by Jasmine Walt
“The same as you.” I planted my feet wide and stood my ground as I faced the Council. “I want to rescue the Chief Mage.”
“You will have absolutely no part in this rescue mission!” One of the Council members, who I recognized as Omonas ar’Candar, jabbed a long, slightly crooked finger at me. Unlike some of the elders, he did nothing to hide his age – light glinted off his bald head, and the beard that brushed halfway down his navy robes was pure white. “You have been a bad influence on Lord Iannis, leading him to flaunt convention and ignore laws that have kept Canalo safe for many years. You had better pray to your god that the Chief Mage is still alive, because if not, you shall be tried and executed for your unsanctioned use of magic as you should have already been!”
The other mages were quick to chime in, shouting at Director Chen, ordering her to remove me. I saw a hint of regret in her dark eyes as she moved toward me, but her ivory face was stern, and I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to kick me out.
“Wait.” Fenris stepped in front of me, in human form, and I blinked – I’d been so focused on Omonas and his cronies that I hadn’t noticed he’d changed. “Sunaya may not be a member of the Council, but she’s a trained Enforcer and has experience tracking down missing persons. She could be an asset in this emergency.”
“What she is is a liability,” Omonas snapped. “And might I remind you, Fenris, that you are not a member of this Council either? Frankly, I don’t know what you’re doing here. Shifters have no place in the Mages Guild.”
Fenris stiffened. “I have always attended such meetings.”
“Only because Lord Iannis permitted it,” another mage sneered, turning in his chair to face Fenris. “But he is not here right now, so I don’t see why you should be here either. There is nothing that the two of you can do that we are not capable of.”
“Actually,” I argued, remembering the charm I wore around my neck, “I do have a way to –”
“Stop.” Fenris’s voice echoed sharply in my head, and my vocal chords froze. I tried to speak, and panic shot through me as nothing came out but air.
“What’s wrong, Miss Baine?” Omonas taunted. “Cat got your tongue?”
I gritted my teeth, unconsciously taking a step forward – I hated that expression.
“We’re just about to leave,” Fenris said, clamping his hand around my arm in a vice-like grip. I shot a glare at him, but since I couldn’t speak I had no choice but to go along. “Good day, Councilor.”
“I’m sorry,” Fenris said as he dragged me into one of the guest rooms in the east wing and shut the door behind us. “I couldn’t let you tell them about the serapha charm. If they find out that Iannis gave you such an intimate gift, they would see you as an even bigger threat than they already do.”
The tightness on my vocal chords eased, and I rounded on Fenris, fury crackling through my nerves. “Just what the hell was that?” I demanded. “How did you manage to stop me from speaking? Is it some kind of charm you’re using?” I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Fenris was a wolf shifter – he shouldn’t have been able to freeze my vocal chords, not without some kind of magical device, but I hadn’t seen him use anything.
“I’ve picked up a thing or two from Iannis, but that’s not important just now,” Fenris said coolly. He sat down in an ornately carved rose-colored chair in front of a vanity. “We must use the charm to see if Iannis is still alive.” He remained calm outwardly, but I could tell that fear for Iannis bubbled beneath the surface of his cool exterior.
“Right.” I pulled out the charm, a white tanzarite jewel with iridescent flecks hanging from a silver chain, from beneath the neckline of my shirt. As I focused on the pale stone, it began to glow blue. I let out a huge breath of relief.
“He’s alive,” Fenris said, his yellow eyes narrowed in concern as he stared at the charm, “but judging by the lackluster glow, he is not well.”
My heart sank as I glanced down at the stone again. Fenris was right – when I’d first tested the charm the glow had been bright, nearly dazzling, but it was faint now, barely enough to draw attention.
“I guess that means we have to find him fast,” I said, stuffing the charm back beneath my shirt. If Fenris was right, I shouldn’t be advertising the damn thing. “Did you learn anything useful from the Council meeting, before they threw us out?”
