by Jasmine Walt
An urgent knock at the door woke me, and I shot upright, my heart pounding. Who was at the door? Was it a message from Fenris? Had something happened?
“I’ll get it,” Iannis murmured, placing a hand on my upper arm. “Lie back down.”
I did as he asked, burrowing beneath the bedclothes while he donned a robe and answered the door. Under different circumstances, I would have balked, but we couldn’t let an unknown servant see the two of us in bed together. So, instead, I hid and waited, listening to the messenger tell Iannis that he had received an urgent message from Solantha Palace.
“It’s from Fenris,” Iannis said, sitting down on the bed and unfolding the single sheet of paper. His violet eyes narrowed as he scanned the words. “He says that Annia is in trouble, and Elnos has lost contact with her.”
“What?” I shot upright again, my fists clenching in the bed sheets as fear coursed through my veins. “What kind of trouble? How did they get separated?”
“The message doesn’t say,” Iannis said, his brow creasing. “Comenius received an ether pigeon from Elnos, and the information contained was rather brief. Apparently, Elnos and Annia tracked Noria to Nika, Osero, and Elnos awaits reinforcements at the local inn.”
“Nika!” I exclaimed. “Do you think that Noria is in the very same plant that we’re about to destroy?”
“I’m afraid it would be too coincidental for that not to be the case. She’s an inventor, after all. I could see why the Resistance would find her useful there.”
“Well then we can’t just go in and blow it up.” I threw off the sheets and began pacing next to the bed. “If Noria is in there, we have to get her out.”
“As I said, we will do what we can, but remember that Noria is a traitor,” Iannis warned. “She chose her side, and is assisting the Resistance in committing genocide.”
“I can’t believe she would willingly participate in that. Who knows what they have her doing, and what she’s been told.” Groaning, I shoved my hands into my mass of curly hair and tugged, hard. Why was everything going to hell right now? “Annia could very well be in there with her, and she certainly doesn’t deserve to die. All she wanted was to save her little sister.”
Iannis sighed. “That is true. And I owe Annia a debt for her part in my rescue.” He stroked his chin for a moment, considering. “I have to meet with the local Chief Mage, but it makes sense to find Elnos first, and get a clearer picture of the situation. If he is staying in a local inn in a small town like that, he should be easy enough to find.”
“Great. So we’re leaving now, right?”
“Just as soon as you get your clothes on.”
12
The aerial view of Osero was impossibly beautiful. Pressing my nose against the glass window in the dirigible’s cabin, I stared out at the rolling hills and wide open valleys, covered in greenery as far as the eye could see. Lakes and rivers shimmered like liquid silver in the afternoon sunlight, and I imagined all sorts of creatures teeming in the vast wilderness spread before me.
“It’s not all forests,” Iannis commented from his seat across from mine. His violet eyes were fixed on the view outside the window as well. “Though it does seem that way from up above.”
“I know that,” I said, tracing a dirt road with my finger that was barely visible from this height. “We’ve seen some small towns already, and I imagine the capital will be much bigger.”
“Yes,” Iannis agreed, “though not as large as Solantha. I have been to Parabas—it is quite cosmopolitan for its size, and many foreign magic users have settled there. Homeschooling is quite popular, so some humans escape magical screening and end up under the tutelage of witches and other foreign magic practitioners. The local Mages Guild generally turns a blind eye, unless any of these humans get out of control and cause real damage.”
“And what happens then?” I asked, very interested given my own past.
“The human has their powers stripped, and the mentor faces imprisonment or hard labor in the mines.”
I winced. On the one hand, that didn’t seem very fair… but on the other hand, at least these humans had a chance to practice magic.
“I know that not all humans born with magic are automatically mages, but how do you know if they’re a mage or a witch or whatever?” I asked. “I’ve always been a little confused on that point.”
