“Yes, it’s an official D-I-D call.”

“Ooh…I like.” He patted the bed, inviting me to join him. When I was comfortable, he said, “Spill.”

I explained everything. It felt as if the story lasted hours. Janco asked a few questions, then scratched the scar under his right ear. A queasy expression settled on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He grimaced. “Well…If Yelena says souls can’t be switched, I’m inclined to believe her. There’s no reason for her to lie.”

I rushed to assure him. “I don’t think she’s lying. There are aspects of blood magic that we don’t know about. Just because she can’t switch souls doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”

“And you want to find proof?”

“Yes.”

Mischief danced in his eyes. “How can I help?”

“Just an overnight trip,” I said to Gressa. “Quartz needs the exercise and I could use some fresh air.”

“But you haven’t finished the messengers for the Council yet. And we have orders waiting.” She tapped her fingers on the inventory list.

Time for a concession. “Why don’t you keep half the messengers for our clients. The Council should have enough for now.”

She brightened at the idea and agreed to my day off. I hoped my trip to Hubal would net us information. Janco had made many forays into the Councilor’s Hall and Tama’s and Gressa’s apartments without finding a bit of evidence. Disheartening unless they kept their files in another location.

The next morning, I packed a few things. Eve arrived to relieve Nic and I told her about my plans.

“Let’s stop by the station and I’ll grab my stuff,” Eve said.

“No offense, Eve, but I need some time to myself. No one has attacked me and no one knows where I’m going. I’ll be safe.”

“What about on the roads? You could be followed.”

“I could, but I doubt they’d catch me. Quartz is a Sandseed horse. Besides, I don’t plan to stop at any travel shelters or camp on the road. There’s a half-dozen small towns within a day’s ride. I’ll stay at an inn and be back by tomorrow afternoon. Promise.”

Her frown didn’t ease. “What if they trail you to the inn and ambush you there?”

Damn. Since she didn’t know about Janco, she had a good point. I thought fast. “How about if you watch me and see if anyone follows me from Fulgor. If no one does, then you don’t have to worry.”

“And if someone does?” she asked.

“Then please catch up.”

She laughed. “Where are you going?”

“South to Chandra. I’ll walk Quartz the first hour. If you don’t show up, I’ll assume no one is trailing me.”

She agreed with reluctance. Quartz squirmed as I saddled her. She was as anxious as I to be on the road. She trotted at the slightest movement from me, and holding her to a walk was difficult. I headed south, trying to keep a lookout for a tail, but didn’t notice anyone. After an hour, I touched Quartz with my heels. She broke into a gallop in an instant.

After a few miles, I turned her east, then northeast. I realized how easy it had been to lie to Eve. She trusted me, yet I wondered if the ease had come from me. My stomach used to get upset when I needed to go undercover. New Opal lied without remorse, playing Gressa and Tama’s game like a professional. I’d had a number of setbacks, but I’d learned how to be deceitful and ruthless.

Unfortunately I failed to factor in cheating.

The trip to Hubal was uneventful. I enjoyed the quiet hush that only a hot-season day could produce. The heat pressed down like a blanket with an occasional cicada’s rattle piercing the stillness.

No clouds marred the sky and few travelers walked on the road. Quartz burned off her energy until her coat gleamed with sweat. She slowed and I let her choose a pace. I glanced behind us from time to time. Janco trailed me, but he remained hidden.

We arrived in Hubal in the early afternoon. The downtown area spanned three blocks and included a handful of businesses. Most of the residents worked in the nearby quarries, digging out the white marble used to construct Sitia’s government buildings. There was little activity on the unmarked streets, making it near impossible for me to find the Boulder Street address listed in Gressa’s files.

I looped around the factories, searching for stockpiles of sand, smokestacks and the smell of molten glass. None of the structures indicated a glass shop might be inside.

I stopped at the Dolomite Inn and woke a stable boy from his afternoon nap. He stretched and yawned, helping me with Quartz’s saddle and tack. I fed her grain. She drank water as I groomed her. After making sure she had a comfortable and clean stall, I rented a room.

I chatted with the innkeeper, an older man whose hair had migrated from the top of his head to sprout from his ears, eyebrows and nose.

“What’s the main industry here?” I asked him.

“Engravers and carvers, mostly,” he said. “The slabs of stone from the quarries are cut to size, polished and then customized, depending on the order. The big government projects always want some fancy columns or statues. Date stones are popular.” He touched the top of his head as if he still couldn’t believe his hair was gone. “We also carve tombstones. Name, date—the works!”

“Any glass or pottery factories?”

“Nope. We import that stuff. We’re focused on stone, granite and marble.”