“Nothing good.” Fenris’s expression shifted to worry. “They were mostly just shouting at each other, especially at Director Chen. Because she’s so new, they don’t respect her authority. Showing you any overt support would endanger what leverage she has.”
“Fine.” I pressed my lips together for a moment, but decided to let it go. Director Chen’s position had a lot to do with politics, something I didn’t envy her at all. I couldn’t really blame her for trying to keep her position secure when Iannis wasn’t there to back her up. “Anything else?”
“They did agree to offer a reward of five hundred gold pieces for anyone who brings Iannis back alive.”
“Five hundred?” My eyes nearly popped out of my skull. “With that amount, I’m surprised the entire Enforcers Guild isn’t on the job.”
“I’m sure they will be soon enough,” Fenris said dryly. “And as you’ve proven more than once, not all of them can be trusted.”
“All the more reason to find him first.” I stood up. “Regardless of Chen’s reasons for publicly tossing me to the dogs, I’m not letting her off the hook so easily. She’s going to include me in this rescue mission, one way or another.”
“Naya,” Fenris protested as I turned for the door. “You really should keep a low profile right now. With Iannis gone, the other mages are looking for any reason to turn on you. For now, at least until we figure out a plan, you should keep your head down.”
“You know I’m no good at keeping my head down,” I told him as I opened the door. “But at least I’m good at keeping it on my shoulders.”
I slipped into Director Chen’s office, plopping down into one of her visitors’ chairs to wait for her return from the Council meeting. The hard wooden seat was decidedly uncomfortable; the cushion was barely there, and the relief of dragons carved into the back of the chair dug unpleasantly into my spine. I wondered if Director Chen had ordered these chairs because, like her, they were Garaian, or because she wanted to discourage visitors. They definitely went with the Garaian motif in the room, from the stylized porcelain vases decorating her shelves and sitting on her desk to the silk, dragon-printed curtains hanging from either side of the window behind her desk.
I was just considering abandoning my chair for hers when Director Chen stepped into the room. She froze, her dark eyes on mine as I twisted around to face her, but her surprise quickly melted away into the lake of calm I was accustomed to seeing from her.
“Miss Baine.” Her voice was cool as she closed the door behind her. Silk robes rustled against skin as she moved around me to sit in her cushy chair, and the scent of jasmine tickled my nose. “As usual, you fail to stay out of places where you do not belong.”
“Thankfully, I don’t care whether or not you think I belong.” I crossed my legs and regarded Director Chen steadily as she sat down. Curiously, she avoided my gaze and reached for a small, rectangular silk-covered box instead. She flipped open the little latch, revealing two brass-colored balls roughly the size of chicken eggs – Garaian meditation balls. She picked one up, her fine, delicate fingers wrapping around the brass as she finally turned to look at me.
“Stressed much?” I arched a brow.
Her expression didn’t change, but her knuckles whitened as she squeezed a little tighter. “I find these help me focus in tumultuous times, which today certainly qualifies as. If you still hope to be included in the search party, I cannot help you, Miss Baine. You should leave while you can.”
“Why?” I slapped my hand against the cherrywood edge of the desk. The color of the smooth surface reminded me of Iannis’s hair, hair that in my weaker, unguarded moments I’d
envisioned running my hands through. “You know that I deserve to be part of this mission. The Chief Mage’s decision to take me on as his apprentice is the only reason I’m still alive. I’m more motivated to find him than almost any other person in this city.”
“That may be, but I cannot afford to take anyone along whose loyalty to Canalo is not above reproach. Though it may not be fair, the majority of the Council members do not trust you.”
“Don’t you think this might be a good opportunity for me to earn their trust?” I gripped the arms of my chair, hard. Normally I didn’t give a rat’s ass about earning the trust or respect of any of the mages, but clearly my refusal to pander was coming back to bite me now.
