Page 123 of The Study of Fire
* * *
Valek’s vigil ended a few hours after dawn. Before the time was up, people joined him on the sands. Opal, Mara, Leif, Irys, Bain, and the entire Sitian Council attended. Ari, Janco, and even Fisk and his guild members waited. Cahil showed up with his minions. An older couple held hands. The woman bore a striking resemblance to Yelena—they must be her parents. Ambassador Signe and her adviser hung toward the back of the crowd.
Everyone who cared about Yelena had come. And it was quite a crowd. Valek marveled. Less than two years ago, Yelena had nobody. She’d been all alone and on death row. And now… A lump formed in his throat, but it wasn’t caused by grief. No, it was caused by gratitude. Yelena had found her family.
Opal squared her shoulders and approached the annealing oven. Pulling on a pair of cotton gloves, she opened the drawer and picked up the pig. Every single person in attendance held their breath.
CHAPTER18
Opal raised the pig into the air. Cheers erupted from the magicians. He couldn’t see anything different about the statue, but Valek guessed the experiment had been a success. He locked his knees as his emotions pushed to escape their box.
Keep it together. She isn’t here yet.
Opal returned to work, gathering a slug of glass as the traitor Roze Featherstone aka Jalila Daviian, was brought to the gallows. Under the magical control of two master magicians, she was forced to mount the gallows’ steps. The noose was tightened around her neck and the executioner stepped back.
Roze’s expression contorted with rage. “You all willburn!”
When Opal finished the statue and prepared to blow into the pipe, the floor opened underneath Roze’s feet. She fell until her body jerked to a sudden stop.
Once again, Opal jolted as if stung, but she focused on her task, finishing the piece.
Gede was next, followed by the four warpers. After placing the last glass animal into the tray, Opal sagged onto the sand.
Everyone turned their attention to the bonfire. Seconds turned into minutes.
Come on, love.
“Yelena!” Leif shouted, pointing to the black shape stepping from the flames.
Yelena’s cloak caught fire, and she dove to the sand, rolling to snuff it out. She stood up with a chagrined smile, wiping the sand from her clothes.
Valek’s heart lurched as if it, too, rolled to extinguish the flames that had been consuming him from the moment she disappeared into the bonfire. He released his tight hold, and his emotions surged through him in one powerful wave, overwhelming him. Weak with relief, he sank to the sand.
Yelena’s parents pounced on her, followed by Leif and Irys. Valek knew he wouldn’t be able to get close to her for a while. Plus, he wasn’t going to let those six glass prisons out of his sight. He could wait a little bit longer. When they reunited, he wanted her all to himself.
He kept guard and watched as she was surrounded by her family. Watched as the bodies of the traitors were burned in Yelena’s bonfire. Once they had turned into ash, the bonfire was finally extinguished. Thick, oily smoke boiled from it and clung to the ground until Gale Stormdance created a fresh breeze to whisk it away.
Valek watched as the councilors left for the Council Hall, and Fisk and his guild headed out. Watched as Ari and Janco joked with Yelena before she rushed to the stable, no doubt checking on Kiki. Yelena then disappeared with her parents toward the Keep’s guest rooms.
As the day wore on, Valek remained in his camp. No one paid him any attention. He’d become part of the scenery.
Twelve hours after Yelena returned, Opal, Mara, Irys, and Bain pulled out the six glass animals. By the satisfied smiles of the magicians, Valek knew they all contained the traitor’s souls.
Opal carefully set them into a box that had been lined with a spongy material. The box was closed and locked.
Valek joined the group. “What do you plan to do with them?”
Irys and Bain exchanged a glance.
“They will be locked inside the safe in my office,” Irys said. “The council will decide on their final resting place.”
And having all those people know their location was basically announcing it to the world. Valek couldn’t leave them in the Sitian’s hands. Too dangerous. But he nodded as if it sounded like a great plan. Irys and Bain headed to the Administration building, where they both had offices. Except, Valek had years of practice at spotting a lie. And Irys wasn’t a very good liar. The glass prisons weren’t going to the safe in her office.
Opal and Mara turned toward the guest quarters.
“Opal,” Valek said.
She looked back.
