Ice Study by Maria V. Snyder

Author:Maria V. Snyder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Australia Pty Ltd

PART 6 – YELENA

Consciousness swelled and died. During my lucid times, snippets of conversation reached me.

“…dangerous delay…what were you thinking?”

“…can’t do anything…Selene’s terrified…”

When I no longer drifted in and out, I assessed my situation. I remained on the floor of the travel shelter with two cracked ribs and one broken. All three ribs stabbed me with white-hot fire every time I moved. The bruised muscles around my torso throbbed with pain. And I didn’t have enough strength to heal myself. Not yet.

With no other option available, I kept still. I reviewed the whole encounter with the woman who had threatened Leif, and then I remembered Valek’s signal. It was hard to decipher through the haze of pain, but I dredged up the memories of his lessons.

Leif had been the better student, learning all the signals. I had memorized the basics—handy when we had a mission requiring silence, but now I mourned my lack of foresight.

Puzzling out the different gestures, I pieced together most of his message. He seemed confident that they would escape, and he warned me about Owen lying. Not exactly earth-shattering news, but he must have had a good reason to state the obvious. Too bad I couldn’t figure out what Owen might be lying about.

The day passed and, although Owen’s men gave me food and water, my energy level remained low. The tension between the men grew. I considered ways to increase the friction, including prolonging my recovery time.

Finally, Owen knelt next to me. “We need to go. Now.”

“Can’t move,” I said.

He studied my expression. I shifted, then winced as pain tore through my ribcage.

“How long?” he asked.

“A couple days.” My answer alarmed his men. Good.

“We don’t have that much time. Someone is bound to grow suspicious and alert the local soldiers.” He rubbed a hand over the dark stubble on his cheeks. White hairs flecked his growing beard. “I’ll share my strength with you. Heal your ribs only.”

So much for my plan. Owen grabbed my hands, allowing me to tap into his considerable magic. I pulled threads of power and repaired the damage to my body. When I finished, I yanked my hands back, but he held on.

“I communicated with my other team today,” he said. “Despite your interference, nothing has changed.”

Through his memories, I saw Valek pacing in a small cell. His expression was devoid of emotion—a bad sign. Perhaps escape was no longer an option. The view changed to Leif. He lay on the straw bedding, either asleep or unconscious. The bruises on his face stood out against his unnaturally pale skin. Blood soaked the fabric of his jumper on his right shoulder and chest.

“He’ll live,” Owen said. “For now. But any more tricks, and I’ll order Selene to stab him again. But this time, she won’t miss.”

Anger mixed with fear, and I reached for Owen’s soul. If I controlled his body—

He dropped my hands and erected a null shield between us. “Oh, no, you don’t.” The magician blinked at me as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

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