“Perhaps, but your shifter abilities are of little use on an airship, and I doubt the other participants would be comfortable sharing such a small space with you.” She gripped the ball tighter, and I could tell she was hanging onto her patience by a thread.
“I could go in a separate ship.” I was getting desperate, I knew, but dammit, I needed to be on this mission!
“If you have a spare ship lying around, feel free.” Director Chen arched a brow. “The Guild’s last available airship is needed by the Finance Secretary. He is the only delegate left from the original team, and Canalo must have at least one representative at the Convention.”
“Ugh.” I slumped back in my chair as I tried to think of something else, anything else. I almost considered mentioning that I had the charm to try and sway her, but Fenris and I had agreed to keep our mouths shut about it to all but my closest friends, and Director Chen most definitely was not in that camp. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Director Chen regarded me for a long moment, a flicker of wary sympathy in her dark eyes. “I strongly suggest that you stay out of sight until we return with the Chief Mage. Without his protection, the senior mages have little reason to tolerate you. I would hate to return with Lord Iannis only to find that he’s already lost his apprentice.”
Since I didn’t have anything to say to that, I rose, then inclined my head. “Alright. Thank you for your time, Director Chen.”
I strode out, my mind already on the next plan, as I had absolutely no intention of following her suggestion.
3
I managed to catch Cirin Garidano, the Finance Secretary, in his office. He was hurriedly packing a satchel with documents and reports from his desk drawers and filing cabinets. His long, dark hair was a little ruffled, the skin around his eyes tight with stress, and the collar on his robe was slightly askew.
“In a hurry?” I asked, leaning against the doorjamb.
“Miss Baine.” The Finance Secretary didn’t even look up at me, which told me he already knew I was there. “To what do I owe the dubious pleasure?”
“I need your help.”
“I’m in no position to offer any assistance to you.” Grabbing a sheaf of papers from a file, he riffled through it, then pulled out a document and stuck it in the satchel. “I must leave immediately if I’m to make it to the Convention on time.”
“Yeah, I know.” I ventured further into his office, then shut the door behind me so that no one passing by would unwittingly hear our conversation. “I want to come with you.”
This time the Finance Secretary did look up at me, his eyebrows climbing across his high forehead. “To the Convention? What business do you have there?”
“None. I need you to drop me somewhere on your way to the Convention, though.”
“I’m not a ferryman, Miss Baine, and I’ve no time for extra stops.” The Finance Secretary put one last thing in his satchel, then snatched it up. “I don’t blame you for wanting to flee the city right now, but –”
“I’m not fleeing the city,” I snapped, annoyed now. Why did everyone think I was just going to tuck my tail between my legs and cower in a hole while Iannis’s life was in danger? “I’m going to find the Chief Mage, but in order to do so I need transport.”
“Find the Chief Mage?” The Finance Secretary narrowed his dark blue eyes. “Just how do you plan on doing that?”
“I’m following a hunch.” My fingers twitched as I resisted the urge to touch the serapha charm tucked beneath my shirt. The Finance Secretary had been fairly helpful to me so far, assisting me in the recent investigation by giving me access to a ledger with important information, but that didn’t mean he was my friend. “My hunches are usually pretty good.”
“In that case, you should confide your hunch to the search party Director Chen and the Council are organizing, and let them follow up on it.” The Finance Secretary picked up his satchel and made to move past me. “In the meantime, I have a dirigible to board. Good day.”
“Wait!” I grabbed him by the sleeve of his dark purple robe. “Please, Secretary Garidano. You have to take me with you. You know how much is at stake if the Chief Mage isn’t found.”
The air heated up around the Finance Director sharply, and I hurriedly released him, backing away before he burned me to a crisp. He turned his head, and his dark blue eyes blazed with a fire very similar to what I saw in Iannis’s violet eyes during the few times his fury was ignited.
