by Jasmine Walt
I swallowed my frustration—that might very well be too late. But there was nothing for it; Sunaya couldn’t very well evacuate the place on a mere hunch.
“Thanks,” I said right before the connection cut—Sunaya must have moved out of range. Raking my hand through my hair in frustration, I turned back to the others. “Sunaya says she’s going to have Garrett look into it, though I don’t know what he can do—he can’t go around busting holes in the walls or pillars merely on suspicion, and he does not even have shifter senses. I just wish that I could get in to investigate myself.” I paced up and down on the sidewalk, frustrated beyond belief at this setback and my inability to check whether we were right, or simply worrying for nothing.
“It’s maddening,” Comenius agreed, a troubled frown on his face. “Sunaya has come too far to have everything come crashing down right before her wedding.”
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Elania said, wrapping her arms around herself, her face unusually pale as she looked up at the building. “Something is about to happen.”
“Fenris,” Mina said in a low voice, tugging on my sleeve. She tilted her head to the left, and I followed her gaze to see a balding man in a suit talking to a cook further down the sidewalk. “That journalist calls himself Rubb Slade, and I’ve met him twice. There’s something off about him. What is he doing out here, talking to that cook?”
“Let’s follow them,” Marris suggested as the odd pair ducked behind a newspaper stall, heads together. “They look fishy to me.”
We followed the two men around the building at a discreet distance, toward a service door far from the main entrance. There were guards posted here, too, but the cook showed some credentials, and he was allowed inside. Rubb, on the other hand, waited a bit further up the street out of sight of the guards. He had his hands tucked into his suit pockets and was doing his best to look nonchalant even though it was obvious he was anything but.
“Let’s go talk to him,” Mina said, tugging at my hand. We stepped out from beneath the shade of the tree we were hiding in, while the others remained behind. “Mr. Slade,” she said cheerfully, strolling up to the man. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know who you are,” he said brusquely, trying to brush past us.
“Stop right there.” Flicking my wrist, I conjured a magical rope and lassoed him around the foot. Even if I hadn’t seen the flash of recognition in his eyes when he saw Mina, I could smell his lie a mile off. “Why are you lurking around outside the concert hall?”
I tugged firmly on the rope, and Rubb went down with a yelp. “Unhand me!” he cried as the ropes began to rapidly wrap around his body, binding his legs together and his hands to his sides. I snapped my fingers to engage a privacy bubble around us, but it was too late—one of the guards had heard and was coming our way.
“Hold this,” I said to Mina, handing the rope off to her. “Come with me, Marris.”
We ran back up the path, toward the concert hall, and met the guard almost immediately. “What’s the meaning of this?” he demanded right before I slammed a magical fistful of air into his jaw. He went down instantly, and Marris rushed ahead to incapacitate the other guard while I dragged the first one into a dark corner and put a strong sleeping spell on him.
“I grabbed the credentials on the other guy,” Marris said as he trotted back up to meet me. “I think the wards won’t let you in without one.”
“Good thinking.”
We headed back toward Mina and Rubb. The latter was still trussed up on the ground, struggling furiously against the magical rope. “He won’t say anything,” Mina said flatly, her eyes trained on him. She had her other hand out, facing in his direction, ready to blast him should he try anything. I couldn’t help but smile—she had come a long way with her magic since I’d first met her.
“Are you planning on attacking the reception tonight?” I asked. “What did you send that cook in to do?”
“I don’t have anything to say to a shifter like you,” Rubb sneered. “Go ahead, throw me in the dungeons. I won’t tell you anything.”
“He’s involved,” I said to Mina. “That’s why he won’t talk, because he knows I’ll be able to tell if he’s lying.”
“We need to go after that cook, then,” Mina said urgently. “We can’t afford to let him complete whatever task he’s been sent to do.”
“Please.” I took Mina’s hand and clasped it in both of mine. “Let Marris and me handle this one. I need you to stay with Comenius and guard our prisoner. I have a hunch that he’s important—we can’t afford to let him escape or be killed.”
Mina looked like she wanted to protest, but to my relief, she nodded her agreement. “Come back to me,” she said, taking my face between her hands and kissing me. Her sweet scent filled me, and I sucked in a deep breath, savoring the brief moment.
“When this is done,” I promised her, “we’re going to have a proper wedding night.”
I helped Mina escort our new prisoner back to Comenius and Elania, and then gave them a quick update before Marris and I headed in. We bypassed the ward easily with the stolen credentials, and I latched onto the strongest, most recent human male scent and followed it.
“Are you sure you’ve got the right person?” Marris hissed as we crept through the concert hall. The scent trail led us up a set of stairs to the first floor, then down another to the basement, by the service lavatories that the cook had taken advantage of. Probably nervous, I guessed, and the delay helped us gain on him. We then went up another half flight, and were headed down again.
“Shhh,” I whispered, holding up a hand. The scent was getting stronger, and I could hear noises up ahead that sounded suspiciously like drywall breaking. Hurrying down the steps, I opened the door, which led into another section of the basement that was filled with party supplies. Several boxes had been haphazardly thrown aside to uncover the wall on the other end, and the cook was busy swinging a hammer, knocking waist-level holes into the drywall.
