The battle fever pumping hard through my veins allowed me to spring to my feet, and I grabbed Danrian, who had been trying to sidle away, by the arm. “Come on. We’ve got to get out of here!” As much as I wanted to release the shifters from their cages now, I knew they would all just attack us – I needed to get us to safety and wait for the Enforcer’s Guild to show up. They had to be on their way by now. They just had to.
“I’m afraid I’m not going anywhere with you, Miss Baine,” Danrian said smugly as I spun him around. I caught the glint of three darts in his hand as he raised it in the air, and I tried to avoid them, but momentum was on his side. I cried out as the darts jabbed me in the side of the neck, then screamed in agony as the icy hot poison rushed through my veins, stronger and more painful than last time. Fear burst through me, followed by a healthy dose of disgust – I couldn’t believe that I was about to die at the hands of a filthy human like him.
“That dose will definitely kill you if Mika doesn’t.” Danrian’s voice sounded very far away as I sank to the ground. I looked up at him, and it was like I was staring at him from the bottom of a pool – his form wavered, too blurry for me to focus on properly. “You came close to winning, but not close enough. On behalf of the Benefactor, I give you my regards.”
He disappeared then, and the last thing I saw was Mika’s bloody fangs before everything went dark.
19
“Do you think she’s ever going to wake up?”
My mind stirred at the familiar male voice, which sounded distant beyond the black, greasy fog that seemed to surround me. It took me a moment to put a name to the voice – Fenris.
Who was Fenris?
“Of course she’s going to wake up. Do you doubt my healing abilities?” another voice snapped – and this one I recognized instantly; Iannis. My heart warmed at the edge in his voice – he must be concerned for me.
Why was he concerned for me?
“No, it’s just that she was struck with three darts.” Fenris’s voice came again, and this time a picture of a wolf with coarse brown hair floated into my mind. Ah, yes. I remembered him now. “The amount of silver in them would have killed any full-blooded shifter.”
“Sunaya is forged from stronger stuff. She will pull through.”
Huh. He’d used my first name. I’d never heard him use my name before. I kind of liked the way it sounded when he said it – kind of exotic with his musical accent. I wanted him to say it again.
“Are her eyelids flickering?” Fenris’s voice turned urgent. “Iannis, I think she can hear us!”
Strong fingers wrapped around my hand, and their warmth drew my attention to how cold I was. I was half-frigid, half-numb, and I wondered whether my body was actually encased in a block of ice. But those warm fingers squeezed mine, and some of the ice retreated.
“Sunaya. Can you hear me?”
I cracked my eyelids open to see Iannis’s face hovering above mine. Anxiety shimmered in his gorgeous violet eyes, and I was so happy to see those eyes again that I could have kissed him.
“Are we on a first name basis now?” I croaked.
Fury eclipsed the anxiety in Iannis’s eyes, and his grip on my hand tightened painfully. “Certainly not. Being on a first-name basis would imply a level of trust we have clearly not achieved, or you would have clued me into the extreme danger of your investigation.”
Guilt settled onto my chest, a heavy weight that made it hard to breathe. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, lowering my eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the Shifter Royale, or about your plans to apprehend them? I could have provided assistance and possibly prevented this whole catastrophe.”
“Iannis.” Fenris’s voice was low, but firm, and he gently pulled Iannis back, allowing me to see that he was sitting in the chair next to the Chief Mage. He smiled at me. “I think now might not be the best time to berate her. She’s clearly very tired.”
I smiled back at Fenris, thankful for his intervention, but I held fast to Iannis’s hand, not wanting him to go before I explained myself. “I didn’t… keep it from you because I… distrust you.” Getting the words out was an effort, but I was determined. “I just knew you were so busy… and wanted to show you I could take care of this myself. I’m sorry.”
Iannis sighed, his eyes searching mine as he leaned forward. “There is no need for you to apologize. I can see that you were simply trying to ease my workload, as foolish as it was for you to leave me out of this. In the future, though, I expect you to fill me in on investigations that have far-reaching ramifications such as this one.”
“I guess I can do that.”
His lips twitched into a smile as he brushed a curl of hair back from my face. “When I return from my trip, I will make sure to devote more time to your training. In the meantime, you should sleep.” He passed a hand over my forehead, and the scent of magic stung my nose as he spoke a Word.
My eyes grew heavy instantly, but the word ‘trip’ sent off an alarm bell, and I grabbed at his hand as he tried to pull away. “Don’t go.” Rylan’s warning flashed in my head, and I realized that I’d never told Iannis about it.
“I have to go,” Iannis sounded regretful, but firm. “I’ve already postponed my departure to deal with this, and I cannot do so any longer. My dirigible is already waiting, as are the rest of my delegates.”
“You can’t… go…” I tried to tell him, struggling against the sleep spell he put on me, but my tongue was thick, and my eyelids felt like anvils had been hung from my eyelashes. “It’s… dangerous…”
“You’ll be fine.” I heard the smile in his voice. “So long as you stay here in the infirmary, in any case. The conference is only two weeks long, Sunaya. I’ll be back soon enough.”