“Miss Baine, I cannot help you with this,” he said tightly, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “In case you haven’t realized, the attack on Lord Iannis’s dirigible, if that is what happened, was likely timed to ensure that no one from Canalo is able to vote at the Convention this year. If I do not make it there on time, the attackers will have achieved their aim. Lord Iannis would consider my timely arrival more important than your need to involve yourself in the search.”
“Fine.” I fisted my hands at my sides, but nodded tightly. I’d been so consumed with wanting to get Iannis back that I’d failed to consider the consequences resulting from the attack on him. Iannis was the Chief Mage first, my master second, and I knew he would want the Finance Director to arrive at the Convention on time. “I take your point.”
“Good. In the meantime, be careful. In fact, you’d best leave the Palace as quickly and quietly as you can. I suspect the Council will be eager to incarcerate you as soon as they get the chance.”
He swept out of the room then, his robes billowing about him as his warning sunk into my bones, filling me with nervous energy. Quickly, I cast an illusion spell transforming myself into one of the many maids the Palace employed, then waited until I heard no footsteps outside before stealing back into the hall. Getting thrown into jail wasn’t going to help me rescue Iannis. I’d already done that song and dance, and there was no way in hell it was happening again.
“Just where do you think you’re going, young miss?”
I stopped short outside the side entrance of the Palace as a guard stepped in front of me, blocking my path to the street and relative freedom.
“I’m headed out to the market to fetch some supplies for the kitchen.” I blinked innocently up at him as tightened my grip on the wicker basket I’d grabbed on my way out.
“I’m sorry, but nobody can leave.” The guard looked apologetic, but he didn’t budge. “There’s trouble’s brewing in the city, and it’s not safe for the Palace staff to be out and about.”
I shrugged. “Okay then. But the Council has called a huge meeting and is demanding food, and the kitchen is short on a few supplies. I’ll just tell them that you wouldn’t let me leave...” I leaned in to read the guard’s name tag. “What did you say your name was again?”
“Oh, alright, alright,” the guard snapped. He glanced nervously over his shoulder before stepping aside. “Go on, then. Let the damn councilors get their canapés.” Derision briefly twisted his features before he schooled his expression again.
“Thank you.” I smiled sweetly at him, then hefted my basket a little higher over my shoulder and headed for the street. That guard was the first human I’d run across in the Palace who had shown open disdain for the mages, and I couldn’t help but wonder just how many of the humans employed there shared his feelings. It would be all too easy for t
he Resistance to infiltrate the Palace using these people, to make these bitter human workers the eyes and ears that allowed them to plot the airship attack against Iannis. The thought filled me with chills, and I cast a glance over my shoulder at the Palace, wondering just how many enemies were lurking in our midst.
One problem at a time, Naya. One problem at a time.
Since my beloved steambike had been lost in Durain, I had to walk all the way down to the Port. Underneath the illusion I was still barefoot, so I hitched rides on the backs of carriages whenever I could, but it still took me nearly an hour to make what would normally have been a ten-minute trip.
My sore feet breathed a sigh of relief as they finally hit the boardwalk. I made my way down to Witches’ End, the place where magic users from other countries who’d managed to get permission to settle within the Federation ran their shops. There were apothecary shops, fortune tellers, psychics, and more here – because they were born and raised in other countries, they managed to escape the no-magic rule that plagued the rest of the non-mage families in the Northia Federation. They were all licensed and registered with the state and had to adhere to strict regulations, but it was still better than being forced to have your magic stripped away, or being executed – the two choices I’d hidden from my entire life, before the truth of my half-mage heritage had come to light.
My friend Comenius ran a small shop there, called Over the Hedge. As a hedgewitch he specialized in nature magic, and offered charms and potions that were basically natural remedies enhanced by magic, like the nasty tonic he and Elania had made for me back at the Palace. I could see through the windowpane that Comenius was manning the counter, so I pushed my way inside, the little bell on the door tinkling as I entered. Comenius looked up from the register, and relief crossed his face as I dropped the illusion, allowing my true form to surface again.