“You there!” Marris cried, stalking forward. “What are you doing down here?”
The man ignored him, and my heart jumped in alarm as a large piece of drywall fell away, exposing a light switch that had been hidden behind it. The man reached for the switch, and I quickly snagged his wrist with another magic rope before he could flip it.
“No!” the man yelled angrily as I yanked him back. He went skidding across the floor toward us, and I ducked as he flung the hammer straight at my face. Marris tackled him as he tried to rise, and the two ended up brawling on the floor, rolling around and throwing punches at each other.
“Enough!” I yanked on the rope again, pulling the cook out from underneath Marris, then snapped my fingers. Like with Rubb, the rope rapidly twisted around the cook’s body, going all the way up to his neck.
“Are there any more of you?” I snarled.
The man shook his head, trembling with terror—clearly he wasn’t as fanatical as Rubb. “N-no, just me,” he stammered. “That fellow outside paid me to come in here and flip a switch. He said it was going to activate some kind of trap.”
“Blast it,” I muttered. “Iannis, are you there? I need you and Garrett to come down to the basement. We’ve found an intruder.”
“I’m on my way,” Iannis said immediately—Sunaya must have already talked to him, as he did not sound surprised to hear me. “Is anyone hurt?”
“No. But come quickly.”
A few minutes later, footsteps thundered down the stairs, and Iannis rushed in. Sunaya and Garrett were on his heels, along with the Minister, who looked red-faced and angry.
“What is the meaning of this?” the Minister demanded, looking at the prisoner and then at the wreckage. “What was this man doing in here?”
“He was paid by the Resistance to come in here and flip that switch,” I informed them. “He had just uncovered it in the wall when Marris and I caught up to him. It would seem that the whole contraption was arranged while the
concert hall was being renovated.”
“A walled-in switch?” Garrett stalked over to the wall, a scowl on his face. “Damn. These wires could be connected to explosives at any place in the building. It will take some time to trace the wire and disarm whatever trap they’re connected to.”
“Bloody hell,” Iannis swore. “We need to evacuate the hall at once.”
“Yes,” Garrett said in a clipped voice. He looked absolutely thunderous. “I can’t believe I missed this. We checked this venue thoroughly.”
“You’re not at fault here,” Sunaya said to Garrett. “You had no reason to tear the walls apart looking for bombs, and stuff like that isn’t easily visible. I couldn’t even scent anything when Fenris warned me just now. I still don’t scent anything suspicious here.”
“Let’s not stand around here, then,” the Minister said impatiently. “The last thing I need is for someone to accidentally trip and hit that switch. Let’s get on with it!”
After Garrett ordered two of his staff to guard the switch with their lives, and another to take charge of the terrified prisoner, we dispersed. Garrett went to gather a team of specialists while the Minister and Iannis went to inform the guests and evacuate the building. While they ushered the guests out, telling them only that the party was being moved to the Palace, Sunaya, Marris and I went back out with the crowd of revelers to where Mina and the others were waiting. By the time we arrived, a bevy of enforcers and agents were already with them.
“Miss Baine.” The enforcer in charge inclined his head. “We’re ready to transport the prisoner to a holding cell.”
“His name is Rubb Slade,” Mina explained to Sunaya. “I met him at the Solantha Press Club.”
“Let me have a look at him,” Sunaya said. Two of the enforcers dragged Rubb forward, and she leaned in to get a good whiff.
“By Magorah,” she said, sounding astonished. “You’re not Rubb Slade at all. You’re Curian Vanderheim, Thorgana’s missing husband.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rubb said stiffly.
“Don’t lie to me,” Sunaya snapped. “You might weigh thirty pounds less and wear a different face, but you stink just like before. You should have hired a mage to change your scent. It’s a good thing you’re not as bright as your late wife was.”
“I knew there was something off about him,” Mina crowed. “Both times I met him he was always talking about how much he hated mages.”
“And now we understand why,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I had never met Thorgana’s husband, so there had been no way for me to detect his true identity. Sunaya, thankfully, had done a few bodyguard jobs for Thorgana back in the day, so she was acquainted with the late Benefactor and her husband.
“Well, now that we’ve got all this sorted, why don’t you come back with us to the Palace?” Sunaya said with a grin. “After all, you’re a very important person, Mr. Vanderheim. And we certainly wouldn’t want you to mysteriously commit suicide in your prison cell, would we?”
Vanderheim only growled in reply as a dozen enforcers converged about him and roughly put him in manacles. We watched as he was dragged away, and relief swept through me—we’d finally caught the real culprit. I could only hope Garrett and his men identified the trap, and that we did not run across any more danger tonight.
31
Mina
As we headed back to Solantha Palace, my nerves were buzzing with excitement. “We finally did it!” I exclaimed to Fenris. “Thanks to Barrla’s hunch, and our team effort, we managed to catch the bastards before they were able to execute their attack.”