His hand slipped from mine at the same time that the warning slipped from my mind, and I went under.
When I next woke up, it was to the sound of songbirds trilling outside my window. Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was a table piled with an enormous amount of cards and flowers and candy. My stomach growled at the sight of a box of expensive hand-made chocolates, and it was then that I realized I felt well rested, much better than I had when I first woke.
But there was also a sense of unease in my gut, as though I’d left something unfinished, and I wasn’t sure what it was.
“Guys, guys!” Noria squealed. “I think she’s awake!”
I rolled over onto my back, and my eyes flew wide as I realized there were a whole bunch of people all seated around my bed. Noria, Comenius, Lakin, Elania, Annia, Elnos, Fenris – hell, even Director Chen was here, though she was standing by the foot of my bed rather than seated like the rest.
“By Magorah,” I groaned, pushing myself up into a sitting position. “What is this, a wake or something? Did anyone make sure to embalm me first?”
“You’re aliiiiive!” Noria squealed, throwing her arms around me. I grunted a little as she squeezed me tight.
“Yeah I’m alive, but not for long if you keep squeezing the air out of my lungs.” Despite my words, I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my face – her enthusiasm was infectious.
“We’re so glad you’re awake, Naya.” Comenius was beaming. “When they told us what had happened to you we thought you wouldn’t make it through the night.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think I was gonna make it either.” I frowned, trying to remember the events of the past twenty-four hours, but the last thing I recalled was being stabbed in the neck by Danrian. “Damn it. Danrian got away, didn’t he?”
“No, actually.” Director Chen’s cool voice drew my attention back to the foot of the bed. “Thanks to Enforcer Melcott and her task force, Warin Danrian was apprehended before he could get away.”
“Really?” My eyes flew to Annia.
“Really.” She grinned. “He’s in a holding cell right now, awaiting another round of interrogation. He’s resisting, but so far I’ve learned that the Shifter Royale was his own idea – there aren’t
any other Royales being run outside of Canalo.”
“That’s great.” A weight I hadn’t realized was on my chest eased up at the knowledge that we weren’t going to have to shut down rings all across the Federation. Except… “Danrian told me that the Royale and the loans were all part of a bigger operation. Maybe he’s the only one who was doing the Royales, but there’s something else going on.”
“I know. I’m digging into his background to see if there’s anything I can use as leverage against him. Pretty sure I’ll be able to get him to crack.”
“Good.” But I couldn’t relax, not just yet. “What about Mika? And the other shifters? I’m guessing you guys must have gotten to me before Mika ripped my throat out, but were you able to save them all?”
“Yes,” Lakin confirmed. “I went there with Fenris and several members of the Mages Guild, and between all of us we were able to contain Mika and return her and the other shifters to their senses. We also got one of the human staff members to lead us to the warehouse where they were keeping the rest.”
“Which, by the way, included both Tylin and Nevin,” Annia said. “So both of them made it back along with most of the others. You can thank their families for the huge pile of gifts by your bedside – they’re all pretty grateful.”
“That’s great.” I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness though. “I wish we could have gotten to them sooner.”
Annia and I shared a look of understanding – we both knew that some of the families would never be getting their loved ones back.
“If it helps ease your mind, the Mages Guild has decided to declare all the debts owed by shifters to Sandin Federal Bank null and void,” Director Chen said gently. “Since the money was paid out with counterfeit gold it only seemed fair.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at Director Chen, feeling warmly toward her for the first time. “I’m sure the families will all be relieved.”
“Yes,” Director Chen said. “Congratulations on solving the case, Miss Baine. I’m sure your late mentor would be proud of you if he were here.”
“Thanks, but it was really this guy you should be thanking.” I turned toward Inspector Lakin. “If you hadn’t started digging into Sillara’s case, we never would have found out about any of this.”
Lakin shook his head. “Maybe, but you and Annia did a lot of the heavy lifting, especially at the end. All those shifters are free because of you.”
“I think we can all agree that Naya’s the hero,” Noria declared. “Hell, even your aunt is with me on this one. She sent you a thank you card for rescuing Mika.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You’re joking.”
“No, she really did.” Noria leaned back in her chair so she could grab one of the cards lying on my gift table. “Here, I’ll find it for you.”
“Director Chen! Director Chen!” Everyone turned toward the door as a grey-robed apprentice rushed into the infirmary. His cheeks were red from exertion, his long hair flying about, but it was the panic in his wide eyes that had me sitting up straight in alarm.
“What is it?” Director Chen asked, all business as she turned toward the apprentice. “It had better be very urgent for you to be barging in on us like this.”
“It’s about Lord Iannis!” the apprentice gasped. “The dirigible…!”
My veins turned to ice. “What?” I demanded, fisting my hands into the bedcovers. “What happened to the dirigible!”
The apprentice turned his wide-eyed gaze to me. “It never arrived at the capital. It’s disappeared, and the entire delegation with it.”
