Guilt warred with confusion. I replayed his words in my mind. “He was supposed to leave?”
“Yes. He was going to sever all contact with my friends and family…with you. I planned to learn all about my new magic, and then find you and explain.”
“But didn’t you know who he was?” Confusion won the battle.
“A Sandseed Story—”
“No. Who he really was?”
By his blank look, I knew he didn’t. Devlen had possessed a strong mental ability and he could convince a weak magician of anything. Add his wordplay skills, and Ulrick hadn’t stood a chance.
“He’s a Daviian Warper. He attacked me twice. Didn’t I tell…” No. I hadn’t. The contents of my stomach churned with dread.
“Must have been during one of your secret magician meetings where I wasn’t invited. No reason to tell a One-Trick Nobody.” He swigged his ale and glared into the mug.
“It wasn’t like that. When I explained about Sir and Tricky’s kidnapping, you wanted a battalion of guards to watch me despite the fact I escaped on my own. If I had told you about Devlen—”
“We wouldn’t be here.”
“No. You would have never let me out of your sight.”
“What’s so bad about that?”
When I didn’t answer, he continued, “Face it, Opal. You’re dancing around the subject, but we both know the real reason you’re upset.”
“We do?”
“Yes. In switching my life for another’s, I gave up on us. With his Story Weaver ability, Devlen replayed our times together. Watching you from a different perspective, I realized you never loved me.” The distance in his eyes faded. He leaned forward as if excited by a new idea. “But you’re here now. When he left, you must have realized your true feelings, tracked him down and discovered the switch.” A hopeful tone lit his voice.
A conflicting array of emotions rolled through me. Guilt dominated, and I needed to tell him…everything. “Ulrick, Devlen didn’t leave.”
“Oh?” A quizzical expression crinkled his eyebrows.
“He was a Daviian Warper—”
“Was. He doesn’t have any power—well, unless he can blow glass—because I have it.”
Unable to form words, I shut my mouth. Devlen had convinced him the switch included magic. And from his words, Ulrick didn’t know about blood magic.
“What?” he asked. “He couldn’t have hurt you. With your glass spiders and bees, sais, and surrounded by Leif and that Stormdancer, you were well protected.”
I pieced together Ulrick’s comments. Devlen had spun a story using Ulrick’s own fears and disappointments. No magical power. No love, and, since his sister did hit him over the head, no family support. If they switched bodies, Ulrick would have his desire, and Devlen would sever relations with Ulrick’s friends and go his merry way. If his argument hadn’t worked, Devlen could have used his magic to persuade him.
“It appears Devlen lied to you and tricked you, too,” I said.
A stubborn conviction settled in a hard line across his shoulders. “I guess it’s easier for you to believe he tricked me than think I left you.”
A rush of fury pulsed in my veins. How many more people would accuse me of lying to myself or others? I suppressed the urge to bash him on the head.
The arrival of Ulrick’s dinner allowed me a few minutes to cool down and collect my thoughts. He ate with abandon, as if concentrating on his food would keep me from commenting.
“Let me tell you a story while you eat,” I said. I related how Devlen used his disguise as Ulrick. Sticking to the facts, I kept an even pace even when I admitted to letting him seduce me. “You acted different yet the same. Bolder and more confident.” I gestured to him. “I hadn’t realized that was what I needed from you to go to the next step in our relationship. At the time, I thought your change was due to being tricked by Gressa. You…Devlen told me you realized you no longer needed your family’s approval. And I rationalized the change to you finally moving past your disappointment over your magic.”
He had stopped eating and looked at me in either horror or pain. Both cut through me, exposing my guilt.
“And perhaps in a deep level of my consciousness I knew you were different. In order to be honest, I have to admit the possibility. I’m sorr—”
“Go on,” he said. His voice was rough, and his food forgotten. “What else happened?”
I explained how Kade’s capture forced me to admit I had feelings for the Stormdancer, and how my need to help Kade unwittingly revealed Devlen.
Ulrick flinched. “Go on.”
I told about the torture and how I tricked Devlen into going to Ixia’s northern ice sheet to meet up with Sir and his gang. They had caught Kade spying on them and planned to coerce him into harvesting the killing energy from Ixia’s blizzards into glass orbs. “Devlen wanted me to find his mentor’s prison. He didn’t care about Sir’s scheme. He knew I could locate the imprisoned Warpers in my glass animals through my nightmares.”
Ulrick gripped his chair arms, but said nothing. I continued the story, finishing with Kade’s and my escape.
“You drained Devlen? No magic left?” he asked.
“None.”
“Without him attacking you?”
“Yep. I stole his magic.”
He sat in stunned silence, which continued as all the information sank in. The tavern owner hustled over to inquire if everything was all right.
“Fine, fine.” Ulrick pushed his plate away. He tapped the mug. “I need a refill and a shot of whiskey.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Where is Devlen now?”
“In Fulgor.”
“In prison?”
“No. He’s working for your sister.”
“Say that again.”
“No one believes me. If they do, they’re pretending they don’t like Gressa. She’s using Devlen.” A bone-deep weariness soaked into my body.
“For what?”
“I don’t know. She’s Councilor Moon’s first adviser now. Do you remember what happened when you went to her factory and confronted her about the fake diamonds?”
Ulrick raked his fingers through his hair. He had let the black strands grow past his shoulders—surprising considering he always kept his own hair short.
“She seemed impressed we had discovered her work,” he said. “I tried to convince her to fess up to the authorities and perhaps earn a lighter sentence. After that…” He quirked a rueful smile. “She bashed me on the head. When I regained consciousness, Devlen was helping me.”
“She did follow your advice. She told the Councilor of Akako’s plot and gained her trust.” Which didn’t quite add up, unless Tama had other reasons to keep Gressa close. “What have you been doing since then?”
“Devlen instructed me how to increase my powers. He claimed there were two Story Weavers in Ognap who could guide me, but I haven’t found them. Instead, I’ve been earning money by helping a local glassmaker. I guess he lied about the Weavers, but…” He tapped his chest. “A part of me still believes him, yet with my magic, I can sense you’re telling the truth, too.”
“The Sandseed clan was decimated five years ago by the Daviian Vermin. No Story Weavers survived. The two he mentioned are Warpers.” Before he could contradict me, I said, “Not many people know because the Sandseeds don’t want it to be made public. Yelena is helping them until one of their children develop the ability.”
The owner returned with Ulrick’s order, placing the drinks on the table before hustling off. While we talked, the room had filled with people.
Ulrick downed the whiskey in one gulp. He played with the empty glass. “You kept many things from me, but you gave Devlen, and that Stormdancer, much more. I don’t want to be with you anymore.” He tossed a few coins on the table and stood.
“I understand, but you need to come with me to Fulgor. We’ll find Devlen, and Yelena can switch you back to your own body.”
He looked at me as if I had spoken in a foreign tongue. “Switch back to a magicless body?”