Iannis sighed, rubbing at his temple. “There are varying degrees of magical ability. Mages, witches, and sorcerers just practice their magic talent in different ways. Your friend Comenius, for example, could have been a mage of middling strength, had he not been raised as a hedge-witch, as could his lady friend, Elania. But there are others who only have a very small amount of magic, and that magic tends to manifest in a certain way. That is why you have healers and fortune tellers and the like—they can perform a specific kind of magic, but nothing else.”
“So then, what happens if a human who’s actually a mage is mentored by a healer?”
“Those are the cases where things get out of control,” Iannis said gravely. “A healer would not be able to properly control the strength of a budding mage. Though these people try to be careful about who they take in, sometimes they make mistakes and accept an apprentice whose powers are beyond them.”
“I’m guessing this is why you don’t use a similar system in Canalo,” I said dryly.
“Indeed.” Iannis let out a small sigh. “However, Parabas suffers a surprisingly low number of troublesome cases, somewhat to the surprise of other states. We are watching what is happening here with interest, as you can imagine. This particular system has only been in place the last fifteen years or so, but I would not be surprised if the Chief Mage, Logar ar’Dronach, decided to implement it across all of Osero once it has been smoothed out a little bit more.”
“Huh.” I frowned at that. “What does Minister Graning think of this?”
“It is not up to him, as only the Convention can impose its rules on a state government. The Chief Mages are allowed to do as they wish so long as they operate within Federation guidelines and the Great Accord, and the Chief Mage of Osero is not openly breaking any laws.” Iannis rubbed his chin in thought. “Given the current upheavals that demonstrate the shortcomings of the status quo, the Convention may look at experimental government systems such as the one in Parabas with a more open mind. If Chief Mage ar’Dronach succeeds, many other states could follow his example. Or there might be a backlash against experimentation. It is too soon to tell.”
“Do you think it’s coincidence, then, that the Resistance chose Osero as their breeding ground for this secret weapon of theirs?” I asked. “I imagine that the idea of magic growing even stronger in the Federation would go against their plans.”
“Indeed. I do wonder how they plan to deal with humans who continue to be born with magic, if they were to ever succeed in eradicating us mages. They can hardly subject them to magic wipes, with no mages left to administer them.”
“I bet Thorgana would just have them killed at the first sign of any magical talent.” My upper lip curled at that. No, I didn’t approve of the current system, where humans had to choose between execution or a magic wipe, but it was still better than indiscriminately killing anyone who was born with magic.
A gloomy silence settled over the cabin, and we didn’t speak for the rest of the flight, too caught up in our respective thoughts. Once we landed at the Parabas airport, Iannis ordered our luggage delivered to Parabas Palace, where we would be staying as guests of the Chief Mage. But true to his word, we did not go along with our bags. Instead, our carriage took us straight to Nika, a ride of some two hours, we were told.
From what we had learned so far, Nika was a small town, perhaps only eighteen thousand strong. That seemed insignificant compared to Solantha’s nearly half a million citizens, and I wondered what it was like to live in such a community. From what I could observe as we drew close, it was a thriving place, mostly comprised of sprawling, one- and two-story
homes on big lots, with winding roads to connect them to each other as well as the small clusters of shops and municipal buildings. We’d passed some farms on our way in, bursting with cattle, sheep, and fruit-laden orchards. The map Iannis and I studied during our ride told us that industrial buildings were located on the outskirts of town, away from residential homes. We picked out a canning factory, a sawmill, a tannery, and a shoe factory.
“Where do you think the Resistance is most likely to be hiding out?” I asked.
Iannis frowned as he studied the map, which I’d spread across my lap. His long forefinger traced the main road that wound through the town, then drew a semi-circle across the northern end, along the edge of the wilderness.
“I suspect that it might be behind one of these factories, or perhaps even part of one,” Iannis said. “We could question the townsfolk to see if they’ve noticed any suspicious activity, but that would draw unwanted attention. Let’s hope Elnos will provide more information.”