* * *
To be continued…
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Sunaya Baine’s adventures will continue in Hunted by Magic, Book 3 of the Baine Chronicles. Join the mailing list below so you can be notified of the release date, and to receive special updates, freebies and giveaways!
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Glossary
Baine, Sunaya: a half-panther shifter, half-mage who hates mages and has a passion for justice. Because magic is forbidden to all but the mage families, Sunaya was forced to keep her abilities a secret until she accidentally used them to defend herself in front of witnesses. Rather than condemn her to death, the Chief Mage, Iannis ar’Sannin, chose to take her on as his apprentice, and now she struggles to balance her shifter and mage heritage.
Baine, Melantha: Sunaya’s cousin, and daughter to the Jaguar Clan’s Chieftain.
Baine, Mafiela: Chieftain of the Jaguar Clan and Sunaya’s aunt.
Baine, Rylan: one of Chieftain Baine’s least favored children, and Sunaya’s cousin. He is an active member of the Resistance.
Benefactor: the name the Resistance call their anonymous, principal source of financial support. According to Sunaya’s investigations, this mysterious criminal has many different irons in the fire.
Canalo: one of the fifty states making up the Northia Federation, located on the West Coast of the Northia Continent.
Chen, Lalia: the current Director of the Canalo Mages Guild in Solantha. She serves as deputy to Iannis ar’Sannin, the Chief Mage.
Chartis, Argon: former Director of the Canalo Mages Guild, dismissed by the Chief Mage for insubordination and attempts to undermine the Chief Mage’s authority.
Chieftain: a title used to distinguish the head of a shifter clan.
Canter: an elderly mage often manning the reception at Solantha Palace.
The Cat’s Meow: a diner in Shiftertown, owned by the Tiger Clan.
Comenius Genhard: a hedgewitch from Pernia, owner of the shop Over the Hedge at Witches’ End.
Creator: the ultimate deity, worshipped by all three races under different names.
Danrian, Warin: regional manager of the Sandin Federal Bank for Canalo.
Dara: capital of the Northia Federation, located on the east coast of the Northia Continent.
Enforcer: a bounty hunter employed by the government to seek out and capture wanted criminals. They operate under strict rules and are paid bounties for each head. While the majority of them are human, there is a strong minority of shifters, and even the occasional mage.
Enforcers’ Guild: the administrative organization in charge of the Enforcers. Also, the building from which the various Enforcer crews work under their respective foremen.
Fenris: a clanless wolf shifter as well as good friend and confidant of Chief Mage Iannis ar’Sannin. No known last name.
Firegate Bridge: Solantha’s best-known structure, a large red bridge spanning the length of Solantha Bay. It is accessible via Firegate Road.
Captain Galling: the human captain of the Enforcer’s Guild in Solantha City, appointed by the former Chief Mage and Council.
Garai: the largest and most populated country on the Eastern Continent. Their people are known for their slanted eyes and ivory skin as well as their complicated, rune-like alphabet.
Garidano, Cirin: Finance Secretary of the State of Canalo.
Great Accord: a treaty struck by the ruling mages centuries ago which brought an end to a devastating war known as the Conflict. It is still the basis upon which mages rule their countries and territories. All new laws passed must be in accordance with the provisions of the Great Accord.
Herald, The: the main newspaper in Solantha City, geared towards the human majority population.
Iannis ar’Sannin: Chief Mage of Canalo. He resides in the capital city of Solantha, from which he runs Canalo
as well as the Mages Guild with the help of his deputy. Originally a native of Manuc, a country located across the Eastern Sea.
Incidium: a powerful illegal drug that produces euphoria.
Kalois: a rare foreign plant which masks the smell of silver so well that shifters can be drugged or poisoned despite their sensitive noses.
Kan Zao: a mental and physical martial art tradition from Garai.
Lakin, Boon: a jaguar shifter from Parabas, recently appointed as Solantha’s new Shiftertown Inspector following Roanas’s death.
Loranian: the difficult, secret language of magic that all mages are required to master.
Mages Guild: the governmental organization that rules the mages in Canalo, and supervises the other races. The headquarters are in Solantha Palace. They are subordinate to the Chief Mage.
Main Crew: the largest group of Enforcers in the Guild. They are generally favored over the other crews and get the most lucrative dockets.
Manuc: an island country off the west coast of the Central Continent.
Magorah: the god of the shifters, associated with the moon.
Maxon, Brin: Enforcer on the Main Crew. He is partnered with Nila Romana.
Melcott, Annia: a human Enforcer. She is a close friend of Sunaya’s, and Noria’s older sister.
Melcott, Noria: Annia Melcott’s younger sister. A gifted inventor, she regularly tinkers with mechanical devices in between her college classes and her part-time job at Comenius’s shop.
Northia Federation: a federation consisting of fifty states that cover the entire northern half and middle of the Western Continent. Canalo is part of this federation.
Bound by Magic: a New Adult Fantasy Novel (The Baine Chronicles Book 2) Page 19