“Yes, and thank Resinah for that,” Fenris said fervently. “You did great, catching Vanderheim’s suspicious behavior. We wouldn’t have followed him otherwise, and as it was, we barely arrived in the nick of time.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe he changed his appearance so much that nobody recognized him.” Mages routinely did that with illusion, but permanently altering your physical appearance was a banned practice. For Mr. Vanderheim to go through with such a thing, with surgery…it was quite a commitment.
Fenris shrugged. “He’s a fanatic, just like his late wife. Those types will go to any lengths for their cause.”
We got back to the Palace, where the party had already resumed in full swing. Mr. Vanderheim was carted off to a guarded cell, while the rest of us convened in the Mages Guild conference room.
“I’m happy to report that Director Toring and I have successfully located the contraption, thanks to our offices working together,” Captain Skonel said. “The parquet floor of the hall had been packed full of explosives, hidden underneath layers of plaster.”
“They were presumably stolen from mines,” Garrett said. “It seems that many were ‘mislaid’ during the confusion of the recent earthquake.”
“Of course,” Iannis murmured. “The quake would have been the perfect opportunity for the Resistance to seize them without anyone being the wiser.”
“Thank you both for your vigilance and your help,” Garrett said to Fenris and me. “That many explosives would have brought down the entire building and killed everyone, including the patsy who was sent to flip the switch. He was horrified when he realized he’d been about to kill himself along with all the rest of us.”
Sunaya shook her head in disgust. “It’s amazing what people will do for a bit of coin.”
“Indeed,” the Minister said darkly.
“Director Toring, Captain Skonel,” Iannis asked, “how long will it take to render the concert hall safe again?”
“Days,” Captain Skonel said baldly. “Much of the reconstruction will have to be redone once we are finished.”
“Better that than to have every Chief Mage in the Federation killed, and many innocents as well,” Fenris said, and everyone agreed.
“While we are all here,” the Minister said, “I have an announcement that will please you and your new bride, Fenris.”
“Oh?” I asked, sitting up straighter in my chair. What kind of favor would a man like the Minister do for us? I glanced at Fenris, but his face was inscrutable.
“To set your marriage off on the right path, and as thanks for your brave service, I am pardoning your father, Polar ar’Tollis, for his past crimes,” the Minister said. “Lord Iannis already has the written proclamation.”
Fenris smiled, and my mouth dropped open in surprise. “Minister, you have no idea how much that gesture means to me,” Fenris said as I stared, stunned. Why would the Minister do such a benevolent thing? It seemed incredibly out of character for him…but I would not look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Thank you so much for your kindness, Minister,” I said fervently. “This is the perfect wedding gift.” There was no more need for hiding, no fear that my husband, the father of my child, would somehow be discovered and carted off into the night. I felt like dancing with joy, but considering the present company, I restrained myself.
“Minister…are you sure this is wise?” Garrett asked, sounding strained. “I have not closed the investigation yet.”
“Well you are closing it now,” the Minister said firmly. “This case has gone on far too long—we cannot afford to waste any more time or resources on it. With crafty humans like Vanderheim trying to massacre us and nearly succeeding, we mages cannot be seen to have internal disagreements or infighting. We must present a united front.”
“Very well,” Garrett said grudgingly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fenris and Iannis exchange a look, and I could have sworn that Iannis winked at him.
“Fenris,” I said slowly as a nagging suspicion began to take root in my mind. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”
“Iannis used the secret you discovered to blackmail the Minister into pardoning me and anyone who helped me during my escape,” Fenris said, sounding amused. “I was there for the conversation, hidden—the Minister was absolutely appalled at the idea, no matter how firmly he espouses it now. But h
e likes his position far more than he wants to see my head on the chopping block, so here we are, free and clear.”
“Well at least that’s one thing he and I can agree on,” I said, slipping my hand into his beneath the table.
Suddenly, Fenris stood up, knocking his chair back. “I apologize for the rudeness,” he said, bowing to the Minister. “But you will have to excuse my wife and me. We have had a long day, and it is high time that we celebrated our wedding night.”
Before the Minister could respond, Fenris swept me up into his arms, bridal style. I squealed as he spun around, and the sound of Sunaya and Iannis’s laughter trailed behind us.
“Have fun,” Sunaya called as Fenris magically shut the doors. “Try not to keep the entire palace up tonight!”
Laughing, I twined my arms around Fenris’s neck and kissed him as he walked us down the hall and up to our suite. The moment the door closed behind us, our clothes vanished, and we fell onto the bed, fully naked.
“Hey!” I squealed, sitting up as he began to trail kisses down the column of my throat. “I plan to keep that dress!”
“Don’t worry,” Fenris said with a laugh. He nibbled on my collarbone, and the sensation of his teeth on my skin sent little shivers of delight through me. “It’s hanging in the closet, safe and sound.”
“You’ll have to teach me that trick,” I purred, settling back down. His hot mouth moved lower, down my chest, and I moaned when he flicked his tongue against one of my nipples. “I have to tell you something,” I said breathlessly.
“It isn’t something that can wait until after we’ve consummated our marriage?” he asked, slipping his free hand between my legs. His fingers expertly found the bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs, and my hips came off the bed. “Now that we’ve tied the knot, I’d like to have a little Mina or Fenris as soon as possible.”