan B?” he asked.
“Wait until the middle of the night, and sneak out to investigate,” Leif said, but kept his eyes closed.
“What about Brand?”
“Opal, do you have your goodies with you?” Leif asked.
“Of course.”
“Then we’ll send Brand a little present to keep him occupied. No worries, Skippy. Opal and I have done this a million times.”
“A million. Right.” Skippy didn’t sound convinced. “Just so I know. How many real times?”
Leif’s answer was a soft snore.
I thought back. We had used my glass spiders and bees when the Storm Thieves attacked us. And one of my spiders had saved my sister. “Two.”
“Wonderful.”
I detected a lack of sincerity in Skippy’s reply.
Leif shook my shoulder. “Opal, wake up.”
I peeked through heavy eyelids. Darkness filled the cottage. I swatted at his hand. “Go away.”
“Come on. We need to move. Now.”
The urgency in his voice roused me. “What happened?”
“Walsh has done more than lie to us.”
“How—”
“Didn’t you feel it?” Skippy asked me with an incredulous tone.
“Feel what?”
“The wild magician flashed with an unbelievable amount of power so close I can taste it,” Leif said.
18
BRAND NO LONGER HOVERED NEAR OUR COTTAGE, BUT TWO NEW guards circled the building. I crushed six glass spiders and sent them to distract our guards.
A yelp followed a cry. “…see the size of that—”
“Over there! Huge sand spiders! We’d better…” The ring of steel sounded, masking the guard’s words. “…poisonous bite. Get the one on the left, I’ll take right.”
As soon as the guards were lured away, we slipped out. Leif headed straight for the long building on the south coast—the one Walsh claimed mirrored the oyster operation on the north side.
We snuck around from the back. Leif held his machete and I clasped the orb Kade had given to me. Trepidation pulsed in my chest. The memories of how horrible Crafty had felt when I siphoned her magic replayed in my mind. Would I be able to inflict such pain again?
The building did indeed resemble the other, but instead of the oyster tables a long wooden chute occupied the work space. Scattered around the floor were boxes with wire-mesh bottoms. The structure was also thicker than the northern one, with an enclosed section running the entire length.
Leif bypassed all the equipment and aimed for a door near the southeast edge of the building. Lantern light shone from a row of small windows near the roof. We pressed against the wall. Loud voices arguing inside were punctuated with sounds of a scuffle.