I didn’t sleep well. My cot felt as if it bobbed on a wild sea and the wind infiltrated my dreams, moaning a name over and over in my mind. Laced with grief and loss, the wind’s cry filled my heart with sadness.

The storm passed by daybreak. Kade arrived. Exhaustion lined his face and his clothes dripped with seawater.

“Fall in?” Tal asked with barely concealed spite.

If Kade noticed, he didn’t show it. He nodded. “Lost my grip for a second and was blown into the water.”

Raiden shot Kade a horrified look.

“Luckily I managed to construct a bubble and climb back onto the rocks.” Kade squeezed the ends of his hair. Water rained to the floor.

“Luck had nothing to do with it,” Raiden said. “Your powers have grown since—”

“Don’t say it,” Kade snapped.

Raiden frowned. “The storm almost killed you. You shouldn’t dance anymore.”

The Stormdancer lingered near the cave’s entrance. He peered out to the sea. “You’re right.”

Raiden covered his surprise by turning away to concentrate on breakfast. I guessed Kade didn’t agree with Raiden very often. Kade walked to the back of the cave to retrieve his orb. When the sphere was uncovered, I flinched with the sudden intensity of its song.

Tal narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t tell me you hear it.”

When I didn’t reply, he flew into a rage. “You can’t possibly hear it. You’re younger than me. And you’re not even a member of our clan.” He brushed past me, knocking me down.

“Raiden,” Indra said.

“I know.” The older man sighed. He helped me to my feet. “Sorry about that. Tal’s getting worse. I’ll send him home.”

“Wait,” Varun said. “He’s having a hard time adjusting. Before Opal’s device gave him proof, he still hoped he might develop magical powers. It’ll take a while for him to accept it. I’ll talk to him.”

“Fine. But tell him one more outburst and I’m sending him home for good.”

Varun agreed and followed Tal.

Raiden served the rest of us bowls of warm oatmeal. The thick mush had a fishy taste.

He laughed at my expression. “All our meals have fish in it. Cuts down on the amount of supplies we need.”

“Speaking of supplies,” Indra said. “What do we do about the glass ingredients?”

“Can you get a new batch?” Zitora asked.

“No. We stockpile the ingredients inland near Thunder Valley and bring only enough for each season. If one of the compounds is tainted, then the whole stockpile will be suspect,” Indra explained.

“How about ordering in fresh supplies?”

The glassmaker shook her head. “We wouldn’t get them in time. The special components in our mixture come from far away.”

“We really need to know which one is causing the problem,” Nodin said.

“Are the different components in separate stockpiles?” I asked.

“Yes. They’re mixed right before we leave.” He paced around the campfire, pulling at his tight curls. They sprang back as soon as he released one.

“Opal, you wanted to take samples to your father. Is there anyone else who is closer?” Zitora asked. “How about the Citadel’s glassmaker?”

“Aydan only works with one type of glass. My father really is the best one to ask. He has an extensive laboratory and experiments with sand while the other glassmakers find a mix they like and stay with the same recipe forever.”

“Can he come here?” Nodin stopped pacing. Hope touched his voice.

“He’ll need his lab. If it was an obvious substance, I would have seen it.”

“Is that why you ran them through your fingers?”

“Yes.”

“How long will it take?” Kade joined us by the fire. He had wrapped his orb in the blanket and cradled the bundle.

“Seven days one way if the weather is good. Then it depends on Opal’s father.” Zitora looked at me.

“A day. Maybe two.” I guessed.

“How long do you have before it’s too late?” Zitora asked Raiden.

“The storms are forming every four days now. In another three weeks, they’ll be coming every two days. Without Stormdancers and orbs, this cavern will be underwater until the middle of the cold season.”

“Let’s say nine days from now we have an answer. We can communicate through Opal’s glass animals and you can order a fresh batch.”

Indra stood. “That could work. We’ll need Opal back, though.”

Surprised, I asked why.

“To test the ingredients before they’re melted into glass.

We can’t guess that the new supplies are pure. Plus we couldn’t tell the difference between the orbs. You’ll know if they’ll hold the storm’s energy.”

“But—”

Zitora cut me off. “What happens if it’s one of your special ingredients that are tainted?”

“We don’t dance,” Kade said. “People die.”

Kade’s words weighed heavy on my mind as we prepared to leave The Cliffs. Varun and Kade would accompany Zitora and me to their stockpile near Thunder Valley and remain there until they heard from us.

I gave my little ball to the Stormdancer so he could try to communicate with Zitora through the glass. She was on the beach with her unicorn and we were in his tiny sleeping cave decorated with a cot, a chair and a desk. Piles of books lined the back wall. A small coal stove rested near the entrance, but not too close to the wood and cloth privacy screen. Kade had stored the orb—still covered with the blanket—under his cot.