Praise for New York Times bestselling authorMaria V. Snyder
âA compelling new fantasy series.â
-SFX Magazine on Sea Glass
âMaria V. Snyder tantalises readers with another complex, masterful story set in a magical world so convincing that sheâll have you believing that itâs actually real.â
-YAReads.com on Storm Glass
âWonderfully complex â¦
Opal finally comes into her own in Spy Glass.â - Fantasy Book Review
âThis is one of those rare books that will keep readers dreaming long after theyâve read it.â
-Publishers Weekly Starred Review on Poison Study
âFilled with Snyderâs trademark sarcastic humour, fast-paced action and creepy villainy, Touch of Power is a spellbinding romantic adventure that will leave readers salivating for the next book in the series.â - USA TODAY on Touch of Power
âMaria V. Snyder is one of my favourite authors.â
-New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine on Inside Out
1
YELENA
Valek blinked at me. âYouâre what?â
I drew in a deep breath and held up the glass vial filled with moon potion. My hand trembled, sending waves through the white liquid inside. âPregnant... I think.â
âBefore we celebrate, love, letâs go over your logic.â
Surprise pierced my growing panic, and I glanced at him. âYou want to celebrate? I was taking the moon potion to prevent this.â
He took the vial from me and set it on the bed. Then he laced his fingers in mine and pulled me close. âOf course it would be a cause for celebration. Well, a quiet celebration.â Valek gave me a wry smileâwe both had so many enemies, it wouldnât be smart to announce my condition to the world.
My anxiety eased a bit.
âNow, why does that vial mean youâre with child?â Valek asked.
âHealer Hayes told me to take the potion after I...bled...so Iâd be protected for another year. But I havenât yet, and itâs been...â I calculated in my head. Itâd been six weeks since Iâd last had my blood cycle. âIâm two weeks late.â My stomach churned with distressâtalk about the worst possible time to be pregnant.
âA lot has happened to you in the last four weeks. Maybe youâre late because of the stress.â
Valek had a point. It had happened to me before during trying times. And recently Iâd been the target of an assassination attempt. Twice. The first occurred a month ago, when I was shot with an arrow that I suspected had been filled with a poison that blocked my magic. Or so Iâd thought. I tightened my grip at a sudden notion. âCould the loss of my powers be due to being pregnant?â
âIf that was the case, wouldnât Irys know thatâs a side effect? You said she was as baffled as Bain was about why your magic is blocked.â
He was right. If magic loss was a common side effect during pregnancy, the Master Magicians would be aware of that. Disappointment deflated my brief surge of hope. Iâd been searching for a poison or substance that explained my current predicament without success for the past month.
Correctly reading my expression, Valek squeezed my fingers. âIt still might be possible. Iâm immune to magic. Maybe Junior takes after his dear old dad.â
Ignoring the Junior comment, I asked, âIn that case, wouldnât I be immune, as well?â That protection would have been more than welcome four days ago when Owen Moonâs magic had sliced right through me. If it hadnât been for Valek encouraging me to survive, Iâd be a mindless, drooling mess right now.
Valek shrugged. âWeâve encountered so many different...quirks of magic over the years, this may well be one of them.â He grinned. âTime will tell. And during that time, youâll be safe. No assassin would dare target you while youâre with me.â
I was more worried about Owen Moon. The rogue magician had managed to escape after attacking me. He had been growing the Curare vine in a hothouse made of glass. When a person was pricked by Curare, it caused full-body paralysis, which was an effective and nonlethal weapon, since the victim could still breathe.
When Owen had been captured in Ixia four years ago, the Commander assured the Sitian Council, Valek and me that Owen had been executed. Instead, the rogue magician had negotiated a deal with the Commander to manufacture and produce Curare for Ixiaâs army.
A nice little arrangement, until Owen turned greedy. He sold the drug to other interested parties, and it upset the Commander so much he sent Valek to shut down Owenâs entire smuggling operation. Too bad the Commander failed to inform Valek of who had really been in charge of the operation.
Weâd all had our share of nasty little surprises in the past week.