He folded the map up. “Time to disguise ourselves, I think. A middle-aged human couple should not attract too much attention, don’t you agree?
“I guess so,” I said, closing my eyes as he reached for my face. It didn’t take too long for him to transform me, and then himself. Judging by the thin, nondescript form he’d chosen as a disguise, I was glad I couldn’t see my new disguise in full. I was having a hard enough time with the checkered blouse and tweed skirt he’d put me in.
The carriage pulled up outside the Black Lion Inn, where Elnos had instructed us to meet him. It was a two-story, stacked-stone building, with dark grey curtains in the casement windows, and four chimneys jutting from the slate rooftop. Not a particularly cheery-looking place, but a sturdy one that could withstand the rainy weather Osero was known for, and the heavy winter snows.
Iannis held the front door open, and I stepped over the threshold, out of the summer heat into the comparatively cool confines. Unlike the inn’s outside, the interior was very inviting—the floors and walls were paneled with warm, honey-colored wood, and the smell of spiced tea and fresh meat pies laced the cool air. A woman in a blue serge dress came bustling forward, ready to attend us. Off to the left was a hallway that likely led to the kitchens and offices, and to the right was a large, open common room, complete with a fireplace, wingback chairs, coffee tables, and rugs. Above the hearth, I noted a wooden shield with a lion’s head on it, painted in black. There were lions in other places too—the patterned rugs, the candlestick holders, and furniture carvings.
“Good afternoon,” the woman said in a pleasant voice. “Welcome to the Black Lion Inn. Are you staying long?”
“We’re here to meet a friend,” Iannis said. “He’s waiting for us in the common area.”
“We could use some food though,” I mentioned, holding up a finger before Iannis could drag me over there.
“Gallie, our server, should be coming around to the common room in a few moments,” the woman assured us with a smile. “You go off and meet your friend, and I’ll let her know that you two will want something to eat.”
“As I recall, you ate three helpings on the flight,” Iannis commented in my head as we walked away, a smirk in his voice. I could feel the woman’s curious gaze on us as we passed through the entrance to the right.
“Yeah, but I’m still hungry. And besides, there may not be much food wherever Elnos is taking us.” Any smart shifter fueled up every chance she got, and as a magic user, I needed even more energy than the average shifter.
It wasn’t hard to find Elnos—he was wearing the same disguise he’d donned before leaving town, and was sitting in a chair by the fire, gazing toward the window, his features tight with strain. He turned his head as we approached and jumped a little in his chair, no doubt sensing the magic that provided our glamour.
“Hey,” I greeted him quietly in my my own voice. “It’s Sunaya, and Iannis.”
Elnos’s mouth opened in surprise, and he jumped up from his seat. “L--” He caught himself just before he shouted Iannis’s name aloud. “Lord Iannis, Sunaya,” he said more quietly as he enfolded me into a quick hug. “I’m so glad you were able to get here on such short notice.” He looked absolutely nothing like the fresh-faced, gangly young mage that I knew—the man hugging me was more filled out, sporting a leather jacket and dark sunglasses rather than mage robes.
“As it turns out, you’ve landed smack dab in the middle of a mission the Minister’s sent us on,” I said as Iannis and I settled onto the couch across from Elnos.
“What?” Elnos’s eyes widened. “Do you mean to say that the Federation has taken a special interest in the Resistance compound here?”
“Be quiet a moment,” Iannis warned, lifting his hand. He muttered a Word and snapped his fingers. My nose twitched as the scent of magic laced the air, shimmering around us for an instant like a pearly soap bubble.
“There,” Iannis said, sitting back and making himself comfortable. “No one will be able to overhear us.”
“Really?” I arched a brow, and filed away the Word he’d muttered for later use. “That’s a nifty trick.”
“I should have thought to do that. Sorry.” Elnos sighed, scrubbing a hand over the lower half of his face. “I’ve just been so… frazzled, these past few days.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that you and Annia had been separated,” I said, my mood dropping. “What happened?”
