“Not yet, but we’re close.”

“Then what?”

Ulrick sobered. “Businesses are more profitable without competition.”

Meaning they planned to kill me once they figured out how to make the messengers. Wonderful.

“I must admit, you surprised me this afternoon. We didn’t expect you to find this location or me. Gressa’s going to be upset.” He shrugged. “But now that you’re here, you might as well stay until I figure out our next move.”

“You can’t force me to stay.” The glass orb in my hands vibrated.

“If I use magic, you’ll just channel it into your orb. But I don’t have to use magic. Can you defend yourself while holding an orb?” He moved closer.

“No, but remember I can siphon all your magic before you get near me.”

“Go ahead.” He stepped.

Through the glass, I reached for his magic and pulled. It resisted my efforts. It wouldn’t budge.

Ulrick pried the useless orb from my fingers. I tried to fight, but he backed away and let his magical power hold me immobile.

Pleased by his surprise, Ulrick leaned close to me and said, “I lied when I said it was a family business. We expanded to include a few old friends.” He turned to the side and swept his arm toward the door. “You remember Tricky. After he offered to share the most wonderful present with us, we welcomed him to the family.”

23

MY SINGLE LIFESAVING SKILL BLOCKED, I WAS…OUTMANEUVERED, outsmarted and outwitted. I would like to say they cheated, but that would be if they played fair. In this situation, no rules applied. However, all was not lost, as I had my own surprise.

Ulrick searched me for weapons, removing my sais, lock picks and glass creatures.

“She has a switchblade tucked into the small of her back,” Tricky said. He stood next to Ulrick with his three goons flanking him. I recognized Boar, Len and Aubin from the attack on The Flats.

Ulrick confiscated the weapon.

“Now what?” Boar asked.

“We should kill her,” Tricky said.

“Don’t be foolish,” Ulrick admonished. “Until we have our own, her messengers are going to make us rich and her blood will make us powerful.”

“She’s dangerous,” Tricky said.

“Not anymore.” Ulrick held out his arms, showing the network of black tattoos. “We’re all protected.”

But Tricky shook his head. “We thought we had her before. Devlen and Crafty lost their powers, and I ended up in an Ixian prison. Bleed her dry now before her Stormdancer boyfriend shows up and blows the place to splinters.”

“No one knows she’s here. We’ll wait for Gressa’s orders. Until then, lock her in the basement,” Ulrick said.

Aubin and Len glanced at Tricky. He nodded. I staggered as Ulrick’s magic released me. They each grabbed one of my arms.

“We’ll go with you,” Tricky said, gesturing to Boar. “She’s been training.”

They dragged me down a flight of stairs. I wished I could fight four men and would have at least tried except I knew Tricky’s magic would paralyze me in an instant.

The basement was all concrete, cinder block and thick wooden doors. A whole row of them—five in all. Tricky pushed the third door open. Aubin and Len shoved me into darkness. I landed hard on the floor.

“Should we chain her?” Len asked.

“Not yet,” Tricky said. He slammed the door shut.

A muted snap of the lock sounded, then nothing. The weak light under the door faded and disappeared. Complete blackness surrounded me.

I remained on the ground, letting various emotions roll through me. Imagining myself as a piece of sea glass caught in the tide, I swayed with each wave. Panic. Fear. Despair. Anger. Chagrin. Hope. Determination.

When I calmed, I pushed all the negative thoughts away and concentrated on the positive. One—Janco would help me. Two—I wasn’t chained. Exploring with my hands, I discovered the room contained a sleeping mat, a chamber pot and chains—four short lengths with cuffs at the ends and attached to the wall. I pulled hard, hanging my weight on a chain. It didn’t move.

I touched every inch of the room within reach and found nothing more, not even a window. The door’s hinges were on the outside and the door lacked a knob. My fingers felt a keyhole—positive number three. I paused to thank Janco before reaching for my shirt’s hem. Another set of lock picks hid inside.

Sitting back on my heels, I hesitated. Both Ulrick’s and Tricky’s magic would sense me. They knew I was here, but could they determine my distance? I didn’t know. What if they posted guards? I doubted one of Tricky’s goons stood in the darkness, but someone could be watching the door at the top of the steps. Only one way to find out.

I extracted my diamond pick and tension wrench with care. No sense leaving a gaping hole as evidence. The lock had a large number of pins; hurrying only hindered my efforts. Time passed. Sweat ran. The pins slipped.

A tremble of relief washed through me as the cylinder finally turned and the door opened. I waited for a cry of alarm, but when nothing happened, I returned my picks and felt my way into the corridor.

At the bottom of the stairs, I paused. Why did Tricky choose the third door and not the one closest to the steps? I tried all the doors. The first and second were locked, but the others swung open. I debated: picking the locks would take more time, but I couldn’t leave people here. Or could I? If I escaped and met up with Janco, we could return with help. Unless Ulrick moved everyone while I tried to convince the authorities. Considering my record, I doubted anyone would believe me.