“About ten days ago, the Resistance transferred Noria out here to work on some highly classified project,” Elnos began. He took off his shades, exposing the dark circles beneath his worried gaze. “It was pretty clear she wasn’t coming back to Canalo any time soon. When Annia and I weren’t able to wangle a transfer to Noria’s new location, we deserted.”
“So you made your way to Osero on your own?” Iannis asked.
“Yes. We obtained Noria’s location from a Resistance soldier using suggestion magic, then traveled by boat to Parabas. We arrived four days ago, and, from the soldier’s description, we were able to locate the compound quickly enough. It is an underground bunker hidden under a wooded hill, on the outskirts of the town.”
“So it must be within walking distance,” I mused, glancing out the window.
“Yes,” Elnos confirmed. “Unfortunately, things grew more difficult from there. Security around the bunker is tight. Worse, there is some sort of ward surrounding the perimeter that prevents any mage from entering.”
“So Doctor Mitas wasn’t lying.” Iannis’s brows drew together. “They really do have a way to keep mages out. I will have to investigate this ward myself, to identify the spell and perhaps dismantle it.”
A server in a grey dress and apron came to our table then, and I ordered meat pies for all of us. “I hope you can break that ward, Lord Iannis,” Elnos said fervently after she’d gone, “because Annia is within those walls, and I’m not sure if they’ve taken her prisoner or executed her.”
“How did she manage to get caught?” I demanded.
Elnos took a long drink from his beer mug before replying. “She was trying to find another way into the bunker from the back. Unfortunately, she was picked up by a patrol, and they nearly killed her right then and there. There was blood on the ground, from several people, I think.” Frustration sparked in his eyes. “I told her to stay near me, where I could protect her, but she didn’t listen. And because she was on the other side of the wards, I couldn’t get to her. She’s stubborn, like her sister.”
“Yes, she is.” A bittersweet smile curved my lips, then faded away as I thought of Noria. “Do you think Noria knows Annia is being held in the compound?”
“It’s hard to say,” Elnos admitted, his shoulders slumping. My heart sank at the look on his face—I’d never seen him so discouraged. “I don’t know exactly how large the bunker is, but the perimeter protected by the ward is huge. I’m afraid it’s all too possible that Annia could be locked away in an entirely different section from Noria, and that Noria could be unaware of her pre
sence, sequestered away in her technical work.”
“Her work,” Iannis said softly, anger burning in his gaze. “She is helping the Resistance manufacture weapons that spread disease and epidemics, you know. Some of which are specifically targeted at mages.”
“No!” Elnos recoiled, horror widening his eyes. “I know that Noria is committed to the rebellion, but she would never consent to something so horrible. How did you come to such a conclusion?”
“Such a weapon was used to attempt an assassination on the Minister during the last Convention,” Iannis said. “The Minister’s office tracked the substance to a doctor, who is now in prison. He told us the lab that tests and manufactures these deadly weapons is right here, in Nika.”
“It’s possible that Noria isn’t being given all the information,” I consoled Elnos, who looked stricken. “She may not know exactly what these weapons do, and she’s an engineer, not a chemist. I doubt she’s actually producing these substances. They’ll have her working on some mechanical project, most likely.”
“Perhaps,” Elnos said slowly, his gaze distant. “But Noria is no fool. She would figure it out eventually, and if she is willingly dedicating her time to such a horrific cause—” He broke off, shaking his head. “This is just so hard to think about. It’s like my mind just freezes. I don’t know what to do.”
We fell silent again as the waitress returned with our food. I paid her, then stared down at the tray she’d left on the coffee table. The meat pies looked and smelled amazing, but in the wake of Elnos’s distress, I wasn’t quite so hungry anymore.
“Let us focus on one thing at a time,” Iannis said, not unkindly. “We’ll eat now, and then you’ll take us to this hidden bunker. Once we get there and I can assess the lay of the land, we’ll decide our course of action.”